Lord Sadiq Khan has been urged to intervene to increase safety at a London bus station after another serious accident.
Labour MP Stella Creasy has written to the London Mayor to raise concerns of local residents about Walthamstow bus station which she says is “unsafe”.
The Walthamstow MP acted following an incident earlier this week when a person was “seriously injured” at the bus station in north east London.
Bus drivers were meeting on Thursday to discuss the safety situation.
Transport for London (TfL) is already facing a criminal prosecution over alleged safety failures at the bus station where a pensioner was struck by a double decker and died in 2023.
In her letter, Ms Creasy stressed that she has been raising her worries about safety at the bus station for more than a year.
She said: “I know that you are committed to improving the safety and comfort of all those who use public transport in London, and will recognize residents in Walthamstow have understandably been shaken by these incidents.
“Their correspondence to my office in the last week, and in the light of the most recent incident, has again raised concerns with me that the bus station is unsafe because of the layout.”
The Health and Safety Executive has accused TfL of breaking the law over the course of 20 years at Walthamstow bus station.
It is said that between January 1 2004 and December 15 2023, TfL “failed to ensure that traffic routes, specifically at the northern crossing at Walthamstow bus station, were suitable for persons and vehicles using them”.
The criminal charge comes after the death, in December 2023, of 74-year-old retired nurse Grace Mecaley, who was fatally injured when she was struck by a route 212 double decker bus at the station.
Ms Creasy emphasised that she had previously been told that a camera had been installed at the bus station to monitor “pedestrian and driver behaviour” on the southern side, a sensor had been put in to collate “near misses” and steps had been taken “as a priority” to explore extending a pedestrian guardrail.
TfL also said it was working with Waltham Forest Council to address the safety concerns in relation to the Selborne Road side of the bus station.
Ms Creasy urged Lord Khan to update her on these safety measures.
Responding to the MP’s intervention, Lorna Murphy, TfL's Director of Buses, said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Grace Mecaley. Every death on the transport network is devastating, and we’re determined to end the trauma caused by loss of life and injury.
"We're committed to ensuring our bus stations are safe and our comprehensive safety programme continues to drive improvements, including changes to infrastructure, increased monitoring and close working with operators to ensure compliance with the rules at bus stations.”
She added that works were completed in December 2024 to “permanently improve pedestrian safety” at Walthamstow bus station.
