Invisible Bus

Busman747 · 02-03-2006, 22:02

Although I am primarily a coach driver, I occasionally do a small service bus run in Accy and would like to give you 15 seconds of my day!!

I was driving at 5mph up Peel Street (Bus Station) in my bus and another bus pulled out from the kerb on my left, pulled across the road, missing my bumper by a matter of inches and turned into Infant St.! I sounded my horn - but got no reaction from the moronic bus driver! Shaking my head in disbelief, I braked sharply as a pedestrian walked straight in front of me, She totally ignored my presence and the fact that a 4 tonne bus was inches from her shopping bag - and happily carried on her way! I got as far as the junction of Peel St. and Abbey St. and found a white van man reversing with 2 wheels on the kerb by the T.S.B. (Sorry for those members that do not know Accrington) He would have reversed into me except that I could see that he was heading for the green metal post that is to protect pedestrians, - I waited until he rammed the post and proceeded to go around him

Only to be presented by a lady who had just parked her car and THREW her drivers door open, completely oblivious to the bus (mine) that stopped inches from her, climbed out - and proceeded to carefully lock her door sticking her posterior out as she did so!! IT WAS A TEMPTING TARGET!

With 20 years experience as a professional driver, Taxi's, Courier, Van, Truck, Coaches and Buses, I have had many funny or unusual experiences - but what about YOU? What funny/sad/unusual experiences have you had in your workplace? Tell us all your job and that funny experience that YOU have had!

SPUGGIE J · 02-03-2006, 22:07

Watching a workmate who had a serious dose of basement wind sprinting to the toilet due to a follow through.

SPUGGIE J · 02-03-2006, 22:09

Just to make it fair and not rip the mickey out of others and their incidents I must confess to loosing 5 tons of coal and having to report it only to find out an hour or so later someone else had moved it.

Madhatter · 02-03-2006, 22:34

Think you should have blasted your horn to white van man, deliveriesin town, whilst trying not to block the road to busses is incredibly difficult nowdays, esp with pedestrian zones. I've done that in the past, couldn't seee the bollard, cos i'd parked in a stupid place rather than just dump the van on the road and block it, like they do in Atherstone every day.

WillowTheWhisp · 02-03-2006, 23:09

I'm not sure I dare tell you some of my funny experiences or you may never trust banks again!

Neil · 02-03-2006, 23:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busman747

I was driving at 5mph up Peel Street (Bus Station) in my bus and another bus pulled out from the kerb on my left, pulled across the road, missing my bumper by a matter of inches and turned into Infant St.!

Thats what the rest of us experiance on a regular basis mate

I thought the highway code said buses can pull out on other traffic.

WillowTheWhisp · 02-03-2006, 23:53

I saw a classic one at the top of Peel Street the other week where a car driver just drove straight along Abbey Street, disregarding the road markings and into the path of a bus coming up Peel Street and going towards Whalley Road, which had right of way. There was a screeching of brakes and the car driver jumped out and yelled at the bus driver as if he was the one in the wrong! Maybe some people don't understand road markings.

Busman747 · 03-03-2006, 00:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

Thats what the rest of us experiance on a regular basis mate

I thought the highway code said buses can pull out on other traffic.

Yea, But not on other buses!!! - and Madhatter, "Think you should have blasted your horn to white van man, deliveriesin town," Naw, Too much fun watching him/her reverse into a "buses only" road and colliding with a metal bollard!

Come on people, I have loads of experiences, surely you have some funny moments at your workplace?

Madhatter · 03-03-2006, 01:13

yes very funny. do you think he was even aware that it was buses only? he may be a complete stranger to the town, on a tight schedule, doesn't know where the drop is where the delivery entrance is, how to get to it, which are one way street which are pedestrian, which are bus only. he may be in a right panic. I've gone round and round a town for an hour trying to find a way in to shops, in the end I had to walk with it. 'cos was busses only. I don't think it's funny at all I think its a sick thing to do, esp as theres a good chance he could loose his job over it if it's a company and not his van.
I've just come up the old A5 down here, as opposed to the bypass, a hgv had come from the ind est and got lost, instead of going straight on at the island across the old A5 to join the bypass roughhly half way along he'd turned right on to the old road. he was foriegn, didnt realise that road rejions the A5 and tried to reverse back on to the island during rush hour traffic. it caused chaos, cars blasting their horns, giving abuse. i stopped which stopped some of the traffic squeezing behind the reversing truck, then another van pulled up by the side of the truck and found out why he was reversing. then told him if he carries on forward that it will bring him to the A5 and can then either double back north or go south. An unselfish act to someone who isn't being selfish but is creating a problem helped sort it for everyone,and we all got home nice and safe.

