|
Invisible Bus
Although I am primarily a coach driver, I occasionally do a small service bus run in Accy and would like to give you 15 seconds of my day!!
I was driving at 5mph up Peel Street (Bus Station) in my bus and another bus pulled out from the kerb on my left, pulled across the road, missing my bumper by a matter of inches and turned into Infant St.! I sounded my horn - but got no reaction from the moronic bus driver! Shaking my head in disbelief, I braked sharply as a pedestrian walked straight in front of me, She totally ignored my presence and the fact that a 4 tonne bus was inches from her shopping bag - and happily carried on her way! I got as far as the junction of Peel St. and Abbey St. and found a white van man reversing with 2 wheels on the kerb by the T.S.B. (Sorry for those members that do not know Accrington) He would have reversed into me except that I could see that he was heading for the green metal post that is to protect pedestrians, - I waited until he rammed the post and proceeded to go around him :) Only to be presented by a lady who had just parked her car and THREW her drivers door open, completely oblivious to the bus (mine) that stopped inches from her, climbed out - and proceeded to carefully lock her door sticking her posterior out as she did so!! IT WAS A TEMPTING TARGET!:) With 20 years experience as a professional driver, Taxi's, Courier, Van, Truck, Coaches and Buses, I have had many funny or unusual experiences - but what about YOU? What funny/sad/unusual experiences have you had in your workplace? Tell us all your job and that funny experience that YOU have had! |
Re: Invisible Bus
Watching a workmate who had a serious dose of basement wind sprinting to the toilet due to a follow through. :mad:
|
Re: Invisible Bus
Just to make it fair and not rip the mickey out of others and their incidents I must confess to loosing 5 tons of coal and having to report it only to find out an hour or so later someone else had moved it. :o
|
Re: Invisible Bus
Think you should have blasted your horn to white van man, deliveriesin town, whilst trying not to block the road to busses is incredibly difficult nowdays, esp with pedestrian zones. I've done that in the past, couldn't seee the bollard, cos i'd parked in a stupid place rather than just dump the van on the road and block it, like they do in Atherstone every day.
|
Re: Invisible Bus
I'm not sure I dare tell you some of my funny experiences or you may never trust banks again!:D
|
Re: Invisible Bus
Quote:
|
Re: Invisible Bus
I saw a classic one at the top of Peel Street the other week where a car driver just drove straight along Abbey Street, disregarding the road markings and into the path of a bus coming up Peel Street and going towards Whalley Road, which had right of way. There was a screeching of brakes and the car driver jumped out and yelled at the bus driver as if he was the one in the wrong! Maybe some people don't understand road markings.
|
Re: Invisible Bus
Quote:
Come on people, I have loads of experiences, surely you have some funny moments at your workplace? |
Re: Invisible Bus
yes very funny. do you think he was even aware that it was buses only? he may be a complete stranger to the town, on a tight schedule, doesn't know where the drop is where the delivery entrance is, how to get to it, which are one way street which are pedestrian, which are bus only. he may be in a right panic. I've gone round and round a town for an hour trying to find a way in to shops, in the end I had to walk with it. 'cos was busses only. I don't think it's funny at all I think its a sick thing to do, esp as theres a good chance he could loose his job over it if it's a company and not his van.
I've just come up the old A5 down here, as opposed to the bypass, a hgv had come from the ind est and got lost, instead of going straight on at the island across the old A5 to join the bypass roughhly half way along he'd turned right on to the old road. he was foriegn, didnt realise that road rejions the A5 and tried to reverse back on to the island during rush hour traffic. it caused chaos, cars blasting their horns, giving abuse. i stopped which stopped some of the traffic squeezing behind the reversing truck, then another van pulled up by the side of the truck and found out why he was reversing. then told him if he carries on forward that it will bring him to the A5 and can then either double back north or go south. An unselfish act to someone who isn't being selfish but is creating a problem helped sort it for everyone,and we all got home nice and safe. |
Re: Invisible Bus
I think there's a sign at the top of Peel Street to say that it's buses only but it may well say buses and for loading. There are bus stops (an extension of the bus station which is basically what Peel Street is these days) all up the sides and even so people park IN the bus stops! I catch the Fern Gore bus which leaves from in front of the chemists and there have been times when he's had to stop in the middle of the road (blocking off buses coming up in the opposite direction) because someone with a disabled sticker has parked in the bus stop in order to go to the chenists. I think that even having a disabled sticker doesn't automatically give people a right to park in a bus stop or anywhere else where it may cause an obstruction or be a danger to other road users.
