Bus driver question

[domd1979]

http://www.dft.gov.uk/162259/162469/221412/221549/227755/roadcasualtiesgreatbritain2005a

Table 23a

419 bus/cycle accidents in urban areas in 2005 compared to 11506 car/cycle accidents. Obviously that's skewed by the composition of traffic. But, the accident rate of buses generally is lower than that of cars.

She obviously has something of a dim view of cyclists to put it mildly, but then she has commented to you on You Tube she leaves plenty of room when overtaking cyclists, so her perception of risk behind the wheel might not be as bad as you think.

and I also got this personal reply

I've been done wrong to by cyclists, both as a driver and a pedestrian. One nearly sent me flying when I was crossing on a pelican crossing and the greenman was up, so it should have been safe to cross, but the cyclist didn't stop at the red light and decided to plough through the crowd of people crossing. He got called a few choice words I can tell you!
Also during rush hour it's hard for buses to get out from stops on busy roads. Some kindly car drivers stopped and flashed me out, just as I was pulling out and thanking them an ignorant cyclist swerved between the car that had stopped and round my bus, forcing me to have to suddenly stop. Either he was blind and couldn't see my indicators or that the cars had stopped to let me out, or more likely he was just bloody ignorant. I could got on and on with many other examples, but I ain't got time at the mo, off to workies, and I wouldn't want to bore you like.


Does anyone have a link to stats for injuries/deaths from cyclists compared to cars, buses etc. I think I just need to point out that this ladies perception of danger and risk are very heavily distrorted.

Also Tetdelacourse if you are reading this, this is a prime example of how RLJ's lead to a poor perception of cyclists in general.

 

[classic33]

Try contacting METRO, in Leeds. Also FirstLeeds & FirstBradford.
Working from her other posts, "blast up the M621" & "Ride on a Scania" puts her in West Yorkshire.

 

[domd1979]

The PTE doesn't run buses and are pretty irrelevant to the scenario.

I remain unconvinced that anything would be achieved by contacting First about a particular individual where there is sod all evidence that their driving is actually at fault. There might be some evidence of their attitude, but that's about it.

Try contacting METRO, in Leeds. Also FirstLeeds & FirstBradford.
Working from her other posts, "blast up the M621" & "Ride on a Scania" puts her in West Yorkshire.

 

[sheddy]

i'm just curious as to why she would be filming
I wonder if she wants her own footage to produce as evidence in case the Bus Co lets her down in the event of an RTC or assault by a MOP enquiry

 

[bonj2]

i'm confused as to what the point of this video is.
Can anyone point out at what point anything interesting happens, if indeed it does at all?

 

[magnatom]

I think I am happy to let this go now. The following has been posted on Youtube:

Me : Can I ask you; in this video who is in the wrong, me or the bus driver?
Do you not receive training about respect for other road users?

Netalus : It's rather hard to have respect for those who don't respect you, wouldn't you agree. I'm sure you're a good curteous cylist, like I've said I've been treated bad by too many cyclists in the past, and have grown to dislike them. That don't mean I treat 'em bad, I give them a wide berth when overtaking, or hang back until it's safe or if pulling in to a stop. I think cyclists should have a highway code test and a road competence test for their's and everyone else's safety.

Me : Did the driver in this video show me respect? (Please answer this!) I could write some of your posts word for word replacing bus with cyclist and vice versa. How many car drivers do you know who have read the highway code recently? Over 11,000 cyclists were recently involved in the consultation for the new highway code. Did you know it was coming out?

Netalus : In my opinion the bus driver would have been better off slowing down and waiting for you to pass the stop layby before pulling in (which is what I would have done), it looks to me like he's almost overtaking you while pulling into the stop. I don't know what this bus driver was doing, he may have been watching something else and not paying attention who knows. Perhaps you'd pissed him off earlier and he was having a bit of road rage!!

Me : Correct. This is what he should have done, and I am glad you agree that on this occasion the cyclist (me) was not at fault. No previous interaction, he just got grumpy because he misjudged my speed from the lights.
As lsmike says please don't generalise. I would never ask for any other road user to be banned.
If all road users respect each other THEN there won't be any more problems.



I think she is a little misguided. Probably typical of the general perception of cyclists. How do we change this perception though?

