A London bus driver allegedly verbally abused a cyclist, dangerously overtook her, ran a red light and beeped their horn before making comments about the rider's weight.

That is the account of road.cc reader Phoebe Perry who says the driver left her feeling "incredibly unsafe and uncomfortable" during the incident near Elephant and Castle on Walworth Road in London on Friday morning.

The rider has put an official complaint in to Arriva, the bus company who operates on the route, as well as contacting Transport for London and the police. On contacting Arriva's head office Phoebe says her concern was "shrugged off" and she was sent to
TfL who then in turn sent her back to Arriva but were "completely unbothered".

Explaining how the incident unfolded, Phoebe was on her way into Central London when the off-service bus driver pulled into a cycle box at a red light.

"I then mentioned to my partner that it was a funny-looking bike," she recalled. "The traffic lights changed, so we cycled forward. There was a car parked in the cycle lane, but as we moved out the bus driver then dangerously overtook us."

A couple of traffic lights later, the bus driver "speeding up and running" one red "to stay behind me", now once again stopped behind Phoebe and "beeped his horn at me".

"I turned around to ask him what his problem was, and said that he was the one driving dangerously," she said. "He then went on to tell me it was a 20 zone, so he won't overtake me, so I could stop 'riding like an idiot'.

"After I told him to leave me alone, he then called me a 'f****** elephant on a bike' and told me 'I needed to lose some f****** weight'. He was shouting at me out of his window, verbally abusing me and making me feel incredible unsafe and uncomfortable.

"The behaviour was sexist, dangerous and misogynistic. I want a copy of the video footage recorded on this journey, and I want a full report on this incident. It is unbelievable to have to put up with this abuse as a woman just riding her bike."

road.cc contacted Arriva and was told "we have not received a complaint" and encouraged the cyclist to do so in order for "further details" to be taken and investigated. road.cc has seen an earlier email sent by Arriva's customer service department
telling Phoebe "the London region is under TfL" control and providing TfL contact details as well as an Arriva London phone number.

"Not even an apology, nor an email address. Just TfL's phone number," Phoebe explained. "When I emailed Arriva head office they shrugged it off, and tried to send me to TfL as they said they don't control this area and TfL have the area authority.

Earlier this week, TfL told road.cc it would be "supporting" Arriva as the bus company investigates a driver's actions seen in our Near Miss of the Day series. TfL's head of bus operations Rosie Trew said: "We expect the highest standards from bus
drivers and will not tolerate any driving that endangers cyclists or pedestrians".

That incident was similar to another video shared by us, back in February, which led to a cyclist speaking out about "bullyish" bus driving.
Near Miss of the Day 851 - Bus driver squeezes cyclist into kerb (Lauren O'Brien)

In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his sacking after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against a cyclist, pushing a rider towards the kerb after they left a cycle lane and took primary position.

The incident was described as "atrocious" by a witness who saw the driver stop his bus to deliberately block a cyclist who was forced to bunnyhop onto a kerb to avoid a collision.

https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-verbally-abused-bus-driver-301213

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

The bus driver must have been taking lessons from the tandem riders that
all but forced me off the footway while telling (for want of a better word)

me to get out of the way.

I almost raised my arm and told them get get of the <expletive> pavement,
but knew they’d never understand.


[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

A London bus driver allegedly verbally abused a cyclist, dangerously
overtook her, ran a red light and beeped their horn before making
comments about the rider's weight.

That is the account of road.cc reader Phoebe Perry who says the driver
left her feeling "incredibly unsafe and uncomfortable" during the
incident near Elephant and Castle on Walworth Road in London on Friday morning.

The rider has put an official complaint in to Arriva, the bus company who operates on the route, as well as contacting Transport for London and the police. On contacting Arriva's head office Phoebe says her concern was "shrugged off" and she was sent to TfL who then in turn sent her back to Arriva but were "completely unbothered".

Explaining how the incident unfolded, Phoebe was on her way into Central London when the off-service bus driver pulled into a cycle box at a red light.

"I then mentioned to my partner that it was a funny-looking bike," she recalled. "The traffic lights changed, so we cycled forward. There was a
car parked in the cycle lane, but as we moved out the bus driver then dangerously overtook us."

A couple of traffic lights later, the bus driver "speeding up and
running" one red "to stay behind me", now once again stopped behind
Phoebe and "beeped his horn at me".

"I turned around to ask him what his problem was, and said that he was
the one driving dangerously," she said. "He then went on to tell me it
was a 20 zone, so he won't overtake me, so I could stop 'riding like an idiot'.

