I hate buses...

[WildBoarMouse]

Bring back the bus driver strikes! That was a great drive to/from work every day! The traffic didn't bank up once waiting for buses to load/unload from the side of the road and blocking a lane of traffic.

I had my first close call this morning... I normally wait at a green light until I've checked that the traffic coming through the red's has stopped. Cnr K-Rd & Ponsonby taught me that one. You can get 5-10 cars go through after the light has gone green (around 5.30pm). The audacity of these drivers, and their shear number, never fails to amaze me!

Anyway, this morning I scooted up the inside edge of a lane of traffic stopped at a light, put my foot down, glanced at the dash, looked up and the light was green, so I thought "shit, the traffic behind me has been waiting" (in reality it would have been waiting less than a second). So I just went... FUCK! A bus came screaming around the corner from my left hand side and I just jammed on the anchors! I must have been going 20-25 at the time as I'd kind of lept off the mark but goddamit that scared the shit out of me! There I am wearing my dumb-arse dayglow yellow vest, red/white bike, light on high-beam and it don't mean jack-shit in this kind of scenario!!! I pulled short by what must have been a foot or two but that sure as hell got the heart going! I heard some guy behind me yell "go for it" when I turned around and chased after the (school) bus. The driver knew what he'd done and pulled over when I came along side him. Check - no kids on the bus "You stupid goddam fuck-wit! ........." I don't think I've ever let of so many swear words in the space of a minute.

All he could say was that because the truck was going to have the green next that he'd have time to get through. The only truck was on the other road (to my right) and it sure as hell wasn't that lane of traffic's turn to go. I got an apology out of him in the end and I just hope he'll think a fraction longer next time before running the red.

Thought for the day. Unless you know that no traffic is going to come through that light when it turns red (i.e. you can clearly see there's no traffic down the road) then don't fucking go as soon as it turns green! Unless you're in a car, and then it don't matter so much.

And then I got to work to find that someone had flogged the newspaper from the door. Now what am I going to read while having the morning coffee?! Bastards!!!

Horray for friday. Definitely going to sit down with a beer tonight.

I just wish I'd thought to get his details and (attempt to) report him to the bus company.

Keep safe folks...

[NC]

Everyone knows that bus drivers are cunts!

[Jonty]

And here is me thinking red means stop I don't ever recall my driving instructor saying wait on green until all cars that are going on red have stopped

Must be an Auckland thing

[WildBoarMouse]

Oh it's definitely an Auckland thing. I come from that big parking lot to the south (aka Hamilton) and have been stuck up here for the last two years for work. I love small cities... "I'll just stay another 15 minutes to avoid rush hour" and leave at 5.20pm

[Postie]

i've had a few close calls with busses, once was turning right at lights, for which i had the green light, going through at a pretty sedate pace not in any rush and i see a bus coming through the lights, which must be red if i had the green, so i though "huh, he's going fast for a bus that should be stopping" then he just kept coming, so i squezzed the clutch and throttle and increased my exit speed from the junction, i swear the fucking retard was aiming for me. i hate busses with a passion

[idb]

What's a traffic light ?

[Insanity_rules]

Wildboar, you deserve that beer mate and have one for me too! Wouldn't have been nice to see a family member wiped out by a bus.

[XP@]

Not a good idea to pick a fight with a bus!

I've done it twice and been lucky, don't want to do a 3rd time...

1st time i ended up with my foot, handle bar and elbow in the door of a bus which overtook me too close. he hit my elbow and I ended up in the open door travelling at about 10kph towards some cars slowly setting off from the lights. Somehow I managed to extracate meself and remain upright. The F***G W****R S**T stabbing C**T of a driver denied anything had happened and threatened to run my bike over and the A*****E cops did nothing.

Second time I was passing a bus on the right who turned indicated right 1millisecond before turning. hit him on the side, leaving a foot long scrape. This time the driver was really nice about it :-)

[Beemer]

Oh it's definitely an Auckland thing. I come from that big parking lot to the south (aka Hamilton) and have been stuck up here for the last two years for work. I love small cities... "I'll just stay another 15 minutes to avoid rush hour" and leave at 5.20pm

You're right there, we were in Auckland last month and were amazed at the number of drivers who carried on through red lights like they had a right to!

[vifferman]

You're right there, we were in Auckland last month and were amazed at the number of drivers who carried on through red lights like they had a right to!

Traffic lights are merely indicative of the preferred behaviour for motorists, as are road signs. It's very rare to see anyone stop at an amber light or a stop sign, and not uncommon to see people turn right where "No Right Turn" is signposted, or drive the wrong way down a one-way street. Minor things like indicating lanechanges, giving way at intersections, obeying speed limits, stopping at pedestrian crossings, and not parking on bus stops just don't get a first thought, let alone a second one.

[GR81]

i hate buses...

does this include Subarus?
urabus

[Gremlin]

...and were amazed at the number of drivers who carried on through red lights like they had a right to!

Try pulling to a stop at an amber light and seeing a holden bearing down on your bike. You pull to one side of the lane a bit in your last bit of rolling, and not only does the holden push past, but so does another vehicle who went through an obvious red.

OK, so admittedly I had split to the front, jumped between cars before the intersection, and then it went amber. They were probably pissed off and trying to get one up on me, but it is still no excuse.

[Ixion]

Traffic lights are merely indicative of the preferred behaviour for motorists, as are road signs. It's very rare to see anyone stop at an amber light or a stop sign, and not uncommon to see people turn right where "No Right Turn" is signposted, or drive the wrong way down a one-way street. Minor things like indicating lanechanges, giving way at intersections, obeying speed limits, stopping at pedestrian crossings, and not parking on bus stops just don't get a first thought, let alone a second one.

But, see, they're soing less than 110kph, so that's all OK. cos we all know, speed kills, but nothing else does. Must be so, the gubbernmint says so.