BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

May I say two things?

1 (one) I wasn't there and you were so I don't mean to be talking out of miass but: that sucks

B (bee) at the risk of being Pollyanish or Panglossian (not sure which is more appropos) this is why I try to make eye contact and give a friendly wave to every bus driver and police officer I can - - if they see us as "damn fool idiots" that's not going to have a good outcome for us, but I think it's got to be difficult for them to stay ignorant re people who keep waving hello and smiling friendly at them.

Usually I'm much more cynical than this, it's just a weak spot. Maybe it's the holidays.

quizbot has good blinks. this guy new he was there for sure.

cburch - I don't doubt the quality of blinkage at all.

QB- no disrespect intended!

@vannevar:

1) helmet cam was there for you. I know it's a bit dark, but I was obviously forced out of the bike lane by a 6 ton vehicle.

I'm not obligated to wave my hanky at bus drivers in order to ensure safe passage. Every other bus I've encountered at this intersection over the last few weeks has been totally generous with space, particularly since the new striping has been laid. #5346 was just a special sort of douche.

No disrespect taken... just wanted to respond.

Did you file a complaint w/ PAT? They'd probably thank you.

From a liability perspective, I'm sure they'd rather use your video evidence and discipline him now than have a lawsuit on their hands down the road when he does something even more inane.

Use this link, and post a link to your video in the comment field.

http://www.portauthority.org/paac/CompanyInfoProjects/CustomerService/Complaints.aspx

I've contacted PAT and Steve Bland twice about this sort of behavior.

Complaint filed with link to the video. We'll see what comes of it.

I'll wager a dollar that nothing comes of it besides perhaps a reply email.

I live right on Liberty and go through Bloomfield to the post office and bank at least every other day. This is the usual behavior of bus drivers in my experience. I couldn't even begin to count how many times buses have only partially passed me before pulling into the curb and cutting me off. I do everything in my power to either stay an entire light cycle ahead of a bus, or well behind it where it can't run me over.

I want to be a strong advocate of PAT, and they have done some great things to help the cycling community with racks on the buses, but unfortunately bus drivers seem to do everything in their power to make an enemy out of me. I understand they are on the road all day and all, but my experience with UPS and FedEx drivers is drastically different than buses. They're also on the road all day, caught in traffic, and on a minute by minute schedule but I've had nothing but courteous interactions with the big delivery firm's drivers.

+1 Brad's experience with UPS/FedEx

And when you report a bad FedEX or UPS driver they actually respond.

PAT is self-insured and has their own police force. I have a feeling that has a lot to do with how these drivers behave.

Most transportation focused companies take offenses like this rather seriously. It is their reputation at stake, and having one driver ruin it usually doesn't fly by most execs (is PAT a company?). Some trucking companies will terminate you almost instantly if a complaint like this makes it through the pipelines, there are always more drivers.

If anything, it's a strike on his record.

PAT has many wonderful things going for it, but bad behavior by a few of their drivers is well-insulated in regard to complaints.

^ Yes. (Eric's post)

What I really want to see happen is transparency. I've been after their Customer Svc dept since the mid-1990s to make their complaint handling system more responsive. To no avail. It's always a bit bucket; no getting back to you, even if they do follow through on the complaint, which they more often do not.

I've worked in corporate environments since the early 1980s, and all of them have had as transparent and accountable reporting systems as the technology of the day allowed. I think PAT's approval rating would increase greatly if they would/could just put the information out there, let people see what happens, be able to trace whether what they reported actually made it to someone who could actually do something about it, to see what that something was, and that the problem was resolved, or just what took place if it didn't get resolved.

Specifically, I want to see this:

* 2011-11-23 11:40 Complaint 12345; rcvd via web. Person on bicycle reports being cut off by bus 5346, route 88 outbound, eve of 11/22. Link to video provided. [link]

* 2011-11-23 11:41 Complaint 12345; automatic email sent to complainant.

* 2011-11-23 11:42 Reviewed by CustSvc rep xyz, routed to Operations Manager at East Liberty.

* 2011-11-23 14:45 ELib OM review. Operator 9999 identified as operator of ob 88 5346 on 11/22. Issue deemed valid.

* 2011-11-23 14:47 Call posted for operator 9999 to speak with OM at first opportunity.

* 2011-11-24 09:03 Operator 9999 called on carpet. Video reviewed. Rules reviewed. Note made on record.

