Bus Company Road Use Video

daviesee

All road users should be made to watch this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-71rEJNvMXQ

It shows situations from both a bus driver's view, and the cyclist's. It highlights how easy it is for incidents to occur and questions "Was it worth it?".

It also shows how cyclists can put themselves in danger.

EKE_38BPM

Yeah, that is quite good.
Some of the cycling was shocking (as was the bus driving), but I suppose that you have to exagerate to get the point across.

I liked the way the on screen display changed between black and white depending on the brightness of the background, so that it was always legible. Very clever. Not so clever was when the 'narration' text spoke to cyclists and then bus drivers. At points it could be confusing who a comment is being aimed at, but that is a minor niggle.

I'd recommend it to other cyclists and ALL bus drivers.

estampida

good in places, but too much flak being thrown about

I live in Edinburgh and cycle - and that cyclist that ran a red on inverleith row was right, if cars park in the red box at a junction, why why why should I stop at that light, you think your a bike I think I'm a pedestrian......... (the bike lanes on ferry road at the Morrison are the same but more dangerous) - this is where more cars than bikes use the designated lanes .

And a cyclist wobbles after hitting a pothole (check highway regs - cyclists are legally allowed to wobble so that was a non comment)

what it did not show is buses try to intimidate cyclist to go through amber lights on leith walk, they almost rear end you so that you will not brake and they can run an amber / red light, especially at the MacDonald road junction

and weirdly I have always thought that some drivers of buses put the foot down to trap you out by the next bus stop and this shows that some drivers probably do that constantly, as they seem to do it on command

UndercoverElephant

It's well noted round here how good Lothian Buses' drivers are towards cyclists compared to the competition. Excellent video that they use as part of their training.

UndercoverElephant

estampida wrote:

And a cyclist wobbles after hitting a pothole (check highway regs - cyclists are legally allowed to wobble so that was a non comment)

I saw that as telling the bus drivers why they should leave a decent gap, not having a go at the cyclist.

estampida wrote:

I have always thought that some drivers of buses put the foot down to trap you out by the next bus stop and this shows that some drivers probably do that constantly, as they seem to do it on command

Most drivers do that, probably not realising how fast cyclists can go, they're trying to get theirs to not. That's a good thing.

cyclingprop

Favourite line: "Is it worth passing the cyclist to pull into the next bus stop?"

daviesee

UndercoverElephant wrote:

estampida wrote:

And a cyclist wobbles after hitting a pothole (check highway regs - cyclists are legally allowed to wobble so that was a non comment)

I saw that as telling the bus drivers why they should leave a decent gap, not having a go at the cyclist.

estampida wrote:

I have always thought that some drivers of buses put the foot down to trap you out by the next bus stop and this shows that some drivers probably do that constantly, as they seem to do it on command

Most drivers do that, probably not realising how fast cyclists can go, they're trying to get theirs to not. That's a good thing.

That's how I viewed it as well.

Cleat Eastwood

really good - I have to say I didnt realise how invisible i've been when I pass a bus at a busstop, even though I move out so I can see his mirror I've been doing it far too late. nice post.

Kieran_Burns

I made a complaint to a bus company last year and recently I've had reason to THANK them. Their drivers have been excellent.

I'm going to pull together a compilation of vidoes of their recent great driving and link this one as well. Positive reinforcement is great thing

rolf_f

estampida wrote:

I live in Edinburgh and cycle - and that cyclist that ran a red on inverleith row was right, if cars park in the red box at a junction, why why why should I stop at that light, you think your a bike I think I'm a pedestrian......... (the bike lanes on ferry road at the Morrison are the same but more dangerous) - this is where more cars than bikes use the designated lanes .

This is exactly the sort of attitude that causes much of the flak between cyclists and car drivers - one justifying the poor behaviour of another as an excuse for their own stupidity.

Eg from a car drivers perspective "I saw the cyclist run that red on Inverleith row and now he is ahead of me when he shouldn't be so why, why shouldn't I cut him up to get past him sooner"

I think that film was really good. One thing that did strike me though was the comment about making yourself visible in the bus drivers mirrors. I'm always acutely aware of the necessity of letting a bus see you as soon as possible - and I would if only the bus drivers would actually park parallel to the kerb at stops. Obviously parked cars often make it harder but it would make more sense for them to try to stay parallel even if it meant being half out in the road if parked cars make a proper pull in impossible. And sometimes they are clearly parked at an angle through sheer laziness. Sometimes I have to cross the white line to make myself visible from far enough back.

Jay dubbleU

Over the last couple of years our local bus company has taken on a large number of ex-Gurkhas as drivers - I have to say the standard of driving and courtesy has improved - I even had one driver stop so that I could retrieve my front light which had fallen off

sfichele

Excellent video!

suzyb

UndercoverElephant wrote:

It's well noted round here how good Lothian Buses' drivers are towards cyclists compared to the competition. Excellent video that they use as part of their training.