"After I told him to leave me alone, he then called me a 'f******
elephant on a bike' and told me 'I needed to lose some f****** weight'.
He was shouting at me out of his window, verbally abusing me and making
me feel incredible unsafe and uncomfortable.

"The behaviour was sexist, dangerous and misogynistic. I want a copy of
the video footage recorded on this journey, and I want a full report on
this incident. It is unbelievable to have to put up with this abuse as a woman just riding her bike."

road.cc contacted Arriva and was told "we have not received a complaint"
and encouraged the cyclist to do so in order for "further details" to be taken and investigated. road.cc has seen an earlier email sent by
Arriva's customer service department telling Phoebe "the London region is under TfL" control and providing TfL contact details as well as an Arriva London phone number.

"Not even an apology, nor an email address. Just TfL's phone number,"
Phoebe explained. "When I emailed Arriva head office they shrugged it
off, and tried to send me to TfL as they said they don't control this
area and TfL have the area authority.

Earlier this week, TfL told road.cc it would be "supporting" Arriva as
the bus company investigates a driver's actions seen in our Near Miss of
the Day series. TfL's head of bus operations Rosie Trew said: "We expect
the highest standards from bus drivers and will not tolerate any driving
that endangers cyclists or pedestrians".

That incident was similar to another video shared by us, back in
February, which led to a cyclist speaking out about "bullyish" bus driving. Near Miss of the Day 851 - Bus driver squeezes cyclist into kerb (Lauren O'Brien)

In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his sacking
after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against a cyclist, pushing a rider towards the kerb after they left a cycle lane and took primary position.

The incident was described as "atrocious" by a witness who saw the driver stop his bus to deliberately block a cyclist who was forced to bunnyhop
onto a kerb to avoid a collision.

https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-verbally-abused-bus-driver-301213

--
Spike

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

the little onion | 862 posts | 1 hour ago
1 like

Request the CCTV from inside the bus?

Sorry you had to experience that.

:-(

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 13/05/2023 01:30 pm, [email protected] wrote:

A London bus driver allegedly verbally abused a chav-cyclist, dangerously overtook her, ran a red light and beeped their horn before making comments about the rider's weight.

Were there TWO bus drivers?

Was one a trainee sitting with nelly?

That is the account of road.cc reader Phoebe Perry who says the driver left her feeling "incredibly unsafe and uncomfortable" during the incident near Elephant and Castle on Walworth Road in London on Friday morning.
The rider has put an official complaint in to Arriva, the bus company who operates on the route, as well as contacting Transport for London and the police. On contacting Arriva's head office Phoebe says her concern was "shrugged off" and she was sent

to TfL who then in turn sent her back to Arriva but were "completely unbothered".

Oh dear. How sad. Never mind.

Explaining how the incident unfolded, Phoebe was on her way into Central London when the off-service bus driver pulled into a chav-cycle box at a red light.
"I then mentioned to my partner that it was a funny-looking chav-bike," she recalled. "The traffic lights changed, so we chav-cycled forward. There was a car parked in the chav-cycle lane, but as we moved out the bus driver then dangerously overtook us.

"

A couple of traffic lights later, the bus driver "speeding up and running" one red "to stay behind me", now once again stopped behind Phoebe and "beeped his horn at me".
"I turned around to ask him what his problem was, and said that he was the one driving dangerously," she said. "He then went on to tell me it was a 20 zone, so he won't overtake me, so I could stop 'riding like an idiot'.
"After I told him to leave me alone, he then called me a 'f****** elephant on a bike' and told me 'I needed to lose some f****** weight'.

Was that objectively true?

And either way, was it any more insulting than the chav-cyclist's
behaviour towards the bus and its occupants?

He was shouting at me out of his window, verbally abusing me and making me feel incredible unsafe and uncomfortable.

You started it!

"The behaviour was sexist, dangerous and misogynistic.

The full bingo-card, eh?

I want a copy of the video footage recorded on this journey, and I want a full report on this incident.

I want, I want, I want...

Ever come across the word "entitled"?

Or "Karen"?

It is unbelievable to have to put up with this abuse as a woman just riding her chav-bike."

road.cc contacted Arriva and was told "we have not received a complaint" and encouraged the chav-cyclist to do so in order for "further details" to be taken and investigated. road.cc has seen an earlier email sent by Arriva's customer service

department telling Phoebe "the London region is under TfL" control and providing TfL contact details as well as an Arriva London phone number.

"Not even an apology, nor an email address. Just TfL's phone number," Phoebe explained. "When I emailed Arriva head office they shrugged it off, and tried to send me to TfL as they said they don't control this area and TfL have the area authority.
Earlier this week, TfL told road.cc it would be "supporting" Arriva as the bus company investigates a driver's actions seen in our Near Miss of the Day series. TfL's head of bus operations Rosie Trew said: "We expect the highest standards from bus

drivers and will not tolerate any driving that endangers chav-cyclists or pedestrians".

