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Near Miss of the Day 318: Bus driver ploughs straight across cyclist’s path on mini roundabout

Our regular series featuring close passes from around the country - today it's High Wycombe...

Today’s near miss sees a bus driver fly onto a mini roundabout right across a cyclist’s path, making eye contact with them for the entire duration of the manoeuvre.

The incident occurred on Cressex Road, High Wycombe at 4.15pm yesterday.

Lyndon said: “On my commute home, I was approaching a roundabout when I could see a clearing in traffic to my right.

“I slowed a bit headed into the roundabout, and heard a bus accelerating through the roundabout, making absolutely zero effort to stop, slow down, or even make a wider turn to avoid me.

“The driver made eye contact with me the entire way through the roundabout.”

Lyndon has contacted the bus company who have not yet returned his message.

“I guess the next option is the police. The only difficulty is I can't get a full number plate.”

Update: Lyndon has since got back to us to say: "Redline Buses has refused to cooperate and will not provide me with the contact information for a manager or supervisor despite leaving a message and speaking with their staff."

> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?

Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.

If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.

If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).

Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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26 comments

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don simon fbpe | 4 years ago
0 likes

Cressex Road, respect for wanting to ride down there. Bus driver was probably surprised that he was actually moving at that time and wanted to get out of there before traffic built up.

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Rik Mayals unde... | 4 years ago
3 likes

I have just had yet another near miss from a Stagecoach bus. This idiot decided to punish me for having the nerve to not use the hawthorne clippings covered, shit strewn cycle path so decided to teach me a lesson. He overtook me inside a pedestrian reuge crossing in the centre of the road. Anyone who has been passed through one of these pinch points by a car driver knows how close the car is, so imagine a huge bus close passing you through a crossing point. I caught up with him at the next bus stop, before I could remonstrate with him he opened the window and kept telling me to use the cycle path. 

I have reported it to Lancashire Police, not even a reply. I have reported it to the inspector at the Preston depot, who said he would look into it and get back to me. No reply. I emailed the CEO of Stagecoach, no reply from him but a standard Dear John email from his PA, word for word the same as the email she sent me in August when another one of their drivers tried to kill me by teaching me a lesson for not using the cycle path. When I sent her a sarcastic email back pointing out the duplicate reply, and asking her where the reply was for the first incident, she didn't bother replying.

In future if I have a Stagecoach bus approaching me from behind, I will move from secondary to primary position, fuck 'em. I will make sure they can't squeeze through, which is sad really, as I may piss other people off but my wife wants me to return from my rides alive.

 

For information, if anyone has any problems with a Stagecoach driver, the CEO email address is martin.griffiths [at] stagecoachgroup.com

Don't get your hopes up, he won't reply.

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grumpyoldcyclist | 4 years ago
2 likes

Report it to the police please and as others have said, if they don't act / after they act, the traffic commisioner. Also local council might be interested as it is the local population on that bus as well as anyone who it collides with.

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growingvegtables | 4 years ago
4 likes

"Redline Buses has refused to cooperate and will not provide me with the contact information for a manager or supervisor despite leaving a message and speaking with their staff."

 

If that's the hole Redline want to dig for themselves, their "failure to cooperate", their lack of appropriate systems, processes and procedures, would be "of interest" ... at the very least, to both:-

  • The Traffic Commissioner;
  • The Health and Safety Executive.

Neither will be interested in the shocking driving ... it's regarded as a matter for the police.  But they SHOULD note, and hopefully act on, the corporate and management failures in the company's treatment of the incident. 

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Pilot Pete replied to growingvegtables | 4 years ago
4 likes

growingvegtables wrote:

"Redline Buses has refused to cooperate and will not provide me with the contact information for a manager or supervisor despite leaving a message and speaking with their staff."

 

If that's the hole Redline want to dig for themselves, their "failure to cooperate", their lack of appropriate systems, processes and procedures, would be "of interest" ... at the very least, to both:-

  • The Traffic Commissioner;
  • The Health and Safety Executive.

