Reporting Stagecoach Bus Drivers - How ?

[BentMikey]

No, no, no & did I mention NO? The problem is created by bad driving bus driver who is solely responsible for initiating an overtake when there was sufficient space to safely complete the manoeuvre. What the driver did would get you a fail in our most basic driving test.

Well, I agree entirely with this part (I assume you meant insufficient) as to where the fault lies. On the other hand, Paul's right that Gaz should have been further out from the kerb for best practice on such a narrow bit of road, but that's only better defensive riding and places no fault on Gaz.

 

[GrasB]

On the other hand, Paul's right that Gaz should have been further out from the kerb for best practice on such a narrow bit of road, but that's only better defensive riding and places no fault on Gaz.

Problem is further out from the kerb can make what would be a safe manoeuvre into a dangerous one. Sure the extra time to go around someone who's in a wide position in a car is a fraction of a second. Problem is it takes a bus a long time to swing out & swing back in which makes what would be a safe pass into a bad one or a bad overtake in to a dangerous one (you may find the bus cutting tight infront of you at a steep angle leaving you very little room to escape to). Taking a strong position isn't a magic bullet & you need to be aware of the way your road position effect other road users movements on the road & that effect isn't always a positive one with large heavy vehicles.

 

[BentMikey]

You're right in that it's not a magic bullet, but taking a strong position is almost never wrong. With Gaz's position in the video, he has no room already to avoid the bus manoeuvre, but he'd have had more if he was further out.

If anything, I'd say that I'm much more likely to take a primary position with a big vehicle behind me than with a smaller car.

 

[PaulSB]

No, no, no & did I mention NO? The problem is created by bad driving bus driver who is solely responsible for initiating an overtake when there was insufficient space to safely complete the manoeuvre. What the driver did would get you a fail in our most basic driving test.


No, it doesn't invite the poor overtake. A road position further out from the kerb may have discouraged the driver from committing to a dangerous overtake. The flip side of this is the tighter kerb position allows for a safer overtake by a slowly accelerating, low maneuverability & long vehicle in relatively tight conditions.

OK I agree with what you say in regard to this as I haven't phrased it very well.

My point is in this position I would ride 3-4 feet from the kerb, nearly in the middle of the lane, in an attempt to force a correct overtake.

It looks to me as though the rider is 1-2 feet from the kerb which in my opinion is too close under any circumstances other than an emergency. I view 3 feet from the kerb as my defensive position and an absolute minim to give me space to dive for if things go wrong.

That the bus driver drove badly is NOT the cyclist's fault.

 

[GrasB]

PaulSB, fair enough

With Gaz's position in the video, he has no room already to avoid the bus manoeuvre, but he'd have had more if he was further out.

I think you & I might be reading the distance from the curb to be a little different.

You're right in that it's not a magic bullet, but taking a strong position is almost never wrong... If anything, I'd say that I'm much more likely to take a primary position with a big vehicle behind me than with a smaller car.

I'm actually finding that being less assertive with my road position when dealing with large vehicles has lead to a reduction in the number of close passes. The problem is their inability to manoeuvre quickly but it is a balancing act between discouraging dangerous overtaking & being too far out making it hard to overtake safely so drivers get frustrated & force their way past.

 

[pshore]

and would you ?

Takes a lot for me to say "***'in ell" but I did !!!!

I know the system at my local StageCoach branch having had a few run ins over the last few years.

If you feel strongly enough, I would contact your local Police and quote the crime number at StageCoach. If you don't feel that strongly, then maybe its not worth complaining about ? (actually, one for the psychologists: I have noticed that victims go from hopping mad anger about somebody risking their life, to denial afterwards not wanting to make a fuss and so don't complain).

Next up, it is worth making sure you are contacting the right depot. Cambridge, for example, has buses run from more than one depot. You will be forwarded to the right one but it may introduce delays.

You need evidence ? On the modern SC buses, they are now equipped with CCTV facing in and out, possibly 10 cameras. Tell StageCoach to save the footage of you and say you are making a "Subject Access Request, under the terms of the Data Protection Act". You shouldn't need to say that but it helps. The Police won't know about the DPA, and StageCoach will try to fob you off. If they have recorded you, you can ask to see it and have a copy. Don't get your hopes up about quality, it is actually about 1FPS, but might be enough to prove speed and distance of the pass. If you want to see the footage yourself, and not just trust a Police Officer, SC will have to go to a lot of effort to blank other identifiable people out of frames. One frame might be all you need though.

In a serious incident I once failed to get footage because I did not know the system and it was overwritten automatically after 5 days. SC were in breach of the Data Protection Act here, being unable to provide the footage.

I have got as far as getting a frame from a not quite so serious incident involving my son, which I decided to take no further.

If you did want to take it further and you have evidence, then you are in the hands of the Police. And, from the stories on CycleChat, I suspect without a collision it will be very hard to get a result. In my mind 3 points on the licence is justice. Having said that, I think being a persistent complainer has paid off. I rarely get trouble from SC now. Maybe word spread around the depot about the PITA on Route 8 out of Cambridge :-)

 

[dawesome]

I would have done the same as you with a car up my arse, but I did see a kid in a Corsa accelerate to overtake a bus indicating right and the bus pulled out and scraped the Corsa. Two cops saw it and told the crestfallen kid the bus driver was in the right.

 

[BentMikey]

I'd be surprised if the cops were right on that - the bus driver would fail his PCV if he pulled out of a stop with traffic coming past.

 

[dawesome]

The Corsa sorta forced the issue, the bus may have been edging out, this was in Walthamstow.

 

[col]

Ah I did wonder, sounds like the speeding up thing, thats quite prevelent Iv noticed.