Buses!

[lulubel]

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.

And there's a lot of grey plastic blocking your view.

I'm not disputing that the bus might have been too close to the cyclist. I'm disputing your belief that you could see clearly from near the back of the bus. That bus is a Volvo B7. First started increasing their fleet of them a few years ago because they got a service contract with Volvo. (Before that, they used mainly Dennis Darts, which are a lot nicer to drive.) They're extremely long, which is the main reason we hated them so much in Cornwall, with its tight, narrow roads, and there's absolutely no way you could have a clear view of what's going on at the front if you're sat near the back.

 

[Matthew_T]

And there's a lot of grey plastic blocking your view.

I'm not disputing that the bus might have been too close to the cyclist. I'm disputing your belief that you could see clearly from near the back of the bus. That bus is a Volvo B7. First started increasing their fleet of them a few years ago because they got a service contract with Volvo. (Before that, they used mainly Dennis Darts, which are a lot nicer to drive.) They're extremely long, which is the main reason we hated them so much in Cornwall, with its tight, narrow roads, and there's absolutely no way you could have a clear view of what's going on at the front if you're sat near the back.

I admit that I couldnt see the cyclists bike but I could see him and I could see that we were too close.

The bus was closer than the one who tailgated me this evening. I was constantly shoulderchecking and keeping an eye on how close he was. If I had fallen off I was doing about 18mph so would have gone straight under his wheels.

The main thing I tend to get from buses is tailgating. They think that as there is no bonnet, they can go as close as they want. A bus has a longer stopping distance than a car and I think some bus driver forget this.

 

[Leedsbusdriver]

A bus has a longer stopping distance than a car and I think some bus driver forget this.

I wouldn't say so.Air brakes are very efficient and can stop a bus very quickly if needed,also buses have retarders which slows the bus down using the engine.

 

[Matthew_T]

I wouldn't say so.Air brakes are very efficient and can stop a bus very quickly if needed,also buses have retarders which slows the bus down using the engine.

It still doesnt condone them tailgating though.

 

[Leedsbusdriver]

It still doesnt condone them tailgating though.

Of course not! I'm not condoning tailgating just pointing out that a buses brakes are just as efficient as an average cars brakes IME.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Yeah I have no doubt buses have blind spots.I always like to be in one of their mirrors when I hang behind.I tend to take my time anyway and generally have plenty of time.Im not too bothered if Im late as that's rare anyway.

 

[thefollen]

Busses are fiiine- they're big, slow and easy to anticipate. It's the faster things that can change direction quickly or erratically one has to really watch out for. Was left hooked by a sports motorbike yesterday and a EuropeCar transit van changed into my lane in front of me without indicating in the last couple of commutes. Nothing a quick pull of the brakes and a brief swear couldn't handle though.

 

[hoski]

Buses ain't fine. I'd say around 50% in Oxford are driven carelessly at times and around 10% are terrifyingly dangerous. I reckon I probably have one incidence of dangerous bus driving a week... usually them pulling in whilst overtaking me.

That said, the vast majority of dangerous situations I see involving buses and other people, it's usually the cyclist's fault... it does to some extent explain why some bus drivers seem psychopathic.

Busses are fiiine- they're big, slow and easy to anticipate. It's the faster things that can change direction quickly or erratically one has to really watch out for.

The problem I find with buses is they often pull out around obstacles when they really ought to wait a few seconds longer - when they steer at slow speeds the front of the bus can really sweep across one's path very quickly. I don't know whether it's just poor driving or they're intentionally trying to bully me out of my line but it can be bloody scary sometimes.

 

[thefollen]

Buses ain't fine. I'd say around 50% in Oxford are driven carelessly at times and around 10% are terrifyingly dangerous. I reckon I probably have one incidence of dangerous bus driving a week... usually them pulling in whilst overtaking me.

That said, the vast majority of dangerous situations I see involving buses and other people, it's usually the cyclist's fault... it does to some extent explain why some bus drivers seem psychopathic.



The problem I find with buses is they often pull out around obstacles when they really ought to wait a few seconds longer - when they steer at slow speeds the front of the bus can really sweep across one's path very quickly. I don't know whether it's just poor driving or they're intentionally trying to bully me out of my line but it can be bloody scary sometimes.

I have encountered that- good to assume that a bus will do that and be ready for it if it does. Select a 'get out of trouble' gear and/or be ready on the brakes (depending on the situation). If they do pull in front better to hit the anchors and overtake when safe than to go toe-to-toe with them :-)