That incident was similar to another video shared by us, back in February, which led to a chav-cyclist speaking out about "bullyish" bus driving.

Does road.cc not understand that buses and their drivers are TaL's
sainted representatives and can do no wrong?

Near Miss of the Day 851 - Bus driver squeezes chav-cyclist into kerb (Lauren O'Brien)
In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his sacking after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against a chav-cyclist, pushing a chav towards the kerb after they left a chav-cycle lane and took primary position.

The incident was described as "atrocious" by a witness who saw the driver stop his bus to deliberately block a chav-cyclist who was forced to bunnyhop onto a kerb to avoid a collision.

"forced to" ride his chav-cycle on the footway?

Stopping was out of the question and it was the rights of pedestrians
which had to be the first to go, eh?

https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-verbally-abused-bus-driver-301213

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 13/05/2023 01:39 pm, Spike wrote:

The bus driver must have been taking lessons from the tandem riders that
all but forced me off the footway while telling (for want of a better word)

me to get out of the way.

I almost raised my arm and told them get get of the <expletive> pavement,
but knew they’d never understand.

:-)

[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

A London bus driver allegedly verbally abused a cyclist, dangerously
overtook her, ran a red light and beeped their horn before making
comments about the rider's weight.

That is the account of road.cc reader Phoebe Perry who says the driver
left her feeling "incredibly unsafe and uncomfortable" during the
incident near Elephant and Castle on Walworth Road in London on Friday morning.

The rider has put an official complaint in to Arriva, the bus company who
operates on the route, as well as contacting Transport for London and the
police. On contacting Arriva's head office Phoebe says her concern was
"shrugged off" and she was sent to TfL who then in turn sent her back to
Arriva but were "completely unbothered".

Explaining how the incident unfolded, Phoebe was on her way into Central
London when the off-service bus driver pulled into a cycle box at a red light.

"I then mentioned to my partner that it was a funny-looking bike," she
recalled. "The traffic lights changed, so we cycled forward. There was a
car parked in the cycle lane, but as we moved out the bus driver then
dangerously overtook us."

A couple of traffic lights later, the bus driver "speeding up and
running" one red "to stay behind me", now once again stopped behind
Phoebe and "beeped his horn at me".

"I turned around to ask him what his problem was, and said that he was
the one driving dangerously," she said. "He then went on to tell me it
was a 20 zone, so he won't overtake me, so I could stop 'riding like an idiot'.

"After I told him to leave me alone, he then called me a 'f******
elephant on a bike' and told me 'I needed to lose some f****** weight'.
He was shouting at me out of his window, verbally abusing me and making
me feel incredible unsafe and uncomfortable.

"The behaviour was sexist, dangerous and misogynistic. I want a copy of
the video footage recorded on this journey, and I want a full report on
this incident. It is unbelievable to have to put up with this abuse as a
woman just riding her bike."

road.cc contacted Arriva and was told "we have not received a complaint"
and encouraged the cyclist to do so in order for "further details" to be
taken and investigated. road.cc has seen an earlier email sent by
Arriva's customer service department telling Phoebe "the London region is
under TfL" control and providing TfL contact details as well as an Arriva
London phone number.

"Not even an apology, nor an email address. Just TfL's phone number,"
Phoebe explained. "When I emailed Arriva head office they shrugged it
off, and tried to send me to TfL as they said they don't control this
area and TfL have the area authority.

Earlier this week, TfL told road.cc it would be "supporting" Arriva as
the bus company investigates a driver's actions seen in our Near Miss of
the Day series. TfL's head of bus operations Rosie Trew said: "We expect
the highest standards from bus drivers and will not tolerate any driving
that endangers cyclists or pedestrians".

That incident was similar to another video shared by us, back in
February, which led to a cyclist speaking out about "bullyish" bus driving. >> Near Miss of the Day 851 - Bus driver squeezes cyclist into kerb (Lauren O'Brien)

In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his sacking
after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against a cyclist,
pushing a rider towards the kerb after they left a cycle lane and took primary position.

The incident was described as "atrocious" by a witness who saw the driver
stop his bus to deliberately block a cyclist who was forced to bunnyhop
onto a kerb to avoid a collision.

https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-verbally-abused-bus-driver-301213

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Saturday, 13 May 2023 at 13:41:14 UTC+1, Spike wrote:

The bus driver must have been taking lessons from the tandem riders that
all but forced me off the footway while telling (for want of a better word)

me to get out of the way.

