What would you do?

take it to the top.

picket Red Ken's house until he looks you in the eye, then stab him with forks.

(PS, hope you're OK Rob)

I'm in the same boat as you, slamm. I had two near misses with the same bus driver on the way home from work tonight. I was approaching a set of four-way crossroads when I saw the bus on the side street up in front of me. The give-way line was on the road the driver was travelling on, but he ploughed straight through and into my path. I had to brake hard to avoid ploughing right into him.

Well, normally I'd have wanted a word in his ear, but it was wet and I'd been at work for nine hours so I just wanted to go home. I followed him round the corner and overtook him as he let passengers get on board. To cut a long story short, I got caught at a set of lights and he made up the distance between us. When the traffic started, moving he overtook me at speed on a bend. There were two lanes to choose from, but he was in neither of them. He was so close I could've touch the side of bus without straightening my arm. The driver underestimated my speed and didn't give himself enough time to pass me. As the he moved into the inside lane in front of me, I had to brake hard again to avoid exciting option A: Hitting the side of the bus. Or equally attractive B: Getting run off the road.

At the next set of lights, I knocked on the door and he opened it straightaway. I explained (unusually calmly) what had happened. He listened and apologised, but that doesn't change the fact that he was blissfully unaware of the road markings and me.

I've just written an e-mail to the bus company. Clearly, I'd like them to give me the driver's head in a big glass jar filled with formaldehyde. We all know that's not going to happen, so my e-mail was written in a "FYI/I don't care what you do" sort of style. Which is true; I don't care. Still, a couple of hundred words later, plus this post, and I'm working through my anger. :-)

Drop them a line if it makes you feel better. :-) It'll not change the fact that there'll be another near miss along in a minute. It's happening to me all the time this weather. Makes me want to avoid busy roads. Why does that feel like surrender?

The bus situation in London is fucked. Plus the deal on those bendy buses reeks - complete roll out w/o trial AND all bought from the same supplier ? Either a very naive negotiation or some serious back handers going on there...And we all know peds are fuckwits. You aint gonna change either, so just modify your behaviour according to the road ahead. Glad you're OK tho.

(Slight tangent) Has anyone noticed how taxis suddenly veer into the middle of the road when you're riding on the wrong side of the road at New Oxford St to avoid the solid line of bendy buses? Righteous bastards.

wayne_f14 *(although I do have a mask like that) *and a noose, and a knife, and night vision goggles...

thats funny!

Mouse Plus the deal on those bendy buses reeks - complete roll out w/o trial AND all bought from the same supplier ? Either a very naive negotiation or some serious back handers going on there...

How many bendy bus suppliers are there?

They were all bought from Mercedes - a fleet of about 300 if I remember rightly. Mercedes are not the only makers of bendy buses but I don't pretend to be an expert on them. I pretend to be an expert on bikes ;o)

That 300 were bought outright w/o trial from the same supplier seems stupid to me. Why wouldn't you trial them on one route, or try a selection of buses from different manufacturers, see which work best (if any), then buy a fleet of the ones that did not catch fire.

If you read 'Rotten Boroughs' in Private Eye (recommended reading anyway), you soon get a jaundiced view on the competence / scruples of local councils!

Anyway, said it was tangenical. Rob's OK and bus drivers are cnuts.

Cnut was a viking who conquered England for Denmark - I read that in Hippies photos from Nottingham.

Mouse

If you read 'Rotten Boroughs' in Private Eye (recommended reading anyway), you soon get a jaundiced view on the competence / scruples of local councils!

Anyway, said it was tangenical. Rob's OK and bus drivers are cnuts.

Rotten boroughs has some pretty outrageous stuff - like the Newham Green mayor who turned the park attendants into his own private police force to terrorize the local youth.

Sounds awesome.. how do I get a job in local councils?

Ha, was just reading more about the Newham pretend police. They've got batons now, although as no more than ordinary members of the public it's a crime for them to be walking on the streets with them as they are offensive weapons.

Current pet hate: Buses speeding up to overtake you (that's acceptable), then cutting in front of you to stop at a bus stop! Stupid bastards.

As soon as it rains the traffic becomes a nightmare in london, and i dont get why - it's like as soon as i get wet i become completely invisible to all motorists. I could understand pedestrians marching out into the middle of the road while raining but its cars/buses/taxis/foxtons/posties that are giving me the most trouble, and that's with front and rear lights and a yellow "pretendy-high-visibility-but-actually-just-yellow-from-american-apparel" jacket on.