close call in my morning commute

[forrestw]

http://youtu.be/TzZlh0ddqDM

At t=28 sec bus driver passed me and then proceeded to immediately brake and pull over, squeezing me into parked cars (that doesn't show in the video because I'm turning my head to look for a safe way around the back).

Photo below is the scuff mark on my rear tire where I skidded / slid about 4 feet while avoiding a near crash, I missed the rear corner by inches and am very glad there was no other vehicle tail-gating.

I was not pleased and had some words with the driver.

[MattTuck]

Nice, those roads look so smooth....

Is that Mt. Auburn heading toward Cambridge in Watertown?


I give the bus drivers a lot of credit generally, they're driving a big piece of machinery with cars that don't want to help them out at all. This one obviously could have slowed and let you get ahead before pulling in. But in general, I'm pretty impressed that more bus drivers don't flip the roof and start slamming into cars. I try to give them space and let them back into traffic if I can.

[forrestw]

Is that Mt. Auburn heading toward Cambridge in Watertown?
Yes, westbound about 1/4 mile from Cambridge.

95% of the bus drivers on this route are fine and interact well with bikes. This guy would be the exception to that rule.

[bikinchris]

Your gonna get yourself killed riding so close to parked cars. if you had been further out, the bus might not have passed you too.

[4Rings6Stars]

Yikes, close call. Glad you were able to stay upright!

[eBAUMANN]

glad you are ok! its **** like this that made me hang up the track bike and build a SS with some proper brakes. this happens to me (or would if i wasnt ready for it) almost daily on my way to work along comm ave (from allston to kenmore).

THERE ARE TOO MANY G-D BUS STOPS! Its like a damn game of cyclist/bus leap frog.

the mbta seriously needs to get rid of half the stops, both on the green line T and the bus lines, its just absurd, let them walk an extra block! or get a bike...

[4Rings6Stars]

Agreed. My commute has me either riding my bike or taking the green line down Comm Ave. Something like 15 surface level T stops in two miles and as many bus stops. It's absurd.

[etu]

close call, but that's was a pretty slick evasive maneuver!

[martinrjensen]

Yea, close call. Close call both ways. He should have waited for you, but you should have been expecting him not too also.
You always have to expect that people get up in the morning with an edict telling them to attempt to kill you if at all possible. Unfortunately that's part of city riding, actually it's just part of riding on the street I think.

[rain dogs]

If this was me, and I'm only saying if it were me. At 25 seconds when I look over my shoulder knowing the bus is coming I'm either going to:

A. Proceed to slow down to a crawling speed knowing that there is a car parked in my lane 20m ahead.
B. Sprint in front of the bus and take the lane.

I would not do anything that put me beside that bus like at :28 seconds.

Especially if I were riding fixed brakeless. Get more aggressive or more passive. Indecisive or in between gets people hurt. Take that lane either in front or behind the bus.

Bus has the lane. My lane is ending. It's a bus. Serious chance at a door prize from that black SUV.

That feedback is me in that situation... not telling anyone else what to do/think/how to ride.

[Louis]

I had a somewhat close call on my ride yesterday: As I was riding along on a semi-rural road with very little traffic, but a few houses, a huge F-350-type truck was coming toward me. As it got closer it swung out way wide, toward me. At first I thought it was a crazy "I'm going to run this cyclist into the ditch" type of driver, but with about 3 feet of road still left for me to use, the truck stopped moving sideways, but still kept coming.

Usually when drivers see you, you can tell, as they jerk the wheel over but on came the truck, taking more than half of my lane. As I flashed by I saw that it was a woman talking into a cell phone held by her left hand. She had the steering wheel in her right hand and was moving wide in order to better turn into her driveway. Except that the combination of getting ready to turn right and talking on the cell phone caused her to be completely oblivious to me until the very last second.

She pulled into the driveway and stopped. I turned around and rode back, and just stayed in the road, pointing the bike toward the car. She finally got out and said "Sorry about that, Bud." I said something like "You ought to be more careful when you're on the phone." She said "Yeah." So I said "Have a nice day." and rode off. I considered saying "Have a nice day - you almost ruined mine," but decide to leave that last part out.

It wasn't a terribly scary incident, but it goes to show you how a combination of those two very common factors could easily have resulted in at worst a splattered cyclist, or at best a swerve into the ditch.

[forrestw]

If this was me, and I'm only saying if it were me. At 25 seconds when I look over my shoulder knowing the bus is coming I'm either going to:

A. Proceed to slow down to a crawling speed knowing that there is a car parked in my lane 20m ahead.
B. Sprint in front of the bus and take the lane.

