flamingosketche

Hey BFSSFG. Long time creeper, first time contributor here.

I was biking up from work today when I was honked at multiple times by a city bus behind me. The bus continued to do so for a couple blocks, until it stopped at a stop and I biked ahead. This has happened to me several times, which makes me really question whether the drivers are truly qualified to be driving buses in the city.

I wrote a letter to the bus company which reads as following:
Dear Translink I am a cyclist who often commutes up and down Main St. Today, on my way back home biking up Main just up to Broadway, I was honked at by one of the Number 3 buses that was behind me, which I took as a signal to get off the road onto the sidewalk. But as you are probably aware, cyclists are permitted on the road by law and are given the same rights and responsibilities as cars in this city. I find it outrageous that I am being honked at by public transit vehicles, which should be setting an example by practising lawful behavior on the road. Today was not the first time this has happened; I've often been subject to such actions from other bus drivers, which I believe is nothing short of road rage. Please train your drivers so that they are aware of the cyclists rights on the road and are understanding of the fact that bikes cannot always travel as fast as buses. We do not take up a lot of space; all I am asking is a little piece of the road so I can get around town.

Am I the only one getting this kind of treatment from bus drivers? It's not as if it's not bad enough that I am screamed at and almost hit by cars and trucks every day.

/end rant

deathhare

Honking at you isnt "unlawful".
Sounds like you ride way too slow and just hog up the lane.

flamingosketche

idk i'm usually going at about ~25km/h on flats which I don't think is that bad. Certaintly not so that the bus should be honking behind me for a good block or two.. Plus keeping to the shoulder when there's cars behind me..
even then, what happened to bus drivers being friendly? I don't mind cars being *******s going 80kmh but buses on roads with a 50kmh speed limit? Beats me, especially seeing how they have to stop every two or three blocks..

Metricoclock

my biggest gripe lately is mail trucks using the bike lanes as parking areas on busy roads.

deathhare

I never knew they were friendly. Theyre all cocks from what i know. Bus drivers are as bad as taxi drivers in all my experiences. Except they drive an even bigger POS vehicle.

sp00ki

second only to SUVs with jersey plates during rush hour, SEPTA (philly's transit) buses are the thing on the road i hate the most. they're aggressive, will attempt to pinch you as you pass, drift at you, honk whenever you're near, etc. i know multiple people who've been hit, and if i wasn't so afraid of them i'm sure i'd have been hit too.
much like all septa employees, our bus drivers are lazy, arrogant and terrible at their job. unfortunately, they aren't restrained by tracks.

flamingosketche

They're so nice when you actually go on the bus.. they wait for you when you're running after them, sometimes let you get on even if your pass is expired.. etc

but I suppose when you're on the road, they're all the same.. I'm glad there aren't too many taxicabs in Vancouver.

deathhare

I think bus drivers in most places drive their bus likes its a mini car and dont care what they do. They just get over when they want.
Taxis are worse here in Tokyo but I think it feels like that because there are more of them than anything and not so many busses.
Over 50,000 taxis in this city. **** is out of hand.

tFUnK

when i get honked at by buses it's usually just them trying to let me know of their presence, and not them trying to pester/bully me.

deathhare

Pestered by Cyclists posted over in the Bus forum, 08-13-08, 08:04 AM

peabodypride

i got squeezed between a septa bus last week. and i fell on the tracks on baltimore yesterday but that's another thread.

flamingosketche

Hopefully that was the case in most instances. sometimes I know it's not because I get the long angry honks, but I get short toots often as well, which may have been well-intended

beeftech

I have found that the bigger a vehicle they drive, the less they care about you. Unless they're punk teens, then they just don't care about anyone.
Also, I've noticed that people in big truck's and SUV's like to rev up when they get next to me. I guess they feel threatened because I spend nothing on gas while they burn up 2 gallons just passing me.

aMull

Here i have never had problems with ttc drivers. They give me space and they wait when they need to.

kergin

skin. thicker. you.

Jabba Degrassi

One time I saw this girl stuck behind a bike taxi and she just kept going *ding ding ding ding* in a steady tempo. I was like, **** *****, just pass him already.

baxtefer

Just use the Ontario St bike route instead.

sp00ki

FINE ALREADY, we get it. blah blah blah, toronto is the best city in the whole wide world, blah blah.

DULY NOTED, OK? HAPPY?

kergin

fool. its in the union contract.

kellyjdrummer

More of the same.

TempeRider

you might try specifying the bus number (not the route number). Around here most of the bus drivers are pretty good, and pass by giving lots of room. A few are jerks, but if they are reported by number, they get talked to. If it happens a lot, they get walked.

pompadork

Isn't riding the shoulder directly in front of / behind a bus since they'll be constantly pulling over for stops?

flamingosketche

got a call from Translink today, they apologised for it and told me they would let the drivers know. I kinda felt bad.

I always pass buses if I'm behind them, I don't see riding in front on the shoulder being a big deal, better than blocking their path or riding on the lane with speeding cars.

tashi

Dude, don't feel bad. The bus drivers around here (Victoria) are regularly dicks, it must be even worse int the big city. I've been squeezed up onto the curb, pulled into (literally, the bottom of the bus scraped my leg), flipped the bird, honked at... I did get an almost satisfactory response to one complaint, others have been either totally ignored or inadequate.

They're like jerkoff taxi drivers, but with a larger weapon and more public sympathy.

But they're all individuals, so they each deserve the chance to eff up before one brands them with the "******* bus driver" label.

kellyjdrummer

Tashi, that's 'buse' driver. We are *****ing about 'buses' and 'buse' drivers here. Not to be mistaken with 'busses' and 'bus drivers.'