London Buses are Good

I was riding behind and to the left of a cab once and saw a left turning up ahead and thought 'right, better watch this guys indicators in case he's going to take this turn'. Watched and watched, no indicate, he still takes the left turn and cuts me up and just about stops in time, I knock on the window and ask 'You know what indicators are for right?', 'FUCK YOU FUCKING CUUUUNT!!! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW YOU DON'T FUCKING DRIVE DO YA NO SO THEN FUCK OFF!!!!' was the reply, I was left too stunned to say anything and just rode off. You know how a man's voice goes really high when they are ultra-pissed off, that's how this guys voice sounded!

A cabbie was right on my tail once. There just wasn't enough room for him to pass, but he insisted on constantly reving up inches from my back wheel. When the road widened he came along side and I suggested he 'fucking back off a little'....

He absolutely exploded! Went completely bonkers. Red faced, foaming at the mouth he let rip big style, 'CUNT' this 'CUNT' that, visibly shaking with rage, slamming his fists on the steering wheel. It was all completely over top for the situation. To be honest it left me so stunned I had to pull to the side of the road and take 5.

I guess cabbies have to put up with a lot of stress driving round London all day but Jesus! I think some are just ticking time bombs of rage!

Has nobody else noticed that pedestrians are the most ignorant and arrogant road users in London?

Too many cyclists seem to think it's their right to ride like twats and rely on the reactions of motor vehicle drivers to preserve them, too

Bendy drivers have probably had 'cycle aware' drummed into them after the early days when they used to kill every cyclist they met, but most of them drive like complete cnuts as far as other traffic is concerned. If you see a queue, there's nearly always a bendy blocking the junction at the front of it

Black cabs are usually OK, except when they're plying for hire, when all bets are off. A quick U-turn across 4 lanes of traffic with no observation or signal can be triggered by an innocent bystander waving to a friend across the street

Knowledge boys on mopeds are a bloody liability

The only people who do dumb stuff in front of me so rarely that I can't even remember the last time it happened are motorbike couriers.

The only people who do dumb stuff in front of me so rarely that I can't even remember the last time it happened are motorbike couriers.

Good point, where most motorcyclists will filter through gridlocked traffic at a snails pace only to get stuck and plug up the space most motorcycle couriers take a look around and say 'you might as well go through there 1st mate', always a nice gesture.

Has nobody else noticed that pedestrians are those most ignorant and arrogant road users in London?
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Please do not get me started, I'm going to sleep soon and it helps if I'm not in a blind rage!

I try and do this whenever someone acts courteously towards me on the road. I like to think that because I've shown appreciation towards them they're more likely to do it again to other cyclists.

+1

i have the same view on this one

I guess cabbies have to put up with a lot of stress driving round London all day but Jesus! I think some are just ticking time bombs of rage!

Reminds me of this - thread No.53 - halcyon days...

Reminds me of this - thread No.53 - halcyon days...

he must have have a bad few years thinking all cyclists are dressed like cunts given the rise in cycling!!. he's probably now thinking 'why is everyone dressing like cunts?...i might get meself some of these bibtights and see what it is all about'

I'd hazard a bet that tfl have spent (over the past 4 years) the most of any city in the world training bus drivers and this is likely to change given economic circumstances. therefore what we are seeing now is likly to be the best behaved bus drivers we are going to get...it's downhil from here. but i'm only guessing and i could be wrong.

The only people who do dumb stuff in front of me so rarely that I can't even remember the last time it happened are motorbike couriers.

Come to think of it I've never had any proper run ins with motorcyclists. In fact whenever I've fucked up a bit and got in the way of a motorbike (not dangerously at speed or anything, just inconvenienced them a bit) they tend to show a great deal of patience and road-sense while I sort my shit out.

I always say "thank you" to the driver when I get off the bus at my destination. Does anyone else ?

I don't do it as often here b/c the'yre behind that box but when I was in NYC I always said hello and goodbye, thanks to the drivers.

