This is funny. Nigel Deans is a driving instructor in Huddersfield, and he was conducting a lesson with his pupil driving in a bus lane outside of its hours of operation. The bus driver – irate at the fact anyone dared enter his own private driving lane – pulled alongside and gave them a mouthful.
When the ADI complained to Huddersfield Bus Company, they responded by informing him that the bus driver knew the rules of the bus lane – quite the opposite of what the actual events seem to suggest.
He said: “They said the driver knew I was able to drive in that lane but he was running late and trying to keep to his timetable.”
Huddersfield Bus Company obviously figures as a prime nominee for the Prat Of The Year Awards. They cement this position even further:
A spokesman from Huddersfield Bus Company acknowledged the incident but would not confirm if the driver had been disciplined.
He said: “The driver will be dealt with how we see fit, within our internal systems.”
Here in Nottingham, buses are as big a menace as cyclists. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that their uniforms are made of Spandex. In the last couple of days my pupils have had to deal with one who was indicating to pull off before he’d even stopped to let passengers off on two stops – so determined was he not to let anyone pass; with one other who stopped short of the bus stop and so blocked the road because of the stupidly placed central pedestrian reservations that someone at the council decided we needed several thousand of a few years ago; and numerous others who start moving while you’re overtaking them. They don’t stay within speed limits, they deliberately jump out of light-controlled bus lanes when they see there are no people at the bus stop to avoid having to slow down while the lights change (and which are, in any case, biased in favour of the bus to change immediately one of them trips the proximity sensor), and if they’re actually ahead of schedule they will sit for 10 minutes or more at stops on narrow roads causing chaos while they read the newspaper.
The ADI also makes some valid comments about normal motorists’ use of bus lanes. My favourite around here is on Mansfield Road heading into Nottingham. Absolutely no one goes in it, then there’s a major free-for-all as they all try to move over when it ends. Or, no one goes in it until they see me in it – then they will move over to make sure I don’t get ahead of them. Or, when people are turning left into Mapperley Hall Drive, they wait until they are exactly level with the junction and then attempt a 90° turn into it – usually just in front of me, and without any form of mirror check.