I almost raised my arm and told them get get of the <expletive> pavement, but knew they’d never understand.
[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

A London bus driver allegedly verbally abused a cyclist, dangerously overtook her, ran a red light and beeped their horn before making
comments about the rider's weight.

That is the account of road.cc reader Phoebe Perry who says the driver left her feeling "incredibly unsafe and uncomfortable" during the
incident near Elephant and Castle on Walworth Road in London on Friday morning.

The rider has put an official complaint in to Arriva, the bus company who operates on the route, as well as contacting Transport for London and the police. On contacting Arriva's head office Phoebe says her concern was "shrugged off" and she was sent to TfL who then in turn sent her back to Arriva but were "completely unbothered".

Explaining how the incident unfolded, Phoebe was on her way into Central London when the off-service bus driver pulled into a cycle box at a red light.

"I then mentioned to my partner that it was a funny-looking bike," she recalled. "The traffic lights changed, so we cycled forward. There was a car parked in the cycle lane, but as we moved out the bus driver then dangerously overtook us."

A couple of traffic lights later, the bus driver "speeding up and
running" one red "to stay behind me", now once again stopped behind
Phoebe and "beeped his horn at me".

"I turned around to ask him what his problem was, and said that he was
the one driving dangerously," she said. "He then went on to tell me it
was a 20 zone, so he won't overtake me, so I could stop 'riding like an idiot'.

"After I told him to leave me alone, he then called me a 'f******
elephant on a bike' and told me 'I needed to lose some f****** weight'.
He was shouting at me out of his window, verbally abusing me and making
me feel incredible unsafe and uncomfortable.

"The behaviour was sexist, dangerous and misogynistic. I want a copy of the video footage recorded on this journey, and I want a full report on this incident. It is unbelievable to have to put up with this abuse as a woman just riding her bike."

road.cc contacted Arriva and was told "we have not received a complaint" and encouraged the cyclist to do so in order for "further details" to be taken and investigated. road.cc has seen an earlier email sent by
Arriva's customer service department telling Phoebe "the London region is under TfL" control and providing TfL contact details as well as an Arriva London phone number.

"Not even an apology, nor an email address. Just TfL's phone number," Phoebe explained. "When I emailed Arriva head office they shrugged it
off, and tried to send me to TfL as they said they don't control this
area and TfL have the area authority.

Earlier this week, TfL told road.cc it would be "supporting" Arriva as
the bus company investigates a driver's actions seen in our Near Miss of the Day series. TfL's head of bus operations Rosie Trew said: "We expect the highest standards from bus drivers and will not tolerate any driving that endangers cyclists or pedestrians".

That incident was similar to another video shared by us, back in
February, which led to a cyclist speaking out about "bullyish" bus driving.
Near Miss of the Day 851 - Bus driver squeezes cyclist into kerb (Lauren O'Brien)

In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his sacking after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against a cyclist, pushing a rider towards the kerb after they left a cycle lane and took primary position.

The incident was described as "atrocious" by a witness who saw the driver stop his bus to deliberately block a cyclist who was forced to bunnyhop onto a kerb to avoid a collision.

https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-verbally-abused-bus-driver-301213

--
Spike

Can you provide evidence for this alleged incident or did you just make it up as usual?

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

QUOTE: In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his sacking after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against a cyclist, pushing a rider towards the kerb after they left a cycle lane and took primary position.ENDS

BE WARNED!

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 13/05/2023 02:13 pm, [email protected] wrote:

QUOTE: In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his sacking after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against a chav-cyclist, pushing a chav towards the kerb after they left a chav-cycle lane and took primary position.ENDS

BE WARNED!

How many London bus-drivers do you reckon read your monosyllabic drivel?

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

A former London bus driver's appeal has been thrown out at an employment tribunal after it was deemed he "used his bus as a weapon" against a cyclist who rode in primary position.

MyLondon (link is external) reports the driver, named Mr S William in court documents, had been a Go-Ahead London employee when he was involved in an incident described as "atrocious" by a witness who saw him stop his bus to deliberately block a cyclist
who was forced to bunnyhop onto a kerb to avoid a collision.

Written notes from the London South Employment Tribunal show the "dreadful" incident happened on 23 June 2021 as the professional driver was returning to a bus depot in Putney when the cyclist took primary position, in the centre of the lane, upon
exiting a cycle lane.

The perfectly legal and safe cycling practice, recommended in some situations by the Highway Code, was rewarded by Mr William overtaking before he "deliberately stopped the bus at the kerb blocking the cyclist, who was forced to jump onto the kerb to
avoid it".

