Disability campaigners in Waltham Forest and across London are urging Mayor Sadiq Khan to remove floating bus stops, warning that the design poses serious safety risks to vulnerable pedestrians.

Floating bus stops were introduced in 2013. They place a cycle lane between the bus stop and the pavement, so that cyclists can continue past while passengers board. The government paused one type, Shared Use Bus Borders, last year, but allowed Bus Stop Bypasses to continue. Together the two designs account for roughly 1.5 percent of London's 19,000 bus stops.

Gary Wiggins, of the Waltham Forest Blind Association, described being hurt at one of the stops. "One of these cyclists bumped into me, knocked me over and I got abuse from the person riding the bike," he said. He now avoids buses altogether and relies on taxis instead, at considerable cost.

Sarah Gayton, of the National Federation for the Blind UK, said the stops were "totally unsafe — they're inaccessible", adding: "The bikes, e-scooters, e-bikes... they're absolutely coming down here at speed."

Research by the RNIB found that nearly half of blind and partially sighted people avoid bus stop bypasses entirely, in some cases losing independent mobility as a result.

The Department for Transport said ongoing research is intended to "ensure accessibility is at the heart of these designs", but that it does not want a complete halt because of concerns about the delivery of cycling infrastructure.

Transport for London acknowledged the difficulties while defending the principle behind the layout, saying: "Bus stop bypasses are an important part of delivering more inclusive cycling infrastructure."

The London Cycling Campaign argued that the evidence shows floating bus stops are "no more dangerous than other stretches of road".