On the whole I've had much better experiences sharing road space with buses here than in NYC. They're scary there!! Do NOT expect them to give way if you are coming up alongside them when they want to merge back into traffic.

I hardly ever have any problems with bus drivers, but coming over Westmister bridge today a Italian coach overtook and moved into the curb the second I was behind the cab. Completely cut me off but I could see it coming so I nipped up on the pavement. At the next lights I caught up and stopped directly in front of the coach and when the lights changed I pretended not to see them and made it wait for a minute or so.

Ha I showed him! He may have got close to killing me with his back wheels but I slightly inconvienced him at the lights!! I think we all know who's the winner there...

Ha.

It's true I rarely have problems with buses but encounter them often but coaches are a different matter, driver less accustomed to in town driving I guess.

[FONT=Verdana]i suppose that coach drivers are just used driving on motorways?[/FONT]

I'd hazard a bet that tfl have spent (over the past 4 years) the most of any city in the world training bus drivers and this is likely to change given economic circumstances. therefore what we are seeing now is likly to be the best behaved bus drivers we are going to get...it's downhil from here. but i'm only guessing and i could be wrong.

Yes, it's interesting--complaints about bus drivers on LCC mailing lists (which, ironically enough, were higher before the introduction of articulated buses than afterwards) have really gone down.

You still get the odd bad day for a driver when he drives badly, but it seems to have become a more respected profession.

Has nobody else noticed that pedestrians are those most ignorant and arrogant road users in London?

Pedestrians are complete utter morons. Have parents simply stopped teaching children to "look both ways before crossing"? I'm surprised half the pedestrians in london weren't run over by age 10...

Oh yes, and the usual advice not to stereotype against people based on which mode of transport they happen to have chosen that day ... it's completely unproductive, especially complaining about pedestrians. Walking is the default mode of transport and complaining about it is a bit like complaining that the sky is blue. At any rate, with some cycle training you'll never worry about hitting pedestrians again. You'll be able to anticipate what they're going to do and adjust your speed and positioning accordingly. Trust me, it works.

i always say cheers when getting on the bus. i think.
bus drivers (tfl ones) are great. whoever compared buses to manatees was right. they always seem to give me more than enough time.
those tour buses however, urgh argh ungh.

...with some cycle training you'll never worry about hitting pedestrians again. You'll be able to anticipate what they're going to do...

The issue is not predictability; they are, almost without exception, arrogant, stupid and entirely devoid of any sense of self-preservation. Knowing that, they're reasonably easy to avoid. I've only ever hit one by accident, and he was drunk and performed a really impressive U-turn in the middle of the road after I'd taken evasive action in response to his blindly launching himself across 4 lanes of traffic some 20 yards from a perfectly adequate pelican crossing.

To say that pedestrians are predictably stupid does not excuse their stupidity any more than saying that MPs are predictably thieving scumbags excuses their thieving scumbaggery.

At any rate, with some cycle training you'll never worry about hitting pedestrians again. You'll be able to anticipate what they're going to do and adjust your speed and positioning accordingly. Trust me, it works.

1+ millions, I find myself not being bothered by peds now, even on Oxford Street.

Are there any 'public safety' progammes/adverts aimed at pedestrians alerting them/us to the danger they pose to road users and themselves by not considering the possible consequences of say e.g. walking out into the road whilst fiddling with a IPod/texting or walking sheeplike enmasse across a crossing against a red (man) light ?
Perhaps not because there have been too few 'accidents' to warrant it ?

mitre_tester, the idea inherent in cycle training is actually that you learn to share space by interacting socially with other road users. So if you say something like 'they're reasonably easy to avoid', that makes it sound as if you're trying to zip past without interaction. Also, if you say ...

The issue is not predictability; they are, almost without exception, arrogant, stupid and entirely devoid of any sense of self-preservation. Knowing that, they're reasonably easy to avoid. I've only ever hit one by accident, and he was drunk and performed a really impressive U-turn in the middle of the road after I'd taken evasive action in response to his blindly launching himself across 4 lanes of traffic some 20 yards from a perfectly adequate pelican crossing.

