More than 450 Londoners have been injured by bus wing mirrors since 2018, Telegraph data analysis reveals, calling into question one of Sadiq Khan’s key road safety promises.
The number of injuries caused has risen over the past three years despite a shrinking London bus fleet, suggesting the problem is getting worse.
Under his Vision Zero strategy, Sadiq Khan wants to “disappear” death and serious injury from London’s streets.
However, the Mayor of London’s own fleet of buses is causing more injuries than ever before, with 2023 marking a record high for the number of people hit by bus wing mirrors.
Last year saw the highest number of injuries sustained in six years, with 106 pedestrians hit – a 70 per cent increase.
A typical bus wing mirror weighs about 2 kg complete with its mounting arms.
The London borough with the highest number of crashes was Lambeth – with 11 of the 37 incidents recorded there over the six-year period occurring on Friday or Saturday evenings.
Route 91, which runs between Crouch End and Trafalgar Square, recorded the most wing mirror damage over the years.
Tom Kearney, 59, from Camden, was left in a coma after being hit by a bus wing mirror in 2009.
He suffered head and lung injuries from the force of the blow and now believes there is a “conspiracy of silence” surrounding the matter.
“It happened at a busy junction on Oxford Street. The mirror of a bus hit me on the back of the head and threw me against the bus and then onto the road,” he recalls.
Public awareness
Mr Kearney, who is now campaigning for greater public awareness of bus wing mirror damage, added: “Given the fact that TfL’s own figures show that the number of people killed and injured in bus incidents bus safety is now higher than when the current mayor took office in May 2016, the fact that there are increasing numbers of people injured in bus wing mirror crashes should come as no surprise.”
Despite the number of injuries reaching a record high, London’s bus fleet has been reduced in size since Mr Khan took office.
Eight years ago there were 9,415 buses, while last year TfL said there were 8,643 in force – a drop of 8 per cent.
“What is a surprise,” continued Mr Kearney, “is that all these alarming trends continue years after the Mayor and TfL have announced a number of ‘world-leading’ bus safety programs and a Vision Zero programme.
“Bus safety record worst under Khan”
Andrew Boff, the Conservative speaker of the London Assembly, claimed that London’s bus safety record was deteriorating under Mr Khan.
“Bus-related casualties increased by 17 per cent in 2022 and again in 2023,” Mr Boff said.
“While we welcome the fall in the number of bus fatalities, what these figures really show is that a significant number of people are still injured by buses in London every year.
“Despite the mayor having an 80-page bus safety strategy, he continues to brush off any criticism of the safety of the bus network.”
Tom Cunnington, TfL’s head of bus business development, said the capital’s transport authority is ordering bus companies to replace traditional wing mirrors with cameras.
“Over the past three years, there has been an increase in injuries as Londoners’ journeys return to pre-pandemic patterns,” he claimed.
“We are working to replace the wing mirrors on our buses with camera monitor systems to eliminate the risk of mirror collisions, with 1,500 buses now fitted with these.
“All new buses in our fleet are fitted with cameras instead of mirrors and we are also working to retrofit existing buses with these systems.”
Mr. Khan, through his official mayor’s office, did not respond to a request for comment.
