I was riding into town and a bus almost hits me, i was going down the road and he was in the bus lane stationary so i go past him then look back to turn right to make sure its safe then i look ahead again then start to turn right as I'm turning right i hear a horn the bus was trying to over take me so i swerve left and i was shaking as im not experienced on a road and I'm only 15 i only bought my bike a week ago and just wanted to know the driver also looked at me as if i was some idiot on the road when I'd like to think of myself as responsible thanks and opinions appreciated.
was i in the wrong?
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Reading this through a couple of times, I'd say that at some point in your looking back/ ahead, you missed the fact that the bus was approaching.
That's not to say that the driver was right in what he did (as you stated your side, I don't think he was), but sometimes even when you're in the right, you could be hurt... or worse.
Once you made the pass, you should have signaled and maneuvered back to the right as soon as it was practicable - as soon as you could safely do so - rather than waiting long enough to have him overtake you, passing on the right.
Also, not faulting you, but this may not have happened exactly as you think. Your speed at the time you made the pass would be relevant, but from a dead stop, it takes a bus 'awhile' to get up speed, so (IMO) the possibility exists that (again) you waited a bit too long to signal your intentions and move back to the right/ shoulder.
I know you're too young to drive, but similarly, you need to ride defensively - look out for the other guy(s), use hand signals and be predictable in your maneuvers.
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my god...your first post was one single sentence. if you're 15 you must be in school, right?
as for riding on the road, definitely ride defensively. sometimes this means holding back and letting situations play out, sometimes it means riding aggressively so you're in control. with the minimal experience you have at this point, i'd err to the cautious side whenever possible. after you have some miles you'll get a feel for how things can happen w/ car traffic, pedestrians, etc. it's all about experience, and knowing the potential for things to go all wrong in an instant.
be careful, keep your eyes and ears open, and you'll be fine.
as for riding on the road, definitely ride defensively. sometimes this means holding back and letting situations play out, sometimes it means riding aggressively so you're in control. with the minimal experience you have at this point, i'd err to the cautious side whenever possible. after you have some miles you'll get a feel for how things can happen w/ car traffic, pedestrians, etc. it's all about experience, and knowing the potential for things to go all wrong in an instant.
be careful, keep your eyes and ears open, and you'll be fine.
lol i know my grammar wasn't the best in this. I'm actually predicted an A in my gcse's surprisingly but grammar has never been my strong point, i was just in a rush to leave lol.
And as for the advice thank you, i will take it onboard.
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Without actually seeing the lay-out of the road, it's hard to say who was at fault here. When you sat "bus lane", do you mean a dedicated lane for buses on the right side of the road? Or are you talking about an area a certain distance around both sides of a bus stop?
Unless you were turning across a dedicated bus lane to turn right, the vehicle ahead has the right of way turning right. That's assuming that you weren't riding on or close to the center line of the road before starting the turn. If you were, drivers aren't going to assume a right turn. They're going to assume that you're either proceeding straight, or turn left, in which case they may try to turn inside you.
Last question: did you signal with your arm that you were turning right? Always signal a turn. Even if you think no one is behind you. It's a good habit to get into.
Unless you were turning across a dedicated bus lane to turn right, the vehicle ahead has the right of way turning right. That's assuming that you weren't riding on or close to the center line of the road before starting the turn. If you were, drivers aren't going to assume a right turn. They're going to assume that you're either proceeding straight, or turn left, in which case they may try to turn inside you.
Last question: did you signal with your arm that you were turning right? Always signal a turn. Even if you think no one is behind you. It's a good habit to get into.
well, i live in the uk so the bus lane is on the left and i was on the lane to the right i wasn't even in the bus lane.
as for your last question yes i signalled to the right with my arm and my arm was fully stretched and i have always done that.
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I don't know what more you could have done, then. I would say the bus driver was wrong. In the US, it would be as if he turned left from the far right lane, across another lane heading in the same direction. Doesn't matter what kind of vehicle was using the other lane. The right thing to do would have been merge out of the bus lane, into the general traffic lane, and wait for vehicles ahead before turning.
i think the bus driver just could't be bothered to wait an extra 30 seconds or so.
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Bear in mind that buses are totally blind behind them for a pretty good distance, and that a driver is almost certainly looking at his right side mirror to check for traffic behind him, when he's preparing to merge right in the UK. Same with lorries. Anticipate and ride defensively. This was a good learning experience. Being "in the right" is slight consolation when you're recuperating in a hospital bed.
I understand that they have blind spots but i was ahead of him he would have seen me. I think he made a bad decision on his part but I also could have prevented it as well. I'm not really concerned about "being in the right" any more i will take onboard everybody's advice and learn from it
I agree with PJ. Also, before riding on main streets, I think it would behoove all cyclists to first take some kinda state cycling test. Something similar to a driver's test offered by the state's DMV. Once you've passed all of the vehicles to your right, in attempt to make a right hand turn, you should immediately veer to the right (in front of passed traffic), and signal to indicate a right hand turn. Read the hand signals section of your states DMV driver's license test handbook (something I should have done, too).
in the uk at school we take a "test" sort of thing i cant remember what it was called but it takes us through the basics of road riding hand signals ect, i did take these and pass although it was a few years ago.
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I've been following this, but now I'm thoroughly confused about who was where when.
-The bus was stopped in the bus lane, on the left side of the road
-you went around it on the right, and passed.
-then, did you stay to the right, or move back to the left side of the road?
-which lane were you in, and on which side of it, when you began your turn to the right? that is, were you turning across the path of the overtaking bus, or did the bus move over into your lane?
I'm confused.
-The bus was stopped in the bus lane, on the left side of the road
-you went around it on the right, and passed.
-then, did you stay to the right, or move back to the left side of the road?
-which lane were you in, and on which side of it, when you began your turn to the right? that is, were you turning across the path of the overtaking bus, or did the bus move over into your lane?
I'm confused.
lol ill awnser them in order.
1 well he was in a dedicated bus lane to the left of the road
2 didnt really go around him as he wasnt in my lane
3/4 i remained on the right hand side and stayed in the centre of the road.
the bus moved into my lane and proceeded to take over me as i was turning right.
hope that helps?
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He's in the UK, where the driver is on the right side of the car, so that's not how right turns are signalled.
Further, in most U.S. States, cyclists are specifically allowed to signal a right turn by extending the right arm straight out with the finger pointing. It is a clearer and more emphatic signal than the old left-arm up, which can look to a driver like the cyclist is waving at somebody. You might check your state's laws.
Hey there J! I never knew about the right hand signal option for bicyclists (although, I've been known to have instinctively done that, anyways). Thanx! :thumbsup: I actually thought everybody else was doing it wrong!!!
My God, you're an adult and you have no concept of when it's appropriate to use capital letters in a sentence! Not a good idea to point fingers and then screw up yourself.
LOL xD
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Lighten up Francis !!!!!
Pretty impressed with the maturity of our poster. A lot of kids from around here would have fired off some incoherent dribble invective.
Some drivers are different. Some will wait, smile, bow you a kiss. Others will run you into the ditch.
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