Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on June 15, 2010 at 4:28pm

In your communications with CTA headquarters (either 1-888-YOUR-CTA or their website feedback form), remind them that the CTA helped to create that video as part of a training program for all of its bus operators. And that you know each bus operator is supposed to have watched it because it outlines the rights and responsibilities of the bus operator when they interact with other traffic in the road, which includes bicycles.

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Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on June 15, 2010 at 4:30pm

I don't think I've ever seen a bus actively leak oil, or oil on the road that I could confidently say was from a bus.

mike w. said:

i've had all kinds of interactions with the CTA over the years, from dodging the 22 & 36 busses to and from my old job, drafting the Archer Express back in the SW side salad days of my youth, and in recent years dealing with the busses along the north end of Sheridan. i agree with DUG, that the busses are the biggest danger out there. i don't think that -for the most part- the problem is driver hostility per se, but more of an issue of the drivers trying to keep to unrealistic schedule demands, piloting 10-15 tons of ill-maintained vehicle, dealing with sardine-packs of rowdy & bad-smelling passengers, taxis, and the other attendant horrors of urban navigation.

Actually, the biggest hazard i've encountered with busses is their tendency to leak oil -often from ill-fitting fuel caps and overfilled tanks. How many of us have found ourselves sent sprawling by unexpected oil slicks left by these beasts? i've even seen cars slide through intesections on bus oil that would make a skating rink seem like sandpaper.

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Permalink Reply by mike w. on June 16, 2010 at 2:04am

On two occasions i got put on my arse by bus oil along Clark whilst riding a straight line. Another time on Clark i was actually behind the leaker - the trail was wide and turned to the curb at CTA stops- from Devon to Addison, which is where the driver finally pulled over and put the bonnet up. It was a trial just to stay up on the rubber, and at Southport i saw a car slide through the red light and narrowly miss getting rear ended by the guy behind him. Same thing along Oakton behind a 97 on a couple of occasions. All incidents occured in the early hours which seems to indicate that the busses in question had recently left the barns with full and leaky tanks of #2 diesel. Brake and trans fluids might also be an issue in some cases.

Sometimes i have seen a bus hove to with sand put down on the road behind and under it.

All this is just another way of saying keep alert out there, especially along CTA routes. Oil from whatever source on pavement is every bit as bad as black ice.

Steven Vance said:

I don't think I've ever seen a bus actively leak oil, or oil on the road that I could confidently say was from a bus.

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Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on July 13, 2010 at 2:00pm

Today at around 7:00pm, I had the displeasure of politely telling this one bus driver on Halsted and Chicago that she passed me way too close for comfort. This did not sink in as she passed me up at high speed again the second time.

The second time I asked her in an even tone why she keeps buzzing by me so close? She just slammed her window shut on my face, With that I told her "Dam lady you are very scary" as I rode away again. No reaction but a dead terminator like expression behind her big dark sunglasses.

I feel a little victorious with my calm approach, for the third and last time she finnaly kept her distance when passing me up. A sigh of relief that maybe there is hope in trying to get across to these zombies in these scary situations.

Juan Dominguez said:

I feel that most of those bus drivers come from the ghetto or burbs where bicycles are seen as toys and the city folks who ride them as poor stupid annoying people who should be on their bus instead. They should be avoided with as much caution as those cellphone faced SUV driving soccer moms.

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Permalink Reply by Wesley Dolezal on July 13, 2010 at 3:17pm

I've actually had very few problems with busses. I have had a lot of problems with cabs.

Juan Dominguez said:

Today at around 7:00pm, I had the displeasure of politely telling this one bus driver on Halsted and Chicago that she passed me way too close for comfort. This did not sink in as she passed me up at high speed again the second time.

The second time I asked her in an even tone why she keeps buzzing by me so close? She just slammed her window shut on my face, With that I told her "Dam lady you are very scary" as I rode away again. No reaction but a dead terminator like expression behind her big dark sunglasses.

I feel a little victorious with my calm approach, for the third and last time she finnaly kept her distance when passing me up. A sigh of relief that maybe there is hope in trying to get across to these zombies in these scary situations.

Juan Dominguez said:

I feel that most of those bus drivers come from the ghetto or burbs where bicycles are seen as toys and the city folks who ride them as poor stupid annoying people who should be on their bus instead. They should be avoided with as much caution as those cellphone faced SUV driving soccer moms.

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Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on December 9, 2010 at 11:06am

I get it all the time on Franklin/Orleans & Halsted.
Dunno what's wrong with them, but they do not seem to care for cyclists.
I have lights, white helmet, etc.; hard to miss!

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on December 9, 2010 at 11:20am

If you don't succeed in getting your message across, you can always pee on their rims.

Juan said:

Today at around 7:00pm, I had the displeasure of politely telling this one bus driver on Halsted and Chicago that she passed me way too close for comfort. This did not sink in as she passed me up at high speed again the second time.

