Please report dangerous drivers to the police - Roadsafe. Report to plod, not just whinge here.

^ more lifetime driving bans would be more effective. Anyone can pass a test pretending not to be a cunt, then get out on the road and be a cunt. Ability to pass test is not in inverse proportion to ability to be a cunt.

My blood is boiling now.

y u no tell me?
didn't want to worry you :)

"Crazy fucking drivers out there"

Yes, he was one of them. I can't wait until they increase the difficulty of a driving test and put a cap on the amount of attempts you're allowed.
that's what i was thinking.

^ more lifetime driving bans would be more effective. Anyone can pass a test pretending not to be a cunt, then get out on the road and be a cunt. Ability to pass test is not in inverse proportion to ability to be a cunt.
true!

"What the hell you think you doing? You shouldn't be cycling. It very dangerous. You should be in a car. There are crazy f*cking drivers our there etc etc".

I can't stand the ignorant and patronising number with the implication: 'I'm one of them and I want to shift the responsibility for my behaviour onto you.'

I can't stand the ignorant and patronising number with the implication: 'I'm one of them and I want to shift the responsibility for my behaviour onto you.'
I know. Really infuriating. I didn't know what else to say to him at this point.
Clearly a total moron.

nothing to say, just surgical removal of wing mirrors

^ Well, no, obviously. There is just nothing you can do at that moment--you can tell there is transference going on because he wants to have the last word so badly that he speeds up dangerously just to get away and perpetuate his fantasy. I have on occasion subverted this by catching up with them at the next junction, but I just can't be bothered now.

^ True. At this point I don't care who has the last word. I hate causing a scene. Shrieking isn't pretty. I would rather have a quiet life and for these idiots to leave me alone.

Or hassle DJ as he loves shouting.

When I was helping prancer lead a feeder ride for the SkyRide a couple of weeks ago we had a little incident with a bus. Basically we were in the right turn lane approaching a junction (guess what we were trying to do) when a 328 bus tried to undertake us to get into the the lane ahead of us, this made me more than a little angry so I, wrongly I admit, told the driver what I thought of her via the medium of a one fingered salute. What happened next truly astounded me and the people we were with the driver drove around us, into oncoming traffic, and pulled up beside me so that she could open the passenger door and shout at me something about professional standards. DJ actually had to calm me down! Anyway when I got home I lodged a complaint with TFL and got this response today:

Dear Mr Pringle,

Thank you for your feedback concerning the problems you experienced with a driver of a route 328 bus.

I can understand how frustrating it must have been when the driver behaved and drove in the manner you describe. Please accept my sincere apologies for any upset this caused you.

You won’t be surprised to learn that the safety of our passengers, as well as that of other road users, is an issue we take extremely seriously. Our drivers receive comprehensive training to enable them to perform their duties to the highest standard. As you would expect, safety is a vital part of this training. To drive a bus erratically, at excessive speed or aggressively towards cyclists is totally unacceptable.

As part of their training all drivers are required to take BTEC in ‘Delivering a Professional Bus Service’. This includes a specific module on safety, which covers items such as implications of accidents and prevention. Furthermore, TfL partnered the London Cycling Campaign to develop a DVD training film called Big Bus, Little Bike. As of October 2009, this film has been seen by the vast majority of new bus drivers since the beginning of 2007, plus a further 30% of the established driver workforce. The remaining drivers reviewed this at the end of last year as part of their refresher training.

In view of your feedback, I have contacted First who operate route 328 on our behalf. They have managed to identify the driver in question from the information you have provided. They will now interview her and discipline her in accordance to their internal disciplinary procedures. For confidentiality reasons we never release details of interviews or of the subsequent action taken. However, rest assured that we do take complaints of this nature very seriously. Some of the action that is taken against drivers includes follow up monitoring by plain clothes inspectors, re-training or in some cases dismissal.

Thank you for bringing this serious incident to our attention. I hope my comments are helpful. If you have any further queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Carla Halton
Customer Service Advisor

I know that I was at least partly to blame and have admitted this in my original complaint however I cannot help but feel that the reply that I have been given is designed to make me go away more than to address the fact that the bus driver should clearly not be employed in that capacity. Is it normal for the result of such complaints to not be disclosed? How do I know that this has actually been taken seriously?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys.

Apologies for the lengthy post.

Sorry don't really have the patient to read the entire post but I have had similar experience recently where they said the bus driver whim I complained about would fact disciplinary action and when I asked to be informs what sort of actions he'll face in details the company used data protection acts as an excuse. I was too busy and never got round replying with saying I am entitled to the information under the freedom of information acts. Besides, I was partly thinking it'd be a waste of my time to take it any further. If they take it seriously then they do, if they dont they I doubt there is anything we can do to change it...

M3 TKK, silver BMW M3 convertible, driver likes pulling up into the ASL next to cyclists with ~6" clearance to show off his huge penis, Peckham area.

Giev him a cheery wave and smile if you see him as he was clearly bullied as a child (although maybe not enough...), and is now using his shiny car to bully people back.

I for one was tremendously impressed by him, and now have unfettered respect for his intelligence, general manner and mein, position in society and so forth.

When I was helping prancer lead a feeder ride for the SkyRide a couple of weeks ago we had a little incident with a bus. Basically we were in the right turn lane approaching a junction (guess what we were trying to do) when a 328 bus tried to undertake us to get into the the lane ahead of us, this made me more than a little angry so I, wrongly I admit, told the driver what I thought of her via the medium of a one fingered salute. What happened next truly astounded me and the people we were with the driver drove around us, into oncoming traffic, and pulled up beside me so that she could open the passenger door and shout at me something about professional standards. DJ actually had to calm me down! Anyway when I got home I lodged a complaint with TFL and got this response today:

I know that I was at least partly to blame and have admitted this in my original complaint however I cannot help but feel that the reply that I have been given is designed to make me go away more than to address the fact that the bus driver should clearly not be employed in that capacity. Is it normal for the result of such complaints to not be disclosed? How do I know that this has actually been taken seriously?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys.

