Bloody buses!

[Verbs & Nouns]

They think that lane with the little cyclist painted on it on Grote street is made for them!

[Mulger bill]

Took yer a while to work that out didn't it mate?

In actual fact, them pics on the road indicate the type of targets to be found in that area, has the local Govt started painting the score values next to them yet?

Pull yer phone out and snap away, pics'd look good emailed to the companys CEO and OHS rep maybe the local paper too. As is pretty typical in these cases, it's a percentage of ratbags who make the other 15% look bad.

Shaun

[Biffidus]

They're allowed to do it unfortunately (see SA Road Rule 153).

Have you noticed that the worst drivers seem to be the ones who do it for a living... buses, taxis, delivery vans?

[Postman Pat]

They're allowed to do it unfortunately (see SA Road Rule 153).

Have you noticed that the worst drivers seem to be the ones who do it for a living... buses, taxis, delivery vans?

It may be that they don't have a choice I have cars overtaking me over double lines around corners in a very twisty road, I have had to brake so much that I have people falling of seats due to car drivers, but as buses and other Professional drivers are easy to see when they do something wrong how many cars do the same thing every day but no comment is made. Not defending anyone but just trying to point out another side .
Ron
Now going of to get flame suit out of storage

[Biffidus]

I take your point, but surely people who spend so much time on the road should be better than average... and yet Taxi drivers veer all over the road as they play with their equipment (that's not a euphemism), couriers are far too aggressive and many bus drivers seem completely oblivious to other road users (especially cyclists).

[bepboy]

need to be careful about sweeping generalizations.
I have have very courteous bus drivers along Anzac Hwy who have gone out of their way to give my space and as recently as two weeks ago driving back from Second Valley to Normanville i came across two d***heads on bikes who just because they were taking part in a BikeSA event thought that it was ok to take up the whole lane on a straight stretch of road with double white lines. There were about 10 cars that had patiently waited behind these boys through the twisty bits only to have the d***heads sprawl out over the road on the straight bit doing 35km in a 100km zone. Good way to get killed.
There were many many other cyclists on the road that day - all sharing the road in perfect harmony. BUT the two d***heads gave the rest of the group a bad name and probably burnt up a lot of goodwill towards cyclists.
My point is - its always the minority who stuff it up for the majority. It goes for both riders and drivers.

[Jrollin]

As for drivers, the "minority" group is becoming larger in size.

[Verbs & Nouns]

I wish I could've taken a photo of it this morning... it was chaos!

But I was too busy not dying to get my phone out and take a snap.

[gdt]

I almost took out someone at the school at Franklin and South Terrace about a month back. Momma pulled up her 4WD in the bike lane, a few metres in front of me. I whacked on the brakes. Didn't have time to check for traffic on my right, so I had to pass her on the left. I just missed the rear and was looking down the side of her 4WD to avoid the mirror. Then I almost collected her daughter who was rushing from the footpath to the passenger side of the 4WD without looking. It was a near thing because my eyes were on the car, not on the footpath, so I didn't see the schoolgirl until really late and just managed to flick the handlebars enough to scrape by without hitting her or the parked cars.

The girl had the grace to look shocked (as well you might, after realising for the first time in your life that bikes are not harmless traffic and being hit at 40Km/h by a bike is probably going to hospitalise you). I was pretty shaken myself. Her mother -- the cause of this near disaster -- scowled and beeped her horn at me impatiently, since in her eyes I'd thoughtlessly braked to a sudden stop and unclipped in front of her 4WD. I was about to say some words when the daughter started setting momma straight.

[Verbs & Nouns]

The girl had the grace to look shocked (as well you might, after realising for the first time in your life that bikes are not harmless traffic and being hit at 40Km/h by a bike is probably going to hospitalise you). I was pretty shaken myself.

The other night I managed to go through an orange light crossing King William riding east along Flinders street, therefore there were no cars behind me. Literally 12+ pedestrians started wandering across Flinders Street and in the bike lane, I almost took out some lady in the bike lane... I had to use a few polite words (I think one started with fu, the other he) to get her attention. I was going pretty quick (so I could make the lights), and If I hit had her, it wouldnt've have been pretty.

They don't understand.

