Collisions involving bicycles in London rose sharply during a weeklong Tube strike, as commuters turned to pedal power to avoid disrupted public transport, the London Ambulance Service and bike-rental operators said.
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) reported a 44% increase in incidents involving people on bicycles during the period after members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union staged a walkout that began Sunday evening and ran until Friday morning. The LAS told The Times it had been "very busy" and urged cyclists and pedestrians to be extra careful on busy roads, noting that heavier traffic meant ambulances on blue lights were taking longer to reach the sickest patients.
Shared bike and e-bike operators reported sharp rises in demand during the strike. Santander Cycles, operated by Transport for London, saw user numbers climb by about 72% week on week. Lime, which operates rental e-bikes and e-scooters, reported more than a 50% jump in trips during Monday and Tuesday rush hours and said overall trips between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Monday rose 58% compared with the same period the previous week. Lime said trip duration rose 37% and distances increased 24% on Monday, with similar increases on Tuesday.
"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 the company had stepped up operations across the city, deploying driver teams to keep vehicles in service and increasing foot patrols to rebalance bikes and clear high-demand areas.
Local authorities reported problems linked to the surge in e‑bike use. The City of London Corporation said it had seized more than 100 e-bikes that were blocking pavements during a two-week operation prompted by complaints about vehicles left in unsuitable places.
The strike, which brought large parts of the Underground to a halt, has intensified debate about the future of London's transport network and the role of automation. Conservative politicians and some transport experts have renewed calls for driverless trains as a safeguard against future walkouts; opponents note safety concerns and the high cost of retrofitting older lines. Transport for London has said such a project could cost billions, estimating roughly £20 billion to upgrade three of the oldest lines, and Mayor Sadiq Khan said in December that work to introduce driverless trains would "not be progressed any further."
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey urged the mayor to open talks with the union, calling for a summit to resolve the dispute over pay and hours. The union said there were no planned talks and warned its action could extend to the Elizabeth line. The Centre for Economics and Business Research estimated the strike had a direct impact on the London economy of about £230 million, with additional indirect costs.
City officials, transport operators and unions are continuing negotiations over service disruption and safety on increasingly crowded roads. The LAS and rental companies urged caution, while local authorities weighed enforcement measures to address pavement obstructions and other public-safety concerns as cycling and e‑bike use rise in response to rail disruption.