(no subject)

[tla]

I am SO GODDAMN SICK of bus and taxi drivers in this city trying to bully me into using the sidewalk cycle path on Botley Road. And there's nothing I can do or say in response -- if they had enough perspective to understand any traffic concern other than "I should be able to go fast at all times", then they wouldn't be bullying me, would they?

Comments

[scat0324.livejournal.com]

Cycle mounted video camera and pass the footage onto the police and bus companies? Or just inform the bus companies that you have bought such a camera and you will be passing the footage on to the police, perhaps?

I think that's probably the worst bit for bullying in Oxford.

[tla]

Well, usually they're not doing anything illegal, just aggressive. So I'm not sure how much good a video camera would do.

[juliet]

Just complaining to the bus company might help. Are they yelling at you, or overtaking too close, or what?

[tla]

The usual form is to pass me while gesturing toward the bike lane. Sometimes accompanied by honking, but not always. As I say, not illegal or particularly dangerous, but I am fed up to here with that attitude. What do they think the funny little icon with two circles on the bus lane sign *means*, anyway?

One bus driver a while ago, having had to suffer the indignity of slowing down to 20mph while he waited 10s for the one car in the non-bus lane to pass so he could overtake me, kept his eye on me in the side mirror and, further down the road after the bus lane had ended and there was just an on-road cycle lane, pulled his (stationary b/c of traffic) bus over into the cycle lane to block my way. Unfortunately he chose a section of lane that had two dropped curbs from the sidewalk about 2m apart, one on each side of the corner of his bus. Up, down, and I was around him without pausing. I was too cheered by his incompetence to stop and take his number.

Today's taxi driver didn't even have to change lanes to pass me in the bus lane, and didn't particularly crowd me, but still felt this need to non-verbally "inform" me that I don't belong on the road.

[scat0324.livejournal.com]

The general case certainly could be interpreted as dangerous driving on the bus drivers part, which is illegal - the threat to the bus companies that cyclists can afford CCTV-type equipment and will hand evidence of aggressive driving over to the police might be enough to make them warn their drivers. The specific example, moving into the cycle lane, is certainly an offence.

[treefox.livejournal.com]

I've had busses on Botley road just lay on the horn.

Actually I've had vastly more problems with busses there than anywhere else. For instance on Marston Road I've never had any problems at all, and I'm on it far more than Botley. Maybe the route that comes in on Botley is a difficult one and they tend to run late?

[tla]

The 4A and 4C basically start in Botley. The other buses come in either via a relatively quiet road from Eynsham or an even quieter one from Cumnor. Not particularly difficult routes. The road gets busy where it passes all those shopping centers, but on the other hand it is three and a half lanes wide at that point, so it is easy to overtake cyclists.

I think it must be the mere presence of the off-road tracks, which are wider than most in Oxford, that make people so sanctimonious about the idea that we ought to be using them.

[scat0324.livejournal.com]

I have few problems with the drivers of the 4 along Iffley Road, so it must be to do with the rado layout along Botley Road.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Is this something where you could ask police for extra patrols (people aren't doing anything illegal, but police presence might encourage courtesy)? Or is there an alderman or something who might be able to do something useful?

Though I suppose if their behavior never rises from "annoying" to "hazardous", you are probably stuck sucking it up :/.

'Sokay. You have more earnings potential and read 539085239 more languages than they do. Someday you will decipher the ancient doomsday device plans, and be able to fund construction, and they'll be sorry then, won't they?

[tla]

Unfortunately, the atmosphere around cycling in this country (by non-cyclists) is such that I would almost certainly have to field questions from police or councillors such as "well actually, why weren't you using the cycle path?"

I just don't have the stamina to be a one-person cycle safety educator, and the bigger a cycle advocacy group gets here, the more likely it is to veer into Sustrans-style "we must segregate cyclists from cars at all costs!" or LCC-style "screw the road rules! cars suck! cyclists rock!"

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Alas, I understand all parts of this :(.