* 2011-11-24 09:45 Email sent to complainant. Matter closed.

Now maybe they can't make all that publicly available (legalities, etc., which is understandable), but if they did something, they should follow up and say so. In writing. They're not doing that. And need to.

@quiz - is that a cop directly behind you in the video? I thought I caught a flash of blue lights once the bus is in front of you, and then when you pan behind, it looks like there might be a light bracket on top of the car directly behind you.

I myself don't see anything wrong with the bus driver's driving. The light was green when he passed bike, see the frame shot below. The driver at that point doesn't know the light is going to turn red before he (the bus) gets through it, you can see when he puts his brake lights on. Then once the light is red, it doesn't make any sense for the bike rider to swing way over into the left lane, I mean the light is red, I wouldn't filter fwd or whatever at that point. To me thats the kind of riding you don't want to be doing.

So it's ok to turn right in front of a vehicle before there is enough room to safely clear it?

This is the point where the driver was already turning in front of quizbot.

From Allstate's site...

When it's clear, move into the passing lane, step on the gas and continue to accelerate until you can see the entire vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror.

Start your right turn signal and ease the car back into your original lane.

Wow. Having actual video of the event is crazy. It's like watching video review during an nfl game.

@Swalfoort: no cop was around.

@Boazo: if I had stayed in the bike lane, the driver would have hit me. That's cool? Also, the light WAS red when he passed me. The green lights you are referencing are for the on ramp to the bridge, not the Liberty/Main intersection. Looking at rsprake's frame grab, the cluster of red lights between the bus and the green ramp lights are the tail lights of stopped cars and the red lights of the Liberty/Main intersection.

Another grab from the very beginning of the clip before he passed me also shows the the lights at Liberty/Main were already red, and cars were braking to slow down. The driver DOES know that the light is red before he passed me.

Bus drivers are the reason I don't like taking 5th from Craig St. to the Birmingham Bridge. I had a bus ride so close to my back wheel on 5th if I slowed down he would of ran me over, and I know I have the brightest blinky in Pittsburgh. That has happened more than once.

I don't see why the bus moved over into the bike lane at all, it seems like the only purpose was to piss quizbot off.

@mr marvelous: the bike lane merges into the far right lane at Liberty/Main. There's a PAT shelter there. I had heard a rumor that the right lane was going to be signed as bus/bike only, but so far it just has the new bike lane paint extended into it past where it used to end at the lumber shop before the on ramp. Technically, he was allowed to be there but he just went about it by pulling a dick move.

I don't remember what kind of camera quizbot has but it gave a great video even on a dark rainy night. I wonder what a difference if any it would make if we all had video cameras. Bad drivers and hooligans all on video. Similar to how every police car has a camera. Would people change their behavior if they knew they were being recorded.

My favorite dick movie by motorists on liberty is when they use the bike lane to pass you on the right when you are driving outbound up the hill between the Hulton bridge and 40th st. When I sit in traffic, I do not put my front bumper up the ass of the car in front of me. If there is even a half of a car length between me and the car in front of me, some turd will pull around me and cut me off from the right. IT ISN'T TWO LANES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THERE IS A BIKE LANE THERE. And if the car in front of me is trying to make a left but has to wait for inbound traffic to pass before turning, I am NOT going around the person on the right in the bike lane, but three people did that to us yesterday. The third person still trying to pass us as we were starting up the hill again and almost hit us. I rarely use the bike lane there because I doubt drivers look behind them to see if there is anyone using the bike lane before they use it.

My favorite dick movie

Ah, what a difference a single letter makes.

HaHa dick movie

haha whoops. autocorrect fail.

It's incredibly frustrating, and although I understand sentiments about some Port Authority drivers I have to say that in my experience most are pretty good. That said, as of 6-8 weeks ago or so the Port Authority is instituting new bicycle sensitivity material into its trainings for new operators, operators who need to be retrained due to disciplinary reasons, and those up for retraining as part of standard operating procedures. We're working with the Port Authority to create educational posters for their garages and lounges. It's going to take time but we're committed to keep working together to make our streets safer. I've been reassured on a dozen occasions that the Port Aughority looks into every complaint, regardless of whether or not the person making it hears back. I did offer the suggestion that the person making a complaint get a response along the lines of 311.

@scott thanks for sharing that info.

Response would be cool.... the only times I've gotten insight into what happens after I file a complaint is through knowing people who know people.