I would not do anything that put me beside that bus like at :28 seconds.

Especially if I were riding fixed brakeless. Get more aggressive or more passive. Indecisive or in between gets people hurt. Take that lane either in front or behind the bus.

Bus has the lane. My lane is ending. It's a bus. Serious chance at a door prize from that black SUV.

That feedback is me in that situation... not telling anyone else what to do/think/how to ride.
Here's what I didn't put in my OP. The driver accused me of 'weaving all over the road' I'd passed / been passed by that bus twice in the prior mile.

He cut me off *AS* he hit his brakes. 3 seconds was not enough to pull ahead and I was in the middle of braking and getting ready to pull around his rear when all that happened.

I believe the entire maneuver was intentional on his part and I'd be glad to get him nailed for reckless endangerment. Short of that he violated at least two MA traffic laws and I've filed a complaint with the MBTA.

Edit - was riding fixed with brakes

[forrestw]

Yea, close call. Close call both ways. He should have waited for you, but you should have been expecting him not too also.
You always have to expect that people get up in the morning with an edict telling them to attempt to kill you if at all possible. Unfortunately that's part of city riding, actually it's just part of riding on the street I think.
Agreed and I think I should have taken more lane but I'm not in the habit of taking more than I think is necessary. I look close to that final SUV because I know there's a bus bearing in dangerously close and I don't have a ton of options.

Yeah I expect drivers to kill me which is part of why I came off with no more damage than a bit of anger and a scuffed rear tire :-0.

[forrestw]

Your gonna get yourself killed riding so close to parked cars. if you had been further out, the bus might not have passed you too.
Yeah I was taking a bit less lane than I usually do in that area.

I think the parked-car passes look closed due to the wide-angle-ness of the camera lens. Unless I'm going crawling - slow I ride 4+ feet out from any car that I can't tell for sure has no occupants.

[vqdriver]

Veery fortunate there wasn't another car there.
Glad to see you're ok.

[rain dogs]

He cut me off *AS* he hit his brakes.
I believe the entire maneuver was intentional on his part and I'd be glad to get him nailed for reckless endangerment. Short of that he violated at least two MA traffic laws and I've filed a complaint with the MBTA.

We must have different laws in Canada because I cannot see how the bus doesn't have the right of way in that video. The front of the bus is visible to the left even out of the camera at :26. The bus has the lane. You're riding in the parking "lane" allowing vehicles to pass. Your lane is ending. In Canada you have to yield to that bus. You have 4-5 seconds to slow, move left and take the lane behind the bus. Let's say you're doing 30kmph (19mph)... you're covering 40m in those 4-5 seconds.... that's about 30meters more than should be needed to slow.

* A bike stops in 10m +/- 1m at from 50kmph (31mph).

Most important .... I'm glad you're home safe and nothing happened, but videos like this freak me out. It's an unpredictable road out there.

[rustychisel]

Here's what I didn't put in my OP. The driver accused me of 'weaving all over the road' I'd passed / been passed by that bus twice in the prior mile.

He cut me off *AS* he hit his brakes. 3 seconds was not enough to pull ahead and I was in the middle of braking and getting ready to pull around his rear when all that happened.

I believe the entire maneuver was intentional on his part and I'd be glad to get him nailed for reckless endangerment. Short of that he violated at least two MA traffic laws and I've filed a complaint with the MBTA.

Edit - was riding fixed with brakes



Yeah, that fills in the scenario a bit and you're right; he was 'teaching you a lesson'. Right.
Depending on whether you get a cop who gives a sh*t, you have ammunition. Driver saw you previously, knew you were there, and still acted the way he did. That's intent... so what exactly was he intending?

Our bus drivers here are exactly the same; I cautioned one last week and he was polite up to the point where he suggested 'I might like to spend time doing other things than harassing him'. !!!! Y'know, like cycling and getting home safely rather than be killed by a cretin bus driver.

[forrestw]

We must have different laws in Canada because I cannot see how the bus doesn't have the right of way in that video. The front of the bus is visible to the left even out of the camera at :26. The bus has the lane. You're riding in the parking "lane" allowing vehicles to pass. Your lane is ending. In Canada you have to yield to that bus. You have 4-5 seconds to slow, move left and take the lane behind the bus. Let's say you're doing 30kmph (19mph)... you're covering 40m in those 4-5 seconds.... that's about 30meters more than should be needed to slow.

