Avoiding buses

Given Connex's clientele (schools) and reliance on government (QT,
BCC), it would have to be pretty sensitive to public criticism.

http://www.connexbrisbane.com.au/main.htm

I'd start with letters to its management. Point out the company
liability and marketing issues. If the response is unsatisfactory,
letters to local papers.

Donga

Make a Tracs report.

http://www.bq.org.au/cycle-info/

--
_______________________________________________________
Michael L

"Karen Gallagher" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Had yet another (very) near miss with a Connex bus near Capalaba this
morning - took the bus rego number & had words with the office - couldn't
find anyone who cared.

I've been pushed off the road by a Connex bus before when I was driving a
work truck & trailer, they didn't even stop as required.

Anyone got any ideas how to stay alive in Brisbane these days? I'd happily
cycle into the nearest ditch if I only could hear them coming, but they
are so quiet these days that even this is not an option. And bike mirrors
just don't last long these days so I've given up on them.

Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

Karen Gallagher said:

Had yet another (very) near miss with a Connex bus near Capalaba this
morning

Sorry to hear that. About the only tactic I've found to wokr relibably is to ride at least a metre out from the edge of the road, that way you've plenty of room to deviate should you need to. It also has the effect of forcing other road users to deviate from their path to pass you, increasing the liklihood that they'll give you enough room.

This might not make you the most popular cyclist on the road but when it comes to safety who gives a rats?

Karen Gallagher said:

Had yet another (very) near miss with a Connex bus near Capalaba this
morning - took the bus rego number & had words with the office - couldn't
find anyone who cared.

I've been pushed off the road by a Connex bus before when I was driving a
work truck & trailer, they didn't even stop as required.

Anyone got any ideas how to stay alive in Brisbane these days? I'd happily
cycle into the nearest ditch if I only could hear them coming, but they are
so quiet these days that even this is not an option. And bike mirrors just
don't last long these days so I've given up on them.

Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

I hesitate to recommend it as a 'solution', but my approach has simply been to avoid roads with buses wherever possible. Not that I've had negative encounters, but it's just the constant pulling over, overtaking, repeat, etc circus combined with diesel fumes belched in your face that encourage me to find alternative routes... Of course, that may not be possible in your neck of the woods...

Michael Lanchester said:

Make a Tracs report.

http://www.bq.org.au/cycle-info/

"Karen Gallagher" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Had yet another (very) near miss with a Connex bus near Capalaba this
morning - took the bus rego number & had words with the office -
couldn't find anyone who cared.

I've been pushed off the road by a Connex bus before when I was
driving a work truck & trailer, they didn't even stop as required.

Anyone got any ideas how to stay alive in Brisbane these days? I'd
happily cycle into the nearest ditch if I only could hear them
coming, but they are so quiet these days that even this is not an
option. And bike mirrors just don't last long these days so I've
given up on them. Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

Thanks, I'll nip up to the Capalaba station tomorrow morning & make a TRACS
report.

Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

eddiec said:

Karen Gallagher said:

Had yet another (very) near miss with a Connex bus near Capalaba this
morning - took the bus rego number & had words with the office -
couldn't
find anyone who cared.

I've been pushed off the road by a Connex bus before when I was
driving a
work truck & trailer, they didn't even stop as required.

Anyone got any ideas how to stay alive in Brisbane these days? I'd
happily
cycle into the nearest ditch if I only could hear them coming, but
they are
so quiet these days that even this is not an option. And bike mirrors
just
don't last long these days so I've given up on them.

Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

I hesitate to recommend it as a 'solution', but my approach has simply
been to avoid roads with buses wherever possible. Not that I've had
negative encounters, but it's just the constant pulling over,
overtaking, repeat, etc circus combined with diesel fumes belched in
your face that encourage me to find alternative routes... Of course,
that may not be possible in your neck of the woods...

I agree - but there are times when busy roads are unavoidable. And I do
follow Tam's advice to stay a metre or so out from the edge, this without a
doubt makes my ride a lot safer, though it gets noisy at times with the
blaring of horns - music to my ears hehe

Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

EuanB said:

Sorry to hear that. About the only tactic I've found to wokr relibably is to ride at least a metre out from the edge of the road, that way you've plenty of room to deviate should you need to. It also has the effect of forcing other road users to deviate from their path to pass you, increasing the liklihood that they'll give you enough room.

