Complaints

omri

Hi,

I was wondering is there any point to make complaint to Dublin Bus for their drivers beeing dangerous to cyclists ?

Recently I've been passed by few of them very close and very fast. Somtetimes it happened just before I was going to pass a hole. It was a really slight move but beeing suddenly passed by bus goin quite fast isn't nice and safe at all.

daymobrew

Get the reg and route of the bus and report it to the appropriate depot (it's listed on the timetable pages on the Dublin Bus website. For example route 1 is from Ringsend.
Tell the depot that you are going to put it in writing to head office too.

unionman

Absolutely file a complaint. There are a few bus drivers who seem to either diregard cyclists or regard them as a nuisance. Have had a few hairy moments myself, and the newer models of bus have very quiet engines that don't necessarily alert you to their presence. I was beeped and given some very interesting hand signals by a bus driver on the quays two weeks ago. My crime? I indicated I was pulling out, in order to avoid a pothole. Clearly the 1.5 second delay that I probably caused the bus was a major inconvenience. I'd love to see a coordinated effort to have DB drivers adopt a more cyclist friendly approach, especially as we now share exclusive rights to most bus and bike lanes. Dublin City Council want to get more of us cycling to work, that means involving all stakeholders, especially bus drivers.

blorg

omri wrote:

Recently I've been passed by few of them very close and very fast. Somtetimes it happened just before I was going to pass a hole. It was a really slight move but beeing suddenly passed by bus goin quite fast isn't nice and safe at all.

I've had this as well, I've even had the driver deliberately pull into me as he passed, had to brake sharply to get behind it or he would have hit me.

It happens in particular on the N11 if you aren't on the unusable "cycle path" between Stillorgan and Foster's Avenue. Certain drivers (and they are a minority) take the opportunity to "teach cyclists a lesson."

One thing I found very useful was a mirror, I can now see them coming up behind me and get out of their way. Definately file a complaint though, it's only a matter of time before one of them kills or seriously injures a cyclist.

Hungrycol

blorg wrote:

one of them kills or seriously injures ....

...again

pete4130

Should I even mention the bus driver who actually tried to run uss off the road (me and some friends) by squezzing us against the kerb years ago on the Stillorgan road near UCD because we eren't using the inadequate cycle lane....all this after he drove along side us with the doors open shouting abuse and threatening us........

omri

do I need the registration nuber of bus or just route number and aprox time when it occured ?

I think, they can check, who was driving in that particular time.

joker77

As a cyclist I'm going to have to stick up for the bus men now. I've been cycling through rush hour traffic in the city centre for a few years now, and I have to say on the whole Dublin Bus drivers are very good when it comes to cyclists. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for taxi and regular car drivers...

blorg

I completely agree, the vast majority are fine and considerate. However there is a small minority who are quite literally homicidal maniacs and deliberately target cyclists. That is what we are talking about here.

joker77

blorg wrote:

I completely agree, the vast majority are fine and considerate. However there is a small minority who are quite literally homicidal maniacs and deliberately target cyclists. That is what we are talking about here.

Fair point

rubadub

blorg wrote:

It happens in particular on the N11 if you aren't on the unusable "cycle path" between Stillorgan and Foster's Avenue. Certain drivers (and they are a minority) take the opportunity to "teach cyclists a lesson."

I complained about this before and got an email back, details here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/archive/index.php/t-2055007069.html

I am not certain but I think on that stretch you are obliged to cycle in the bus lane. The white markings on the alleged cycletrack are no longer there on 80% of the path, therefore it is a footpath, and this is evident from all the pedestrians :rolleyes:

Robfitz is the expert on such signage, maybe he knows. At the end where the cycletrack comes to the church it is definitely a very grey area.

Dublin bus are not the worst, neither are the taxis, it is these clapped out private coaches. I am not sure they are even legally allowed in buslanes, seems any lad can put "Bray Cabs" on their hatchback car and drive in a buslane.

I can imagine them just tossing away letters in dublin bus though, should we not be reporting them to the gardai for dangerous driving and be certain they will get real warnings.

PeadarofAodh

I don't have much of a problem with busses, although I've had a few hairy moments with lazy drivers not taking a proper look in their mirrors.

One thing that really gets me is when they go by too close at speed and you get that suction motion from the vaccum left behind by the bus, really tests my balance sometimes.

Dandelion6

I've complained to Dublin Bus on a few occasions and always received a quick and courteous reply. Whether they've done anything about it, I don't know. Actually meant to send in another complaint last week (a driver blocking the cycle lane on Winetavern Street :mad: ) but completely forgot ...

omri

Maybe we should stick topic, gather all cases and every month send one big complaint

CU-Cme

Absolutely. without a question. Put it in writing. It staggers me to read the number of complaints against Dublin Bus and its drivers for their rudeness, attitude and hostility. Wouldnt it be great if we could all organise a day to boycott taking the bus to show that this sort of behaviour is not acceptable?

In this time of recession, if they hate their job so much then why don't they leave? There are plenty of people out there who want a job.

Captain Havoc

CU-Cme wrote: »

Wouldnt it be great if we could all organise a day to boycott taking the bus to show that this sort of behaviour is not acceptable?

You should be on your bike and not the bus anyway

Huggles

LOL Necro Thread!

I actually had this issue in Malahide this morning. The bus coasted behind me, he was coasting along rather than accelerating so I didn't hear him but noticed him as he suddenly floored it and tore by me. I swear they do it deliberately! Tosser.

CU-Cme

jerseyeire wrote: »

You should be on your bike and not the bus anyway

Well m8 following my latest experience of an aggressive dublin bus driver - I'm going this monday to procure a bike. I'd rather have the rain beating down on me than some anger-issue infused driver!

fenris

As someone who has been there as regards getting knocked off of my bike by a dublin bus driver on that same stretch of road and making a complaint to dublin bus I am firmly of the opinion that you should not complain to dublin bus, complain to the Gardai. The main purpose of the complaints guys in Donnybrook seems to be to give you someone to vent at, nod and agree that it is terrible and get you to "leave it with them", in other words damage limitation for dublin bus.

If I have any further incidents with dublin bus drivers my first port of call will be the Gardai. Not cycling on a bad cycling lane does not give a bus or taxi driver the right to maim or kill a cyclist.

Imagine the incident went to court:

Cycling on the road instead of a cycling lane - €50 ?

Reckless / dangerous driving causing injury or death = off the road, suspended sentence, €2000?

The only reason that I can think of to report anything to dublin bus would be to remove any excuse if the same driver kills or injures someone after an earlier complaint thus exposing dublin bus to an accusation of negligence.

concussion

Should one refer the matter to Dublin Bus and wait for their response before making a complaint to the Gardaí?

blorg

Don't see why you would wait for their response before going to the Gardaí. Generally you are better off going to the Gardaí pretty much immediately... They are however more likely to take it seriously if there are actual injuries, and witnesses.

concussion

No injury, no witnesses, no physical contact between myself and the bus so I was reluctant to make a statement to the Gardaí. On the other hand, I was forced off the road by several tonnes of bus so I'm going to the station tomorrow!