* A bike stops in 10m +/- 1m at from 50kmph (31mph).
SECTION 8. The first paragraph of said section 2 of said chapter 89, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the first sentence the following sentence:— If it is not possible to overtake a bicycle or other vehicle at a safe distance in the same lane, the overtaking vehicle shall use all or part of an adjacent lane if it is safe to do so, or wait for a safe opportunity to overtake.

Additionally MA makes it illegal to pass a cyclist and then make a right turn without sufficient room for said cyclist to proceed past without need to maneuver to avoid. Technically this guy was pulling over but I think the law probably still applies.

I was not and do not ride in the parking lane, at most between sections where there are no parked cars I move to the outer edge of the parking lane.

I'd also say your numbers for braking are a bit off but anyhow yes had I hit my brakes to stop the moment the bus passed me I could have stopped before being squeezed into the SUV became a problem. By the time he hit his brakes and cut me off it was no longer an option. If I assumed that every vehicle that passed me was going to do that and stopped accordingly it's pretty clear I'd never get where I'm going.

[forrestw]

Veery fortunate there wasn't another car there.
Glad to see you're ok.
In the moment of having to get out of the squeeze I was looking left to see if there was room. The helmet cam doesn't show what I'm looking at when I fully turn to look.

Had there been traffic in the next lane I probably would have low-sided into his rear.

I'm glad I'm ok too :-)

[forrestw]

Depending on whether you get a cop who gives a sh*t,
Point of interest, I learned today that municipal police in towns where MBTA operates have no jurisdiction over the bus drivers.

[rain dogs]

It's funny how people see things differently when they're looking at the same thing isn't it?

You know what? Most important is nothing really bad happened, like injuries, that we can all agree on.

Ride safe.

[slowgoing]

Good riding.

That bus driver is a jerk. He's lucky he didn't take you down. You should report him and show his boss and their insurance company the video.

[schwa86]

For those not accustomed to riding in our fair city, this is the public transit system in which a bus driver was just arrested for intentionally trying to run down a traffic enforcement officer.

http://www.boston.com/2012/08/10/mbta-bus-driver-arraigned-charges-striking-boston-parking-officer-with-bus/YvcrbqLKGYqrgzzIi6YBeN/story.html

Honestly, Boston streets frequently give you no/few options -- I have to commute to Fenway/Kenmore area and to extent possible have devised a slightly longer route that keeps me on secondary/back streets for most of my ride. 5 extra minutes of riding has been worth the piece of mind.

[rickbb]

Glad you're OK. It's easy to second guess these situations but sometimes as we ride we just can't believe drivers will do what they do, no matter how cautious we are overall.
We face similar conditions (but not buses) riding the couple of miles of York Beach, with drivers rushing by, only to immediately pull into the coveted open parking space with no regard for the cyclist. Then there's the opening car doors...

[Ti Designs]

It's easy to second guess these situations but sometimes as we ride we just can't believe drivers will do what they do, no matter how cautious we are overall.

I can't believe what some cyclists do. Riding down Mt Auburn street? Just three blocks over there's Belmont Street. Yeh, the pavement is much worse, the #73 bus drivers are no better than the #71 drivers, but there's Linda's hand cut doughnuts...

Seriously (which is very hard for me), city riding is hard 'cause it takes time to gain the reflexes and the handling skills which are somewhat unique to being cut off by busses, cars or a long list of other things that jump out into the road. In September I'll be taking 30 new riders out of Harvard Square for our morning rides - this makes me far more nervous than the worst corner of any crit. They don't have the advantage of years of city riding and while they go out before the traffic picks up, they return to Cambridge in rush hour traffic.

Thinking back to how I learned how to ride in the city and thinking about my new riders, I'm worried. It's like that joke about why the Kamikaze program failed - all the good ones died in practice. I can teach riders how to make contact with the rider next to them or touch wheels on grass, and other than a few fatal grass stained jerseys it's pretty safe. The same thing can't be done for city conditions (Amazon doesn't sell Nerf busses - I checked). The way you learn is by taking your life in your hands...

[forrestw]

Riding down Mt Auburn street? Just three blocks over there's Belmont Street. Yeh, the pavement is much worse, the #73 bus drivers are no better than the #71 drivers, but there's Linda's hand cut doughnuts...
I wonder how I've never heard of this Linda's? I think I will spin up that way now.

By and large the 71 drivers have been better to coexist with the last year or so. Perhaps it's because the regular ones on the route recognize me.

