Buses!

[Davidsw8]

A couple of times over the last few weeks, I've taken the bus to work instead of cycling and I have to say, I have a new found appreciation for the difficult position we often put bus drivers in.

As a cyclist, I feel very vulnerable next to these massive double-deckers; I really try to keep my distance and tend to lurk some feet behind them if I can't over take safely - I don't want to be caught in between the bus and a parked car!

As a bus passenger going through Central London, I'm seeing so many cyclists take the most unbelievable risks. On many occasions, the bus driver has a set of cyclists within inches of both sides of his bus - I think it's only the skill and experience of some of these guys that prevents some very serious accidents. Going up Whitehall this morning and there was a stream of half a dozen cyclists undertaking the bus with a row of parked vehicles to their left... and the bus has to pull in to stop several times so they then have to accelerate ahead or drop back very quickly in order not to be squished!

Clearly, some bus drivers are also complete idiots and should never drive anything, let alone something that big!

 

[SW19cam]

Last time I was on the bus, my girlfriend got a running commentary of each cyclist passing us, including my judgement / categorisation of them into either ‘silly cyclist’ or ‘not-silly cyclist’. The other passengers didn’t know it was subliminal marketing / advertising for Gaz’s Silly Cyclist series….

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

I find most bus drivers ok really,I do lose my rag sometimes but that's life.

 

[BalkanExpress]

Last time I was on the bus, my girlfriend got a running commentary of each cyclist passing us, including my judgement / categorisation of them into either ‘silly cyclist’ or ‘not-silly cyclist’. The other passengers didn’t know it was subliminal marketing / advertising for Gaz’s Silly Cyclist series….

Lat time I was on a bus I realised I had yelled "don't go down there" at a cyclist trying to squeeze down the inside as we turned a sharp bend.

Only two problems, they couldn't hear me through the glass and as I was in Brussels it is unlikely they would have understood

 

[Matthew_T]

I was on the bus on the way home from college today. We came behind a cyclist who was wobbling about and only travelling at about 12mph and the bus went right up his backside. The bus wasnt revving its engine or trying to force through, but if the cyclist had come off, he would have gone under the bus. The bus was about 5 inches from his rear wheel.

 

[lulubel]

I was on the bus on the way home from college today. We came behind a cyclist who was wobbling about and only travelling at about 12mph and the bus went right up his backside. The bus wasnt revving its engine or trying to force through, but if the cyclist had come off, he would have gone under the bus. The bus was about 5 inches from his rear wheel.

If it was that close, you wouldn't have been able to see the cyclist unless you were in the driver's seat.

 

[Matthew_T]

If it was that close, you wouldn't have been able to see the cyclist unless you were in the driver's seat.

It was a single decker bus and I was sitting on one of the raised seats towards the back.
The cyclist was in secondary and I could see how close we were to him.

However, the cyclist wasnt phased by any of this and just continued on his way when he later passed the bus.

 

[jonny jeez]

Ahhhh London buses, the great red bringers of warmth. Riding behind them is cosy)

I've long been an advocate of London Bus drivers. I think they are well trained and very cycle aware. I find literally one or two bus drivers a month that make a mistake or act inconsiderately. That's not bad odds.

 

[jonny jeez]

The other passengers didn’t know it was subliminal marketing / advertising for Gaz’s Silly Cyclist series….

nah, they just thought you were a bit odd.

the fools

They'll be sorry, they'll alllll beee soooory

 

[lulubel]

It was a single decker bus and I was sitting on one of the raised seats towards the back.
The cyclist was in secondary and I could see how close we were to him.

I'm a qualified bus driver. You couldn't have seen the cyclist from the back of the bus if the bus was 5 inches away from him because your view would have been obscured due to the height of the windscreen.

 

[Nortones2]

Must have been a penny farthing. Surprised they haven't caught on. Imagine one with an electric motor assist

 

[Matthew_T]

I'm a qualified bus driver. You couldn't have seen the cyclist from the back of the bus if the bus was 5 inches away from him because your view would have been obscured due to the height of the windscreen.

The windscreen isnt that high.

From where I was at, I could see the cyclist but not his rear wheel.
I could see it was a distance that I would not be comfortable with and TBH no cyclist would be comfortable with a bus being an unsafe distance behind them.

 

[mark st1]

However, the cyclist wasnt phased by any of this and just continued on his way when he later passed the bus.

.
I could see it was a distance that I would not be comfortable with and TBH no cyclist would be comfortable with a bus being an unsafe distance behind them.

Looks like you found one today matey

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I find the Ippo bus drivers to be very cycle aware, so I do my best not to put them in difficult positions.

I think there are also quite a few cycling bus drivers who use this forum, I know of at least one other!

 

[addictfreak]

On my way into work last night I saw a guy try to squeeze up the inside of a bus at a RB. He was too far ahead for me to shout a warning, I could see the danger and it felt like things were going in slow motion.
Bus was stopped behind a car just short of the RB with a narrow gap down his inside. Cyclist took the gap, and the bus started to move forward. As he did so the gap narrowed, and the cyclist was pushed into to kerb. Fortunately the cyclist stopped and managed to avoid being squashed between bus and railings.
I passed him a little further up the road, and I slowed down alongside him. I passed comment 'you should never go up the inside of large vehicles like that' he replied 'what's it got to do with you!' My final comment was ' well die then' and off I went.