London commuters have increasingly been cycling to work because of this week’s Tube strike, new figures show.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are staging walkouts until Friday in a dispute over pay and hours.
Tube services have been crippled since Monday, causing travel chaos for commuters, tourists and other visitors to the capital.
New figures from employee benefits provider YuLife showed that cycling miles tracked across London have jumped by 32% this week, from 3,878 to 5,120 miles, as workers turn to their bikes to beat the chaos.
Sammy Rubin, chief executive of YuLife, said: “When strikes disrupt our routines, we’re reminded just how much control we do, or don’t have over our daily lives.
“What’s encouraging is that so many people are turning to movement as a way to cope. A 32% rise in cycling shows how willing Londoners are to take their wellbeing into their own hands when given the nudge.”
Workers on the Docklands Light Railway were also on strike on Thursday, adding to the disruption to travel in London.
No talks are planned between the RMT or London Underground (LU) to discuss the operator’s rejected 3.4% pay offer or union demands for a cut in the working week.
RMT leader Eddie Dempsey said industrial relations had “collapsed”, although both sides have expressed a willingness to resume talks.
Nick Dent, lead negotiator for LU, said the strikes were in no-one’s interest.
He added that LU wanted to discuss the issue of fatigue which has been raised by the union as a reason for wanting a cut in the working week.
