Bus drivers

Werbo

Ok so im not to keen on bus drivers as a whole but the ride before took things to a whole new level. i was cycling down a quite busy road and the traffic was really backed up, i slowed rite down and went down the inside of the traffic to see when it was safe for me to go. I went past 2 or three cars which had not moved and then as i went to pass the buss the drive actually turned his wheel sandwiching me between the curb and the buss. I had to unclip and drag my bike onto the path. I rode up to the window to tell him to keep his eyes out only for him to be already mouthing off at me so his actions of cutting me up were intentional. after me giving him a piece of my mind i decided to record him he then gave me the middle finger and drove off. Was i wrong to go slowly down the inside of stationary traffic?

Mikey41

Not as such, but it's often easier (if you have room) to go past on the right of the queue. The gap to the kerb can close very quickly, and you are more likely to get doored. I found that space on the left is very inconsistent, but on the right it's much better, so I use the right side if there is enough room between the oncoming traffic. If the traffic starts moving, slip back in between cars and go back to your regular position.

As for the bus driver, he sounds like an ar$e, report him to his company ASAP.

Werbo

I would normally go on the left but there were two lanes of traffic so i didn't like the idea of pulling off with a car either side of me.

centimani

NEVER pass a lorry or bus on the inside (unless you're absolutely sure they're not going to move off AND there's plenty of room) if he's stopping or stopped.
TBH, its best just not to do it...ever if you can help it. I'll often overtake on the outside, but that brings its own problems if the traffic starts to move off. Usually you can filter back in, but i have got stranded once or twice (in maybe 10 years daily commuting)

I always hang back at TLs behind a bus if we're both making a left...there's just no point in getting fouled up with him. He's bigger, he's going to overtake you anyway, and you'll (hopefully) get a bit of respect from bus drivers by showing respect. Let him see you, let him know you're there, let him see you're respecting his space. Ive had many a run in with bus drivers, but i'll also realise its a hard job, they have to deal with all sorts themselves.

Tom Dean

Werbo wrote:

Was i wrong to go slowly down the inside of stationary traffic?

Not necessarily, but you need to be very careful with long vehicles. it takes longer to get past so try to see ahead of them if you can and decide if they are likely to start moving when you are half way along. If in doubt, wait.

Werbo

One thing i missed out, as i recorded him he had actually gone out of his way that much he had mounted the pavement with both of his left side wheels.

Mikey41

Werbo wrote:

I would normally go on the left but there were two lanes of traffic so i didn't like the idea of pulling off with a car either side of me.

Ah, I wouldn't fancy that either TBH. And if he went that far to cut you off, then report him to Police as well, that's dangerous driving!

I guess I'm lucky in that I don't encounter really heavy traffic a lot, but I do agree with "don't go up the inside of large vehicles".

Usually if I am courteous to drivers, they pay me back by not trying to squash me. I was out riding today down my usual back roads and in a section where it's only just wide enough for 2 cars to pass (it's a slow road for cars, so is very quiet) I heard a car behind me. I picked up the pace a little, he was waiting patiently, and I saw the road ahead of me was clear and there was a space I could move over into on the left, so I waved him past. Thanks, no problem.

Later in the ride I heard a car behind me again as we approached a sharp bend, he stayed behind and I waved him past as I exited the bend. It was the same guy from before

EDIT: Busses will have an external engine cut-off switch if you are feeling nasty

Werbo

I was in two minds weather i should report him but i think i owe it to fellow cyclists to do so. Someone who is in charge of a bus should know better than to swerve at a cyclist to teach them a lesson, he new full well what he was doing. I have two young children of my own to look after and that could of easily been a broken leg or arm resulting in a few weeks off work which a can't afford.

the playing mantis

do you wear a helmet cam???

Cleat Eastwood

Theres a really good film from our jock chums (the book was much better imo) - about the things bikes and buses need to be aware of on the same journey. Watch out for the man fondling the womans bosom at 4:47

http://lothianbuses.com/our-community/a ... nd-be-seen

Werbo

the playing mantis wrote:

do you wear a helmet cam???

No but aparently the bus has cameras on all sides pluss inside so they will see him cut me off and give me a torrent of abuse. mite invest in a helmet cam though after that.

the playing mantis

i wouldnt, it seems that people with helemet cams have disproportinate numbers of incidents/run ins with vhicles than other cyclists that dont. maybe this could be due to the fact that they wear a head cam precisley to get into aggro and then post it on youtube. much like that whole police driver cutting up a cyclist thread, and that gimpy,moronic north welsh teenager who mouths off at cars then posts the videos of there reactions on some other cycling forums claiming he was an innocent party and how rude they are. i guess its just a certain type of charachter trait in most people that wear headcams.

just my 2 cents.

on this subject though, i dont think you should EVER go up the inside of a bus or large vehicle when they are stationary in traffic if they are in the inside lane. even if you are certain they have seen you, there are just too many incidents that occur when cyclists do it to make it not worth it. whats better saving a couple of minutes by going up the inside and risk getting crushed, or just sitting behind for a few mins and waiting patiently, with zero risk to life and limb??