The second time I asked her in an even tone why she keeps buzzing by me so close? She just slammed her window shut on my face, With that I told her "Dam lady you are very scary" as I rode away again. No reaction but a dead terminator like expression behind her big dark sunglasses.

I feel a little victorious with my calm approach, for the third and last time she finnaly kept her distance when passing me up. A sigh of relief that maybe there is hope in trying to get across to these zombies in these scary situations.

Juan Dominguez said:

I feel that most of those bus drivers come from the ghetto or burbs where bicycles are seen as toys and the city folks who ride them as poor stupid annoying people who should be on their bus instead. They should be avoided with as much caution as those cellphone faced SUV driving soccer moms.

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Permalink Reply by T.C. O'Rourke on December 9, 2010 at 6:57pm

For the most part, I find bus drivers to be more reasonable than the average motorist.  However, they being professional drivers operating multi-ton vehicles, I expect better than I get.

 

I have been intentionally run into the curb as described above.  I have been passed with 4" of clearance while in a bike lane (driver looking in review mirror at me after the fact, so I know I was seen.)  I have been honked at, told I was "in the way" and once even told that bicycles were prohibited in the Loop (?!?!)

 

My understanding is that the drivers have a very strong union and are fairly protected from any discipline based on citizen complaints. 

 

 

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Permalink Reply by alvin mitchell on January 17, 2011 at 6:57pm

H3N3 said:

I've sent messages like Jen's and had good (well, reasonably convincing) follow-up; with the exception that I see these things from within the bus and can provide much more precise information; that said this really depends a lot on the individual bus driver-- wondering how often Alvin rides the bus and sees it from the driver's perspective. It's pretty scary to see from the bus how riders seem to have no consideration for other users sometimes, and will ride happily along the right side of a bus as it approaches a stop, ride into the stop zone just as the bus is about to enter . . .. the #21 driver I had on the way back east from Riverside Sunday night encountered such a cyclist and not only behaved in an exemplary manner, but I heard her arguing understanding and tolerance to a passenger who made a negative comment about the cyclist.

I am scratching my head a bit at the role of law enforcement-- how would you get the police involved, and what would Chicago Police in particular do in response to a complaint that a bus driver "almost killed me?"

Alvin, can you give a little more detail about the police help you received?

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Permalink Reply by alvin mitchell on January 17, 2011 at 7:06pm

I seen the riders who give us a bad rap and i agree we all have to be carefull because the bus has blind spots.But when a bus driver speed up to catch you and force you to the curb intentionally,Thats just plain wrong and it happenens everyday.I hope this dicussion make to some one that care to do something about these dangerous acts agaisnt bicyclist.All we want to do is get where we are going with out getting hurt by motorist.For those cyclist that have a death wish.If your out there stunting get paid for it  not killed for it .  

alvin mitchell said:

H3N3 said:

I've sent messages like Jen's and had good (well, reasonably convincing) follow-up; with the exception that I see these things from within the bus and can provide much more precise information; that said this really depends a lot on the individual bus driver-- wondering how often Alvin rides the bus and sees it from the driver's perspective. It's pretty scary to see from the bus how riders seem to have no consideration for other users sometimes, and will ride happily along the right side of a bus as it approaches a stop, ride into the stop zone just as the bus is about to enter . . .. the #21 driver I had on the way back east from Riverside Sunday night encountered such a cyclist and not only behaved in an exemplary manner, but I heard her arguing understanding and tolerance to a passenger who made a negative comment about the cyclist.

I am scratching my head a bit at the role of law enforcement-- how would you get the police involved, and what would Chicago Police in particular do in response to a complaint that a bus driver "almost killed me?"

Alvin, can you give a little more detail about the police help you received?

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Permalink Reply by alvin mitchell on July 31, 2011 at 6:14pm

h333 said:

I've sent messages like Jen's and had good (well, reasonably convincing) follow-up; with the exception that I see these things from within the bus and can provide much more precise information; that said this really depends a lot on the individual bus driver-- wondering how often Alvin rides the bus and sees it from the driver's perspective. It's pretty scary to see from the bus how riders seem to have no consideration for other users sometimes, and will ride happily along the right side of a bus as it approaches a stop, ride into the stop zone just as the bus is about to enter . . .. the #21 driver I had on the way back east from Riverside Sunday night encountered such a cyclist and not only behaved in an exemplary manner, but I heard her arguing understanding and tolerance to a passenger who made a negative comment about the cyclist.

I am scratching my head a bit at the role of law enforcement-- how would you get the police involved, and what would Chicago Police in particular do in response to a complaint that a bus driver "almost killed me?"

Alvin, can you give a little more detail about the police help you received?

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Permalink Reply by alvin mitchell on July 31, 2011 at 6:21pm

I do ride the bus in the winter and when theres bad weathers.There is no reason to speed up to a person on a bike and cut them off in a vehicle that weighs a a few tons more what if the brakes gave out as that bus  speeded up a ran an innocent bicycle rider over.I dont who the hell gave you permission to be an butt head and ask such an a hole question off me.Use common sence before you ask another dum a__ question like that idoit .  

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