I just saw a Dublin bus run a red light at a pedestrian crossing

homeless student

I just saw a Dublin bus run a red light at a pedestrian crossing,in the city.
still in shock that someone who is a professional driver in charge of a big dangerous vehicle would do something like that. There was a big crowd of people waiting to use the crossing, had 1 of them stepped on the road when the green man showed, they would have been killed or seriously injured. took the reg btw.

daveyeh

What are you waiting on? SQUEAL!

Bits_n_Bobs

Post about it in an outraged manner online quick before something turrible happens.

Fresh Pots

Report that guy, was on a Dublin Bus a few years back, bus driver was belting it into town, he ran a red light on the quays, cops pulled him over and had a word with the rest of the bus listening. Needless to say the rest of the journey was a slow one!

shanered

And to think of all those times I've moaned about the bus being late.

Kumsheen

Did he do it on purpose or make a mistake?

homeless student

Kumsheen wrote: »

Did he do it on purpose or make a mistake?

only he can know that.

StreetLight

Deary deary me. Now count the number of private motorists and cyclists who do the same thing fifty-fold.

homeless student

StreetLight wrote: »

Deary deary me. Now count the number of private motorists and cyclists who do the same thing fifty-fold.

yes, but they are not professional drivers are they?

you mightn't be so smart if he had ran over a family member of yours would you?

StreetLight

homeless student wrote: »

yes, but they are not professional drivers are they?

you mightn't be so smart if he had ran over a family member of yours would you?

So it's okay for amateur driver to do it?

homeless student

StreetLight wrote: »

So it's okay for amateur driver to do it?

obviously not.:p

endacl

I've just come out of tesco. Saw a guy at the self service till using a plastic bag withou scanning it first!

Who do I tell, or is it ok to just let boards take care of it?

homeless student

endacl wrote: »

I've just come out of tesco. Saw a guy at the self service till using a plastic bag withou scanning it first!

Who do I tell, or is it ok to just let boards take care of it?

you tell the SAS and the president of Iran.

Mr E

Was Sandra Bullock standing beside the driver?

OldNotWIse

Happens all the time now. I rarely see a light sequence where at least one driver doesnt break the red. So much so that I assumed they had changed the law while I was living under a rock, and that it was now permissable to go through up to 3 seconds after the light goes red once you do it like really really fast...

I give buses leeway a lot. They'rea big heavy machine, with a longer stopping distance, and always in a rush to get to the next stop.

If he's coming in too fast and the lights change on him and he's too close, he can either jam on the brakes and probably stop on or over the crossing, or he can just go through. I'd hope most people would look before crossing a road, anyway. Especially so, in Dublin.

I'd give him a break. From my general day-to-day driving (in Drogheda, not Dublin) bus drivers seem to have it hard enough. I always go out of my way to let them out/in/etc. and can understand they're always in a rush against traffic, etc. He was probably well-intentioned. No one was hurt

homeless student

Deleted User wrote: »

I give buses leeway a lot. They'rea big heavy machine, with a longer stopping distance, and always in a rush to get to the next stop.

If he's coming in too fast and the lights change on him and he's too close, he can either jam on the brakes and probably stop on or over the crossing, or he can just go through. I'd hope most people would look before crossing a road, anyway. Especially so, in Dublin.

I'd give him a break. From my general day-to-day driving (in Drogheda, not Dublin) bus drivers seem to have it hard enough. I always go out of my way to let them out/in/etc. and can understand they're always in a rush against traffic, etc. He was probably well-intentioned. No one was hurt

oh ya sure lol

Peppa Pig

Deleted User wrote: »

If he's coming in too fast and the lights change on him and he's too close, he can either jam on the brakes and probably stop on or over the crossing, or he can just go through.

That's what the amber light is for ....

carlmango11

Considering that there's a delay between when the light goes red and the pedestrian light goes green I'd say screw it. It's really not that dangerous plus trying to suddenly stop a double decker bus is probably worse.

Also there's nothing worse than those drivers that drive 2 miles an hour and brake as soon as they see an orange light. :pac:

Carawaystick

If this was outside the Swan, on Aungier st, I'd say I saw that happen at least every other day. Some busses even do it accelerating away from the stop, 20 yards before the lights.

Peppa Pig

Peppa Pig wrote: »

That's what the amber light is for ....

Thats true, but even driving a normal sized, everyday car, if you're coming at a decent pace to the lights and they change last minute, sometimes you're almost better off flooring it and trying to get through quickly when it just turns red, rather than coming in at a slower pace when it's already been red a second or two, and parking on top of, or beyond, the pedestrian crossing.

If i were a bus driver in the above situation, I'd accelerate and go through. Dublin buses are all double deckers (far as I know, anyway), and heavy machines with a lot of people, and often children, unrestrained in them.