[redir]

We must have different laws in Canada because I cannot see how the bus doesn't have the right of way in that video. The front of the bus is visible to the left even out of the camera at :26. The bus has the lane. You're riding in the parking "lane" allowing vehicles to pass. Your lane is ending. In Canada you have to yield to that bus. You have 4-5 seconds to slow, move left and take the lane behind the bus. Let's say you're doing 30kmph (19mph)... you're covering 40m in those 4-5 seconds.... that's about 30meters more than should be needed to slow.

* A bike stops in 10m +/- 1m at from 50kmph (31mph).

Most important .... I'm glad you're home safe and nothing happened, but videos like this freak me out. It's an unpredictable road out there.
Even if the bus legally has the lane it as an Ahole move. All he had to do was wait about 3 seconds then pull into the stop.

[MattTuck]

I wonder how I've never heard of this Linda's? I think I will spin up that way now.

By and large the 71 drivers have been better to coexist with the last year or so. Perhaps it's because the regular ones on the route recognize me.

maybe he means Ohlin's donuts?

They're top notch.

[Keith A]

So did you report the bus driver?

[benitosan1972]

i've had closer calls with buses, taxis, and minivans/suv's... it's just a fact of life riding on the street, you've got to manage the fine line between riding defensively and offensively (taking the lane for survival, not being rude)

[4Rings6Stars]

i've had closer calls with buses, taxis, and minivans/suv's... it's just a fact of life riding on the street, you've got to manage the fine line between riding defensively and offensively (taking the lane for survival, not being rude)

Some of the roads I commute on, I should take the lane, but I think that it would make drivers so angry/take them by surprise it would be more dangerous than riding in the door zone.

A lot of my commute has bike lanes (Comm Ave) but I'm cut off by buses and taxis almost daily. It's a fact of life riding in Boston (and other cities I'm sure) and requires me to be vigilent and assume the worst of drivers 100% of the time.

[benitosan1972]

ALWAYS assume the driver is gonna do the worst... don't wait and be a sitting duck

[cnighbor1]

Prehaps report bus driver if you know the time it happened
they know what bus is were at all times

[rain dogs]

Even if the bus legally has the lane it as an Ahole move. All he had to do was wait about 3 seconds then pull into the stop.

Alternatively, All the rider has to do is slow down and wait about 3 seconds then pass the bus... or better, get in front.

I said that first. Get more aggressive or more passive, but a rider trying to squeeze between the bus and the SUV... or ride along side a bus, and they're not predicting the high potential for trouble. :bike:

Buses are constantly pulling to the right and stopping. Don't put yourself there! Like someone said "don't be a sitting duck" Simple. The only good place for a bus is behind you.

Edit: I'm not defending the driver or laying blame on either party... two sides to every story and all that.... It's not the blame game. I'm saying protect yourself, avoid danger areas... not doing so is a bad idea.

[4Rings6Stars]

Alternatively, All the rider has to do is slow down and wait about 3 seconds then pass the bus... or better, get in front.

I said that first. Get more aggressive or more passive, but a rider trying to squeeze between the bus and the SUV... or ride along side a bus, and they're not predicting the high potential for trouble. :bike:

Buses are constantly pulling to the right and stopping. Don't put yourself there! Like someone said "don't be a sitting duck" Simple. The only good place for a bus is behind you.

Edit: I'm not defending the driver or laying blame on either party... two sides to every story and all that.... It's not the blame game. I'm saying protect yourself, avoid danger areas... not doing so is a bad idea.

What are you suggesting then? Get in front of the bus and stay there?...okay, but after each stop the bus accelerates and will catch up, then what? Take the lane and hold it? I would be more worried about getting run over from behind taking the lane than getting pinched between the bus and parked cars. Also, if you take the right lane and the bus driver sees you, they will likely take the left lane and pass you. However, they will still need to pull across your lane to make their next stop...

It's an awful game of leap-frog that I play with MBTA buses almost daily. My solution if I get caught in this situation and I'm in a patient mood is to just pull over and wait a minute for them to get far enough ahead that we don't cross paths again.

[Fixed]

We must have different laws in Canada because I cannot see how the bus doesn't have the right of way in that video. The front of the bus is visible to the left even out of the camera at :26. The bus has the lane. You're riding in the parking "lane" allowing vehicles to pass. Your lane is ending. In Canada you have to yield to that bus. You have 4-5 seconds to slow, move left and take the lane behind the bus. Let's say you're doing 30kmph (19mph)... you're covering 40m in those 4-5 seconds.... that's about 30meters more than should be needed to slow.

* A bike stops in 10m +/- 1m at from 50kmph (31mph).

