Get you up to speed: Bike accidents increase amid London Tube strikes | News UK
London Ambulance Service reported a 46% increase in road traffic collisions involving bicycles amid a surge in cycling during recent Tube strikes.
London Ambulance Service reported a 46% increase in bike-related road traffic incidents this week, coinciding with the Tube drivers’ strike, raising safety concerns.
More than 16,000 riders crossed the Embankment cycle lane, indicating a significant rise in cycling during the Tube strikes, according to reports from TfL.
What we know so far
Commuters in London saw a significant surge in cycling during the recent Tube strikes, but this influx has also led to an increase in road traffic incidents. The Tube drivers’ strikes officially concluded at midday, although disruptions are expected to persist until the evening.
According to the London Ambulance Service, there were 44 road traffic collisions involving bicycles, push bikes, and e-bikes between Tuesday and Thursday, marking a 46% increase compared to the same period last year. The rise in incidents accompanies a boom in cycling, with nearly 4,000 riders crossing the Embankment cycle lane before 9am yesterday—compared to a typical daily average of around 252 cyclists.
Transport for London (TfL) has noted a commitment to expanding the Cycleways network to accommodate the growing demand. A spokesperson stated that efforts are underway to improve road safety and increase accessibility to high-quality cycle routes. The TfL plan includes investing over £150 million annually for active travel programmes, with ambitions to increase the cycle network to reach 40% of Londoners by 2030.
Simon Munk from the London Cycling Campaign emphasised the necessity for improved infrastructure, stating, “We need more routes, we need more capacity.” The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is reportedly working closely with TfL to enhance the cycling infrastructure across the capital.
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Crashes involving bikes surge during London Tube strikes | News UK
London has looked more like Amsterdam during the Tube strikes with thousands more cycling, but there have also been more incidents on the roads this week.
Londoners can let out a sigh of relief as the last wave of Tube drivers’ strikes officially wrapped up at midday, although disruption will linger until the evening.
Cycling has boomed this week as commuters relied on bikes to navigate the disruption, enabling strikelists to overcome the worst of it.
Cycle lanes have been full to the brim with beginner strikelists and experienced riders coexisting with traffic and pedestrians in the controlled chaos that is London.
The Embankment tally had clocked almost 4,000 riders before 9am yesterday, compared with around 252 cyclists on an average day.
Rise in ambulance crash callouts
Figures from the London Ambulance Service given to WTX suggest there has been a rise in incidents involving bikes this week.
There were 44 road traffic collisions involving bicycles, push bikes and e-bikes between Tuesday and Thursday this week, compared with 30 incidents logged by call handlers in the same period last week – around 46% increase.
Have you felt safe travelling during the Tube strike?
Last year, between Tuesday, April 22, and Thursday, April 24, emergency call handlers recorded 31 bike-related incidents.
However, there has also been a surge in the number of cyclists. Also, the figures do not detail whether the incidents involved another bike, a pedestrian or a motor vehicle.
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There were 1.5 million daily bike journeys across London last year, according to TfL. Its survey of cyclists showed that 76% of people using Cycleways felt safe.
While London now has 267 miles of cycle lanes, campaigners have warned that the network is over capacity.
Simon Munk, the London Cycling Campaign’s head of campaigns, told WTX: ‘We are seeing the numbers going up from the strike and people cycling, and we are seeing a lot of cycle tracks at over capacity.’
E-bike use increase during Tube strike
Rental e-bikes have also recorded a rise in usage this week.
Lime said it saw a 23% increase in Lime trips on Wednesday, and a 22% rise on Thursday compared with the same time last week. On Wednesday, trip lengths increased by 20%, suggesting that riders used the bikes for their entire commute, the company said.
Forest said it experienced a 50% increase in rides during Wednesday rush hour between 7am and 8am compared with last week, and a 35% rise during the afternoon rush hour.
When WTX approached Forest, it said that despite the increase in rides this week, it has not seen a rise in incidents. Forest said that all new users complete an in-app safety training before riding and it also runs safety initiatives to educate riders.
Lime declined to comment.
He said the boom of cyclists during the strikes will be the average in London in a couple of years.
He continued: ‘For cycling to be a mainstream mode of transport, which it clearly now is capable of doing, we need more routes, we need more capacity, and we need the boroughs and TfL to get on and deliver that.’
‘We need Paris. We need the mayor of London to act like the mayor of Paris does.’
A TfL spokesperson said: “‘Walking and cycling are vital to a sustainable transport network, and we’re committed to ensuring Londoners have access to a safe, high‑quality, joined‑up cycle network. Since 2016, the network has grown from 90km to over 431km, meaning 27 per cent of Londoners now live within 400m of a high‑quality cycle route.
‘We recognise that disruption such as Tube strikes can encourage more people to try cycling, reinforcing the need to continue expanding the Cycleways network and making London’s roads safer for everyone. TfL’s Safe and Healthy Streets investment programme commits over £150m each year in our business plan to make active and sustainable travel safer – including £94.8m allocated to London boroughs for 2026/27 for safety projects and new cycle routes on their roads.
‘Our ambition is for the Cycleways network to reach 40 per cent of Londoners by 2030, and we remain focused on expanding it so even more Londoners can choose cycling safely and confidently.’
A spokesperson for the mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: ‘The Mayor is working closely with TfL to ensure London has the quality infrastructure needed to safely meet growing demand, as cycling becomes increasingly popular across the capital.
‘The Mayor remains committed to further improving road safety through his Vision Zero Action Plan, which aims to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London’s transport network.’