A campaigner from Exeter has taken her battle against the city’s ‘dangerous’ bus stops to 10 Downing Street.
Marilyn Lant and her guide dog Milly joined people from across the UK to hand in a petition to Prime Minister Andy Burnham calling for the ‘floating’ bus stops to be replaced by a safer alternative.
In Exeter’s Rifford Road, bus passengers have to cross a two-way cycle lane to get to the stop, and some say the risks are too high.
Ms Lant said: “People with sight loss deserve to be able to use their local buses independently and without fear. If one person gets hurt and I had said nothing, I would never forgive myself.”
She and Milly joined local campaign groups alongside the National Federation of the Blind UK to meet MPs and explain why floating bus stops are causing concern.
More than 600 people signed the petition, including people who say the stops have affected their confidence and independence.
People signing the petition said the stops had caused them so much anxiety that they now used a different route, crossing a busy road, rather than use their closest stop.
Others described the Rifford Road set-up as ‘awful’ and ‘unsafe’.
New zebra crossings have been created across the cycle lanes in a bid to limit the risks, but a one-hour observation last month saw only one cyclist give way. When one was asked why they had not stopped, they said they did not even know there was a bus stop there.
Exeter City Council member Lucy Haigh (Independent, Heavitree) said: “Marilyn has asked her MPs, local disability groups, Devon County Council and cabinet members for help, and every door has pointed somewhere else.
“Government points to local authorities, and local authorities point straight back. No one should be passed from pillar to post.
“Marilyn is bringing her petition to the Prime Minister’s door and I would urge him to listen, because Marilyn and so many others are simply asking for an answer.”
The aim of a floating bus stop is to protect cyclists from traffic and let them ride straight through without stopping behind a loading bus.
A number of disability groups argue that they are dangerous and disabling. Blind and partially sighted people cannot easily hear or see oncoming cyclists, leading to fear, stress, and instances where pedestrians are clipped, shouted at, or hit.
However, transport authorities such as Transport for London say actual reported collision numbers are low. Some cyclists and planners view floating bus stops as vital for active travel.
In November last year the minister for roads and buses Simon Lightwood wrote to all local authorities in England asking them to pause the installation of some floating bus stop designs.
In response to concerns, Devon County Council has held meetings with local groups and has made changes to the Rifford Road bus stop including making the zebra crossing more visible to cyclists.
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