UK bus driver used vehicle as a weapon

[CommuRider]

This is pretty graphic, he deliberately swerves and knocks down the cyclist. Cyclist suffers a broken leg. Could have been much, much worse.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-17063165

A bus driver who knocked a cyclist off his bike in Bristol using his bus "as a weapon" has been jailed for 17 months. Gavin Hill, 29, from Frome in Somerset, previously pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court to dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm. The court was told Hill deliberately knocked Phillip Mead down after the pair had an altercation. Mr Mead suffered a broken leg. Sentencing Hill, Judge Mark Horton said the collision "was not an accident".

[nescius]

I'm surprised he didn't plead insanity, because that was insane. 17 months sounds a bit light though, surely if you deliberately run someone over with a bus you are intending to kill them? If someone tried to kill me I would hope they would get more than 17 months.

[population100]

Surely that is attempted murder? He's using a freaking bus...

[Mulger bill]

Shayyyyyyyyyne is really getting about.

Hope Mr Mead's family is waiting at the gate in 17 months.

Clear cut attempted murder, the only reason it wasn't treated as such is because a vehicle was the weapon, wouldn't like to set any precedents...

[AndrewBurns]

Wow looking at the video it's way worse and more blatant than I expected, he really did use his bus for maximum destructive effect against the cyclist. And yes if a bus had done that to a pedestrian it would have been attempted murder (or probably actual murder as a ped without a helmet may well have been killed from the impact). Nice to see that being on a bike makes you like a car in the only way that makes it worse for you, when you have an accident.

[KonaCommuter]

The Bus driver needs to spend significantly longer than 17 months in gaol. I hope that the cyclist gets a significant payout from the bus company.

[InTheWoods]

I don't know anything about the situation and nothing justifies something deliberate like that, but the cyclist appears to be driving very strangely - comes right across the lane right up against the bus as the bus goes wide, hard to tell why - continuing a "discussion" with the driver, or moving out into the lane? Then the bus driver does his retaliation.

[il padrone]

but when all is said and done, the bus driver if passing should change lanes. bet he wished he had now.

Well, actually he did change lanes..... just that he then decided to re-acquire the same lane, on the bit of road space the cyclist was in, with a vengeance


5 years in the slammer with Bubba would not be enough. It was only down to good luck that this was not vehicular homicide - 20m later and the cyclist would have been rammed into a pole and other roadside furniture.

[myforwik]

I'm guessing the cyclist did a shoulder check to see where the bus was and as we know, we often tend to veer in the direction of the shoulder check. over emphasised by the slow speed of the situation. just a guess though, the cyclist could have been vindictively veering across, but when all is said and done, the bus driver if passing should change lanes. bet he wished he had now.

Actually there are better articles that explain what happened. The bus driver had cut up the cyclist who protested at the next bus stop by shouting at the driver. The bus driver passed again, but was over taken again at the next stop. The bus driver must have snapped over having to pass the same guy for about the 3rd or 4th time, and like you said, obviously thought the shoulder check was the biker just trying to block him.

Reguardless of how bad this is its a lesson to remember about your own safety: If you do get into a shouting match, do not drive anywhere near the person after. Secondly I like the idea of riding 'all over the road'. 99% of drivers think its 100% ok to give a cyclist a few feet in a lane, and when a cyclist moves about in the lane they blame any collision on the cyclist. I just ride all of the place when there is any doubt.

[AndrewBurns]

I'm guessing the cyclist did a shoulder check to see where the bus was and as we know, we often tend to veer in the direction of the shoulder check. over emphasised by the slow speed of the situation. just a guess though, the cyclist could have been vindictively veering across, but when all is said and done, the bus driver if passing should change lanes. bet he wished he had now.

Actually there are better articles that explain what happened. The bus driver had cut up the cyclist who protested at the next bus stop by shouting at the driver. The bus driver passed again, but was over taken again at the next stop. The bus driver must have snapped over having to pass the same guy for about the 3rd or 4th time, and like you said, obviously thought the shoulder check was the biker just trying to block him.

Reguardless of how bad this is its a lesson to remember about your own safety: If you do get into a shouting match, do not drive anywhere near the person after. Secondly I like the idea of riding 'all over the road'. 99% of drivers think its 100% ok to give a cyclist a few feet in a lane, and when a cyclist moves about in the lane they blame any collision on the cyclist. I just ride all of the place when there is any doubt.

