So, I went to visit my local bus depot today after an incident (here). I could not be told the outcome of the incident due to employer/employee confidentiality but I was hinted at that he was appropriately disciplined.
The meeting was to see what it is like from a driver's/cyclist's perspective and I have to say, it was very helpful Their instructor I spoke to is also a cyclist so is aware of the problems we face. We did talk at length about the issues we both face and they were at pains to tell me about how much they train and monitor their drivers. I tried to tell them about the dangers cyclists face but I dare say they are more than aware. The difficulty is implementing it to their drivers, but I was impressed on how much they are monitored, from cameras to GPS tracking their driving style (braking/accelerating/sharp cornering etc). I would recommend any cyclist who has a dangerous encounter to report it as they do take it seriously and have the means to properly check it out. I had a cycle cam which helped but I dare say they would have investigated without.
Anyway, here is what I learnt:
1. They was a very large, full, bike rack in the depot.
2. The visibility around the bus is, as I hoped good. However, when passing buses at bus-stops, I always give them a wide berth. The difficulty is that if you are say 1 cars width over from the bus, you are in their blind spot. The mirror shows nicely alongside the bus, so you'll only be seen if you are overtaking quite close to it. Looking over your shoulder only helps if you are close to the cabin. So, if you are towards the back of the bus, you can only be seen if you are roughly within 3-4 feet of the bus.
3. Due to the size of the bus, rear-view is limited. The trainer simulated being a cyclist in secondary, then moving around the back of the bus into an overtaking position - something I may well do if the bus is to pull into a bus stop. The cyclist just disappeared. I was then busy trying to see them in the left mirror when the popped up in the right a few seconds later. I'm sure an experienced driver would know to be constantly looking out but the cyclist dropping in/out of view was hard to keep track of, much harder than in my car where rear view is better.
Anyway, I am a novice compared to most of you so I am sure that you all know this already but I found it useful.
The meeting was to see what it is like from a driver's/cyclist's perspective and I have to say, it was very helpful Their instructor I spoke to is also a cyclist so is aware of the problems we face. We did talk at length about the issues we both face and they were at pains to tell me about how much they train and monitor their drivers. I tried to tell them about the dangers cyclists face but I dare say they are more than aware. The difficulty is implementing it to their drivers, but I was impressed on how much they are monitored, from cameras to GPS tracking their driving style (braking/accelerating/sharp cornering etc). I would recommend any cyclist who has a dangerous encounter to report it as they do take it seriously and have the means to properly check it out. I had a cycle cam which helped but I dare say they would have investigated without.
Anyway, here is what I learnt:
1. They was a very large, full, bike rack in the depot.
2. The visibility around the bus is, as I hoped good. However, when passing buses at bus-stops, I always give them a wide berth. The difficulty is that if you are say 1 cars width over from the bus, you are in their blind spot. The mirror shows nicely alongside the bus, so you'll only be seen if you are overtaking quite close to it. Looking over your shoulder only helps if you are close to the cabin. So, if you are towards the back of the bus, you can only be seen if you are roughly within 3-4 feet of the bus.
3. Due to the size of the bus, rear-view is limited. The trainer simulated being a cyclist in secondary, then moving around the back of the bus into an overtaking position - something I may well do if the bus is to pull into a bus stop. The cyclist just disappeared. I was then busy trying to see them in the left mirror when the popped up in the right a few seconds later. I'm sure an experienced driver would know to be constantly looking out but the cyclist dropping in/out of view was hard to keep track of, much harder than in my car where rear view is better.
Anyway, I am a novice compared to most of you so I am sure that you all know this already but I found it useful.