Angered by the attack the cyclist kicked the bus at the next junction and had a verbal altercation with the driver. A member of the public who saw the incident reported it to Transport for London, describing the driving as "atrocious" and "dreadful".

Go-Ahead London subsequently investigated the vehicle's internal and external CCTV images, as well as the speed-recording equipment, which confirmed the dangerous driving.

It also showed Mr William speeding at 28mph in a 20mph zone, and earlier ignoring a ban on reversing at Mortlake Bus Station without an assistant, a rule implemented when a member of the public was hit and killed.

"Used his bus as a weapon"

Court documents revealed the bus company's management team came to the conclusion their employee's driving was "reckless" and that he "used his bus as a weapon to retaliate".

Mr William took his former employer to tribunal after an appeal upheld Go-Ahead's decision to dismiss him in July 2021. However, the judge threw out the claim of wrongful dismissal, saying Mr William had been "aggressive" and tried to "pincer the cyclist"
.

The driver had claimed race and disability discrimination motivated his dismissal, although court documents suggest this was either withdrawn or thrown out prior to the final hearing. The tribunal judge had labelled attempts to justify the driving as "
outlandish".

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Mike Collins <[email protected]> wrote:

On Saturday, 13 May 2023 at 13:41:14 UTC+1, Spike wrote:

The bus driver must have been taking lessons from the tandem riders that
all but forced me off the footway while telling (for want of a better word) >>
me to get out of the way.

I almost raised my arm and told them get get of the <expletive> pavement,
but knew they’d never understand.
[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

A London bus driver allegedly verbally abused a cyclist, dangerously
overtook her, ran a red light and beeped their horn before making
comments about the rider's weight.

That is the account of road.cc reader Phoebe Perry who says the driver
left her feeling "incredibly unsafe and uncomfortable" during the
incident near Elephant and Castle on Walworth Road in London on Friday morning.

The rider has put an official complaint in to Arriva, the bus company who >>> operates on the route, as well as contacting Transport for London and the >>> police. On contacting Arriva's head office Phoebe says her concern was
"shrugged off" and she was sent to TfL who then in turn sent her back to >>> Arriva but were "completely unbothered".

Explaining how the incident unfolded, Phoebe was on her way into Central >>> London when the off-service bus driver pulled into a cycle box at a red light.

"I then mentioned to my partner that it was a funny-looking bike," she
recalled. "The traffic lights changed, so we cycled forward. There was a >>> car parked in the cycle lane, but as we moved out the bus driver then
dangerously overtook us."

A couple of traffic lights later, the bus driver "speeding up and
running" one red "to stay behind me", now once again stopped behind
Phoebe and "beeped his horn at me".

"I turned around to ask him what his problem was, and said that he was
the one driving dangerously," she said. "He then went on to tell me it
was a 20 zone, so he won't overtake me, so I could stop 'riding like an idiot'.

"After I told him to leave me alone, he then called me a 'f******
elephant on a bike' and told me 'I needed to lose some f****** weight'.
He was shouting at me out of his window, verbally abusing me and making
me feel incredible unsafe and uncomfortable.

"The behaviour was sexist, dangerous and misogynistic. I want a copy of
the video footage recorded on this journey, and I want a full report on
this incident. It is unbelievable to have to put up with this abuse as a >>> woman just riding her bike."

road.cc contacted Arriva and was told "we have not received a complaint" >>> and encouraged the cyclist to do so in order for "further details" to be >>> taken and investigated. road.cc has seen an earlier email sent by
Arriva's customer service department telling Phoebe "the London region is >>> under TfL" control and providing TfL contact details as well as an Arriva >>> London phone number.

"Not even an apology, nor an email address. Just TfL's phone number,"
Phoebe explained. "When I emailed Arriva head office they shrugged it
off, and tried to send me to TfL as they said they don't control this
area and TfL have the area authority.

Earlier this week, TfL told road.cc it would be "supporting" Arriva as
the bus company investigates a driver's actions seen in our Near Miss of >>> the Day series. TfL's head of bus operations Rosie Trew said: "We expect >>> the highest standards from bus drivers and will not tolerate any driving >>> that endangers cyclists or pedestrians".

That incident was similar to another video shared by us, back in
February, which led to a cyclist speaking out about "bullyish" bus driving. >>> Near Miss of the Day 851 - Bus driver squeezes cyclist into kerb (Lauren O'Brien)

In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his sacking
after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against a cyclist, >>> pushing a rider towards the kerb after they left a cycle lane and took primary position.