This might not make you the most popular cyclist on the road but when it comes to safety who gives a rats?

Someone mentioned to me yesterday that they thought that the further you rode out from the gutter the more room the cars gave you when they overtook you and thinking about my experience I think that may be true. If you claim enough of the lane the car has to move into the next lane to overtake but if you ride close to the gutter the car may think that they can squeeze past without merging into the next lane thereby potentially giving less room to us, the happy cyclist.

eddiec said:

but it's just the constant pulling over,
overtaking, repeat, etc circus combined with diesel fumes belched in
your face that encourage me to find alternative routes...

Some of our buses in Perth just belch steam. :-)

Theo

Karen Gallagher said:

I agree - but there are times when busy roads are unavoidable. And I
do follow Tam's advice to stay a metre or so out from the edge, this
without a doubt makes my ride a lot safer, though it gets noisy at
times with the blaring of horns - music to my ears hehe

Things could be worse. Our road at work (with the crosswalk) has also gained
a bus-lane with red bitumen so you know you're in it. When they started the
bus lane the drivers wanted it to be exclusive, insisting that cyclists
should ride in the (only) other lane. Sanity prevailed eventually, but only
just.

Theo

Theo Bekkers said:

Some of our buses in Perth just belch steam. :-)

Theo

Marvellous aint it! And who would have thought this was an innovation!? :-)

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

Karen:

Quoted message said:

Thanks, I'll nip up to the Capalaba station tomorrow morning & make a TRACS report.

This might do no more than give you a cosy feeling. Unless they hit you
or very obviously threaten you to the point of an assault complaint,
the police have got nothing to go on. Negative publicity will be much
more effective.

Donga

SuzieB said:

Someone mentioned to me yesterday that they thought that the further you rode out from the gutter the more room the cars gave you when they overtook you and thinking about my experience I think that may be true. If you claim enough of the lane the car has to move into the next lane to overtake but if you ride close to the gutter the car may think that they can squeeze past without merging into the next lane thereby potentially giving less room to us, the happy cyclist.

Enough of your bedtime chatter 😉

On 2006-03-22, SuzieB (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

EuanB said:

Sorry to hear that. About the only tactic I've found to wokr relibably
is to ride at least a metre out from the edge of the road, that way
you've plenty of room to deviate should you need to. It also has the
effect of forcing other road users to deviate from their path to pass
you, increasing the liklihood that they'll give you enough room.

This might not make you the most popular cyclist on the road but when
it comes to safety who gives a rats?

Someone mentioned to me yesterday that they thought that the further
you rode out from the gutter the more room the cars gave you when they
overtook you

"Someone"? You mean this guy called EuanB? 🙂

--
TimC
"How should I know if it works? That's what beta testers are for. I only
coded it." (Attributed to Linus Torvalds, somewhere in a posting)

On 2006-03-22, Theo Bekkers (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Karen Gallagher said:

I agree - but there are times when busy roads are unavoidable. And I
do follow Tam's advice to stay a metre or so out from the edge, this
without a doubt makes my ride a lot safer, though it gets noisy at
times with the blaring of horns - music to my ears hehe

Things could be worse. Our road at work (with the crosswalk) has also gained
a bus-lane with red bitumen so you know you're in it. When they started the
bus lane the drivers wanted it to be exclusive, insisting that cyclists
should ride in the (only) other lane. Sanity prevailed eventually, but only
just.

I am correctomundo in saying that cyclists aren't allowed to ride in
the "Games only lane" in Melb, aren't I?

'cause some tool repeatedly beeped at me yesterday when I was crossing
(very slowly) the princess bridge -- you know that one with all the
police covered all over it? When the road widened, I pulled to the
left, and tool tells me to get into the other (games) lane with all
the other cyclists. Not only is that illegal, tool here could have
overtaken me himself, because you are actually allowed to travel in a
games lane for 50m.

Pity the cops didn't charge him for the illegal use of his horn.

