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Katie Kookaburra incredibly close pass from bus in Manchester

I love Katie's Youtube channel. This is one of the closest passes from a bus I've ever seen! This driver doesn't need re-training, they need firing and prosecuting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRBbm12pSpk

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18 comments

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Bonhomme | 1 year ago
2 likes

Most, in fact probably all, Stagecoach buses have dash cams so incidents like this should be reported before the footage is overwritten. Obviously what happens once reported depends on the local management, but the time stamp and location should mean they can work out who it was. I suspect the same applies to other big operators as well.

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HoarseMann | 1 year ago
0 likes

This is a terrible bike lane. Not only is it not wide enough, it disappears without warning.

Not that this excuses the bus driver. Unless it was their first run on that route, they surely must have known the bike lane would end as the road narrows.

https://goo.gl/maps/3x8144L9zUotMbuQ7

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chrisonabike replied to HoarseMann | 1 year ago
1 like

I agree but is this not the state of almost all UK bike lanes?  Edinburgh ones - which are pretty good for the UK - can: suddenly disappear, turn into bus stops, turn into (marked, legal - sometimes with time restrictions) car parking, are often "advisory cycle lanes" which means "this paint has no meaning", funnel you into a raised kerb, take you up to the footway level then vanish ... In addition because some can turn into bus lanes that means that they appear and disappear depending on the time of day, where we are in the calendar...

* Bore * designers: if it's important make it mandatory, otherwise don't waste the paint and signs.

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grumpyoldcyclist replied to HoarseMann | 1 year ago
0 likes

Doesn't matter if there is a bike lane or not, minimum passing distance is 1.5 metres. Full stop. End of. Paint on the road does not alter anything.

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HoarseMann replied to grumpyoldcyclist | 1 year ago
2 likes

Totally agree, but it's a bike lane that puts cyclists in greater danger than if it wasn't there. I would not use it and take the lane instead.

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VIPcyclist | 1 year ago
1 like

This was a very poor pass and perhaps a good example of a driver thinking being close didn't matter because everyone was in their lane. I stopped watching after the footage as I find that the Kooka can kick the sht out of complaining.

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Bungle_52 | 1 year ago
1 like

May I suggest that it would have been helpful to other vulnerable road users if this had been reported to the police and to the company, in this case Stagecoach.

I have to say that Stagecoach drivers are pretty good round my way. A few years ago a friend reported a driver to them for a close pass and they said that they had reviewed the dashcam from the bus and had had words with the driver. May be that's the reason.

Off topic a bit but my experience of Open Reach drivers is overwhelmingly positive followed closely by Tesco and Waitrose delivery drivers.

Apologies if this was reported, like Oldfatgit I stopped watching when the advert started.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Bungle_52 | 1 year ago
1 like

She didn't report it as she didn't get the registration plate (moved camera to film etc so pointing wrong way). Isn't she GMP / Lancashire anyway and we have seen what they are like, but as it was a bus which are normally fitted with GPS and she had date and time, the driver could easily have been traced.

But yes, it did come across as a massive Garmin advert after the first few minutes unfortunately, and as she is sponsored by them anyway and she probably got the kit for free, doesn't she need to put sponsored somewhere in the content?

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Rendel Harris replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 1 year ago
1 like

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

But yes, it did come across as a massive Garmin advert after the first few minutes unfortunately, and as she is sponsored by them anyway and she probably got the kit for free, doesn't she need to put sponsored somewhere in the content?

To be fair she does say a couple of times "I'm supported by Garmin" and "Garmin do sponsor me" and they're listed in the video information, but yes it could have been clearer.

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HoarseMann replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 1 year ago
0 likes

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

She didn't report it as she didn't get the registration plate

She got the bus number though (10844), which thanks to that great website bustimes.org, you can then deduce the registration! Plus, get a photo of it...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/aswans1234567/52029435165/

I think this incident happened quite a while ago though. According to bustimes, the 56 service was withdrawn in July and replaced with the 156 service.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to HoarseMann | 1 year ago
1 like

The pic you have of the bus states 156, and she mentioned "happened last week" at the start of the video. Probably 2 weeks tops with the filming the rest, editing and uploading so outside of reporting times now anyway.

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HoarseMann replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 1 year ago
0 likes

Yep, it's past the point of being able to report. That bus doesn't normally do the 156 service, but it did a couple of trips on the 12th of September. Although the bus dot matrix sign looks to say 56, perhaps strobing effect of the camera has dropped the 1 off.

Anyway, point is, she *could* have reported it, as the white number in the windscreen (10844) uniquely identifies the bus.

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Oldfatgit | 1 year ago
8 likes

The close pass is horrific and a prime example of a murder strip in use.

I stopped watching though when she started blaming herself and turning it in to an advert for the Garmin radar.

As a cyclist, there is nothing, absolutely nothing that we can do to prevent close passing ... the only way that CPs can be prevented is the driver being less of a cock.

Daytime running lights are not compulsory; however the HWC recommends the wearing of bright clothes (although there was nothing wrong with what the rider was wearing).
From my own personal experience of using DtRLs and bright clothes ... they make not a shits worth of difference to the behaviour and attitude of drivers; what they can become though is an expectation and a mitigating circumstances and used against the cyclist.

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TheBillder replied to Oldfatgit | 1 year ago
6 likes

Totally agree. All the lights, hi vis and radar in the world can't protect from reckless or wilful bad driving. As Rendel says, this is all about terrible driving, plus a murder strip which suggests to some idiots that an inch is ok.

This driver should face severe consequences.

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Rendel Harris replied to TheBillder | 1 year ago
3 likes

TheBillder wrote:

All the lights, hi vis and radar in the world can't protect from reckless or wilful bad driving.

Quite, completely fail to see what good radar would have done there as she proceeded along in a straight line close to the kerb, unless you assume every driver's going to skin you and stop and get off the road when your radar tells you one's coming.

(Not knocking radar per se, I know a couple of folks who have it and swear by it, just don't see how it would help here)

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Awavey replied to Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
2 likes

thats always been my issue with the Varia as tech, though as you say people swear by them, but the only thing I think it would have done to help here is Katie probably wouldnt have chosen that exact moment to start filming and so be left one handed when the bus passed, and then its got you footage you can report.

But the sheer wind draft of that vehicle can really throw you off balance even with both hands on the bars. I had a really scary one with a single decker once that was close and the draft actually sucked me in towards the bus and its rear wheels, I was turning left but heading right.

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andystow | 1 year ago
3 likes

Still from the video.

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Rendel Harris replied to andystow | 1 year ago
5 likes

An absolute disgrace, and (not that there would be any mitigation if it wasn't) the oncoming traffic lane was completely clear so nothing at all preventing the driver giving her room. Clearly deliberate.

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