Bus stops - a cautionary tale

hfidgen

Very nearly hospitalised by a guy in a BMW this evening coming back through Stepney Green.

There's a bus stop after the set of lights by the Blind Beggar and right beyond the stop is a little sideroad on the left. Tonight there was a bendy bus stopped and taking up the bus lane, so I pulled out to just over the edge of the bus lane to overtake and just as I came past the front of the bus (at approx 30mph) a BMW was pulling out!

He swerved right back to the kerb but he was 2 seconds and 6 inches from taking me out completely. Quite unnerving to see a big silver bonnet heading straight for your front wheel at some speed.

I carried on (with a huge amount of relieved swearing) and as he caught up I gave him a "That was close" and he apologised. Not really sure who was to blame here, but very glad to be typing this with two hands and no broken bones.

I couldn't really have pulled out into the main lane of traffic as I was being overtaken, so if he hadn't have got out of the way I'd have been over his bonnet.

Lessons learnt:

1) Never take your commute route for granted. You HAVEN'T seen everything
2) Give parked busses a bloody good margin when overtaking

Here's the spot - big bus stop, small side road.

HebdenBiker

Sounds like the driver's fault, because he should have anticipated traffic overtaking the bus and crept out cautiously, keeping a good lookout.

Anyway, sh1t happens and at least he apologised. Glad you're OK.

mtb-idle

sounds like his fault but glad you are ok, that's the main thing. At least he was apologetic.

hfidgen

Cheers - yeah was quite glad too :P

TBH I think he reacted pretty well in the circumstances - he made a nice maneuver to get out of the way and we both carried on with no problems. Just one of those things.

kelsen

I'd say on the whole he was to blame as he was joining a main road and should be absolutely sure it was safe to do so. However, you probably should also accept a degree of responsibility in anticipating that these things could happen when passing large vehicles, as was indeed the case today. Unfortunately, it's little consolation in establishing that the other party was at fault if you end up being hospitalized.

Glad you're ok!

SamWise72

Sounds like a little of both. Essentially, both of you had your view obscured by a large stationary vehicle, and should have been careful what was beyond, and it sounds like neither of you were. For what it's worth, I probably wouldn't have been either, and this'll make me think when I'm passing a stationary bus, if I'm not sure what the lie of the land is beyond.

W1

I nearly had a very similar crash with a transit van pulling out into stationary traffic in front of a bus. I hadn't anticipated that there might be something in front of the bus and was overtaking it. To be honest I felt that if there had been an accident it probably would have been more my fault than his. The scariest part was he kept pulling out on me, as he was looking left but moving forwards and turning to his right - so even though I was hard on the brakes he didn't stop until the last moment. My closest shave for a while.

jeremyrundle

Naieve question, we do not have bus lanes here, but I will be cycling in Plymouth which does, in what order of priority if any do taxis, cyclists, busses etc have in the bus lane, or is it JUST a bus lane.

Thank you

W1

jeremyrundle wrote:

Naieve question, we do not have bus lanes here, but I will be cycling in Plymouth which does, in what order of priority if any do taxis, cyclists, busses etc have in the bus lane, or is it JUST a bus lane.

Thank you

There's unlikely to be an "order of priority" but only those vehicles can use the lane. I usually "take" a bus lane unless it's particularly wide, as normally they are too narrow to let a taxi or bus pass safely.

hatbeard

W1 wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Naieve question, we do not have bus lanes here, but I will be cycling in Plymouth which does, in what order of priority if any do taxis, cyclists, busses etc have in the bus lane, or is it JUST a bus lane.

Thank you

There's unlikely to be an "order of priority" but only those vehicles can use the lane. I usually "take" a bus lane unless it's particularly wide, as normally they are too narrow to let a taxi or bus pass safely.

agreed take the lane if you're worried about being squeezed into the gutter but watch out for the idiot cabbies who like to use them to undertake traffic in the 'car lane' when approaching/ exiting a junction as they'll often just swerve into it like it's their own private road you're trespassing on regardless of if you're primary or not and they do so at speed.

jeremyrundle

Much appreciated, I have already learnt from people here not so tit in the gutter and it works.

wgwarburton

Hi,
Quick tip: don't forget that you can often see through buses. Windows on both sides!