The incident was described as "atrocious" by a witness who saw the driver >>> stop his bus to deliberately block a cyclist who was forced to bunnyhop
onto a kerb to avoid a collision.

https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-verbally-abused-bus-driver-301213

--
Spike

Can you provide evidence for this alleged incident

Yes. There was a witness that I can get in touch with.

or did you just make it up as usual?

You choose.

--
Spike

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

QUOTE: In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his
sacking after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against a cyclist, pushing a rider towards the kerb after they left a cycle lane
and took primary position.ENDS

BE WARNED!

You need to heed your own advice.

So, dangerous cycling, then.

‘Entering the road from the pavement’ is a classification in the data for cyclist KSI. It kills and injures cyclists, some 1097 over the period
2016-21.

BE WARNED!

--
Spike

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

A bus driver who was fired after for hitting a cyclist was not unfairly dismissed, a tribunal has found.

An Edinburgh employment tribunal ruled that the decision by Lothian Buses to dismiss Mr Sam Beech, who had worked at the company for 11 years until his dismissal on 27 September 2019, was not “too harsh”.

Despite raising some concerns over the investigation of the incident by the operator, the tribunal said Lothian Buses had “a genuine belief’ that Beech had acted in a “dangerous and unsafe manner” and that, given the nature of his job, the
decision to dismiss was “reasonable”.

On 21 September 2019, Beech was pulling out of a bus stop when a cyclist “banged” the outside wing mirror of the vehicle, prompting Beech to sound his horn. The cyclist proceeded to pull in front of the bus, make obscene gestures and swear at Beech.
The tribunal heard that the bus then hit the cyclist, causing him to fall off his bike. Beech called Lothian’s control room and the emergency services, and at least one passenger provided assistance to the cyclist. However, Beech stayed on the bus for
nine minutes before disembarking. He then took pictures of the bike before checking on the cyclist.

The cyclist was taken to hospital and Beech returned the bus to the depot before ending his shift early.

An accident report was completed with Beech’s input at an investigatory meeting held on 23 September, where Beech was informed he was being suspended pending further investigation. This was confirmed in writing later that day, with “careless/reckless
driving” given as the reason.

Bus driver sacked after knocking cyclist off bike loses unfair dismissal claim

Tribunal rules employer’s decision was reasonable in light of claimant’s ‘dangerous and unacceptable’ behaviour

A bus driver who was fired after for hitting a cyclist was not unfairly dismissed, a tribunal has found.

An Edinburgh employment tribunal ruled that the decision by Lothian Buses to dismiss Mr Sam Beech, who had worked at the company for 11 years until his dismissal on 27 September 2019, was not “too harsh”.

Despite raising some concerns over the investigation of the incident by the operator, the tribunal said Lothian Buses had “a genuine belief’ that Beech had acted in a “dangerous and unsafe manner” and that, given the nature of his job, the
decision to dismiss was “reasonable”.

On 21 September 2019, Beech was pulling out of a bus stop when a cyclist “banged” the outside wing mirror of the vehicle, prompting Beech to sound his horn.
The cyclist proceeded to pull in front of the bus, make obscene gestures and swear at Beech. The tribunal heard that the bus then hit the cyclist, causing him to fall off his bike. Beech called Lothian’s control room and the emergency services, and at
least one passenger provided assistance to the cyclist. However, Beech stayed on the bus for nine minutes before disembarking. He then took pictures of the bike before checking on the cyclist.

The cyclist was taken to hospital and Beech returned the bus to the depot before ending his shift early.

An accident report was completed with Beech’s input at an investigatory meeting held on 23 September, where Beech was informed he was being suspended pending further investigation. This was confirmed in writing later that day, with “careless/reckless
driving” given as the reason.

At a disciplinary hearing on 27 September, Beech was told he was being dismissed for gross misconduct.

In a written appeal against his dismissal he wrote that “the decision was too harsh” and that he felt “no-one has listened to my story”. Beech also claimed that the cyclist did not have any lights, was under the influence of alcohol and that the
police had stated Beech was “not blameworthy for this accident”. He was, however, unsuccessful at appeal hearings held in October and November.

The tribunal noted Lothian Buses’ position that the cyclist was not under the influence of alcohol, even though the narrative in the supervisor’s report said they were.

The tribunal also said that while the firm had indicated it could not wait to receive the police report, it did not appear that it considered this and that no attempt was made during the investigation to contact the police or traffic officers.

However, despite these concerns about the investigation, the tribunal said it had “little hesitation in concluding that the claimant had been dismissed on the basis of his conduct” and rejected the claimant’s suggestion that a final written warning
would have been a more appropriate sanction given his long tenure at the company.

