Advocacy & Safety - beware of city bus drivers

and bad infrastructure too

(with labeled photo of how the cyclist died)

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Crossroads+where+cyclist+killed+known+puzzling+treacherous/2006635/story.html

Yeah that's just nuts, who on earth thought that design was safe?
Who has the right of way? How will they determine fault?
Just a bad design all round.

Who had right of way? Do you really have to ask?

Cyclist crossed the sidewalk and rode in front of a moving bus. :( Tragic, but....

Don't most people learn in kindergarten to look before entering a street?

We've seen these type of bike lanes that end abruptly next to a bus stop! Incredible. The problem here is that it's a fast merge when there should have been a stop sign for the cyclist.

Buses rule the road!

Who had right of way? Do you really have to ask?

Cyclist crossed the sidewalk and rode in front of a moving bus. :( Tragic, but....

Don't most people learn in kindergarten to look before entering a street?

It's true that the bus would have the right-of-way in that situation, and I wouldn't consider the bus driver to be at fault. However, that doesn't look like an easy intersection for a cyclist to handle. You'd have to be watching for pedestrians on the sidewalk from both directions, plus buses coming from the left on the road, plus preparing to ride off the curb at an angle. In my own case, with my permanently sore and stiff neck, it would be difficult to turn my head far enough to get a good view to the left because of the angle with which the path meets the road. Also, I'm sure I'd be giving a large part of my attention to my brakes and steering as my front wheel dropped off that curb at a sharp angle. It's a cyclist's responsibility not to run in front of other traffic, but that intersection seems to me to offer too many factors to keep track of all at the same time.

This summer I was riding downtown in a marked cycle lane. A bus pulled up next to me at a stop lite, and the driver opened the door. He asked if I felt safe riding there. I told him everything was cool, Im in my lane and your are in yours. He seemed not to know what to say. Door closed lite changed and we both rode away.

It's true that the bus would have the right-of-way in that situation, and I wouldn't consider the bus driver to be at fault. However, that doesn't look like an easy intersection for a cyclist to handle. You'd have to be watching for pedestrians on the sidewalk from both directions, plus buses coming from the left on the road, plus preparing to ride off the curb at an angle. In my own case, with my permanently sore and stiff neck, it would be difficult to turn my head far enough to get a good view to the left because of the angle with which the path meets the road. Also, I'm sure I'd be giving a large part of my attention to my brakes and steering as my front wheel dropped off that curb at a sharp angle. It's a cyclist's responsibility not to run in front of other traffic, but that intersection seems to me to offer too many factors to keep track of all at the same time.

Given the setup there I'd either stop totally before entering the sidwalk area, or ride onto the sidewalk, check traffic, then drop down onto the street (This option would give me the ability to use a rear-view mirror to check traffic, something I'd most definitely be using if I had problems turning my head enough to check for traffic coming up behind me!)

Bottom line is that YOU have to take responsibility for your own safety in a situation like this... no WAY I'd come bombing up that bike path and onto the street without a clear line of sight to see that there wasn't any oncoming traffic!

My guess? The cyclist probably did that a lot... MOST of the time there would NOT be a bus coming, and the rider got complacent and stopped bothering to look. :(

My guess? The cyclist probably did that a lot... MOST of the time there would NOT be a bus coming, and the rider got complacent and stopped bothering to look. :(

You're probably right. I suspect complacency plays a large part in many mistakes made by both drivers and cyclists. Do something often enough to do it without thinking, and you may find yourself not thinking at a time when thinking is desperately needed. I'm as guilty of that as anyone. :(

If I read that right there is a curb. So I would stop and place my bike on the road.


Why can't the bus simply honk the horn if they go by the intersection.

I am guessing there will be a crack down on cyclist now.
I loved the last one 300 cyclists and 500 motorists. (mostly because I don't live in the city) I do have a bell though.