The London Underground drivers’ strike has entered its third day, transforming the capital into a city of cyclists as commuters adapt to the ongoing industrial action. Tube drivers who are members of the RMT union have been walking out in waves, with the latest round of strikes starting at 12pm and continuing for 24 hours. While the industrial action is set to end, disruption is expected to persist until tomorrow evening.
Cycling Numbers Surge
Londoners have once again demonstrated their resilience, with thousands of cyclists hitting the road this morning. By 8:45am, the cyclist tally on the Embankment display reached 3,810, meaning nearly 4,000 riders had passed that spot within hours. On an average day outside the strikes, around 252 cyclists ride past the same location.
Road Etiquette and Safety
Despite accusations of selfish and risky behavior from some cyclists and strikelists, when Metro joined a steady flow of riders from east London to Kensington, there was no sign of dangerous riding. On the contrary, more cyclists than usual stopped diligently at red lights between Tower Hill and Buckingham Palace during rush hour. Several riders, including those on rental e-bikes, wore helmets.
E-Bike Management
The sight of e-bikes scattered on pavements has become a quintessentially London nuisance, with hotspots like Westminster and Kensington High Street seeing badly parked bikes. However, Metro observed on-street teams from Lime and Forest sorting out parked bikes, changing batteries, and loading extras into vans for redistribution. Lime told Metro that it has stepped up operations during the strike, including more foot patrols and drivers on standby to keep high-demand hotspots clear. Forest’s head of policy, Alex Berwin, said its battery swappers are using pedal-powered cargo bikes to navigate congestion more easily, improving bike availability during rush hour.
Santander Bikes and Cycle Lane Closures
Santander bikes appeared popular today, with many docking stations in east London empty while central London commuter and tourist hotspots were full. Simon Munk from the London Cycling Campaign told Metro: ‘We are seeing the numbers going up from the strike and people cycling, and we are seeing a lot of cycle tracks at over capacity. Our learning from the two strikes now is that a lot of our cycle routes and particularly the tracks in central London, but outside central as well, are way out over capacity on an average day. There are 1.5 million cycle journeys daily now. Places like the Embankment and Blackfriars are over capacity on an average day, and then you throw on a lot more folks who are cycling because of the strike, and you can see the routes are over capacity. The strikes show what the future of a cycling London looks like – these are the kinds of levels of cycling we should be expecting on average in a couple of years.’
However, riders should note that some roads in central London, such as The Mall, have begun to close for London Marathon preparation. The cycle lane through Buckingham Palace and on Birdcage Walk will be closed from Saturday until Monday morning for the 2026 marathon.