Employment judge Jones said: “The respondent had a genuine belief that the claimant had acted in a dangerous and unacceptable manner, and given the nature of the claimant’s duties where he worked unsupervised and was required to ensure the safety of
passengers and other road users, the decision to dismiss the claimant was a reasonable one.”

The tribunal added that while all the witnesses for Lothian Buses made clear they believed the cyclist’s conduct had been entirely unacceptable, Beech should have responded to the incident differently “by coming to a stop as soon as he was aware that
there was a hazard on the road, rather than accelerating towards the hazard”.

The tribunal concluded that Beech had been dismissed solely as a consequence of the incident on 21 September 2019, that the respondent had followed a fair procedure in relation to the claimant’s dismissal and that the dismissal had been within the band
of reasonable responses.

Lothian Buses and Beech have been contacted for comment.

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[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

A former London bus driver's appeal has been thrown out at an employment tribunal after it was deemed he "used his bus as a weapon" against a
cyclist who rode in primary position.

The term ‘primary position’ does not occur in the Highway Code. Therefore it has no relevance here.

MyLondon (link is external) reports the driver, named Mr S William in
court documents, had been a Go-Ahead London employee when he was involved
in an incident described as "atrocious" by a witness who saw him stop his
bus to deliberately block a cyclist who was forced to bunnyhop onto a
kerb to avoid a collision.

Claptrap.

The cyclist could have avoided the situation by applying his brakes.

Written notes from the London South Employment Tribunal show the
"dreadful" incident happened on 23 June 2021 as the professional driver
was returning to a bus depot in Putney when the cyclist took primary position, in the centre of the lane, upon exiting a cycle lane.

The term ‘primary position’ does not occur in the Highway Code. Therefore it has no relevance here.

The perfectly legal and safe cycling practice, recommended in some
situations by the Highway Code, was rewarded by Mr William overtaking
before he "deliberately stopped the bus at the kerb blocking the cyclist,
who was forced to jump onto the kerb to avoid it".

The term ‘primary position’ does not occur in the Highway Code. It has no relevance here. Therefore it cannot be ‘recommended’ in that publication.

Angered by the attack the cyclist kicked the bus at the next junction and
had a verbal altercation with the driver.

Ah! The cyclist answer to everything, viz violence.

A member of the public who saw the incident reported it to Transport for London, describing the driving as "atrocious" and "dreadful".

Was the witness asked forbhis opinion of the violence offered by the
cyclist?

Go-Ahead London subsequently investigated the vehicle's internal and
external CCTV images, as well as the speed-recording equipment, which confirmed the dangerous driving.

Presumably it also showed the dangerous manoeuvre by the cyclist.

<rest snipped to save CO2>

--
Spike

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A London bus driver's appeal against being sacked has been thrown out at an employment tribunal after he was found to have 'used his bus as a weapon' to intimidate a cyclist who slowed his bus down. The bus driver, identified as Mr S William in court
documents, worked for Go-Ahead London on several occasions from September 2010 to July 2021 at Putney bus garage.

He initially claimed race and disability discrimination motivated his dismissal, although he withdrew or the court threw out these claims prior to his final hearing held in August, details of which were revealed last week. Written notes prepared by
employment judge Nash at the London South Employment Tribunal in Croydon, show that on June 23, 2021, Mr William was returning to the depot in Putney out of service when a cyclist in front of his bus moved from a cycle lane, which was ending, to the
middle of the lane, which is a correct move.

This slowed down Mr William, who then decided to overtake the cyclist, moving into the opposite lane to do so. He "then deliberately stopped the bus at the kerb blocking the cyclist, who was forced to jump onto the kerb to avoid it".

At the next junction, the cyclist then caught back up with the bus, kicked it and had a verbal altercation with Mr William. Transport for London (TfL) received a complaint about the incident from a member of the public who described Mr William's driving
during it as "atrocious" and "dreadful". A pub owner who also witnessed part of the incident submitted a witness report.

The incident prompted Go Ahead London to investigate what happened. The bus Mr William was driving had internal and external CCTV cameras plus speed recording equipment, which meant managers were able to identify that as well as Mr William's poor driving
on that day, he ignored a ban on reversing buses at Mortlake Bus Station without an assistant (a rule which was instated after a member of the public was hit by a bus and died there) and sped at 28mph in a 20mph zone.

Court documents show the management team concluded Mr William's driving was 'reckless' and that he had "used his bus as a weapon to retaliate". He was summarily dismissed on July 9, 2021 and was sent a formal letter confirming the decision on July 13,
2021. A month later, an appeal hearing took place but confirmed the initial decision, and he took his now former employer to tribunal as a result.