They need to come and train the bus drivers in Lanarkshire. Some of their driving is just downright lazy.

UndercoverElephant

suzyb wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

It's well noted round here how good Lothian Buses' drivers are towards cyclists compared to the competition. Excellent video that they use as part of their training.

They need to come and train the bus drivers in Lanarkshire. Some of their driving is just downright lazy.

First Buses by any chance?

suzyb

UndercoverElephant wrote:

suzyb wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

It's well noted round here how good Lothian Buses' drivers are towards cyclists compared to the competition. Excellent video that they use as part of their training.

They need to come and train the bus drivers in Lanarkshire. Some of their driving is just downright lazy.

First Buses by any chance?

More so JMB Travel actually. It's probably just one of their drivers and it doesn't happen as often as it used to now they have new routes but he just doesn't give a rats that I'm there and zooms past at 60mph having barely moved over. Even did so on the dual carrigeway when there was nothing else there, lazy c**t.

First bus instead piss me off when I'm in the car as they never go above 40mph unless they're on the way back to the garage at knocking off time.

sfichele

Wonder what video they use to train some taxi drivers

rolf_f

sfichele wrote:

Wonder what video they use to train some taxi drivers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C6QVnDCrVw

estampida

so i am no RLJ, and stick to the rules, do you??

My first point is that too much flak is being thrown about..... has been accepted and approved by most on this thread, and I do not throw criticism about like that, people need to relax

I pointed out that if cars do not follow the rules of the road, why should anyone else (seems fair), as a rule if you would fail your driving test for that manoeuvre (for example unable to stop at the designated line at a junction) then who is in the wrong, as I stop in the red box its not me, and most of the time in Edinburgh there is at least 1 taxi in the red box with me............ (that me justifying myself with evidence, not attaching other road users)

Now the vid has plenty of day-glo warriors undertaking buses on it (you should never do that), and road placement is critical, and the vid shows this well (good)

the wobbling cyclist (I assume bus driver drives around with their eye's open) can see the cyclist and knows the route, so it is his call to overtake (remember that next time they shut you out of the road) that would be the driver in question not all drivers, but it is their job to avoid other road users and drive defensively (bus company charter says so)

no one quoted me on the fact that bus drivers try to make cyclist run amber / reds by intimidation or tail-gating ( it cant just be me this happens to), but if you want to ignore this part of my rhetoric, be my guest

and I welcome this strange attack on my ideas and comments (always up for a debate), with 1 stipulation, please read the road-craft book before you come back with some ill-though out observation about the standard of driving in Edinburgh.

cheers :roll:

suzyb

estampida wrote:

I pointed out that if cars do not follow the rules of the road, why should anyone else (seems fair), as a rule if you would fail your driving test for that manoeuvre (for example unable to stop at the designated line at a junction) then who is in the wrong, as I stop in the red box its not me, and most of the time in Edinburgh there is at least 1 taxi in the red box with me............ (that me justifying myself with evidence, not attaching other road users)

If a car doesn't stop in the red box and a cyclist runs the red light deciding, if the car can't follow the rules of the road why should they then both are in the wrong regardless of how unfair it is. Life is unfair, better get used to it or you'll be miserable. (I meant the general you, not directed to you specifically)

(I assume I have understood what you meant in your post, if not then just disregard)

daviesee

estampida wrote:

so i am no RLJ, and stick to the rules, do you?
...................

Yes.
I think you are missing the point of the video, which was set up as a training tool. For example all the examples of the cyclist trying to pass on the left at the junction is the same bus and same cyclist.

Two wrongs will never make a right. :roll:

king_jeffers

Music reminded me of Zelda...

Flyingbogey

I was watching without sound but it was my impression that the whole thing was staged to illustrate the good and bad practises of both cyclist and driver.

dav1

daviesee wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

estampida wrote:

And a cyclist wobbles after hitting a pothole (check highway regs - cyclists are legally allowed to wobble so that was a non comment)

I saw that as telling the bus drivers why they should leave a decent gap, not having a go at the cyclist.

estampida wrote:

I have always thought that some drivers of buses put the foot down to trap you out by the next bus stop and this shows that some drivers probably do that constantly, as they seem to do it on command

Most drivers do that, probably not realising how fast cyclists can go, they're trying to get theirs to not. That's a good thing.

That's how I viewed it as well.

Same. Specifically I think it was saying that the cyclist can hit a pot hole, and in a wost case fall off so a good gap is required.

Good video, A lot of cycle commuters could really do with a watch of that IMO. I think it was interesting to see how I appear from the drivers seat of a bus.

estampida

and ignoring wrongs get you where.....

I think we just watched a vid that listed what people do wrong on the road (with no blaming), and I hope that all road users change their road habits.... (progression I think they call it)

Still no one is prepared to comment on buses tail-gating bikes to force them through amber / red lights (especially on leith walk / McDonald road junction) - any comments ??????????????

as they either chose not approach this subject in the vid, or does it just happens to me

bails87

estampida: Report it to the bus co/police.