Anyone experienced problems with a bus driver passing fast, close, and then cutting them off on Edgewood Av?
This happened to me yesterday. Between 6:00 - 6:30 PM as I was leaving downtown and riding towards Little Five Points a bus pulled up behind me at the Park Place intersection red light and blew his horn. When the light changed I proceeded through the intersection and pulled into the right lane as soon as possible. The bus driver (bus #3971, I think) rushed past me, straddling the lane (close to me), then cut in front of me and slammed on the brakes. He pulled ahead then rolled to a stop in the right lane at Peachtree Center Avenue. The left was free and I pulled alongside, gave him a middle finger salute and shouted a profanity (I know, a weakness, but when someone has tried to kill me shit happens). He pulled off when the light changed. He stopped at the next light (Courtland). The left lane was still open so I pulled alongside the bus to get a look at the driver. No comment on my part this time. He slid his window open and offered, "My passengers and I think you're crazy." Light changed, end of conversation.
I reported this incident to MARTA's Customer Service Comment Line: 404-848-4800; 1; 3. I am looking forward to their return call today.
Based on Route information I believe this is Route #155, which turns off Edgewood towards Grady Hospital.
Anyway, be careful, there's a raging bus driver out there. If he wasn't a loose screw before yesterday he may be since I've insulted him (and his passengers).
Taxi and Marta Bus drivers
Taxi and Marta Bus drivers are the sworn enemies of cyclists.
one exception
I used to have a general hatred of Marta bus drivers due to experiences like Tom's, but a couple of weeks ago I had a Marta bus driver honk at me at a red light in order to let me know that he would let me over to the right lane if I wanted to move. My little heart melted a tiny bit when he waved as he drove off.
YMMV
It's true, I've encountered nice bus drivers, too. I've gotten thumbs ups from MARTA bus drivers on Clairmont Rd.
unless you're behind them
they were voted creative loafing's best drafting of atlanta.
that is
if you have the balls to risk being ignorant of the traffic ahead and slamming into the back of them when the next light turns red.
naw
they speed up slow and they slow down slow. i've never had a problem with paying attention to the brake lights and occasional jumps to the side to see what's up ahead.
Bus drivers don't know
I chewed out a MARTA bus driver on S Columbia Dr a couple weeks ago because she almost ran me off the road trying to go around me and then slamming on her brakes to stop to let passengers off before she actually got all the way around me. She insisted she was clear of me. My short stop and jumping the curb begged to differ.
I think I've had dangerous
I think I've had dangerous encounters with MARTA buses more often than all other types of vehicles combined. On my bike or in my car, they're out to get me. They make me hate public transportation.
Just to add my 2¢
Public school bus drivers are the ones that scare me the most. A few of the MARTA drivers aren't too good (or are downright bad) but most do a good job of passing. Can not say the same of school bus drivers--most seem homicidal.
Same in London. The only
Same in London. The only vehicles that are more dangerous are the Royal Post ones.
Defensive riding
When I notice a bus behind me, I move squarely into the middle of the lane. If they still pass me, I hit my brakes once they begin to overtake me. My assumption is that they will try to pass me come hell or high water, and that once they do they'll hit the brakes because bus stops are pretty close to each other.
Maybe buses are just giving
Maybe buses are just giving back to us what they get from cars.
We stick it to cars (sometimes...), cars stick it to buses (and sometimes back to us), buses stick it to us. It's the circle of life.
And we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun.
I feel better now that I have been educated about busses and bikes. Good approach, Alex...
I tried to be nice today
and gave room to a bus. He thanked me by squeezing me against a parked car. So much for that.