Floating ‘Bus Stops intercepted by Cycle Lanes’ a danger to blind and elderly bus passengers`
Yesterday CSPA supported the National Federation of the Blind (NFBUK) in attending the House of Lords scrutiny of Clauses in the Buses (No.2) Bill relating to the design of bus stops. There is mounting concern at the risks posed to blind and elderly bus passengers in the new style bus stops that are separated from the pavement by cycle lanes.
Lord Chris Holmes has proposed amendments to the Bill currently going through the Lords calling for direct access to and from the pavement at bus stops. He said that the so called “floating” bus stops were “dangerous, discrimatory, and disastrous for blind and vulnerable people, and for parents with buggies trying to get off a bus with e-bikes whizzing past at over 20 miles an hour”.
His amendment, to Clause 22 of the Bill called for “the Secretary of State to issue guidance requiring buses to stop at the kerbside and for disabled passengers to board from and alight directly to the pavement; and stopping placed to be designed such that disabled passengers can continue their journey without crossing a live cycle lane running through on any part of the pavement”.
The Government Minister Lord Peter Hendy responded that he would ensure wide consultation on the guidance that is issued on the design of bus stops, but stopped short of accepting the amendments. The Bill will now go to the Report stage for further consideration in early March, and we will continue to work with the NFBUK in seeking wider Parliamentary support to strengthen Clause 22 of the Bill, along with our partners in Later Life Ambitions (LLA), and our Parliamentary advisors at Connect.
CSPA Deputy General Secretary David Luxton attended the Committee hearings, and spoke with visually-impaired representatives from NFBUK to hear of their experiences with bus travel, as part of our ongoing support for the NFBUK Parliamentary campaign for safer bus stops, in line with Motion A41 from East Devon Group carried at the 2024 CSPA Annual General Meeting.
