And the Bus driver said....

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
Post Reply
brumster
Posts: 510
Joined: 8 Sep 2009, 7:50pm

And the Bus driver said....

Post by brumster »

Commuting home on the bike tonight on an a narrow twisting rural 'A' road in a 30mph zone I was overtaken by a bus near a bend as a car came in the opposite direction. The bus driver had time NOT to make the overtaking manouvre, but overtook me anyway ( in a careful manner ) but without leaving me much room. Fortunately a few minutes later I was able to catch up with the driver at a bus stop & I pointed out ( in a polite manner I should add ! ) that I would appreciate a little more room when being overtaken. The driver's response was that I should have pulled onto the pavement to allow him past as I was holding him up & being an inconvenience to his passengers ! I'm looking to complain to the bus company, but feel I may be wasting my time. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has had any favourable outcomes from similar incidents.
User avatar
[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by [XAP]Bob »

I've had partial success.

Definitely worth reporting fast, they should have cctv to check
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Valbrona
Posts: 2694
Joined: 7 Feb 2011, 4:49pm

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by Valbrona »

Look, he didn't respond with a load of expletives and threaten to kick your head in. I think you made your point well and he might think differently about it the next day.
I should coco.
User avatar
horizon
Posts: 11275
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Cornwall

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by horizon »

Valbrona wrote:Look, he didn't respond with a load of expletives and threaten to kick your head in. I think you made your point well and he might think differently about it the next day.


I agree - what's more he didn't get out of his bus and actually kick the OP's head in or indeed shoot him. For that he should be grateful. The OP should have bowed while he stood on the pavement. Obviously bus driver training was lacking in the case of this driver as he should really have driven straight over the OP - lucky to give him any room at all if you ask me. Normally the driver should then have reversed over the OP to make sure. The passengers should then have been offered any surviving money or possessions left in the road. The mangled body and bike could then be a useful reminder to other cyclists. At the depot the driver should mark his "kill" on the side of the bus and get a small reward (well, just one cyclist was hardly deserving of a big reward was it? Or are you going to complain that he should get a bigger reward?).
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Tom Richardson
Posts: 772
Joined: 25 Jun 2007, 1:45pm

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by Tom Richardson »

Peter Jones said a similar thing on Dragons Den at the weekend. A guy came on looking for support for his plan to extend a cycle touring business. Peter Jones said in effect that there were already too many people blocking his way on the roads with their leisure activities and he didn't want to be involved with anything that encouraged more.

It was his Gerald Ratner moment for me.
User avatar
NUKe
Posts: 4161
Joined: 23 Apr 2007, 11:07pm
Location: Suffolk

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by NUKe »

Tom Richardson wrote:Peter Jones said a similar thing on Dragons Den at the weekend. A guy came on looking for support for his plan to extend a cycle touring business. Peter Jones said in effect that there were already too many people blocking his way on the roads with their leisure activities and he didn't want to be involved with anything that encouraged more.

It was his Gerald Ratner moment for me.

It was indeed a strange comment, perhaps he thinks he is in with a chance of joining Top Gear
NUKe
_____________________________________
reohn2
Posts: 45158
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by reohn2 »

brumster
The bus driver either overtook you safely or didn't.
If you felt your safety was threatened by the close proximity of a large HGV(bus) then it was an unsafe manoeuvre end of.
If the bus driver thinks his passengers convenience is more important than your life and limb he's mistaken.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
brumster
Posts: 510
Joined: 8 Sep 2009, 7:50pm

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by brumster »

reohn2 wrote:brumster
The bus driver either overtook you safely or didn't.
If you felt your safety was threatened by the close proximity of a large HGV(bus) then it was an unsafe manoeuvre end of.
If the bus driver thinks his passengers convenience is more important than your life and limb he's mistaken.


I didn't mention the solid double white centre line did I? The car coming in the other direction made it unsafe IMO especially given the length of the bus - sadly we all see cases of careless / dangerous driving on the road everyday by a minority drivers - What disturbs me most is he said I should have got on the pavement to allow him past.
reohn2
Posts: 45158
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by reohn2 »

brumster wrote:I didn't mention the solid double white centre line did I? The car coming in the other direction made it unsafe IMO especially given the length of the bus - sadly we all see cases of careless / dangerous driving on the road everyday by a minority drivers - What disturbs me most is he said I should have got on the pavement to allow him past.


No,that's illegal,and even if it's a shared use pavement it's your prerogative whether you use it or not.

I'd suggest he gave you all this flannel because he simply can't accept he's in the wrong,which is a very bad standpoint for a professional PSV driver who's passengers safety should be foremost,a very bad standpoint indeed IMO. :evil:
-----------------------------------------------------------
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
User avatar
jezer
Posts: 1581
Joined: 29 Sep 2007, 5:16pm
Location: North Wiltshire

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by jezer »

Dreadful conduct from a so called professional driver. At the very least he should face retraining, and perhaps he should reconsider his future career.
Power to the pedals
reohn2
Posts: 45158
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by reohn2 »

jezer wrote:Dreadful conduct from a so called professional driver. At the very least he should face retraining, and perhaps he should reconsider his future career.

But he won't and he won't most likely.Because victim blaming on UK roads is down to a fine art,if you're a cyclist it's you fault,because you're a cyclist.
That is the status quo.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
User avatar
b1ke
Posts: 537
Joined: 30 Mar 2010, 2:17pm
Location: Brighton
Contact:

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by b1ke »

jezer wrote:Dreadful conduct from a so called professional driver. At the very least he should face retraining, and perhaps he should reconsider his future career.


I agree. Report him. Where does he get the notion that you should get onto the pavement? You've got every right to be on the road. His attitude is wrong and needs ironing out.
http://www.farewellburt.wordpress.com - Europe on a Tandem....
http://www.thespokeandwords.wordpress.com - West Africa on a Tandem....
brumster
Posts: 510
Joined: 8 Sep 2009, 7:50pm

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by brumster »

Update: The Bus company are going to interview the driver. I appreciate they have acknowledged my complaint & are some form of action.
Flinders
Posts: 3023
Joined: 10 Mar 2009, 6:47pm

Re: And the Bus driver said....

Post by Flinders »

brumster wrote:Update: The Bus company are going to interview the driver. I appreciate they have acknowledged my complaint & are some form of action.


Glad you reported it, and glad they seem to be taking it seriously.
It's only fair to report things, because some companies genuinely don't want this sort of thing going on but have to depend on us to tell them when it does.

I'm not for calling for people being automatically sacked, because sometimes it is bad judgement, sometimes it is not understanding the space they need to leave, and, again in some cases, better training across a fleet can be the best outcome. I also suspect in some cases drivers are being put under too much pressure about time on roads that are too congested to allow theoretical timings, which doesn't help, so employers need to look at that as well.
Post Reply