Neither will be interested in the shocking driving ... it's regarded as a matter for the police.  But they SHOULD note, and hopefully act on, the corporate and management failures in the company's treatment of the incident. 

Agreed. You may find there is a traffic police officer in the relevant force that deals with commercial drivers who works closely with the above organisations. I know my local force has one and he picked up on an incdent I had where a truck driver deliberately tried 3 times to put me under his wheels before getting out and assaulting me. He was taken to court, prosecuted, lost his drivers licence for some time, got a 12 week suspended prison sentence, was sacked from his job and fined a grand or so (which has gone into my n+1 fund!). It was upon reading the court report that this particular officer contacted me telling me they were considering getting onto the Transport Commissioner’s office and recommending this character’s C+E licence was withdrawn permanently.

First port of call has to be to report it to the Police.

PP

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zero_trooper | 4 years ago
1 like

'Driver made eye contact' but obviously never saw him!

It could just be that, the driver never considered giving way to a bike.

Whatever, very poor professional driving. Suggest report to police if the bus company aren't playing ball.

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visionset | 4 years ago
1 like

Since a roundabout is a circular road in itself, the reality it's whoever is on it first.  on a mini rouandabout it prob shouldn't be.  But I think technically they all treated the same.  A big roundabout where you can't see the exit to your right? deliberately obscured entrys? They aren't in reality all the same.

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roubaixcobbles replied to visionset | 4 years ago
3 likes

visionset wrote:

Since a roundabout is a circular road in itself, the reality it's whoever is on it first.  on a mini rouandabout it prob shouldn't be.  But I think technically they all treated the same.  A big roundabout where you can't see the exit to your right? deliberately obscured entrys? They aren't in reality all the same.

 

What are you talking about? If you are behind the stop line on a (single lane) roundabout of any size and any vehicle is joining the roundabout from the entrance on your right, it's your obligation to stop and let them pass your entrance first.  No ifs no buts, as the blond buffoon would say.

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Sniffer replied to visionset | 4 years ago
2 likes

visionset wrote:

Since a roundabout is a circular road in itself, the reality it's whoever is on it first.  

No, that is not correct.

There are deliberately obscured entrys to slow vehicles down, but that does not change the concept of giving way to traffic on your right.

I think you need some revision before you use a roundabout again.

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FluffyKittenofT... replied to Sniffer | 4 years ago
1 like

Sniffer wrote:

visionset wrote:

Since a roundabout is a circular road in itself, the reality it's whoever is on it first.  

No, that is not correct.

There are deliberately obscured entrys to slow vehicles down, but that does not change the concept of giving way to traffic on your right.

I think you need some revision before you use a roundabout again.

 

Is it not both?  Priority goes to anyone already on the roundabout, but after that, if nobody is already on it or you are both about to enter at he same time, the next to get priority is anyone entering it to your right.  At least that's how I thought it worked.

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visionset replied to Sniffer | 4 years ago
0 likes

Sniffer wrote:

No, that is not correct.

Ah well, at least the other bus thread has it right.

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SculturaD | 4 years ago
2 likes

https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/advice-and-complaints/bus-complaints/

Bus complaints

Transport Focus is unable to help passengers with specific complaints about bus and coach (scheduled domestic) services. However there are other organisations that will be able to help you. Their various roles and contact details are all explained below.

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visionset | 4 years ago
1 like

Both cyclist and bus belting onto a roundabout at speed, both with a feeling of being inconvenienced to give way.  I'm no different.  Cyclist wins in this case as on it 1st.  This is why they deliberately obscure visibility on some roundabout appraoches. Mostly I find when there is doubt on RoW, the car stops for me.

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Sniffer replied to visionset | 4 years ago
6 likes

visionset wrote:

Both cyclist and bus belting onto a roundabout at speed, both with a feeling of being inconvenienced to give way.  I'm no different.  Cyclist wins in this case as on it 1st.  This is why they deliberately obscure visibility on some roundabout appraoches. Mostly I find when there is doubt on RoW, the car stops for me.

