Collisions involving bicycles in London rose sharply this week after a Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union walkout halted Underground services, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said.
The LAS told The Times it recorded a 44% increase in incidents involving bicycles during the period of the strike, which ran from Sunday evening to Friday morning. The service said it was "very busy" and warned pedestrians and cyclists to be "extra careful on the busy roads," noting that increased traffic had also slowed ambulances using blue lights to reach the sickest patients.
Commuters turned to bicycles to avoid travel disruption, and rental operators reported substantial growth in use. Transport for London-operated Santander Cycles saw numbers rise by 72%. Private e-bike and e-scooter firms reported similar spikes: Lime said rush-hour trips rose by more than 50% on Monday and Tuesday, with total trips between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Monday up 58% compared with the same period the previous week. Lime said the duration of trips increased by 37% and distances by 24% on Monday; Tuesday saw total trips up 50%, duration up 41% and distance up 28%.
"Journeys were longer in both distance and duration, indicating that many riders relied on Lime for their entire commute rather than just the first or last mile," Hal Stevenson, Lime's UK and Ireland director of policy, said. He added that Lime had "stepped up operations across the city" to meet demand with additional battery swaps, rebalancing and increased foot patrols.
Emergency responders reported instances of riskier cycling behaviour, including riders using pavements, which contributed to the rise in collisions. The City of London Corporation said it had seized more than 100 e-bikes blocking pavements during a recent two-week enforcement operation.
The strike, called by the RMT over disputes about pay and working hours, continued for several days without talks scheduled to resolve the dispute, the union and transport officials said. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey urged the Mayor of London to convene a summit with the union to end the disruption. Speaking at the Trades Union Congress in Brighton, Dempsey said: "Invite us to the meeting, let's have a discussion, because I want to know what is going on in London."
Political debate intensified over potential long-term solutions to recurring Tube disruption. Some experts and Conservative politicians renewed calls for driverless trains to reduce the impact of future strikes, pointing to the Docklands Light Railway, which opened without drivers in 1987. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other ministers have previously said automation should be considered in future funding arrangements for Transport for London (TfL); the Department for Transport asked TfL to examine feasibility in 2022.
TfL has warned that converting existing lines would be costly. The authority estimates automation could run into billions of pounds, with one cited estimate putting the bill at about £20 billion for three of the oldest lines. Mayor Sadiq Khan said in December that work to introduce driverless trains "would not be progressed any further." Critics of the mayor, including some Conservative opponents, said he had been insufficiently visible during the transport disruption.
The Centre for Economics and Business Research estimated the strike's direct impact on London's economy at about £230 million, with additional indirect costs. Commentators and some academics suggested automation might reduce the risk of similar disputes, though proposals face opposition from unions citing safety and employment concerns.
The RMT has also signalled that future action could affect the Elizabeth line. Transport operators and city officials said they were monitoring demand and safety as commuters adapted to reduced Underground services.
As Londoners pursued alternative routes to work, public debate over the strike's immediate consequences and longer-term transport policy intensified. Officials from ambulance services, rental operators and local authorities reiterated calls for caution on busy streets and for enforcement against improperly parked or abandoned rental vehicles to keep pavements and thoroughfares clear.