--
TimC
It's funny, isn't it? All this antiterrorist legislation makes ordinary
law-abiding citizens want to blow up politicians. -- Mark South on ARK

Quoted message said:

Things could be worse. Our road at work (with the crosswalk) has also
gained a bus-lane with red bitumen so you know you're in it. When they
started the bus lane the drivers wanted it to be exclusive, insisting that
cyclists should ride in the (only) other lane. Sanity prevailed
eventually, but only just.

Theo

Do you mean that stretch of Hampton Rd just north of the junction with
Rockingham Rd? I've been a bit confused about where I'm allowed to ride
along there. I just stay in the bus/taxi marked red bitumen lane and hope a
bus doesn't drive over the top of me!

Graeme

"eddiec" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Karen Gallagher said:

Had yet another (very) near miss with a Connex bus near Capalaba this
morning - took the bus rego number & had words with the office -
couldn't
find anyone who cared.

I've been pushed off the road by a Connex bus before when I was driving
a
work truck & trailer, they didn't even stop as required.

Anyone got any ideas how to stay alive in Brisbane these days? I'd
happily
cycle into the nearest ditch if I only could hear them coming, but they
are
so quiet these days that even this is not an option. And bike mirrors
just
don't last long these days so I've given up on them.

Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

I hesitate to recommend it as a 'solution', but my approach has simply
been to avoid roads with buses wherever possible. Not that I've had
negative encounters, but it's just the constant pulling over,
overtaking, repeat, etc circus combined with diesel fumes belched in
your face that encourage me to find alternative routes... Of course,
that may not be possible in your neck of the woods...

--
eddiec

It's a freaky feeling when a big-ass bus glides past way too close isn't it?
Still, I find most brisbane bus drivers are pretty good but I have had
encounters with a few shockers. It depends on route and time but for my
commute in peak hours close to the city when the buses are stopping at most
stops I can travel faster than them if I really hammer it. If nothing else
it's good training 🙂 At least that way they can't whinge that I'm holding
them up.

Other times where they can travel faster than you, like others have said,
the only option is to position yourself so they have to pass safely, and
mostly they will.

The thing I hate most about brisbane buses is getting stuck behind one that
has one of those big "this is a green bus - clean air" signs on the back but
it's belching out big plumes of diesel and hot air at me.

Adam

Grazza said:

Theo wrote

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Things could be worse. Our road at work (with the crosswalk) has also
gained a bus-lane with red bitumen so you know you're in it. When
they started the bus lane the drivers wanted it to be exclusive,
insisting that cyclists should ride in the (only) other lane. Sanity
prevailed eventually, but only just.

Quoted message said:

Do you mean that stretch of Hampton Rd just north of the junction with
Rockingham Rd? I've been a bit confused about where I'm allowed to
ride along there. I just stay in the bus/taxi marked red bitumen
lane and hope a bus doesn't drive over the top of me!

No, Beaufort St Inglewood. The crosswalk in question is between 9th and 10th
Ave, directly in front of our building.

Theo

eddiec said:

I hesitate to recommend it as a 'solution', but my approach has simply been to avoid roads with buses wherever possible. Not that I've had negative encounters, but it's just the constant pulling over, overtaking, repeat, etc circus combined with diesel fumes belched in your face that encourage me to find alternative routes... Of course, that may not be possible in your neck of the woods...

If a bus overtakes me on a road where I know from experience they're going to stop a lot, I just stay behind the bus. I cut my speed right back and just pootle.

A bus is (potentally) carrying peopel in a very efficent manner, I've not wish to inconvenience many just so I can get ahead by about sixty seconds overall.

Quoted message said:

Someone mentioned to me yesterday that they thought that the further
you rode out from the gutter the more room the cars gave you when they
overtook you and thinking about my experience I think that may be true.
If you claim enough of the lane the car has to move into the next lane
to overtake but if you ride close to the gutter the car may think that
they can squeeze past without merging into the next lane thereby
potentially giving less room to us, the happy cyclist.

--
SuzieB

I seem to recall reading somewhere that motorists will generally give you
about as much room as you are out from the gutter for some reason. It seems
to work that way when I've thought about it and taken notice.