Just one in 10 stops on ‘death trap’ cycle lanes

Study reveals fewer than 10pc of cyclists give way to pedestrians at ‘floating’ bus stop zebra crossings

‘Floating bus stops pose a serious safety risk for vulnerable Londoners’

‘Blind and visually impaired people have been knocked over and injured by cyclists’

SADIQ KHAN’S “death trap” bike lane zebra crossings have seen just one in 10 cyclists stop to let pedestrians pass, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

The Mayor of London has overseen a proliferation of the Amsterdam-style floating bus stops, where busy cycle lanes are wedged between the pavement and a bus stop island, with a zebra crossing bridging the two.

This is despite Mr Khan and Transport for London being warned that the majority of cyclists refuse to stop or slow down at crossings.

In the most extensive analysis since more such stops were introduced after the pandemic, The Telegraph surveyed the behaviour of 397 cyclists while pedestrians were waiting at three crossings in central London. Just 33, or eight per cent, of cyclists gave way as the Highway Code requires. Now, campaigners have called on Mr Khan to rip out the schemes to prevent pedestrians having to “run the gauntlet” on the “terrifying” crossings where some cyclists are so “pumped up on adrenaline” they hurtle by on their commute.

The survey has renewed calls from families whose loved ones have died after being hit by a bicycle to update laws so cyclists can be prosecuted for dangerous or reckless riding.

The schemes, known as “floating bus stops”, began in London in 2013 in an attempt to prevent cyclists pulling out around buses into traffic. They have been expanded under the Labour mayor’s vision to make cycling “integral” to the capital, with at least 50 bike lane zebra crossings now installed.

This newspaper counted every cyclist who stopped or not when pedestrians were waiting to cross during 90 minutes at rush hour at three such bus stops in Westminster opposite St Thomas’ Hospital, on Farringdon Road in Blackfriars and Whitechapel Road near the Royal London Hospital.

In total, 91.7 per cent of cyclists, or 364, failed to stop and 8.3 per cent, or 33, stopped, in cases involving a total of 189 pedestrians. Rule 19 of the Highway Code says “drivers and riders should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross and MUST give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing”, and should “be patient” as well as looking for those on foot approaching the crossing.

But at every location surveyed, the vast majority of cyclists refused to stop, there were multiple near-misses and some collisions caused by bikers edging through. Some cyclists shouted and swore – sometimes in front of children – at pedestrians, and in the worst examples 25 cyclists went through at once at Whitechapel Road while a pedestrian was waiting to cross, then 17 failed to stop as a man on crutches with a leg brace waited to cross.

Emma Best, the City Hall Conservatives’ health spokesman, said: “Floating bus stops pose a serious safety risk for vulnerable Londoners. Blind and visually impaired people have been knocked over and injured by cyclists who fail to respect their right of way.

“Sadiq Khan needs to listen to the warnings he’s received from experts and charities, and ensure there is direct pedestrian access to all bus stops.”

Matthew Briggs, whose wife Kim, 44, died after being hit by a cyclist on an illegal bike seven years ago, said the findings showed laws needed to be modernised so cyclists who kill or injure can be prosecuted for reckless or dangerous riding. Cyclists are prosecuted under an 1861 law for “furious and wanton driving” intended for horse-drawn carriage riders. They face a maximum of two years in prison.

The Telegraph also surveyed a twoway bike lane zebra crossing, which does not have a floating bus stop, in Vauxhall, next to the commuter hub of

Lambeth Bridge, south London, and found many more cyclists stopped here – 40 per cent of the 379 observed.

Sarah Gayton, from the National Federation of the Blind of the UK, said the “death trap” schemes meant vulnerable people had to “run the gauntlet” while playing “Russian roulette” over who will and won’t give way.

John Stewart, the chairman of the Campaign for Better Transport who was speaking in a personal capacity, said: “These are truly devastating figures; it is putting pedestrians and particularly disabled pedestrians at risk.”

Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “Bus stop bypasses are a nationally recognised approach for avoiding the dangers of cyclists going around buses into oncoming traffic. All cyclists are required to stop for pedestrians at zebra crossings in accordance with the highway code.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “There are already tough laws in place for tackling dangerous driving, and we will respond to our review exploring the case for specific dangerous cycling offences in due course.”