[318ute]

I have been riding from Upper Sturt to the city return daily since last July, and my only real vehicle issues have come from buses!
In each instance they are parked and move out to the right with no indicator just as I am alongside them, and in each instance I have been lucky enough to have the room to move further out into the lane to avoid being hit!!
I don't believe they want to hurt anyone, they just dont think to look, and at 5.30am-6.00am in the morning I have three flashing lights on the front of my bike and three red on the rear!

Which leads me to another comment about Adelaide traffic, when are some of the low end of the gene pool cyclists going to get serious!!
I almost rode into the back of some tosser last week! No light, dressed in black on a black bike wobbling around like a headless chook! I am cruising down Unley road at about 30kph and only saw this knob at the last moment to take avoiding action...
Me 110kgs on a bike at 30kph does not = a good outcome for any of us! Oh and the tool then proceeds to ride through the red light at Unley & Greenhill! People wonder why other road users hate cyclists...

Be carefull out there!!
Steve.

[slane]

i was in a bus on weekend going down pultney street where there is a bike lane the buses go down. A girl on a bike was stopped at the lights in the bike lane, there was a left hand arrow that the bus wanted to turn on, but the bike was in the way, so the driver stuck his head out and yelled abuse at the girl until she lifted up her bike and got into the car, by which time the arrow had disappeared. And I'm not sure if it was the bus or the driver, but something stank of alcohol.
Anyway, I reported him and the company, hills transit or whatever its called now, were quite shocked (I think genuinely. I hope).

[mm23]

Anyway, I reported him and the company

Good work hopefully they do something.

I was riding north down King William st. Pulled up to the Nth Tce intersection and since there were no cars there pulled into the 2nd left lane because the first left lane gets a green left turn arrow, so it's not really safe blocking the cars turning left. I'm sitting in the lane near the left edge when a bus pulls up only a few cms short of hitting me. Next minute the driver is out of his bus yelling "What do you think your doing mate?" Erm I'm riding my bike. "It's not safe in this lane, you're in my way". I point out that the other lane is for turning cars and I'll sit here if I want but he keeps going on about me getting in his way. He finally gets back in his bus. The lights go green and I easily take off faster then a bus down the hill. He meanwhile has to stop to pick up passengers at the Festival Centre.

Now my wife just happened to be on this Bus so luckily when she got off she took down all the details. I rang and complained as the cyclist while she rang and complained asking what a bus driver was doing getting out of his bus to abuse cyclists at traffic lights. We both got calls the next day apoligising and assuring us he would be facing some sort of disciplinary action. I was pretty happy with there response and hopefully that driver thinks next time before doing something like that.

[Biffidus]

I had a bus driver shouting at me once. He got annoyed when I passed him while he was stopped to take on passengers and we then leapfrogged each other for about ten stops up Marion Road. Every time I went past he would lean out his window and give me a mouthful.

To this day I have no idea what his problem was.

[mm23]

I have to say after 5 years commuting to work I've had a fair few run ins with crazy bus drivers.

Here's another one.

Riding in the left most lane south on King William street I was trying to keep up with another cyclist. Next minute this bus starts pulling across to get to the bus stop about 200 metres up the road. I'm level with the front side door and this idiot is squishing me into the curb. Luckily the lights go red at the Rundle mall intersection and we have to stop. This driver opens his door and screams at me "What do you think you are doing trying to race me?" I say "I'm not racing you and you can't just cut me off, you have to give way". This driver laughs and says "who do I have to give way to you?". SO I say "Yes you swear words removed have to give way to me and if you want to keep your job you better learn the road rules". Then I pull to the front of the bus so I don't have to listen to him anymore and don't get squashed when the lights go green.

[jupiter]

mm23, good on ya! I usually ride down king william and I always sit in the most practicable lane, being the one just in from the left turning one. If those stupid bus drivers read the road rules, they'd realise that cyclists, generally, can't pass or overtake a vehicle indicating to turn left on the vehicle's left hand side. They'd also probably realise that just because their indicators are on doesn't mean they can pull out from a kerb straight away. It's supposed to flash for five seconds before they move. ggrrr. I could go on and on, but good on you for taking details and complaining. It seems to be the only way riding on the road will become safer.