It won't help if there's something low, like an MX-5, but you can often see Transits and pedestrians, if you look for them.

Cheers,
W.

snooks

hfidgen wrote:

Lessons learnt:

1) Never take your commute route for granted. You HAVEN'T seen everything
2) Give parked busses a bloody good margin when overtaking

Here's the spot - big bus stop, small side road.

I know the spot well as it's on my commute home....Shame you couldn't have taken the right lane, but that would have meant trying to get out into a stream of drivers hell bent on racing to the next set of lights.

The other problem is the bendy bus squeeze right up to the kerb on the lights by the blind beggar so most of the time you have no choice by to wait behind them or risk getting side swiped by the Greater Spotted Last Minute Lane Swapper, a common sight on that part of the Mile End Road

btw Did you get a load of green paint on you bike somewhere past Aldgate last night?

I saw it on the road and didn't realise it was wet. this morning I had lots of splashes of green paint on my frame....Luckily it was dirty, so I'm hoping it will come off easily

snooks

WGWarburton wrote:

Hi,
Quick tip: don't forget that you can often see through buses. Windows on both sides!

You can't when they are full of people

hfidgen

snooks wrote:

I know the spot well as it's on my commute home....

btw Did you get a load of green paint on you bike somewhere past Aldgate last night?

I saw it on the road and didn't realise it was wet. this morning I had lots of splashes of green paint on my frame....Luckily it was dirty, so I'm hoping it will come off easily

When I get there tonight (and if there is a bus) I think i'm going to impose myself on the right lane - sod the beeps, they can wait :P

And no - managed to miss that! Didn't even see it, but no paint on my frame so there's +1 for my luck at least!

What sort of bike are you on? Wonder if we've ever crossed paths!

snooks

hfidgen wrote:

snooks wrote:

I know the spot well as it's on my commute home....

btw Did you get a load of green paint on you bike somewhere past Aldgate last night?

I saw it on the road and didn't realise it was wet. this morning I had lots of splashes of green paint on my frame....Luckily it was dirty, so I'm hoping it will come off easily

When I get there tonight (and if there is a bus) I think i'm going to impose myself on the right lane - sod the beeps, they can wait :P

And no - managed to miss that! Didn't even see it, but no paint on my frame so there's +1 for my luck at least!

What sort of bike are you on? Wonder if we've ever crossed paths!

Never seen anyone doing close to 30 on my way to or from home

At this time of year I'm mostly riding my winter hack, slick tired rusty green '96 Marin mtb (Now with extra green flecks of paint) diet coke seat post shim, stripes of retro reflective paint on the seat stays and forks, in the dark it's pretty distinctive. I also have retro reflective on the back of my helmet.



Built for speed, not for looks!

In good weather it's a Felt Z65 (red/black)

In bad it's a Gold 94 Kona Kula

mtb-idle

jeremyrundle wrote:

I have already learnt from people here not so tit in the gutter and it works.

you definitely don't want not so tit in the gutter.

Freudian slip perhaps?

hfidgen

snooks wrote:

Never seen anyone doing close to 30 on my way to or from home

I tend to be going through MER about 7:45 in the morning and 7:15 in the evening - suppose it's quite a tight window to be on the same patch of road at the same time! Shall keep an eye out for Green Marins though!

snooks

hfidgen wrote:

snooks wrote:

Never seen anyone doing close to 30 on my way to or from home

I tend to be going through MER about 7:45 in the morning and 7:15 in the evening - suppose it's quite a tight window to be on the same patch of road at the same time! Shall keep an eye out for Green Marins though!

I usually leave Stratford at 9, getting to Southwark at around 9:30 Then leave Southwark around 18:30, and get home about 1900

hfidgen

That would explain it ^^