A Very Close Encounter

[brumby33]

As most here would know, I drive the city buses around Sydney Inner West and often see things that would make even make me take a deep breath wondering how things didn't meet with disaster....the idiocy of some motorists really make the blood boil and cyclists don't stand much a chance on some of the things I see day in and day out.

Last friday 9th Feb, In the afternoon run on City Road heading towards Newtown, I was in the 2nd lane of 4 lanes approaching the lights and intersection of City Rd and Cleveland Street, the lights were red and traffic stopped, I was in number 2 lane as I have to make a stop just after the Seymore Centre, there was a cyclist in that lane but i was prepping to stop at the lights anyway, momentarily i heard a car rev hard in lane 3 which there was Coach stopped ahead and I was almost about to go up on the left side of the Coach to wait at the lights so wasn't far behind at this stage, this car in lane 3, an older model Subaru darted in front of my bus missing me by inches, I blew the horn to warn the the cyclist (and to abuse that idiot in the Suby) who thought i was blasting my horn at him consequently turning his head giving me the middle finger, but the blessing of that was, whilst the cyclist turned around to give me his finger gesture, he momentarily stopped pedaling and that dumbarse in the Subaru darted in front of the cyclist to turn left into Cleveland missing him by inches as well.

Now if I hadn't of blown the horn when I did, the cyclist would've kept on pedaling and would've been knocked off his bike possibly killing him, it was THAT close, I drew a deep breath while watch this in front of me...thanks God he missed him as the cyclist would now have known what hit him. He was too focused on giving me the finger that i don't even think he saw what that car did and that car driver would not have seen the cyclist because my bus was blocking his vision.
Now unless there's an accident/incident of some kind, the Authorities won't download footage on our cameras and the Police wouldn't bother requesting it unless someone was hurt so even though all this would've been caught on our CTV cameras, it's of no use...I've tried demanding this before but management won't allow it unless something really happens coz i really wanted to get this Subaru driver for putting lives at stake...makes my blood boil.

Luckily it all happened without incident but just goes to show how quick things can happen.

If the guy on that bike reads this...I wasn't blasting you with the horn mate...i was just trying to warn you of probable danger....but your finger gesture was understandable

cheers

brumy33

[Howzat]

You're a gentleman and a scholar, brumby!

[mikesbytes]

Well done brumby33

The most important thing is that you saved the cyclists life

[find_bruce]

Its sad how cyclists cop a last from the horn that we react like pavlov's dog. I was riding home from dinner the other night & had to keep reminding myself if someone honks, don't give em the finger till you check if it was the wife.

[simlin]

Its sad how cyclists cop a last from the horn that we react like pavlov's dog. I was riding home from dinner the other night & had to keep reminding myself if someone honks, don't give em the finger till you check if it was the wife.

This

More than 50% of the horns I get are from work colleagues or friends just saying hi...idiots.