**To say that pedestrians are predictably stupid does not excuse their stupidity any more **than saying that MPs are predictably thieving scumbags excuses their thieving scumbaggery.

... that makes you sound positively sociophobic. They're people like you and I. It's easy to interact with them in perfectly pleasant ways even just in passing. What gives?

another thing is, sometime we actually do cross road without looking quite by accident.

leave judgment aside, and just adjust your position accordingly.

Are there any 'public safety' progammes/adverts aimed at pedestrians alerting them/us to the danger they pose to road users and themselves by not considering the possible consequences of say e.g. walking out into the road whilst fiddling with a IPod/texting or walking sheeplike enmasse across a crossing against a red (man) light ?
Perhaps not because there have been too few 'accidents' to warrant it ?

they use to do a lots of 'look before you cross the road' advert in the 90's, no idea why they don't do those anymore.

Are there any 'public safety' progammes/adverts aimed at pedestrians alerting them/us to the danger they pose to road users and themselves by not considering the possible consequences of say e.g. walking out into the road whilst fiddling with a IPod/texting or walking sheeplike enmasse across a crossing against a red (man) light ?
Perhaps not because there have been too few 'accidents' to warrant it ?

You'll find that people seek distractions like iPods or mobile phones regardless of the mode of transport they're using--be it an overland train (quiet carriages have had to be introduced), the Undergound, a car, or a bike. I think it's only on planes that there are restrictions on mobile phone use. It really doesn't have anything to do with walking as such.

Walking is the most-used mode of transport in Inner London. TfL's recent Travel in London Report Number One estimates it at 36%. Collisions are very few and far between and the risk associated with walking is minuscule, both the risk posed to walkers and especially that posed by walkers. And: sail before steam--if you're riding a bike and the area is busy with people on foot, slow down. There is absolutely no point in blasting through fast and scattering people.

id do my own nut in tryin to drive one of those bendys around london, Ree-spect to those folk who do.

You'll find that people seek distractions like iPods or mobile phones regardless of the mode of transport they're using--be it an overland train (quiet carriages have had to be introduced), the Undergound, a car, or a bike. I think it's only on planes that there are restrictions on mobile phone use. It really doesn't have anything to do with walking as such.

Walking is the most-used mode of transport in Inner London. TfL's recent Travel in London Report Number One estimates it at 36%. Collisions are very few and far between and the risk associated with walking is minuscule, both the risk posed to walkers and especially that posed by walkers. And: sail before steam--if you're riding a bike and the area is busy with people on foot, slow down. There is absolutely no point in blasting through fast and scattering people.

Fundamentally agree with that Oliver but I was talking specifically about pedestrians lack of responsibility to themselves and others. Walking being the default means of transport should not mean that us as pedestrians don't share an equal responsibility and a public awareness programme could help here. Think Bike!

Interesting that 'Travel in London Report Number One' . Everyone walks to somewhere eventually so I find 36% suprisingly low - 64% get carried ?

they use to do a lots of 'look before you cross the road' advert in the 90's, no idea why they don't do those anymore.

and the 60's 70's 80's

was it "wear something white at night" ?

Yeah why not ?

Fundamentally agree with that Oliver but I was talking specifically about pedestrians lack of responsibility to themselves and others. Walking being the default means of transport should not mean that us as pedestrians don't share an equal responsibility and a public awareness programme could help here. Think Bike!

Don't start with pedestrians--start with HGV/car drivers. They have the greatest responsibilities. Pedestrians and cyclists are not an equal target, but their role has in the past usually been exaggerated. For instance, campaigns to scare pedestrians off the roads and streets appear to have resulted in the highest child pedestrian casualty rate in Europe.

Interesting that 'Travel in London Report Number One' . Everyone walks to somewhere eventually so I find 36% suprisingly low - 64% get carried ?

The figures are for the main mode of a trip--i.e., every cycle trip you take is a mixed-mode trip as you always walk, but you'd still say you went for a bike ride rather than a mixed-mode trip.