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Eastbourne cyclist captures moment he's almost knocked off his bike by sideswiping Stagecoach bus

VIDEO: Stagecoach say they will fully investigate incident

An Eastbourne cyclist has captured a bottom-clenching side swipe from a bus that pulled in front of him.

Ric Stern, 46, who works for a cycling firm, was near his home when the bus came out of a side street.

 

 

He told BT: "I was cycling along, going down that main road, and it is a bit of a nightmare.

"The road is fast and dangerous.

"He came from nowhere. To say he missed me by inches would be vastly exaggerating the distance between me and the bus - it was more like millimetres.

"I did not know how the driver didn't see me.

"I was dressed in fairly bright colours, in the middle of the road, riding quite fast, I was where I was supposed to be.

"At the time it was the eternal cliché of my life flashing before my eyes.
"I have got a ton of experience I have been racing for years. I dread to think what would have happened if it had been a normal person riding a bike, or an elderly person.

"They would have been looking at a fatality or a serious incident.

"People have to take care and look out for one another, bus drivers, car drivers and cyclists as well.

"No-one owns the road, it is for us to share, you just have to look out for each other."

Stagecoach, who provided the bus, has said it will investigate the incident, helped by Ric’s helmetcam footage.

A Stagecoach spokeswoman said: "We were very concerned to see this video.

"Safety is our absolute priority and we are carrying out a full investigation into this incident.”

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25 comments

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Ric_Stern_RST | 9 years ago
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Reported to the police and bus depot managers immediately. I haven't been informed of the outcome of the bus company investigation. I'm still waiting for the police to do anything

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Glasgow Cyclist | 9 years ago
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Blimey! I'd have been straight to the police with that. Was it reported to them?

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Ush | 9 years ago
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@ric Good on you. You were doing everything by the book, and that includes taking action on this gross incompetence. If this wasn't deliberate then the old dear driving the bus needs to get some eye transplants.

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CapriciousZephyr | 9 years ago
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Depressingly, I'm now even more motivated to practise my sideways bunny hops than when watching the Road Bike Party videos.

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Airzound | 9 years ago
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"I assure you the appropriate action will be taken."

Yeah like what? Doc'd a month's pay? Disciplinary, have to re-sit his PCV license? His driving was positively dangerous. The Stagecoach cyclist awareness course he did was obviously a total waste of time. Eyesight test? Hope the fecker loses his job. No different to the homicidal maniac Stagecoach drivers in Cambridge.

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bjeato | 9 years ago
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Down this road all the time. It goes from national to 30mph, with most people not bothering to slow down for the more built up area on the video.

Had a few close passes with people trying to pass you before a central reservation pinch point.

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Ric_Stern_RST | 9 years ago
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Can't quite reply to all the comments. But as a follow up:

1) the driver had recently (?) been on a cyclist awareness course...

2) Stagecoach conducted an investigation the next day using my video evidence, and statements from myself and the driver

3) Stagecoach have apologised "On behalf of the Driver and Stagecoach South East I would like to begin by apologising for the standard of driving displayed", and "I assure you the appropriate action will be taken".

4) They haven't explained what the outcome of the investigation was or whether the driver has been involved in similar (they refuse to disclose it).

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AJ101 | 9 years ago
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Go on Ric!
That was literally just up the road from where the Jag driver did his nut at a cyclist and got prosecuted for it as well.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2579096/Furious-Jaguar-driver-sw...

Unfortunate because that stretch of road is a great cycle route normally. There's even a tourist friendly segregated cycle path just along from this junction, I wish they'd extend it through Pevensey as well.

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FatCycleRider | 9 years ago
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I've ridden that section of road hundreds of times. It's definitely not fast and dangerous. It's a 30mph road. That junction has never been a problem for me but I'm normally there early in the morning when there is less traffic. There is a bit 50 yards further along that road where if you want the right hand lane, you need to be in the centre of the road, which is probably why he was taking that position.

All types of vehicles pull out of junctions without seeing cyclists. I had a bus do it to me once and I was lit up like a Christmas tree. It really makes you sh*t yourself.

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vonhelmet | 9 years ago
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Always safest to be covering your brakes passing any junction, because you never know when some moron is going to pull out on you. I don't trust them when I'm driving, I certainly don't trust them when I'm cycling.

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antigee | 9 years ago
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experienced cyclist doesn't run out of luck and see's it coming and reacts
inexperienced cyclist in that situation?

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Ric_Stern_RST | 9 years ago
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I took yesterday off and rode the turbo today. It's not the first interaction i've had with a bus near there...

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Bob's Bikes | 9 years ago
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No sound on the video? I know I said a rude word just watching it, let alone having it happen to me.
When will other road users get it into their heads that cyclists can do more than 10mph!

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Joeinpoole | 9 years ago
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Not defending the actions of the bus driver but it does look to me as if his view of the cyclist may have been hampered by the windscreen wipers which are parked in the centre of the windscreen. They appear to be directly in-line between the cyclist and the driver's head during the turn. That's poor design of the bus.

Hardly a "near death experience" anyway. The cyclist had plenty of time to see what was happening and take avoiding action (i.e. apply brakes). Poor driving is an every day matter for cyclists and, annoying as it is, you simply have to anticipate it when possible and ride cautiously. No point in just ploughing ahead into danger because "I have the right-of-way". Unfortunately that's how you get injured or worse.

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ron611087 replied to Joeinpoole | 9 years ago
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Quote:

Hardly a "near death experience" anyway. The cyclist had plenty of time to see what was happening and take avoiding action (i.e. apply brakes)

Is this a troll?
The cyclist did see what was happening, brake and take avoiding action, or did I watch a different video?

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I Wish I Was Fe... replied to Joeinpoole | 8 years ago
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Joeinpoole wrote:

Not defending the actions of the bus driver but it does look to me as if his view of the cyclist may have been hampered by the windscreen wipers which are parked in the centre of the windscreen. They appear to be directly in-line between the cyclist and the driver's head during the turn. That's poor design of the bus.

Hardly a "near death experience" anyway. The cyclist had plenty of time to see what was happening and take avoiding action (i.e. apply brakes). Poor driving is an every day matter for cyclists and, annoying as it is, you simply have to anticipate it when possible and ride cautiously. No point in just ploughing ahead into danger because "I have the right-of-way". Unfortunately that's how you get injured or worse.

Am I the only person who disagrees with every word of this post? Scary.

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gogsa | 9 years ago
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Holy Shit. I live 5 mins from there and ride down that road all the time. It is a death waiting to happen, there are always cars parked at the side of the road creating pinch points, elderly drivers and as for the bus drivers ...

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anarchy | 9 years ago
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Comments on the Mail Web site really are rabidly insane!

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anarchy | 9 years ago
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Comments on the Mail Web site really are rabidly insane!

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anarchy | 9 years ago
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The comments on the mail site are really insane!

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fatsmoker replied to anarchy | 9 years ago
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anarchy wrote:

The comments on the mail site are really insane!

It's unfortunate that most of them are not tongue in cheek. They do believe the bile they write.

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Housecathst replied to anarchy | 9 years ago
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anarchy wrote:

The comments on the mail site are really insane!

Comments on the daily mail insane, in other news, the Pope is in fact Catholic and a bear does sh#t in the woods.

The Daily Mail and insane comments go hand in hand, you can't have one with out the other.

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Simon Walker | 9 years ago
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Sobering

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pants | 9 years ago
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i think i pooped a little.

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bikebot | 9 years ago
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And as you would expect for the Mail, the comments section is full of people blaming Mr Stern for going too fast!

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