Advocates have criticized the recently updated government guidelines for the implementation of so-called floating bus stops as “chaotic” and are calling for their withdrawal.
These bus stops feature a cycle lane situated between the stop and the sidewalk, aimed at enabling passengers to board and disembark safely while allowing cyclists to pass through uninterrupted.
Sarah Gayton, the street access campaign coordinator for the National Federation of the Blind in the UK, remarked, “This design fails to consider the issues faced by blind and visually impaired individuals, and it is utterly disrespectful to believe we would accept this.”
Transport for London (TfL) acknowledged that the data utilized for determining “implementation dates of certain bus stop bypasses had been inaccurately recorded.”
The Department for Transport (DfT) has been contacted for a response.
The latest DfT guidance, released on Monday, comes after an announcement in November to halt the deployment of Shared Use Bus Borders (SUBBs), where passengers enter or exit a cycle path.
Another variant of floating bus stops is the bus stop bypass, where the bike lane runs behind the bus stop or shelter, as implemented by TfL.
Currently, there are no SUBBs on TfL’s road network, although many are in operation on roads overseen by London boroughs.
According to TfL, there were five incidents involving cyclists and one involving an e-scooter resulting in pedestrian injuries at floating bus stops within a three-year span, in contrast to the 11,400 pedestrians hurt by motor vehicles.
In 2024, the London Assembly reported there were 164 floating bus stops in the city.
Gayton expressed her concerns to BBC London, stating that the updated guidance, which suggests that a bus boarding island could be functional at certain locations, is “unjust to blind and visually impaired individuals.”
She pointed out, “They only consulted people whose responses they anticipated would align with their agenda. If they did receive objections, they have not addressed them properly.
“It lacks logic. They are merely recycling iterations of previously proposed plans, believing this will appease us, when in fact it will exacerbate the situation.
“This serves no real purpose. It is a poorly constructed, disorganized document that fails to tackle any of our issues.”
On Monday, TfL conceded that at least 37 of the 121 bus stops referenced in a TfL report were misrepresented.
A TfL representative stated, “We conducted a thorough review of safety and usage regarding bus stop bypasses to confirm their safety for everyone on our streets. Findings from the report consistently indicate that bus stop bypasses pose a low risk.
“Regrettably, in reviewing how usage patterns have evolved, we discovered inaccuracies in the recorded implementation dates of certain bus stop bypasses, and we are now revisiting this analysis with a revised list.
“We are committed to collaborating with disabled individuals and accessibility organizations to gain insight into their experiences and to enhance the design of bus stop bypasses. We are also working on raising awareness among cyclists.”
