iisilentjokerii

i live in NYC (Brooklyn) more specifically and i want to know what do i do when a bus is behind me? should i go faster or should i just let it pass me? also the route that i take is an avenue so buses come from both directions. so what do i do when a bus is coming behind me?

walrus1

Depends on a few things. Such as what type of bus, whether there is enough room for it to safely pass. Minibuses such as the access a ride bus need less room to safely pass then say an MTA bus. Keep in mind buses have large blind spots so you need to give it more room so it can see you in the mirrors when it passes you. Also if the avenue has two or more lanes you should be in the rightmost one. If a vehicle that you can't share the road with tries to pass you take the lane and force it to pass you. You really should have no cause for concern about oncoming busses in the opposite direction unless they frequently come into your lane. In which case you need to find a new route ASAP!

What avenue are you taking? It sounds like there is a lot of heavy vehicle traffic on it. You might be better off taking another avenue or a side street.

FBinNY 

NYC transit bus drivers should be used to bicycles by now, so the thing to do as one comes up behind you is hold your line and speed, and let the driver decide if he has the time to complete his pass before his next stop. If he sees you as a steady rider he'll plan accordingly and you won't have issues. However space on NY streets is limited, and there's not much difference between your speed and his, so you might find yourself riding a narrow lane with the bus walling off one side. This has never bothered me, but if it does you, simply slow slightly and let him slide by.

The bigger issue is managing passing stoppd buses which may be ready to pull back out. Some drivers are excellent about changing from 4-way flashers the use when stopped to the left turn signal before pulling out, but some not so good. As I pull up to a bus I try looking to his right and estimating how many passengers are left, and if I'll complete my pass before he pulls out or not. If I suspect he's getting ready to pull back out, I slow and stop or stay behind him, on the side not belching diesel smoke.

On one of my commuter routes home, I ride at just about the same average speed as the local bus, and we play leapfrog for miles. I make it a point to know the drivers (always the same few) and them to know me, and we work together so it works. They know they can't pass me coming to a stop, and I don't pass them as they pulling out.

BTW- where possible in NYC try to choose one way avenues vs. two way. This will let you keep left and avoid the bus traffic entirely.

genec

Either ride much faster, so you out run the buses or ride a bit slower, so the bus only passes you once. It really is that simple.

nd2010

The average speed of a city bus is 13 mph, which is right in the range of average bicycle speeds.

vol

A related question: on which side of the 5th Avenue should one ride? Since almost all intersections are T-intersections, obviously it's easier to ride on the right side (just next to the Central Park, the top stroke of the "T"), which seems to be what most cyclists do. But that's also the bus lane, with "Buses Only" (I think there's the "only"?), and once a bus driver who passed me told me to ride on the other side "so you don't get hit". And it's true most close calls on 5th Avenue were from buses--city buses, long distance or chartered buses. On the other hand, when I ride on the left, I can't go through the T-sections on red light because of the cars turning onto 5th Ave from the left.

Essex

As mentioned earlier - NYC buses are sloooow. At least in Manhattan proper and I have never had one pose a problem. That said - I am always wary of large buses and trucks. When I was a kid growing up in San Francisco my least favorite bus driver on route to my High School crushed a pedestrian to death without even knowing it. Knowing that they can't see, can't maneuver well - I give them extra special attention by staying away from them at all costs.

FBinNY 

I keep left on all one way avenues, mainly to avoid the buses. 5th Ave along the park is an exception, and I might switch over to the right side depending on traffic. It's a matter of balancing the problem of left turning traffic every other block vs. playing leapfrog with buses or having to swing around stopped ones with the tails hanging out. I decide based on the number of buses which varies with time of day, or more often with how they're running. 5th Ave buses often clump, so I'll ride right in the gaps, and as I come to a clump switch to the left side. In heavy traffic, where crossing the avenue is harder, I'll follow my basic rule and keep left.

vol

Thanks for sharing. Agree it's a good idea to be flexible depending on the traffic, day and time.

Re the bus problem, I found that the most accident-prone tiem is when a bus is about to leave a stop, especially if it's a careless driver who doesn't pay enough attention to the mirror. Now I usually let them go and don't rush to pass, since I read about the fatal accident this past January.

