Taxi bullying in bus lanes

[MrHappyCyclist]

That'd my first response - but Leeds City Council (and I'm sure many others) say straight out that their job is "to make sure the taxi and private hire trade in Leeds is operated in a professional manner and that the correct standards of safety and comfort are satisfied by all vehicles, drivers and operators."

TfL, by contrast, appear to have no more interest than that the driver has four wheels on the vehicle (at least on the day of inspection), and a filing cabinet full of b***-***t paperwork. That's kinda scary - and might explain a lot about London taxi drivers?

The inconsistency is quite staggering. Salford have given me a similar line to the one you got from Leeds. Bolton, on the other hand, put an "enforcement officer" on the case, who came to my house to take a formal statement, and followed the incidenrt up very thoroughly (left hook/brake test).

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

If they really are bullying you, and there is no safe space to pass, I slow down and eventually stop and (normally pretend) to take a picture and wait for them to go around my stationary position – if we all did that perhaps they would stop doing it.



On the plus side, you get to see a beetroot coloured face ranting and swearing, which I always find very amusing…

 

[Titan yer tummy]

I was just chatting to my daughter - not a cyclist. She tells me that last week she was in Regents Street when a cyclist did some thing stupid in front of a black cab - she did not say what the cyclist did but he was obviously in the wrong.

The cab driver was very understanding about it and limited his response to giving the cyclist a biff on the nose.

Apparentlty photographs were taken of the cab and my daughter and other bystanders were so angry they provided names and addresses as a witnesses.

Lets hope it all ends up in court. I don't think a driving type penalty can be applied in such circumstances but hopefully the cabbie licencing authority can consider suspending his badge and should do so.

If the cyclist is a member of this forum I hope you are on the mend and I hope you have reported it to the police.

These jackals need sorting out.

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

I was just chatting to my daughter - not a cyclist. She tells me that last week she was in Regents Street when a cyclist did some thing stupid in front of a black cab - she did not say what the cyclist did but he was obviously in the wrong.

The cab driver was very understanding about it and limited himself to giving the cyclist a biff on the nose.

Apparentlty photographs were taken of the cab and my daughter and other bystanders were so angry they provided names and addresses as a witnesses.

Lets hope it all ends up in court. I don't think a driving type penalty can be applied in such circumstances but hopefully the cabbie licencing authority can consider suspending his badge and should do so.

If the cyclist is a member of this forum I hope you are on the mend and I hope you have reported it to the police.

These jackals need sorting out.

Unfortunatly it will be - walking up an punching someone in the face on the street is seen as much more of a crime than getting out of your vehicle and twating a cyclist...

 

[BlackPanther]

I have a 1/2 mile stretch of (slightly downhill) bus lane coming into Doncaster. As I'm usually doing 25mph (in a 40 zone) I take and hold primary;

A/ To stop buses coming past and then pulling into a bus stop 100 yards on and forcing to slow, or move into the heavy traffic right lane (learnt that one pretty quick.)

B/ 'Cos cars emerging from roads from my left tend to come over the line if a bus isn't coming towards them and just don't see cyclists. If I stayed left then I'd have to swerve around them.

If however I happened to be in a bus lane on the hybrid, just pottering along, then I'd pull left, and give the bus/taxi a wave to come by (I do the same between 'pinch points').....there is no point in intentionally holding drivers up when it's easy enough to let them past.

 

[dellzeqq]

Two sides (as always) to this story, but i'm a little bemused by a couple of facts...
You're cycling in the bus lane, its not that wide you say ? With no knowledge of that road, if buses use it, they're a lot wider than a car so i'd assume (again taking into account i have no knowledge of that road) that a taxi should be able to pass with you in secondary.

not necessarily. The bus lanes on the Marylebone Road (to name but one) aren't generally wide enough for allow a safe pass, and changing lanes is sometimes not an option. And, let it be said, a substantial proportion of London's taxi drivers are vermin.

 

[BentMikey]

Two sides (as always) to this story, but i'm a little bemused by a couple of facts...
You're cycling in the bus lane, its not that wide you say ? With no knowledge of that road, if buses use it, they're a lot wider than a car so i'd assume (again taking into account i have no knowledge of that road) that a taxi should be able to pass with you in secondary.

What do you do if a bus come up behind you ? hold primary or let him pass ? If you let a bus pass (assuming its safe to do so), why won't you let a taxi pass ?

While i respect your need to cycle safely, its a two way street. You, the buses and taxis all have a right to be there.