I have a lot of sympathy for people trying to make deliveries to shops and I think a lot of the responsibility for a ludicrous situation in Peel Street is that of Hyndborg BC when the bus station was shrunk in order to fit the market down the side of it just so they could build the Wilkinson's block. However I have no sympathy for van drivers who drive half on pavements when they obviously cannot see what is behind them. This guy hit a bollard. Supposing he had hit a small child who should have been perfectly safe on the pavement? If he couldn't see what was behind him he shouldn't have been reversing. Thankfully all he damaged was a bollard and his van in this case. I have the same sort of feeling towards car drivers who drive in front of the Town Hall where only buses are permitted. People look out for buses and then cross when the bus has gone, they do not expect a 30mph car to suddenly appear because a 30mph car shouldn't suddenly appear - but they do, despite the signs. That's why we have road signs, so that people who are not familiar with the area know where they are permitted to drive and where they are not permitted to drive. People reverse into main roads too? What's that all about? Don't they know it's dangerous apart from not being allowed? I do agree it's a nightmare for bigger vehicles trying to negotiate our town and make deliveries to factories etc. I've seen them struggling in Exchange Street and idiotic drivers not giving them enough room to manoever. I've also seen drivers in Exchange Street parked on zigzags half on and half off the pavement. I had to interfere one day when the driver of an articulated lorry who was lost on factory bottoms was being directed by someone who had obviously no idea what driving a thing that size entails - he was being directed to a junction he couldn't possible have got round. |
Re: Invisible Bus
There will be some fun when the new road works start there on the 8/3/06
for 6 weeks hehe |
Re: Invisible Bus
It'll be crazy won't it Mick?
Ooh and that reminds me there are going to be roadworks at the bottom of Willows Lane too. |
Re: Invisible Bus
Quote:
|
Re: Invisible Bus
I am going to stay away from buses in Accy in future its too dangerous.
|
Re: Invisible Bus
I find it amazing that more people aren't killed on the roads every day. I travel by bus up and down Oxford Street, and the number of people who either just walk out without looking (often on their mobile) and those who sprint across the road in front of a bus (when they get to the other side, they just loiter looking in shop windows, so not that much of a hurry) is staggering. The standard of driving is getting worse, too.
Funny stories? - catch me sometime, and I will spill all. Not mine, but a friend who is a vet was called out by an elderly lady to look at her cat. Peter inspects, announces cat is in perfect health, but is also in kitten. Lady protests that this is impossible, cat has never been out of the house. Just then, in strolls large black cat, Peter inspects it - Yup, it's a tomcat. "What about him?" he asks. Lady says indignantly - "Don't be silly, he's her brother". |
Re: Invisible Bus
Funny stories from work, mmmm, not very funny but when I worked for a pharmaceutical firm got a phone call from a man who wanted paracetamol tablets but without any paracetamol in them (never really found out what he meant).
Yesterday I was in work and the IT chap piped up loudly, "has anyone had any spam lately", the lady who works next to me said "I haven't had that for years, I used to love spam fritters". |
Re: Invisible Bus
That reminds me of the woman who blamed computer viruses on too many people coming in to work when they've got the flu!
|
Re: Invisible Bus
Quote:
|
Re: Invisible Bus
Still a sick thing to do in my opinion.
Dissabled shouldn't be alowed in the town centre, they should have spaces in car parks, if they can park their and get to the shops, they can get from the nearest car park. What they're doing is dangerous. I saw one parked on the zigzags of a zebra crossing the other day. I agree vans shouldn't be on the path, but sometimes the only alternative is to park on paths, and a van by nature has a big blind spot at the back. He probably assumed that as you were behind waiting for him that you'd tell him if it wasn't clear. thats what you have to do rely on others. What should be done is proper delivery bays, and pedestrian zone access. I've had loads stolen of the van cos i've left it and that was while parked close by. a whole pallet that needed a fork truck to take it off gone in two minutes out of a locked van. I've also had to walk from the edge of a pedestrian zone to a jewelers with a tote box full of expensive jewelery. that one was in chester. they don't let you in till four. In liverpool it's five, a lot of good that is, shops are closed then. |
Re: Invisible Bus
3 Attachment(s)
I've just taken some photos of Peel Sreet to give you a bit of an idea what it's like. Amazingly I saw something today which even outdoes Busman's one in my opinion. I couldn't photograph it because I was actually ON the bus at the time. The Fern Gore bus was pulling out of its stop in front of Lloyds chemists in Peel Street when a red car reversed down Infant Street and right across into the middle of Peel Street only a few yards in front of us! It then reversed UP Peel Street and parked in the middle of the road, a good 3 feet from the kerb. The driver got out and went into a shop, leaving the bus driver to struggle to manoever round him!
