Cycling accidents in London increased by almost 50% during this week’s Tube strike according to the London Ambulance Service (LAS).
The LAS reported an increase in the number of road traffic collisions involving bikes as London roads became congested with commuters cycling to work during the RMT union walkout this week.
The five-day Tube strike from Sunday evening until Thursday left Londoners desperately seeking alternative travel to work as the majority of underground services were suspended.
LAS data showed a 44% increase in bike collision incidents in London compared to data from last year, according to The Times.
The ambulance service reported being extremely busy, while an increase in congestion on the roads due to strikes meant ambulances with blue lights were taking longer than usual to reach patients in need.
The city saw a major increase in trips taken by bike during the walkout – London cycling commissioner Will Norman reported around two million trips were taken by bike on Monday, the first day of the strikes, a major increase on the usual 1.4 million trips made by bike on regular weekdays.
E-bike hire operator Lime revealed an increase of more than 50 per cent in trips during rush hour traffic on Monday and Tuesday, rising to three-quarters by Wednesday.
Between 7am and 11am on Monday, the total number of trips taken rose by 58 per cent compared to the previous week. The duration of trips rose by 37 per cent, while distances also increased by 24 per cent.
The Standard saw one cyclist blatantly ignoring an illuminated “green man” sign, speeding across a pedestrian crossing.
Several cyclists were also seen mounting pavements, putting both pedestrians and riders themselves at risk of injury.
While the number of collisions involving cyclists increased during the Tube strikes, the issue of cyclists ignoring the rules of the road has been an ongoing problem throughout this year.
As the number of cycling journeys taken in the city has been increasing, partly due to the 340 per cent increase in the use of dockless bikes including Lime and Forest e-bikes, so too are increasing numbers of cyclists ignoring the rules of the road.
A survey of London cyclists, commissioned by Lime, found that over half of respondents admitted to jumping red lights, including 16 per cent who said they did it regularly.
In July, The Standard also revealed that cyclists in the City of London had been caught 10 times more often than motorists for running red lights this year.
City Police launched a “safer city streets” campaign to target anti-social behaviour in the Square Mile, including cyclists riding on pavements and jumping red lights.