Or is the road so so narrow it really isn't safe ?

I strongly suggest that you ride in primary, even wide of primary in almost all London bus lanes. They are not wide enough to safely share with other vehicles, and by definition there's another lane next door that any traffic can easily use to pass you.

Neither buses nor taxis can safely pass in the same lane as you. There are a few exceptions, such as some of the Park Lane southbound bus lane for example. Ride left and you'll get close fast scary passes that are simply not acceptable.

 

[Dan B]

I strongly suggest that you ride in primary, even wide of primary in almost all London bus lanes. They are not wide enough to safely share with other vehicles, and by definition there's another lane next door that any traffic can easily use to pass you.

This. Also, the left-hand tyre track will often be rutted and bumpy especially at points where buses may be stopped (stops, stands, approaches to traffic lights), and you tend to find diesel there.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

I strongly suggest that you ride in primary, even wide of primary in almost all London bus lanes. They are not wide enough to safely share with other vehicles, and by definition there's another lane next door that any traffic can easily use to pass you.
Neither buses nor taxis can safely pass in the same lane as you. There are a few exceptions, such as some of the Park Lane southbound bus lane for example. Ride left and you'll get close fast scary passes that are simply not acceptable.

Well. the main difference is that, although you will still get the scary close passes even in or wide of primary, you will now be in no doubt thet they are deliberate. At least that is the case round here.

 

[gaz]

I strongly suggest that you ride in primary, even wide of primary in almost all London bus lanes. They are not wide enough to safely share with other vehicles, and by definition there's another lane next door that any traffic can easily use to pass you.

Neither buses nor taxis can safely pass in the same lane as you. There are a few exceptions, such as some of the Park Lane southbound bus lane for example. Ride left and you'll get close fast scary passes that are simply not acceptable.

Gotta be careful on park lane south bound, at some points it's so wide that they will undertake you

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Neither buses nor taxis can safely pass in the same lane as you. There are a few exceptions, such as some of the Park Lane southbound bus lane for example. Ride left and you'll get close fast scary passes that are simply not acceptable.

My experience is that the vast majority of bus drivers know that they can't safely pass in the same lane. You might have a senseless pull in just after an overtake when the person whose job it is to stop at bus stops suddenly realises, ''oh-there's-a-bus-stop!'' but generally, bus drivers have a ''road conscience.'' The opposite applies to cabbies. They also know that they can't safely pass in the same lane, but you shouldn't be there and there is little effective sanction on them. And you're a non-paying obstacle....

 

[CamPhil]

Well. the main difference is that, although you will still get the scary close passes even in or wide of primary, you will now be in no doubt thet they are deliberate. At least that is the case round here.

But at least you've given yourself somewhere to swerve to.

 

[jmaccyd]

not necessarily. The bus lanes on the Marylebone Road (to name but one) aren't generally wide enough for allow a safe pass, and changing lanes is sometimes not an option. And, let it be said, a substantial proportion of London's taxi drivers are vermin.

Funny, most of the passengers I pick up think cyclists are vermin. I expect their sick of risking injury for the sheer audacity of crossing on a zebra, walking on a pavement or crossing the road on a green light without 'vermin' cyclists bowling them over.

I find the 'attitude' of SOME London Taxi Drivers toward cyclists appalling, I find the attitude of SOME commuting cyclist equally appalling.

 

[BentMikey]

Funny, most of the passengers I pick up think cyclists are vermin. I expect their sick of risking injury for the sheer audacity of crossing on a zebra, walking on a pavement or crossing the road on a green light without 'vermin' cyclists bowling them over.

I find the 'attitude' of SOME London Taxi Drivers toward cyclists appalling, I find the attitude of SOME commuting cyclist equally appalling.

...although that's largely due to cycle-racism (see TRL549). Everyone's favourite sport seems to be cyclist bashing, and the hatred and blame is out of all proportion to the flaws on display.

p.s. you'll remember, hopefully, that I'm largely very pro black cab drivers and their skills. That despite the taxi driver who knocked me off.

 

[Dan B]

I find the 'attitude' of SOME London Taxi Drivers toward cyclists appalling, I find the attitude of SOME commuting cyclist equally appalling.

Without reference to the relative proportions of each, that's as true as it is meaningless. But I know which is more likely to kill me.

And it's funny you should mention zebra crossings. Taxi drivers are second only to old BMWs in their tendency to overtake on the approach and to drive straight across a zebra when there are still people on it.