Description
Long story short, a bus driver cut into the bicycle lane and nearly killed me.
It was about 4:40pm, raining and I was riding in the designated, bright green bike lane along South Street. I came up to this bus in front of the UPENN Anthropology museum stopped at a stop in the bike lane. I reached the back of the bus as it began to pull away and when the bus slowed down due to traffic, I started to pass. Well, I am moving ~12mph and as my front wheel was at the DRIVER side door, the bus driver decides to cut into the bike lane to stop at the next bus stop. This was right as the bike lane starts to angle towards the curb and this resulted in me being wedged between the curb and the bus. My right pedal was forced over the curb, my left elbow was forced up against the bus. My bike then started to hydroplane! I could have easily slipped underneath and been run over by this bus. There is NO WAY this driver looked in her mirror before deciding to cut into my bike lane. South Street is possibly the most highly populated bicycle commuting lane in the city, how could she be this negligent and blind?? If she had taken the time to look in her mirror, it is likely the ONLY thing she would have seen would have been me in my fluorescent yellow shirt about 3 feet back. I beg you to please track this driver down and discipline her in some way. I have been commuting every day for 3 years, I know the rules of the road and a dangerous, potentially deadly act when I see one. I seriously could have been killed today. Please take action. Thank you. Bus #8081, route 40. Heading towards center city across the South Street Bridge at ~4:40pm on Friday 7/12/13. Driver was an obese, African American woman about 40yrs of age.
3 Comments
Κλειστό ChrisMD123 (Registered User)
Erik (Guest)
ChrisMD123 (Registered User)
That is essentially correct, yes. Passing on the right is more dangerous in most all situations, and this is a great example of why. The roads are much safer - because they're more predictable - if "yield to traffic from the left" is always the rule of the road.
That being said, the driver clearly made an unsafe lane change and with all of the good information you have you can submit your complaint to SEPTA at http://www.septa.org/cs/comment/. To help with your submission: if the "Bus #" 8081 was on a light-up sign, it's actually the "Block #." If it was written in paint on the bus, it's the "Bus #."