Tom Dean

Werbo wrote:

I was in two minds weather i should report him but i think i owe it to fellow cyclists to do so. Someone who is in charge of a bus should know better than to swerve at a cyclist to teach them a lesson, he new full well what he was doing. I have two young children of my own to look after and that could have easily been a broken leg or arm resulting in a few weeks off work which a can't afford.

It sounds like a scary incident, but a bus driver swerving at you to teach you a lesson? Come off it. Maybe he didn't look, maybe you were in a blind spot. Calm down and put it down to experience. You were not in the safest position.

edit: +1 re helmet cam users. Generally the type of cyclist who thinks they're going to war each morning on the commute and that every motorist is trying to kill them.

Phil Fouracre

the playing mantis - my thoughts exactly, especially idiots with helmet cams!!

soundb0y

Tom Dean wrote:

Werbo wrote:

I was in two minds weather i should report him but i think i owe it to fellow cyclists to do so. Someone who is in charge of a bus should know better than to swerve at a cyclist to teach them a lesson, he new full well what he was doing. I have two young children of my own to look after and that could have easily been a broken leg or arm resulting in a few weeks off work which a can't afford.

It sounds like a scary incident, but a bus driver swerving at you to teach you a lesson? Come off it. Maybe he didn't look, maybe you were in a blind spot. Calm down and put it down to experience. You were not in the safest position.

edit: +1 re helmet cam users. Generally the type of cyclist who thinks they're going to war each morning on the commute and that every motorist is trying to kill them.

...he said the bus even mounted the curb

Mikey41

Phil Fouracre wrote:

the playing mantis - my thoughts exactly, especially idiots with helmet cams!!

I'm in two minds about that. If something happened I would have evidence, which is why they are doing it. But if you ride properly and defensively, you won't get into many anyway.....

I did a few commutes with my helmet cam on, but now I can't be bothered with it.

butcher of bakersfield

the playing mantis wrote:

i wouldnt, it seems that people with helemet cams have disproportinate numbers of incidents/run ins with vhicles than other cyclists that dont. maybe this could be due to the fact that they wear a head cam precisley to get into aggro and then post it on youtube. much like that whole police driver cutting up a cyclist thread, and that gimpy,moronic north welsh teenager who mouths off at cars then posts the videos of there reactions on some other cycling forums claiming he was an innocent party and how rude they are. i guess its just a certain type of charachter trait in most people that wear headcams.

That's like saying it's a certain type of character trait in most people that cycle. Bit of a generalisation, don't you think? Sometimes I think cyclists should know better than to cast such aspersions, but clearly not. They do what everyone else does and note the extremes, tarring the rest with the same brush.

And that cyclist who was quite aggressively cut up by the police officer rode flawlessly and by the book. I don't understand why he is included in paragraph, other than for the fact he caught the evidence on video?

NWLondoner

In London I encounter both god and bad bus drivers.

The main issue i have is them overtaking you and then suddenly swerving into your path to stop at a bus stop.

Slack

Some bus drivers do have the mentality of a demented slug.

Nevertheless, I think the morale of the story, is do not undertake traffic, whether it be cars, buses or lorries. Far too risky for my liking as drivers are less likely to check their left mirror and blind spot if they move towards the curb. Having seen buses swerving in and out of the cycle lane before, I am even nervous in the dedicated cycle lane.

Wunnunda

Car drivers in bike lanes are just plain wrong and cyclists have a right to expect some degree of 'protection' (all the while rmembering that a cyclist has never yet killed a car....). However, some cyclists are just plain scary. I was driving into work a couple of days back, typical main-road-in-a-residential-area (speed bumps, width restrictors, pedestrian crossings, lollipop ladies, school kids, kamikazi mothers....you know the sort of thing). Traffic was creeping forward with the usual give and take. I edged slightly to my left of make room for a bus when I caught sight of red-faced man on a hybrid of some kind effing and blinding at me because he was getting squeezed. Now if I'm turning left I check for cyclists, if there is room I leave space, but I'm sorry, there is NO WAY, in those circumstances that 99% of my attention isn't on what's kicking off in front of me. Undertaking any motorised vehile when you are in such vulnerable position is just crazy.

