CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Most badly driven buses in Edinburgh?

(21 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by LaidBack
  • Latest reply from Arellcat

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  1. LaidBack
    Member

    I think the open top tours seem to have a problem.

    I wonder if it's a 'sin bin' for drivers? (Boy racer driving a bus? On city tour for rest of year!)

    Notice a few of them have problems sharing the road with bikes. They drive at 12mph but speed up if you want to get by.

    Today I was 'cut-up' by bus 33 at 13.15pm on Bristo Place. This was modern red 'City Sightseeing' one although I've seen other tours drift through red lights and do other dodgy stuff on many occasions. Basically I was in left hand lane and squeezed out by bus coming from left with parked car ahead. Complaint will be made. Still gathering info.

    I had a new Helios tandem with child seat on back. Maybe was too high up to be seen properly ;-)

    Posted 13 years ago #

  2. SRD
    Moderator

    My worst is coaches. When I was heading down Dalkeith Rd a few weeks ago en route to the ERI I had one first overtake me dangerously and then try to turn left across me onto Peffermill - I was in the bus lane, and he was in the straight ahead. Was planning to ring his bosses - it was from the borders, I think) , but then forgot about it after I got to the hospital (very cool scan!).

    Posted 13 years ago #

  3. steveo
    Member

    Maybe they are the drivers that first reject.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  4. Min
    Member

    I don't think I have ever had occasion to be near a tour bus. Sounds like a good thing.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  5. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Tour buses tend to be driven by temporary 'seasonal' drivers. Or at least a lot of them.

    I had a problem with a tour bus last year, when he not only cut me up, but cut me up three times, the last two most definitely on purpose after I'd glowered at him after the first (I did nothing more, merely looked for a second). LRT informed me that many tour drivers were seasonal, and this driver was, and reading between the lines it wasn't the first complaint they'd had about this driver and they wouldn't be using him in the future...

    Posted 13 years ago #

  6. LaidBack
    Member

    Sure your right. I can't avoid them as there on the routes I cycle by myself. (Not with tours as that would be lethal).

    They have acknowledged my complaint but no answer yet.

    D

    Posted 13 years ago #

  7. Dave
    Member

    This morning I rode around the Picardy Place roundabout alongside a Lothian bus (to the left - I was in the lane for Leith Walk, he was in the right hand lane for London Rd).

    I hung back a bit to watch the driver's mirror as I wasn't sure if he might be going down Leith Walk after all - couldn't see the service number. Sure enough, he started to drift across into my lane - but then, miraculously, he actually checked his mirrors, stopped before he got too close to me, moved back out, accellerated past, then pulled over (this time with indicators, I noticed!).

    Although I'm not sure it's that much of an endorsement of bus drivers in general to be enthusiastically praising one for checking his mirrors after half changing lanes without indicating, it did make me think about all the other bus companies who don't seem to manage even that!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  8. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    I yelled at a bus that passed too close to me a couple of years back and the driver drew along-side me and apologised. I was lost for words.
    My pet peeve is that I suspect that they vent their air brakes as they pass me. That may be paranoia though.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  9. ARobComp
    Member

    Whenever a bus is in the offing I become rather more agressive with my road positioning. At the same time however I try and make sure that I gie it a wee bit more acceleration if a bus starts to signal to pull out just as I go to overtake it.

    courtesy innit.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  10. Kim
    Member

    @Cyclingmollie "My pet peeve is that I suspect that they vent their air brakes as they pass me. That may be paranoia though."

    It is paranoia the driver has no control over when the air brakes vent.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  11. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    Thanks Kim, that's kicked my paranoia down a notch.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  12. LaidBack
    Member

    Still waiting for answer.... slower than normal LRT

    Posted 13 years ago #

  13. Arellcat
    Moderator

    LB, I never received an official response from Lothian Buses when I questioned one of their buses having possibly gone through a red light on Princes St.

    Has anyone had any problems with the McEwen's Coaches - the small white ones with the green headboard displays? I think their slightly increased manoeuvrability makes for greater impatience in traffic, particularly around Morningside and south. But it's their turbochargers that I hate more than anything; as they spool up, the wastegates leak air and the hissing sound is deafening.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  14. SRD
    Moderator

    Munro's much worse than McEwen's in my experience!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  15. gembo
    Member

    McHendrys are the coldest buses in Christendom. I went to anti-BNP demo years back down in LOndon and left from Leith. The organiser got into his sleeping bag the minute we got on the bus. When we finally got back to edinburgh I went to the kitchen, switched the oven on to full and put my feet inside.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  16. LaidBack
    Member

    An outcome:

    "Unfortunately we have no CCTV fitted on our tours fleet. However, the matter has been dealt with internally, the outcome of which I cannot discuss but suffice to say that this matter was treated seriously and dealt with under our strict disciplinary code."

    I'm happy enough with that. If it had been an LRT bus then evidence would have been available. As it is the driver may have denied all. Still worth doing in my view.

    Arellcat Yes - McEwens and many 'out of town' services seem to be pretty 'cavalier'(groan). LRT are excellent in that they do try to keep standard high.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  17. splitshift
    Member

    As an hgv driver and bike rider i have to agree that bus and coach drivers are normally just one step down from pond life! they have a different training programm to everyone else! the y are told to manuver, indicate and then if your not talking to passengers check your mirrors ! In the company I work if any complaint comes in from any member of the public, about anything including smoking in vehicles ! It has to be actioned and the driver must go before a manager to state his or her case !Bus and to some extent tour coach drivers are on the same route mostly every day they become complacent and can easilly not get it right !Queensferry road, and great western road in Glasgow have some of the worst driving across the board. Including pedestrians and cyclists !
    BMW and 4x4s used to be the worst but now its Audi drivers.
    On the occasions that I have made an error of judgement and havnt spotted someone, I nearly have a heart attack! Scares the bejesus out of me !

    Posted 13 years ago #

  18. kaputnik
    Moderator

    For tour buses, cycle / bus lane = coach park.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  19. chdot
    Admin

    @splitshift

    Useful to have an HGV driver/cyclist on here. (I think there might be another one).

    Regular users of this forum know that 'we' think that LB (aka LRT) drivers are generally good - because of good training. The company is also good at dealing with complaints.

    Other bus/coach companies don't seem to include any 'bike aware' training. This will be partly due to fact that the companies/drivers aren't based in Edinburgh and don't have to deal with many bikes.

    There is no doubt that some of the bigger companies that use lorries are keen on having well trained drivers. I'm sure PR is a factor, but presume insurance costs comes into it too...

    Do you have a 'how's my driving' sticker?

    Posted 13 years ago #

  20. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Munro's much worse than McEwen's in my experience!

    Now out of business.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-23179014

    Posted 10 years ago #

  21. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I had a less than pleasant encounter with a coach operator recently. If my complaint to them doesn't get a response within a suitable timeframe, I will be copying it to both the Office of the Traffic Commissioner and Transport Scotland's bus people, following the dissolution of Passengers' View Scotland.

    Posted 10 years ago #

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