This is the terrible second a visually impaired man walks into the center of a London street as a result of he’s confused by the big cycle lane.
The blind man, referred to as Andrew, was filmed exiting a bus on Chiswick High Road in West London earlier than having to cross over a double cycle lane.
Using his stick, he tried to attempt to find the curb, so he may get onto the pavement, nevertheless, he started strolling right into a facet street.
Just as he made his method onto the trail, a bicycle owner rode previous.
He then started to faucet his cane to assist him find lamp posts, as a lady tried to assist him get throughout the double cycle lane safely.
The individual he was assembly shared the video on X, previously referred to as Twitter, and wrote: ‘The blind man I used to be assembly tried to get off the bus on the Chiswick High Rd cease he used earlier than the cycle lane was constructed.
‘The bus was second on the cease. He turned disoriented and ended up strolling into the carriageway. He has stopped utilizing this bus cease.’
Have you had a near-miss with a motorcycle due to a ‘floating bus cease’? Email: gina.kalsi@mailonline.co.uk
The blind man, referred to as Andrew, was filmed exiting a bus on Chiswick High Road in West London earlier than having to cross over a double cycle lane
Using his stick, he tried to attempt to find the curb, so he may get onto the pavement, nevertheless, he started strolling right into a facet street
This is an instance of a ‘floating bus cease’, which forces passengers to cross a cycle lane to get on and off a bus.
‘Floating bus stops’ – or in TfL’s language ‘shared use bus boarders’ (SUBBs) – have a cycle lane between the bus shelter and the street – forcing passengers to enterprise by incoming bike site visitors to board their bus.
They have turn into extra prevalent within the capital for the reason that pandemic, throughout which London Mayor Sadiq Khan rolled out 62 miles of cycle lanes in simply 12 months.
One such bus cease put in in Camden in 2020 sparked outrage amongst commuters, with one describing them as an ‘accident ready to occur’.
Despite the issues raised by the NFBUK, Mr Khan has refused to pause the event of floating bus stops.
Some commented on the video: ‘Is there not even the pretence of a zebra crossing there throughout that cycle lane? So harmful.’
To which the poster responded: ‘There is, however he did not know the place he was on the island. It was a second bus.’
Cycle lanes are utilized by common pushbikes but additionally e-scooters and e-bikes, which may attain speeds of 25mph, relying on the mannequin.
The Highway Code states: ‘Cyclists ought to give method to pedestrians on shared use cycle tracks’ and that they ‘ought to all the time take care when passing pedestrians, particularly youngsters, older or disabled individuals, and permit them loads of room’.
It provides, bikers ought to: ‘Always be ready to decelerate and cease if obligatory’.
Last April, footage was shared with MailOnline by the National Federation of the Blind UK (NFBUK), that includes their charity president Andrew Hodgson, who’s himself blind.
In the video, a bicycle owner on a cargo bike and one other bicycle owner immediately behind him method the bus cease at pace.
As he was unable to see the cyclists zooming previous him, Mr Hodgson solely turned conscious of the incident after it had occurred when his colleague, NFBUK avenue entry marketing campaign coordinator Sarah Gayton, instructed him.
This is an instance of a ‘floating bus cease’, which forces passengers to cross a cycle lane to get on and off a bus
He then started to faucet his cane to assist him find lamp posts, as a lady tried to assist him get throughout the double cycle lane safely
When Mr Hodgson discovered, he stated he was involved that he may have been injured if he had determined to step forwards or backwards – or that an accident may have occurred if he had caught his cane out.
He stated the cargo bicycle owner was in all probability using very dangerously and will have ‘mown him down’ had he not been standing in precisely the fitting place.
He suggested each cyclists concerned ‘to be extra cautious and maintain a watch open for susceptible pedestrians’ like himself and the girl within the wheelchair.
But Mr Hodgson additionally slammed the harmful bus cease designs as ‘not match for goal’, including: ‘It actually is completely inaccessible. These types of designs have to be scrapped, these which have been put in have to be taken out and there have to be no new ones.’
TfL additionally began work on Cycleway 9 in late October, with the work anticipated to be accomplished by summer time this yr.
It stretches between Waterman’s Park and Hammersmith city centre – together with Chiswick High Road – and was constructed by TfL to ‘make biking and strolling simpler, safer and extra interesting on roads’.
TfL and Hounslow Borough Council have been contacted for remark.