FBinNY 

Do not be afraid to give a solid side of the fist blow to the side panel of a bus pulling out into you. The real problem with buses is their length which allows them to slowly wedge you farther out of your line, possibly putting you into the infamous "disappearing lane" reminiscent of Poe.

BTW- go up to some stopped to idle buses and rap on their sides, so you can learn where the sweet spot is.

JameB

can bus drivers even feel that? I find the right most lane is usually bad quality and causes the bus to rattle a lot.

Spld cyclist

In my city, the bus drivers learn they need to be assertive as they pull out into traffic, or else they won't ever be able to pull out. (I'm a bike commuter who also rides the bus in bad weather, so I have some sympathy for the drivers). You almost never see cars slow down or stop when a bus starts to pull into traffic ahead. As many aggressively pass as possible, even fully crossing the double yellow to make their pass. This is something I definitely keep in mind when passing a bus. The driver really has to move when there's a chance, and there may be some terminally impatient drivers coming from behind. The bus driver is most likely looking in the mirror, but I don't know if they will always "see" a cyclist in the situation.

I second FB's suggestion to look to the right to see how many passengers are waiting to get on.

FBinNY 

They don't feel it, but if you hit the sweet spot, they hear it. It sounds like they hit something back there, or maybe a kid ran into them crossing the street. It definitely gets their attention.

Also consider that there's one thing going for you when a bus pulls out into you ----- you're on the driver side, which is far better than being in the passenger side blind spot. I also have a decent pair of lungs and can do a combined shout/yodel that carries very well. Even if the driver has his window closed, a passenger may hear and see, and pass my message along.

NYC is somewhat unique in that we often have buses passing each other and playing leapfrog, add a bicycle to the mix and it gets very interesting. It requires not only good bike handling, but real confidence in those bike handling skills. Most experienced riders can ride within a painted lane less than foot wide on the pavement, some can ride 100' or more staying within 6" or so (on the pavement). Figuring your shoulder width, that's like riding within a pair of walls 2-3' apart. However, if you have access to parked trucks and buses, I invite you to ride the length between them. Now imagine them moving with you.

JameB

Personally, I'd rather use both hands to brake as hard as I can but I see your point.

VTBike

I don't have any advice for you, but you did at least educate me on the plural of "bus." It's more interesting than I had thought: Buses vs. busses - Grammarist

Chris516

Ok, NYC-Brooklyn, hmmmm.......

Well, For a four-lane road, speed up. For a two-lane road, let them pass you.

vol

I had a couple of very close calls with busses today on Fifth avenue in Manhattan. The street was very crowded. When one passed me I just saw its mirror passed directly above my head. Another passed me on my right side (in other words the driver should have known how close he was to me, not to mention I had bright lights) almost touching me (would have if I made the slightest motion toward that side) without slowing down. After these close calls I decided to turn onto the local streets.

Dahon.Steve

I would not play leap frog with the bus. Some drivers are very aggressive when pulling away from the curb and you disappear in their mirrors. If you can't ride faster than the bus, let her drive away. You can time the buses using transit Apps so they are ahead of you by 5-10 minutes every morning.

genec

Don't be average. Ride faster or slower.

Rollfast

Go buy coffee and read the paper, then refigure your route.

1983

Yeah that should work great. Don't like what the bus is doing? Hit it.

skye

Remember, this is NYC we're talking about. As a frequent visitor, I would say that is par for the course.

10 Wheels

Ride around them...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7jfcWEkSrI

bikinglife

Well done. nice video

That being said, the sheer size of a bus is enough to freak me out. To me, they're more of a danger than cars.

1983

NYC is no tougher or thick-skinned than any other megalopolis city out there. Having been through a few times I find that, if anything, NYC drivers are a bunch of whiners. As are drivers in other cities, in all fairness. Hitting a vehicle with which you disagree - especially one which will, in all likelihood, most likely either not hear it or not care - is for premium rush fanboys.

As a matter of disclosure, I have knuckle-rapped a couple of passenger vehicles which were closing in on me as if oblivious to my presence.