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Also Tetdelacourse if you are reading this, this is a prime example of how RLJ's lead to a poor perception of cyclists in general.

Oh I'm reading mofo, you better believe it pal

Message received and understood. I accepted that RLJing could be perceived as antagonistic and disrespectful.

I still don't think though that this is the generally held attitude towards cyclists by the motoring public*. I think if I truly believed that, I wouldn't take to the roads as it would be too dangerous.

*It certainly sounds possible in and around Londinium going by posts here.

 

[magnatom]

i'm confused as to what the point of this video is.
Can anyone point out at what point anything interesting happens, if indeed it does at all?

Which video are you referring to?

 

[bonj2]

the one that was previously on nethalus's youtube link, which was just of the inside of an empty bus and not much going on at all, but it seems to have been replaced now by one of a cat rolling around in a garden..., but again - the same applies.

 

[vernon]

Look at her profile. She's a bus spotter.

Says it all I think.

Before you deride other folk for their hobbies and interests, remember the lowly place that cyclist occupy in some folks' value scales

Pot, kettle black and all that......

 

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

I think that despite her prickly replies magnatom, that your words will have had an effect. I bet she can't come across a well behaved cyclist without thinking of you now (however creepy that may sound), and I bet those cyclists get treated better than they might otherwise be.

The numptys probably will win in the end, because memories are short, and nobody pays attention to good cycling because it doesn't do anyone any harm.

 

[Arch]

Oh, I know. I've spent plenty of time in the past standing on a platform, book and biro in hand...

Well, that's just daft, if you're bus spotting, buses don't stop at platforms. You need to take up trainspotting...

Unless your hobby was acutally biro collecting?

 

[domd1979]

I reckon he was waiting for one of these......:

http://www.old-dalby.com/images/R3_railbus.jpg

Well, that's just daft, if you're bus spotting, buses don't stop at platforms. You need to take up trainspotting...

Unless your hobby was acutally biro collecting?

 

[Arch]

I reckon he was waiting for one of these......:

http://www.old-dalby.com/images/R3_railbus.jpg

D'oh! How could I forget the railbus...!

 

[nethalus]

I've just had a stupid remark from a bus driver to one of my videos.

nethalus wrote: If bicycles are banned from the road there won't be any more problems.

Wise words indeed!!?

Anyway I clicked on her username and noticed that she films herself driving the bus. Would First buses not frown on this behaviour. I know that recently some train drivers got in to trouble for filming their rides at work.

http://uk.youtube.com/user/nethalus

I have a right mind to forward this to First to see if they value her opinion on the rights of cyclists and that they are happy for her to film her work.

What do you think?

Cor blimey 5 pages about little old me and over a tongue in cheek remark on YouTube. Thought you lot might be interested on what the opposition thought, ie the bus drivers when I posted a link to various clips on YouTube on a bus drivers forum. I might add that these coments are NOT my own opinion. The only alterations I have made is to asterisk the swear words so as not to cause offence
A bus driver from Aberdeen said this:
Who the hell thought "lets put in bus lanes in to help everyone get where they want quickly".. then ... "lets allow bikes to use them, that will make everyone late again, hee,hee" ... then ... "dont let motorbikes use them (they woulldnt hold you up at all)"

One from Glasgow said this:
CYCLISTS = B*ST*RDS

Especially when they ride on the pavement.

A bus driver from Edinburgh said this:
cyclists. them f****rs are a danger to society.

Another bus driver from Glasgow said this:
Make cyclists sit a test then pay tax and insurance like everyone else who uses the road. Then maybe they would observe the highway code instead of just running amok (and slowing us down).

A bus driver from Sussex said this:
There seems to be a lot of videos like this from cyclists on YouTube.
Isn't it convenient how they always seem to be filming when things like this happen

Sometimes I wonder if they don't go out looking for trouble so they've got something to put up there and entertain themselves with.
Bloody menace the lot of them.

And another bus driver from Edinburgh wrote this:
f**k cyclists they are a mennace .they should be off the road altogether .dont know what a red light is for.half of them do not have any road sence at all .we should get little stickers to put on the bus for every one of these f****rs we hit

Interestingly in a poll conducted on this forum Cyclists were voted the most hated road users, yes they even beat taxis (my own pet hate) and white van men which suprised me greatly.