The Long Bus

jusgray

Nearly got sucked under one of them bendy buses today, he was well to close.

What techniques is there to help with this please as the only thing I can think of is to mount the kerb?

patchy

DON'T UNDERTAKE THEM UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. If you think you're going to be stuck alongside one, fall back and let it get ahead. if you're passing, overtake it on the right hand side.

basically, you need to treat them exactly as you would a truck.

BentMikey

patchy wrote:

DON'T UNDERTAKE THEM UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. If you think you're going to be stuck alongside one, fall back and let it get ahead. if you're passing, overtake it on the right hand side.

basically, you need to treat them exactly as you would a truck.

I don't think Jusgray was undertaking, I read his post that the bus overtook him and cut in. Does this video look familiar to you:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bDFWMnhJDhM

always_tyred

patchy wrote:

If you think you're going to be stuck alongside one, fall back and let it get ahead.

It would ordinarily go against the grain to advocate cycling in such a way as to "get out of the way" of other road users.

But with bendy busses, sadly its about the best you can do. They are worse than trucks for two reasons (1) they are longer and (2) the drivers have to stop and pull in all the time.

Interestingly, our foppish friend Boris is against them and has been on record saying it was a stupid and expensive folly, and what was wrong with new double decker busses anyway?

Lets hope that they are a passing fad.

tardington

Exactly that. They are pretty dangerous.

BentMikey

Always Tyred wrote:

patchy wrote:

If you think you're going to be stuck alongside one, fall back and let it get ahead.

It would ordinarily go against the grain to advocate cycling in such a way as to "get out of the way" of other road users..

I disagree, I'm with Patchy. The highway code does say you should try to avoid an accident. There's no point in being dead right. You're right in suggesting that we shouldn't have to, but we all make mistakes sooner or later, and I'm quite grateful when someone else takes action to avert a consequence when I make a mistake.

I don't generally have problems with bendy buses, apart from the one in my video above. For the most part they're just like normal buses, and I'm quite happy being around them as a cyclist.

jusgray

Cheers guys, i was riding along when this bendy bus came about 2ft from me but then the back end started getting closer, im unsure but it might be the way bendy buses are?

I think i will pull back next time and let it get ahead.

That vido clip looked similar, scary.

redvee

Have spent the last hour looking at various Youtube clips and we think we got it bad with bendy buses, the Aussies get roadtrains which are longer again but these don't venture into city centres like the BBs do thankfully.

Swannie

First week I had my bike I had a bendy bus pull up about 50cm behind me at some gyratory junction lights... not being too comfortable with just how fine he'd decided to make his breaking, I didn't want him trying to over take around the corner. I knew there was a bus stop in the middle of this gyratory, so I sat to the right of primary in my lane, thinking he was going to want to pull off to the left shortly, and also that gave me the most space if coming around this nice blind corner, there was someone pulling out into my lane.

I guess he saw the gap, for the idiot squeezed into it, about 50cm from my left, and shouted out the window "How many lanes do you want" before promptly putting his foot down, then breaking into the bus stop barely 20 meters from where he shouted at me.

That shook my confidence after my first proper cycling in 6 years. Ever since then I have sat squarely in primary when confronted by these beasts, and promptly dropping back if they decide they want to overtake me... which is pretty much only beneficial on hills where I meet them.

Eat My Dust

Swannie wrote:

I guess he saw the gap, for the idiot squeezed into it, about 50cm from my left, and shouted out the window "How many lanes do you want"

lol, is it even possible to take up more than one lane on a bike? I would have just told him to "f_ck off"

cee

Eat My Dust wrote:

lol, is it even possible to take up more than one lane on a bike? I would have just told him to "f_ck off"

and then folded his wing mirror in

BentMikey

cee wrote:

and then folded his wing mirror in

Apparently one cyclist I know has a running total of buses like this where she's pushed the engine kill switch, walked onto the bus, and apologised to the passengers for the drivers bad driving. The driver then has to get out to reset the switch.

always_tyred

BentMikey wrote:

Always Tyred wrote:

patchy wrote:

If you think you're going to be stuck alongside one, fall back and let it get ahead.

It would ordinarily go against the grain to advocate cycling in such a way as to "get out of the way" of other road users..