I wouldn't ride erratically everywhere but for sure make yourself prominent in the lane. I always ride a good 1 to 1.5m in from the left edge of the lane when the road is straight and clear, cars can still go around me but they're forced to actually go around me, not try to squeeze through without changing lanes, so far no car has been agro at me for doing this. I also move well into the middle or even the right hand side of the lane before squeeze points like roundabouts or pedestrian crossings with islands on the sides, if you do it well before the obstacle you won't have to do it at the last second and motorists will actually prefer it because it makes you more predictable, even if they have to slow down a bit.

[waramatt]

At the risk of judging a situation on a few seconds of film, it certainly seems as though jail is not the appropriate place for this muppet (the bus driver). He belongs in a psychiatric unit and probably for a lot longer than 17 months. Looks like attempted murder to me. I agree that the cyclist was doing nothing more than head checking which led to a very slight deviation to the right.

Having said that, I wouldn't stay on a route that had me dicing with a big vehicle. There's little doubt in a city the size of Bristol that there would be plenty of alternate routes. But hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[ColinOldnCranky]

I'm guessing the cyclist did a shoulder check to see where the bus was and as we know, we often tend to veer in the direction of the shoulder check. over emphasised by the slow speed of the situation. just a guess though, the cyclist could have been vindictively veering across, but when all is said and done, the bus driver if passing should change lanes. bet he wished he had now.

Maybe, but any cyclist who wanders THAT far on a head check should not be on a road. You wander a foot if you are a poor rider, not a metre. I expect that the rider just as hot under the collar as the driver proved to be. Stretching a bit, alternatively the rider could have been in that state of heightened anxiety where his control simply was not there.

Of no doubt however is the drivers intent at that moment.

Warramat, if you think that is a "very slight deviation" then I would seriously suggest that you not ride on roads!

[KenGS]

Nevertheless, he was still within his lane. Right on the edge, but still inside the line

[ColinOldnCranky]

Perhaps the driver int his case could immigrate to Queensland and get a new job.. In Queensland if before a jury a clear offense is not sufficient. The driver would likely get a commendation within an hour of the jury deliberating.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensl ... 1mjaw.html

[KonaCommuter]

Perhaps the driver int his case could immigrate to Queensland and get a new job.. In Queensland if before a jury a clear offense is not sufficient. The driver would likely get a commendation within an hour of the jury deliberating.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensl ... 1mjaw.html

Uh huh

And the next incident may see the cyclist taking the law into their own hands seeing as the Qld Justice system failed in the linked story.

[malnar]

Ah, the sudden sideswipe. Been there done that, though in my case it was a semi-trailer. Apparently it wasn't deliberate in my case so the driver only got a fine for entering a bicycle lane. I was doing about 35 k/ph which looks like is way faster than that video.

[iMad]

Obviously not condoning the bus drivers actions because they were criminal but if you look at the very early part of the video through to when the driver swerved to take him out, it does look as though the cyclist was seriously being a smart a*se.
It's not smart getting involved with a bus when you're on a bike.

[AndrewBurns]

Obviously not condoning the bus drivers actions because they were criminal but if you look at the very early part of the video through to when the driver swerved to take him out, it does look as though the cyclist was seriously being a smart a*se.
It's not smart getting involved with a bus when you're on a bike.

As has been pointed out perhaps the cyclist was shoulder-checking before changing lanes or something and swerved when looking over his shoulder.

[zero]

Obviously not condoning the bus drivers actions because they were criminal but if you look at the very early part of the video through to when the driver swerved to take him out, it does look as though the cyclist was seriously being a smart a*se.
It's not smart getting involved with a bus when you're on a bike.

As has been pointed out perhaps the cyclist was shoulder-checking before changing lanes or something and swerved when looking over his shoulder.

Or was just claiming a lane after the bus driver had already close passed him (there was a prior altercation).

[iMad]

Or was just claiming a lane after the bus driver had already close passed him (there was a prior altercation).

My earlier comment was poorly put.
What I meant was that regardless of what had occurred before the video footage, a cyclist trying to retaliate and further antagonise a bloke driving a bus is madness.
There can only be one outcome if the driver of the bus is a moron, and that's exactly what he is.

As I said and I could be wrong, it does appear to me that the cyclist is deliberately trying to antagonise the bus driver.
None of what I have said takes away from the heinous behavior and actions of the bus driver and he deserved to be severely punished. As mentioned it could easily have turned out much worse.

If I ever have an altercation with a bus driver though, I won't be getting into an aggravated dispute with him that's for sure.