Call for an end to cycle lanes behind bus stops

Blind people say the stops are not safe for them

Visually-impaired people are calling for an end to so-called floating bus stops where cycle lanes go behind the stop.

Kevin Greenan, from Greater Manchester, who is part of a delegation delivering a petition to Prime minister Rishi Sunak later, said the stops are dangerous for people with limited or no sight.

Cycle lanes are being built across the country with these bus stops.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said it works to make all people safe.

Mr Greenan, who lives in Rochdale, said: "I used to be independent but the issue we have now is that I cannot travel safely on my own, simply because when I get to a bus stop I have to cross a cycle lane.

"And how do I know, as a blind person, that a cycle is coming?

"How do I know whether a bus is coming, because a bus cannot go close to the kerb?"

Campaigners are calling for a halt to the stops

He added the problem causes isolation for bind people and other disabled members of the community because "they cannot go out on their own."

Mr Greenan also said the so-called Cycling Optimised Protected Signals junctions (CYCLOPS), which segregate cyclists from traffic, are a problem.

The first of its kind in the UK opened in Hulme, Manchester two years ago.

"There is no way someone like me could use them," he added.

Richard Nixon, programme director for active travel at TfGM said it worked with cycling groups and the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People).

He added : “We want everyone to feel safe on the roads but it is an ongoing and complex issue.

“We don’t have any evidence at this time that there is an injury collision problem."

Manchester became European Capital of Cycling in January.