As a regular bus passenger I often see the difficulties bus drivers have to face on the roads and they have my total sympathy. Quite apart from car drivers who just don't seem to notice the bus's existence they do have a timetable to keep to as well. If they arrive late through no fault of their own (i.e. road works causing a hold up or vans/cars reversing into them) the passengers don't half have a good old moan. The bus couldn't even get up Ormerod Street on Friday following a sudden heavy fall of snow. Cars couldn't get up never mind buses and they were skewed about all over the place blocking the road off but that didn't stop people moaning about the non-existent bus. I don't know how the drivers up here manage to stay so cheerful. I must say that whenever I have been on Busman's route all his passengers seem to be a very pleasant bunch though. They are always friendly and chatty. Anyway, here's the bollard and you can see how far onto the pavement it actually is and it was put there for the precise reason of stopping vans going on the pavement and being a danger to pedestruans. Also you'll note the very clear sign at the top of Peel St which says only buses are allowed. The council really should have made a better bus station but it wanted the cake and the ha'penny. BTW that Tourist Information sign is pointing in the wrong direction! :D |
Re: Invisible Bus
Well that car drivers just a lazy git and a total idiot, shouldn't be allowed on the road. Reminds me of when I tried to take a photo the other day of a wall carving in town, stood there getting it in frame, focus..............., and a group of girls pullup right infront of me, between me and the subject. double yellow lines, not enough room for anything other than a cat to get by without going on the path. They got out and went shopping.
I can't comment from those pictures, I don't know the area layout, but that bollard is to stop vehicles cutting in when they turn. It's also too far on the path and and is an obstruction. That corner is a typical example of a road junction that is no longer suitable for the size, length, width, and amount of modern traffic. It's exactly like the one by the wall carving above, withe the car parking in the side street just with its bonnet by the bollard. Still no excuse for letting anyone reverse in to anything. For one reason if the bollard had snapped off, and the van had just driven off, then it's council tax that has to pay for it's repair. |
Re: Invisible Bus
You have to allow for idiots on the road, people who do what you don't expect, and white van man by the nature of the job is one of the worst, but not on purpose, mile for mile white van man is the safest on the road. Has to be, it's white vanmans livelyhood.
Today, i approached a service area, little chef garage etc, just before a roundabout. I indicated, slowed, followed the short decelaration lane in, and heard a blast of a horn, and looked to see an aldi lorry nearly take my back end off. Funny in one way, because it was his error but blamed me. |
Re: Invisible Bus
1 Attachment(s)
That junction where the bollard is isn't exactly a junction. It is more of an opening to a gate to the back of Wilkinsons etc. It used to be open access down there and was one of the oldest road in the town before HBC messed about with it. Was it called something like Pleck Road? The photos don't really show it very well.
If you think that bollard is badly placed you should see the one on the traffic island/peninsula thing at the top of Ormerod Street which causes traffic going down the road to be forced across to the opposite side. All in the name of road safety. It doesn't alter the fact that the signs at the end of Peel St say buses only, but if you want a bit of typical HBC irony - just past where it says buses only, on the opposite side to the bollard there is this area. |
Re: Invisible Bus
Now thats interesting, are you saying that you can't get to that unless you go through the bus only signs?
|
Re: Invisible Bus
Yep, clever that isn't it? You see the markings were on the road before the redesignation of access but those markings have never been removed. So I wonder how someone would stand if the traffic wardens (or whatever they are called these days) decided to book them for being in a buses only road but loading a white van in that section?
|
| All times are GMT. The time now is 13:48. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.6.1
© 2003-2013 AccringtonWeb.com