You do understand that you give way from the right on a roundabout?  Don't see the equivalence between the cyclists actions and the bus.

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Zebulebu replied to visionset | 4 years ago
5 likes
visionset wrote:

Both cyclist and bus belting onto a roundabout at speed, both with a feeling of being inconvenienced to give way.  I'm no different.  Cyclist wins in this case as on it 1st.  This is why they deliberately obscure visibility on some roundabout appraoches. Mostly I find when there is doubt on RoW, the car stops for me.

Christ almighty! How bad is the driving test if the basic, fundamental principle of 'give way to traffic from your right when entering a roundabout' isn't clearly understood? It doesn't matter what speed they're approaching from - the driver entering the roundabout must give way to traffic from the right. FFS!

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PRSboy | 4 years ago
2 likes

Bus driving seems to attract more than its fair share of psychopaths.

I've lost count of the close passes I've had from Thames Travel/River Rapids bus drivers. 

Please report it OP... there will be no problem in finding out who the driver was from the time/date/location, if the police are sufficiently interested, which one would hope they should be.

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brooksby replied to PRSboy | 4 years ago
1 like

PRSboy wrote:

Bus driving seems to attract more than its fair share of psychopaths.

I've done quite a lot of bus travel the last couple of years (long story), and its very worrying how close behind a cyclist many bus-drivers seem to think you can drive a double decker bus at 20-30 mph.

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Hywel | 4 years ago
0 likes

Rode through High Wycombe a few years ago.  Can confirm that the drivers there are idiots.

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brooksby | 4 years ago
3 likes

Relatively common behaviour for a bus driver (and the majority of vehicles on a mini roundabout) in my experience.

It does sometimes seem as if the better the visibility, the more likely someone is to just barge through.

But in any case, if the bus co is ignoring you then pass it onto your local police.  Definitely.

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epcp20 | 4 years ago
4 likes

Please report this to the police!! That's terrifying.

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kil0ran | 4 years ago
2 likes

Mini-roundabouts, the only thing in the world more confusing than quantum physics

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Zebulebu replied to kil0ran | 4 years ago
2 likes
kil0ran wrote:

Mini-roundabouts, the only thing in the world more confusing than quantum physics

I know this was probably said with an air of sarcasm, but it seems to be true for a lot of drivers. ZOMG IT'S A ROUNDABOUT... BUT IT'S SO SMALL!!! I'LL JUST IGNORE IT THEN...

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a9350058 | 4 years ago
5 likes

Clearly had no intention of giving way - far too much effort to have to pick up speed again if having to wait for a cyclist. Needs reporting or it will become acceptable behaviour.  Sometimes we are inconvenienced by other road users, road works , traffic lights etc - accept it.

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ktache | 4 years ago
9 likes

Lyndon, police.  Please.

There could be many people on that bus, and someting of that size will destroy anything that it touches.  Yet another highly trained, professional driver.

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quiff | 4 years ago
10 likes

Please report this to the police (which probably means it shouldn't be on here). Even if you accept (a) the possibility of the cyclist being hidden in a blind spot and (b) that the bus may not physically have been able to go fully around (as opposed to over) the mini-roundabout, the driver made no attempt to slow or to negotiate the roundabout correctly. Surely the police can take this up without a full reg no, because the bus company should be able to identify the driver based on route and time.    

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Gus T replied to quiff | 4 years ago
2 likes

quiff wrote:

Please report this to the police (which probably means it shouldn't be on here). Even if you accept (a) the possibility of the cyclist being hidden in a blind spot and (b) that the bus may not physically have been able to go fully around (as opposed to over) the mini-roundabout, the driver made no attempt to slow or to negotiate the roundabout correctly. Surely the police can take this up without a full reg no, because the bus company should be able to identify the driver based on route and time.    

  Contact Driving Standards Agency, the driver holds a PSV licence which can be withdrawn by DSA at any time. Redline can't refuse to co-operate with them otherwise their licence to operate will be suspended

 

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