Most important .... I'm glad you're home safe and nothing happened, but videos like this freak me out. It's an unpredictable road out there.

Here too it says in big yellow verbiage yield to bus ,you can't win that fight
Glad you are alright
Cheers

[rain dogs]

What are you suggesting then? Get in front of the bus and stay there?...okay, but after each stop the bus accelerates and will catch up, then what?

Yes. A Bus should rarely be able to catch up to you, unless in MA your stops are kilometers apart, but I doubt they are much different than here. With traffic lights, stop signs and bus stops once you pass the bus it should be behind you.

If you can't ride that fast, then yield to the bus.

Let me ask you this: When another cyclist passes you then slows down in front and you have to pass him again, and then he passes you again at a light, you pass again or whatever and repeat.... what do you think? Lame, right?

If you're going to pass a cyclist.... make sure you can go fast enough to stay ahead of the slower mover, right?

So why would it be different with a bus? It's different because a bus can kill you.

If you pass, you better stay ahead. If you cannot... yield... just like with a bike.

[redir]

Some of the roads I commute on, I should take the lane, but I think that it would make drivers so angry/take them by surprise it would be more dangerous than riding in the door zone.

A lot of my commute has bike lanes (Comm Ave) but I'm cut off by buses and taxis almost daily. It's a fact of life riding in Boston (and other cities I'm sure) and requires me to be vigilent and assume the worst of drivers 100% of the time.

NEVER ride in the door zone. It's never safer to do that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CudJvSbS2aY

Alternatively, All the rider has to do is slow down and wait about 3 seconds then pass the bus... or better, get in front.

I said that first. Get more aggressive or more passive, but a rider trying to squeeze between the bus and the SUV... or ride along side a bus, and they're not predicting the high potential for trouble. :bike:

Buses are constantly pulling to the right and stopping. Don't put yourself there! Like someone said "don't be a sitting duck" Simple. The only good place for a bus is behind you.

Edit: I'm not defending the driver or laying blame on either party... two sides to every story and all that.... It's not the blame game. I'm saying protect yourself, avoid danger areas... not doing so is a bad idea.

I generally agree. But I can also ride as fast as traffic can in most urban situations. If I am doing the limit or close enough to it I just take the lane. I also like to share the road so if I am going slow I let autos pass.

///

I think all of us who watch this video can say if he just did this that or the other thing then and so on but we were not the ones riding the bike ;)

[forrestw]

If you can't ride that fast, then yield to the bus.

Let me ask you this: When another cyclist passes you then slows down in front and you have to pass him again, and then he passes you again at a light, you pass again or whatever and repeat.... what do you think? Lame, right?

If you're going to pass a cyclist.... make sure you can go fast enough to stay ahead of the slower mover, right?

So why would it be different with a bus? It's different because a bus can kill you.

If you pass, you better stay ahead. If you cannot... yield... just like with a bike.
Wrong. Unless there is a minimum speed limit posted, slow moving traffic is just part of the environment. Automotive traffic is in fact (by law where I live and in most places) expected to make specific accommodations to those users (e.g. cyclists horses). EDIT: 3 years ago I was sued by the insurance company of a driver who'd left-hooked me resulting in an accident and a broken mirror. I won that case and with fault proved obtained payment from them for replacement of every bit of my bike that had been scratched. It was something I wouldn't have normally bothered with but I am a fan of getting even, not angry :-).

Road users are also required to know the special circumstances of motorcycles, for example faster stopping capability which dictates that car drivers are supposed to leave extra stopping distance when following a motorcycle.

Motor vehicles exceed the speed limit routinely where I live. On the occasions that I drive I usually don't and that aggravates no small number of other drivers. Should I not be driving?

As a road user I sometimes find myself aggravated with slow-moving traffic. Aggravated does not give me the right to teach those road users a lesson. I don't tailgate slow drivers whether I'm in a car or bike.

As a cyclist I'm above 200 lb weight and on long rides this sometimes means I'll be passing other cyclists on down-grades and being passed on up-grades, no harm, no foul.

Those are the laws / rules as I understand them, I'm also aware that there are road users with different ideas and the fact that sometimes those are incorrect does influence my riding. I.e. given the choice of being right or alive/uninjured, the latter is better.

[forrestw]

So did you report the bus driver?
Yes I did. MBTA said they would get back to me though I'm not holding my breath on it happening any time soon.

[martinrjensen]

Glad you are OK. Fortunately I have not had that kind of altercation here in Seattle. The bus drivers have been pretty good to me here and I ride streets almost exclusively.