Why do bus drivers see us in the bus stop and pull in at high speeds trying to pass us just as we start passing thru the bus stop

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on August 2, 2011 at 7:42pm

The "ignorance" is fortunately still the exception rather than the norm.

When I've been on a bus and witnessed a driver behaving badly towards a cyclist, I've always let CTA know about it (per detailed e-mail), and asked for acknowledgement, and gotten it.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on August 2, 2011 at 10:50pm

Well they can do that and then ridership will fall,slightly  fares will go up to offset losses. Chicago will be a more bike UN-friendly town people leave for a place where you're not nearly killed or injured for riding a bike. Mutual respect is a hard thing to come by these days.

Thunder Snow said:

"We can always start f'ing with them like waiting at a stop, pulling the rack down, fumbling then not put the bike on and leave the rack down."

 ...so that the CTA can be perfectly justified in removing all the bike bus racks?

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Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on August 2, 2011 at 10:53pm

Probably not but I've found complaining to "higher ups" and following the channels gets me no where. Then when no bike racks are on buses we'll have 10 people take the lane in front of the bus.

 

Critical mass is not once a month for me.
Anne Alt said:

Exactly.  Not the best idea.

Thunder Snow said:

"We can always start f'ing with them like waiting at a stop, pulling the rack down, fumbling then not put the bike on and leave the rack down."

 ...so that the CTA can be perfectly justified in removing all the bike bus racks?

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Permalink Reply by Davo on August 3, 2011 at 9:58am

I feel lucky. I have had no problems with Busses on Damen, other than them being a little anoying when we're leap frogging each other. They have always "knock on wood" been courtious towards me.

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Permalink Reply by sara dykman on May 8, 2012 at 10:38pm

This post will probably get lost but I needed the therapy of a well deserved rant.

 

I was biking on Halsted this afternoon, on the left side of the bike lane to avoid being doored.  I am a respectful cyclist and until this moment have mostly felt sorry for the bus drivers that have to deal with traffic all day.

 

The bus passed me less than eight inches away.  Now I know cars often FEEL closer than they are, but I have cycled over 50,000 miles and this was one of the more offensive passes I have been involved in.  

 

When I caught up to the bus I told the lady that she passed really close and that it was scary.  She told me I was in the bike lane and she was in the driving lane. I didn't need to be so close to HER lane.".  I explained the dangers of the door zone and she asks "well, did YOU SEE a door opening?"  My next argument was about bikes having the legal right to the road and drivers needing to pass bikes with 3 ft.  In response she told me to stick to the bike land and she'd stick to the driving lane and to sum it all up: shut up you annoying biker.  I regrettably started yelling like a crazy person and discredited myself, but reason was not on my side.  

 

I could hardly breath I was so mad/sad/frustrated/scared.  Sure I was upset that she almost killed me.  BUt what really made me upset was her blatant disrespect for my life and her serious lack of knowledge on road rules.

 

I reported the incident to 311 and suggest they review the rules of the road with bus drivers. I'll also print out a copy of a newspaper article where a bus killed a cyclist that was flipped into the street by a car door opening.  

 

Cyclist can't win.  We get yelled at if we follow all the rules (I teach bike safety to students and we teach KIDS to bike three feet from parked cars...would she have given a 12 year old a bit more space?).  We get yelled at if we don't.  good luck out there.

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Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on May 9, 2012 at 12:30am

That's the one downer of riding into town is the inevitable game of bus leapfrog that ensues as i catch up to one.

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 9, 2012 at 6:40am

Bus drivers in this city are crazy scary.  I won't ride the bus here if I can help it.  When the tracks are being worked on and there are buses shuttling the L passengers past the construction zone I shutter to have to ride a bus driven by these madmen and madwomen.   

I am very surprised that buses don't kill more cyclists and pedestrians on the road every day.  It is simply a miracle that I hope keeps on being miraculous.  These guys are scary-bad drivers who just flaunt their "biggest vehicle on the road has the right-of-way" mentality. 

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Permalink Reply by Rich S on May 9, 2012 at 9:37am

I had a lovely encounter with the Lincoln bus and its driver Monday morning. He got about 2/3 past me when he decided to pull over to the bus stop. The street was still wet from the previous night's rain and I almost fell getting out of the way. I pulled up next to the driver and mentioned in a calm voice that it was very nice of him to almost run me over with his bus instead of being patient. The response was "I had my signal on."  My response in a no longer calm voice was "that doesn't excuse you from trying to kill someone!"  

I feel bad for bus drivers because their job can't be easy. But you're supposed to be a professional and you are therefore held to a higher standard. That's my view of taxi drivers as well.  

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