I disagree, I'm with Patchy. The highway code does say you should try to avoid an accident. There's no point in being dead right. You're right in suggesting that we shouldn't have to, but we all make mistakes sooner or later, and I'm quite grateful when someone else takes action to avert a consequence when I make a mistake.

I don't generally have problems with bendy buses, apart from the one in my video above. For the most part they're just like normal buses, and I'm quite happy being around them as a cyclist.

True enough. the image I had in my mind was of people beeping you out of the way so that they can overtake. They wouldn't do it to a car, so why to a bike.

But this doesn't fall into that category.

NWLondoner

I hate Bendy Buses, even overtaking them can be a squeaky bottom experience.

Yesterday i undertook one which was stopped at a set of red lights. There was plenty of space between it and the kerb. I made sure that i stopped right in front of him so he could NOT over take me, and it worked

Alibran

I think bendy buses are terrifying. The company I work for has just bought out another company that has some on its fleet. I just hope they don't send them down here and expect us to drive them.

(Incidentally, the reason the back often cuts in as they pass is because the driver often has no idea of the length of his vehicle. I've seen artics do exactly the same.)

always_tyred

Alibran wrote:

(Incidentally, the reason the back often cuts in as they pass is because the driver often has no idea of the length of his vehicle. I've seen artics do exactly the same.)

Yup - I'm not sure that's been well understood.

I've had bad bus experiences and I am predisposed not to regard bus driving highly (sorry - I don't want to open a can of worms) but even I can see that bendy busses on bendy roads is an almost unreasonable expectation. When I was in Canada, they were everywhere. The streets there are dead straight, the lanes are wide and there were usually 4 of them. Even in those conditions, I regularly saw cyclists "trapped" by the second half of these things.

Its not the drivers, its the busses. If you aren't worried by them, you haven't experienced enough of them.

dirk_van_gently

Now that Boris Johnson is Mayor of London, will there be better facilities for Cyclists, removal of bendy buses, after all Boris is a cyclist, or will it prove to be the usual Political Bollox that we are used to?

ride_whenever

I like the kill switch idea...

cee

ride_whenever wrote:

I like the kill switch idea...

ah yes.....the ole stand up extend left hand salute!

Just a pity that most of the new buses in Edinburgh now seem to have the kill switch somewhere else....Not sure if it's in the Cab, or under the bonnet!

abbots_mike

im sure somebody will confirm or tell me im being silly, but i think they HAVE to have a kill switch somewhere on the outside

Jon G

Alibran wrote:

<>The company I work for has just bought out another company that has some on its fleet. I just hope they don't send them down here and expect us to drive them.

(Incidentally, the reason the back often cuts in as they pass is because the driver often has no idea of the length of his vehicle.<> )

Can bus drivers just take them out without specialist training in handling them, then? I'm surprised that the insurers allow that even if the law does.

BentMikey

I really don't have a problem with bendy buses, or most of their drivers. They're fine from the point of view of a cyclist. Once in a while you get a twunt of a driver, but they'd be a problem even without the long bus.

prj45

BentMikey wrote:

I really don't have a problem with bendy buses, or most of their drivers. They're fine from the point of view of a cyclist. Once in a while you get a twunt of a driver, but they'd be a problem even without the long bus.

Me too, they're more often than not very well driven.

What does scare me is the thought of each one being replaced with two new style routemasters, with a special platform on the back so the passengers can launch themselves into the road in front of me.

SmellTheGlove

I subscribe to the tactic of forcing them wide whenever necessary so I have an extra metre or so to escape into if needs be.

I'll say just three words - Balls Pond Road...

georgee

Had an enraged motorist giving my the v sign when I pointed out his left had mirror was folded in, as I got off and walked back to his car stuck in traffic he had the look of expecting another instalment of the age old battle of look cleat on paintwork. But begrudgingly had to give a wave of thanks when I pulled his mirror out for him and gave him a wave and a smile.

rubbercolin

all london buses have a kill switch behind the rear engine flap

usually on the nearside

it is always red , often in a grey box about 6" x 4"

no excuse for bendy buses to cut in -- poor or careless driving

i would make each london bus driver ride a bike along their bus routes before they are allowed to drive buses in service..... :shock:

if in doubt brake and let them go by -- if they make contact they may no even feel it - the driver is almost 65ft from the rear end

stay safe