WillowTheWhisp · 03-03-2006, 09:19

I think there's a sign at the top of Peel Street to say that it's buses only but it may well say buses and for loading. There are bus stops (an extension of the bus station which is basically what Peel Street is these days) all up the sides and even so people park IN the bus stops! I catch the Fern Gore bus which leaves from in front of the chemists and there have been times when he's had to stop in the middle of the road (blocking off buses coming up in the opposite direction) because someone with a disabled sticker has parked in the bus stop in order to go to the chenists. I think that even having a disabled sticker doesn't automatically give people a right to park in a bus stop or anywhere else where it may cause an obstruction or be a danger to other road users.

I have a lot of sympathy for people trying to make deliveries to shops and I think a lot of the responsibility for a ludicrous situation in Peel Street is that of Hyndborg BC when the bus station was shrunk in order to fit the market down the side of it just so they could build the Wilkinson's block. However I have no sympathy for van drivers who drive half on pavements when they obviously cannot see what is behind them. This guy hit a bollard. Supposing he had hit a small child who should have been perfectly safe on the pavement? If he couldn't see what was behind him he shouldn't have been reversing. Thankfully all he damaged was a bollard and his van in this case. I have the same sort of feeling towards car drivers who drive in front of the Town Hall where only buses are permitted. People look out for buses and then cross when the bus has gone, they do not expect a 30mph car to suddenly appear because a 30mph car shouldn't suddenly appear - but they do, despite the signs. That's why we have road signs, so that people who are not familiar with the area know where they are permitted to drive and where they are not permitted to drive.

People reverse into main roads too? What's that all about? Don't they know it's dangerous apart from not being allowed?

I do agree it's a nightmare for bigger vehicles trying to negotiate our town and make deliveries to factories etc. I've seen them struggling in Exchange Street and idiotic drivers not giving them enough room to manoever. I've also seen drivers in Exchange Street parked on zigzags half on and half off the pavement. I had to interfere one day when the driver of an articulated lorry who was lost on factory bottoms was being directed by someone who had obviously no idea what driving a thing that size entails - he was being directed to a junction he couldn't possible have got round.

Mick · 03-03-2006, 09:28

There will be some fun when the new road works start there on the 8/3/06
for 6 weeks hehe

WillowTheWhisp · 03-03-2006, 09:44

It'll be crazy won't it Mick?

Ooh and that reminds me there are going to be roadworks at the bottom of Willows Lane too.

mthead · 03-03-2006, 10:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

Thats what the rest of us experiance on a regular basis mate

I thought the highway code said buses can pull out on other traffic.

I think its the other way around Neil.Some pillock just pulled out on me and my mini-bus this morning,out of one of them side streets near Winfields bye the Gt Tree pub.Made a mess of my front end,his little Peugeot came off worse though.Luckily non of the kids on my contract run was hurt.

SPUGGIE J · 03-03-2006, 10:58

I am going to stay away from buses in Accy in future its too dangerous.

pendy · 03-03-2006, 12:36

I find it amazing that more people aren't killed on the roads every day. I travel by bus up and down Oxford Street, and the number of people who either just walk out without looking (often on their mobile) and those who sprint across the road in front of a bus (when they get to the other side, they just loiter looking in shop windows, so not that much of a hurry) is staggering. The standard of driving is getting worse, too.

Funny stories? - catch me sometime, and I will spill all. Not mine, but a friend who is a vet was called out by an elderly lady to look at her cat. Peter inspects, announces cat is in perfect health, but is also in kitten. Lady protests that this is impossible, cat has never been out of the house. Just then, in strolls large black cat, Peter inspects it - Yup, it's a tomcat. "What about him?" he asks. Lady says indignantly - "Don't be silly, he's her brother".