On Jun 9, 12:37 pm, "Jack Taylor" wrote:
Colin Rosenstiel wrote:
We have had claims from cyclists that they have been terrified to find
themselves crowded against safety barriers by bendy buses making left
turns.

I have to say, as a cyclist, that in such situations the actions of the
cyclist are often contributory.

If the bendy bus is stationary in the lane, waiting to turn left, and the
cyclist rides up the inside of the line of traffic (i.e. overtaking on the
inside) and positions themself between the bus and the barrier, then they
are asking for trouble. They should be stopping behind the last stationary
vehicle in the traffic queue.

Similarly, if the cyclist is the first to arrive at the line, waiting to
turn left, and they sit in the gutter, adjacent to the barrier, then they
are not protecting themselves from other vehicles. In such situations, I
always position myself in the centre of the left-turn lane, to ensure that
no vehicle can pull up and sit to my right - they have to stop behind me and
wait for me to clear the corner before proceeding.

As a cyclist you have to foresee these situations and act accordingly.



Bendy buses are a silly idea for a city like London. Everyone knows
it and, in real life, pedestrians and cyclists and possibly others are
suffering.

Instead of dreaming up ways of avoiding these newly-introduced
hazards, why not just see sense and get rid of the bluddy things?

They are constantly parking across junctions and crossings. If their
drivers followed the highway code (which of course they don't) they
would only ever start moving through a junction or crossing if there
was a full bendy bus length of space available beyond. A regular bus
or three cars might have been able to move on, but a bendy bus
shouldn't.

So the choice is to park across junctions and pedestrian crossings,
causing a hazard, or to sit there until there is enough space beyond,
causing congestion.

They are causing problems. We all know it. Let's get rid of them.
They can be sold of for use as airport transit or for cities where
there are nothing but wide boulevards.