I was cycling through London yesterday (Paddington to Liverpool Street). This is the first time I've cycled in London, and by and large the traffic wasn't so bad as I had feared it might be. However, as I was stopped at a red light in Cambridge Circus, I was nudged from behind by a bus, which I thought was a bit rude (perhaps the driver was expecting me to run the red...?) Does that kind of thing happen often in London, or was I just unlucky? Reading's buses are generally not too bad IME...
PS: was that by any chance Nigel Cliffe of this newsgroup that passed me going through Bentley late afternoon?
I was cycling through London yesterday (Paddington to Liverpool Street). This is the first time I've cycled in London, and by and large the traffic wasn't so bad as I had feared it might be. However, as I was stopped at a red light in Cambridge Circus, I was nudged from behind by a bus, which I thought was a bit rude (perhaps the driver was expecting me to run the red...?) Does that kind of thing happen often in London, or was I just unlucky? Reading's buses are generally not too bad IME...
I've never seen one contact, but I've very often seen London buses horribly close behind moving cyclists. I tried to remonstrate with a driver for doing this to me once, but the [censored] didn't seem to have a clue as to what I was trying to get through to him.
Pete Biggs <[email hidden]> whizzed past me shouting
Quoted message said:
Peter Maydell said:
I was cycling through London yesterday (Paddington to Liverpool Street). This is the first time I've cycled in London, and by and large the traffic wasn't so bad as I had feared it might be. However, as I was stopped at a red light in Cambridge Circus, I was nudged from behind by a bus, which I thought was a bit rude (perhaps the driver was expecting me to run the red...?) Does that kind of thing happen often in London, or was I just unlucky? Reading's buses are generally not too bad IME...
I've never seen one contact, but I've very often seen London buses horribly close behind moving cyclists. I tried to remonstrate with a driver for doing this to me once, but the [censored] didn't seem to have a clue as to what I was trying to get through to him.
The bus driver doesn't want to stop in a hurry because it throws standing passengers around, so he's trusting you not to give him any surprises. Why not wobble about a bit and make him anxious?
-- Sue ];(🙂
Why aren't we demanding regular retests for motor drivers? It's obvious a lot of them would fail so that'd solve the congestion problem too.
However, as I was stopped at a red light in Cambridge Circus, I was nudged from behind by a bus, which I thought was a bit rude.
Rude is putting it mildly. You should have stopped, got all the details of the bus and driver and reported him to the company that runs the bus and TfL. There is no excuse for contact between a bus and cycle.
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Learn where the emergency engine stop button is on the buses. Use it. Cycle on.
They have taken to putting it under the engine cover these days so it's a little more complicated than when it was just a button on the back. -- Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"
"Peter Maydell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I was cycling through London yesterday (Paddington to Liverpool Street). This is the first time I've cycled in London, and by and large the traffic wasn't so bad as I had feared it might be. However, as I was stopped at a red light in Cambridge Circus, I was nudged from behind by a bus, which I thought was a bit rude (perhaps the driver was expecting me to run the red...?) Does that kind of thing happen often in London, or was I just unlucky? Reading's buses are generally not too bad IME...
This happened to me last month in the centre of Hull at a red pelican. I felt a nudge from behind and was very surprised to see that is was a bus.
On 19 Apr 2008 14:30:46 +0100 (BST), Peter Maydell <[email hidden]> said in <[email hidden]>:
Quoted message said:
I was cycling through London yesterday (Paddington to Liverpool Street). This is the first time I've cycled in London, and by and large the traffic wasn't so bad as I had feared it might be. However, as I was stopped at a red light in Cambridge Circus, I was nudged from behind by a bus, which I thought was a bit rude (perhaps the driver was expecting me to run the red...?) Does that kind of thing happen often in London, or was I just unlucky? Reading's buses are generally not too bad IME...
Might just be an accident, bus drivers are prone to getting very close to everything at traffic lights. It's not happened to me in many a journey across London, but I am far from being as experienced in such things as others here.
"Peter Maydell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I was cycling through London yesterday (Paddington to Liverpool Street). This is the first time I've cycled in London, and by and large the traffic wasn't so bad as I had feared it might be. However, as I was stopped at a red light in Cambridge Circus, I was nudged from behind by a bus, which I thought was a bit rude (perhaps the driver was expecting me to run the red...?) Does that kind of thing happen often in London, or was I just unlucky? Reading's buses are generally not too bad IME...
PS: was that by any chance Nigel Cliffe of this newsgroup that passed me going through Bentley late afternoon?
I'm not in London, but bus driver's seem to be terrible. Most times when I've almost been knocked off, and when I've heard of friends being knocked off, it's been by a bus. I suspect the general bus driver immunity to the law is a big factor in causing these things - much like taxi drivers, if you're ever involved in an accident with them, they'll have 5 witnesses and their own convenient idea of the truth.
PS: was that by any chance Nigel Cliffe of this newsgroup that passed me going through Bentley late afternoon?
Friday ~ 4.30pm ? You on an old folder, me on old purple gents upright ?
Yep, that's the one. Dunno if you remember me, but I worked for you for a couple of summers at BT labs a decade ago. Wasn't quite sure enough that I recognised you to say so at the time...
PS: was that by any chance Nigel Cliffe of this newsgroup that passed me going through Bentley late afternoon?
Friday ~ 4.30pm ? You on an old folder, me on old purple gents upright ?
Yep, that's the one. Dunno if you remember me, but I worked for you for a couple of summers at BT labs a decade ago. Wasn't quite sure enough that I recognised you to say so at the time...
I remember you from the labs, but didn't recognise you as I rode past, otherwise I would have chatted about things. I was also in a bit of a hurry and thinking about other stuff.
I'm no longer employed by BT, the voluntary redundancy offer was too tempting.
PS: was that by any chance Nigel Cliffe of this newsgroup that passed me going through Bentley late afternoon?
Friday ~ 4.30pm ? You on an old folder, me on old purple gents upright ?
Yep, that's the one. Dunno if you remember me, but I worked for you for a couple of summers at BT labs a decade ago. Wasn't quite sure enough that I recognised you to say so at the time...