BTW, any remaining guilt I felt left me when I passed him 400 yards later (still mouthing off at me) on the pavement (no - not shared use) weaving in and out of a crowd of school children.... :roll:

the playing mantis

butcher, fair enough, but thats my opinion and the way i persoannly see those with head cams in my experience. as someone else mentioned they seem to be warriors just looking for trouble mostly (not all mostly). as for that police undertaking thing, common sense should have applied to all, but didnt, however thats been done to deathin its own thread.

im sure there are those with head cams who don't go looking for hassle.

Pross

I'd agree with Centimani's post on this. That said, I have had two incidents with buses lately, on the same roundabout but different arms, where they have overtaken me on the approach to the roundabout and then squeezed me on the approach radius due to the wheelbase of their vehicles. On the second occassion I had to stop to avoid being forced into the kerb and then 'scoot' my way up the side of the bus (it hadn't completed the overtake before getting stuck in traffic :roll: ). I turned to give a few words of advice to the driver about overtaking and he was mouthing off at me. The irony was that I got out of the roundabout before him as he needed a bigger gap and he then turned into the station just the other side of the roundabout so gained absolutely nothing from a dangerous manoeuvre. I memorised his number plate with the intention of reporting him but by time I got to work I'd calmed down and didn't bother although I do wish I had now as I think sometimes people need reminding of the impact their behaviour has on other road users (and that goes for all road users). On the whole though I find bus drivers pretty good, it must be frustrating when they are stuck behind me in a combined bus / cycle lane with no opportunity to pass but they never try to force their way through or put pressure on behind me.

gaspode

had a similar experience to others on here - squeezed into the curb and forced to stop by a bus that just had to get past me before the road narrowed; caught up with him at the next stop and went to overtake him whereby he looked at me in his mirror and pulled out as wide as possible forcing me to slam the anchors on again or be forced into oncoming traffic; caught up with him at the next stop and pulled up alongside his door - told him what I thought of him in fairly earthy language and he shouted (in front of the bus full of passengers) that it was my own fault and that 'bloody cyclists' were a menace.....reported him to the bus company when I got home - I've never seen him again, so have to assume that he was 'dealt with'.....

maxima

centimani wrote:

He's bigger, he's going to overtake you anyway, and you'll (hopefully) get a bit of respect from bus drivers by showing respect..

beggars belief.

diy

I agree with centimani too it's just not worth the risk and does result in a lot of accidents. That said he was badly behaved to do what he did and if you have good evidence you could report him. Just be ready for plod to prosecute both of you. Regarding the comment on cycle lanes... I take it everyone knows that cars, motorbikes etc are free to ride or drive in on road cycle lanes (including super cycle ways) unless there is a solid white separating line?

I.e you can drive in this quite legally.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-10680560

butcher of bakersfield

diy wrote:

I agree with centimani too it's just not worth the risk and does result in a lot of accidents. That said he was badly behaved to do what he did and if you have good evidence you could report him. Just be ready for plod to prosecute both of you. Regarding the comment on cycle lanes... I take it everyone knows that cars, motorbikes etc are free to ride or drive in on road cycle lanes (including super cycle ways) unless there is a solid white separating line?

I.e you can drive in this quite legally.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-10680560

Only if you have to, isn't is? I would have thought you could be prosecuted if you had no real reason to be in the cycle lane....but I guess that would be a whole can of worms and very unlikely.

Agree with undertaking though. Doesn't really matter who's right and who's wrong (and in this case you don't know if the bus was moving to let traffic pass?), at the end of the day, returning home alive matters more. Drivers often don't check their left. Mix that with huge, loud vehicles and massive blindspots, and you're asking for trouble.

mouth

butcher of bakersfield wrote:

diy wrote:

I agree with centimani too it's just not worth the risk and does result in a lot of accidents. That said he was badly behaved to do what he did and if you have good evidence you could report him. Just be ready for plod to prosecute both of you. Regarding the comment on cycle lanes... I take it everyone knows that cars, motorbikes etc are free to ride or drive in on road cycle lanes (including super cycle ways) unless there is a solid white separating line?

I.e you can drive in this quite legally.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-10680560

Only if you have to, isn't is? I would have thought you could be prosecuted if you had no real reason to be in the cycle lane....but I guess that would be a whole can of worms and very unlikely.

Agree with undertaking though. Doesn't really matter who's right and who's wrong (and in this case you don't know if the bus was moving to let traffic pass?), at the end of the day, returning home alive matters more. Drivers often don't check their left. Mix that with huge, loud vehicles and massive blindspots, and you're asking for trouble.

The dashed line means 'advisory' rather like the one in the middle of the road. You can cross it if you want and is safe to do so.

diy

In addition some of those blue lanes don't even have the broken white line, so they have absolutely no meaning what so ever. Its just coloured tarmac.