Apologies for the lengthy post.

Sorry don't really have the patient to read the entire post but I have had similar experience recently where they said the bus driver whim I complained about would fact disciplinary action and when I asked to be informs what sort of actions he'll face in details the company used data protection acts as an excuse. I was too busy and never got round replying with saying I am entitled to the information under the freedom of information acts. Besides, I was partly thinking it'd be a waste of my time to take it any further. If they take it seriously then they do, if they dont they I doubt there is anything we can do to change it...

Any results of an internal disciplinary process are strictly confidential between the two parties involved, the employee and the employer. The employee has the right to disclose the results of the process to third parties. The employer does not. If an employer breaks this confidentiality then the employee could take legal action against them, and they would win.

It's not Data Protection but employee relations. You have no right to information regarding the diciplinary, don't waste your time.

Having said that a response from a Customer Service Advisor is pretty low level. If you want some reassurance that your complaint has been taken seriously get back to them and see if it goes up a level or two.

Cheers for the clarification and advice vunugu.

F222 JYS - Dirty cream Audi shitbox!

Heading south on Brixton Hill this morning about 8.45 - 8.50. I'm used to cars cutting into the bus lane there to undertake cars waiting to turn right into the residential streets. However this morning there were no cars turning right at this time when this driver decided to put his foot down swerve into the bus lane and nearly knocked me right off the road.

I caught up with him at the lights and asked him (in a not so polite way) what he thought he was doing and if he knew how close he was. His response was to laugh at me, wind the window down and tell me to fuck off. I was furious and as the light turned green I (I'm ashamed to say) spat over his bonnet and windscreen. Not really a smart move but it didn't mean he could then follow me up the bus lane drive alongside me and swing towards the pavement. Luckily there was a lowered bit of kerb I managed to swerve onto and he drove off laughing. I can't believe he thinks its funny to put someones life in danger.

The fact my bike is probably worth more money than that cheap shit death mobile he is putting people's lives at risk in makes me think he probably doesn't have insurance/mot/driving licence/road tax (at least he probably doesn't have one of them).

I pulled alongside him a couple more times up the hill and seriously considered smashing his wing mirrors or denting panels but thought better of it.

It's a civillian car so he hasn't got a company I can report him to. Also, he never made contact with me and I stupidly spat on his car so the police will probably need no help. Just need to vent my frustration and share my story.

I'm a bit calmer now. Will be happy to finish work and go down the pub later.

you spat on his car mate - all bets are a kinda off after that point.

I think you have a case of reporting him to the police. Yes, you didn't have any physical contact with him but it was close enough to have put you in a dangerous situation. I'd do it and see what happens. He might get a few point off his licenses, he might get some fine but he might not get anything. And if he turns out doesn't have any insurance or mot or whatnot then it shall be interesting.

Don't report it

You spat at his car, it counts as assault.

It was an angry reaction, I have done something similar before (not on the road though) and the police says it was fine the way I reacted.

It was fine...?

I can confirm it's not fine.
Appalling yet justifiable at a stretch.
Fine - not really.

Well it was fine for me in my case. It might just be down to the officer who handles it.

I know I reacted badly. I can be honest about it, I regret that I spat at his car. I just vented my anger at the driver. Then nearly got in an incident (not an accident) due to careless and reckless behaviour.

I would still report it and don't mention the spitting.
Even if the cops have a word and he brings it up what's he gonna say?
"Yeah so he spat on the outside of my car so I decided to run him off the road."

There is absolutely nothing you could have possibly done to justify his actions so he is going to come off looking like someone who should be off the road no matter what he says.

Obviously you shouldn't have spat on the car since that escalated the situation but that's irrelevant. His choice to use his car as a weapon shows he shouldn't be behind the wheel.

I would still report it and don't mention the spitting.
Even if the cops have a word and he brings it up what's he gonna say?
"Yeah so he spat on the outside of my car so I decided to run him off the road."

There is absolutely nothing you could have possibly done to justify his actions so he is going to come off looking like someone who should be off the road no matter what he says.

Obviously you shouldn't have spat on the car since that escalated the situation but that's irrelevant. His choice to use his car as a weapon shows he shouldn't be behind the wheel.

This is not the case. "Forgetting" to mention the spitting will do you no favours, and totally undermine whatever else you might say. Earlier posts have very clearly and succinctly explained the situation.

There are many angry, violent people out there. If they are in a car, maybe provoking them is something to avoid in the future. Just be thankful it did not end worse for you.

I once tapped the wing mirror of a car after they had over taken me to take then take a left turn forcing me into the kerb.

The driver got out and punched me.

There were witnesses etc, who all corroborated my account. Police advised not to press charges as the driver could press a counter charge that my tapping the wing mirror left him threatened. That he had to get out, run around the car etc did not count. He was also already known to the police.

As such if you spat I would not suggest you are on strong ground at all.

Police advised not to press charges as the driver could press a counter charge that my tapping the wing mirror left him threatened. That he had to get out, run around the car etc did not count. He was also already known to the police.

There is no hope for anyone.

There is no hope for anyone.

Hope springs eternal.

Most times, I wonder if the angry car drivers are just frustrated at being suck in a car, in solid traffic, paying for the privilege via congestion charging, listening to a radio show or someone else's CD they hate, whilst we enjoy the last glorious days of summer.