I was in a bus before and a friend who was leaning over to tie his shoelace got a belt of a steel bar, that was in front of his seat, in the face, when the driver jammed the breaks. With older people wandering around, kids on laps, buggies, etc. all on board, I'd consider it foolish to jam the breaks in any situation.

That said, if this is the situation, it's possible the driver was approaching the lights too fast. Theoretically, he should always be prepared to stop for lights, but in reality he's probably under pressure and stressed to the hilt to try and make it to the next stop in time. Though many probably won't agree: Bus drivers are human, too.


Ultimately, though, I've never been a bus driver. I've never been behind the wheel of anything bigger than a Jeep, and I've never had any more than 3 passengers. So my opinion is probably worthless.

As a Joe Soap out and about, though, as a driver or pedestrian, I will go out of my way for buses to assist them when I can (well, not so much assist, but more just keep out of their way and let them at it). That's just my approach though. I find bus drivers generally happy to give a smile and a wave if you let them in at a junction or such. Something you don't always get off the everyday cars on the road. At least they appreciate it (so far, so good, anyway ).

Maybe I'm too lenient.

AlekSmart

Deleted User wrote: »

Thats true, but even driving a normal sized, everyday car, if you're coming at a decent pace to the lights and they change last minute, sometimes you're almost better off flooring it and trying to get through quickly when it just turns red, rather than coming in at a slower pace when it's already been red a second or two, and parking on top of, or beyond, the pedestrian crossing.

If i were a bus driver in the above situation, I'd accelerate and go through. Dublin buses are all double deckers (far as I know, anyway), and heavy machines with a lot of people, and often children, unrestrained in them.

I was in a bus before and a friend who was leaning over to tie his shoelace got a belt of a steel bar, that was in front of his seat, in the face, when the driver jammed the breaks. With older people wandering around, kids on laps, buggies, etc. all on board, I'd consider it foolish to jam the breaks in any situation.

That said, if this is the situation, it's possible the driver was approaching the lights too fast. Theoretically, he should always be prepared to stop for lights, but in reality he's probably under pressure and stressed to the hilt to try and make it to the next stop in time. Though many probably won't agree: Bus drivers are human, too.


Ultimately, though, I've never been a bus driver. I've never been behind the wheel of anything bigger than a Jeep, and I've never had any more than 3 passengers. So my opinion is probably worthless.

As a Joe Soap out and about, though, as a driver or pedestrian, I will go out of my way for buses to assist them when I can (well, not so much assist, but more just keep out of their way and let them at it). That's just my approach though. I find bus drivers generally happy to give a smile and a wave if you let them in at a junction or such. Something you don't always get off the everyday cars on the road. At least they appreciate it (so far, so good, anyway ).

Maybe I'm too lenient.

NO KKV,I would not say you're too lenient at all.

That post indicates a degree of commonsense and an acceptance of a somewhat imperfect world in which most of us try to make the best of what we have.

As to the OP's description of what occurred,thats all we have,a description of what the individual saw from whatever vantage point they had.

Yes,it may well have been a clear case of intentional lunacy by a Driver who had gone Loco ?...then again it may have been misjudgement or a momentary loss of concentration ?...or then again,perhaps the Busdrivers view of the incident could well be different based upon the view of the location available to him/her at that time.

One example of such a situation is the approach to a particular City Centre Controlled Junction (Stephens Green/Kildare St).

As a Bus approaches on the inside lane,positioning to address the two highly irregular,poorly positioned Bus-Stops,general traffic will continue to jostle for position and move to overtake the Bus at all costs,totally oblivious to the AMBER/RED Traffic Signal pointing in their direction...If I stop the Bus and thus encourage a pedestrian to cross,they will then have a VERY high chance of being struck (at some speed) by those vehicles...In 50/50 situations AT THIS LOCATION I would make a call to proceed,in order to avoid being called as a witness to a fatality.

The Busdrivers elevated position and very different set of contributory observations sometimes makes for judgement calls which,initially,may seem at variance with accepted practice....most times it's for a very good reason.

I would also venture to suggest that describing a Bus as

a big dangerous vehicle

is perhaps a little OTT,every moving vehicle has an inherent element of danger,but most of that is concentrated in the mind of the person in charge of it,rather than the vehicle itself.

At the end of the day OP,it's YOUR decision...as you have all of the relevant details to hand,it's all down to whatever intent YOU wish to put on the Drivers actions.

Keep us posted as to your call ?

homeless student

Taking all the responses into consideration, I think I will leave it.

Greenmachine

I do honestly think that some DB drivers drive like maniacs. But disregarding that for a minute I do have to agree with what someone else has about stopping distance.