The court threw out both his claims of wrongful dismissal and withholding notice pay. The judge found that he had effectively tried to "pincer the cyclist" in an 'aggressive' manner and that his attempts to justify his behaviour were 'outlandish.'

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[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

A London bus driver's appeal against being sacked has been thrown out at
an employment tribunal after he was found to have 'used his bus as a
weapon' to intimidate a cyclist who slowed his bus down. The bus driver, identified as Mr S William in court documents, worked for Go-Ahead London
on several occasions from September 2010 to July 2021 at Putney bus garage.

He initially claimed race and disability discrimination motivated his dismissal, although he withdrew or the court threw out these claims prior
to his final hearing held in August, details of which were revealed last week. Written notes prepared by employment judge Nash at the London South Employment Tribunal in Croydon, show that on June 23, 2021, Mr William
was returning to the depot in Putney out of service when a cyclist in
front of his bus moved from a cycle lane, which was ending, to the middle
of the lane, which is a correct move.

Not necessarily. There is something missing from this account, such as the justification for the move.

<rest snipped to reduce CO2>


--
Spike

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A vigilante cyclist dubbed 'the most hated man on two wheels' after using cameras to convict 70 motorists has even got a fellow bus driver sacked, it has emerged.

Dave Sherry, 37, has become notorious for filming drivers breaking road laws on his way to work with three cameras on his helmet and bike and then handing footage over to police.

But he has also turned in four clips of bus drivers using handheld devices behind the wheel during his two-and-a-half year crusade for road safety and said he would happily do it again.

If that means the job centre and a P45 then fine. If you break the rules then I will make sure you will be sorry - I will gladly do it again.'

Bus operators Roadrunner Coaches claimed that the driver had been viewing a handheld ticket machine - but sacked him anyway.

A spokesman said: 'The driver has since been dismissed because he shouldn't have been looking at something when he was driving.'

Essex Police investigated the incident in September 2013 but are yet to confirm the outcome.

The vigilante cyclist has handed three other clips of bus drivers on phones to the police in the hope they are prosecuted and fired.

During his 40-mile round-trip from his home in Harlow, Essex, to a depot in east London, Mr Sherry lets motorists know his views on their driving and has even given a police officer a ticking off.

He takes his evidence to police and councils and says the footage has been used to secure 70 convictions for driving offences including speeding, overtaking too close and running red lights.

The father-of-five says he has secured two convictions for assault on him by angry drivers and is having a taxi driver investigated over claims he went the wrong way round a roundabout.

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On 13/05/2023 14:23, JNugent wrote:

On 13/05/2023 02:13 pm, [email protected] wrote:

QUOTE: In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his
sacking after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against
a chav-cyclist, pushing a chav towards the kerb after they left a
chav-cycle lane and took primary position.ENDS

BE WARNED!

How many London bus-drivers do you reckon read your monosyllabic drivel?

Oh' the irony!

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On Saturday, 13 May 2023 at 16:52:23 UTC+1, Spike wrote:

Mike Collins <[email protected]> wrote:

On Saturday, 13 May 2023 at 13:41:14 UTC+1, Spike wrote:

The bus driver must have been taking lessons from the tandem riders that >> all but forced me off the footway while telling (for want of a better word)

me to get out of the way.

I almost raised my arm and told them get get of the <expletive> pavement, >> but knew they’d never understand.
[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

A London bus driver allegedly verbally abused a cyclist, dangerously
overtook her, ran a red light and beeped their horn before making
comments about the rider's weight.

That is the account of road.cc reader Phoebe Perry who says the driver >>> left her feeling "incredibly unsafe and uncomfortable" during the
incident near Elephant and Castle on Walworth Road in London on Friday morning.

The rider has put an official complaint in to Arriva, the bus company who
operates on the route, as well as contacting Transport for London and the
police. On contacting Arriva's head office Phoebe says her concern was >>> "shrugged off" and she was sent to TfL who then in turn sent her back to >>> Arriva but were "completely unbothered".

Explaining how the incident unfolded, Phoebe was on her way into Central >>> London when the off-service bus driver pulled into a cycle box at a red light.

"I then mentioned to my partner that it was a funny-looking bike," she >>> recalled. "The traffic lights changed, so we cycled forward. There was a >>> car parked in the cycle lane, but as we moved out the bus driver then >>> dangerously overtook us."

A couple of traffic lights later, the bus driver "speeding up and
running" one red "to stay behind me", now once again stopped behind
Phoebe and "beeped his horn at me".

"I turned around to ask him what his problem was, and said that he was >>> the one driving dangerously," she said. "He then went on to tell me it >>> was a 20 zone, so he won't overtake me, so I could stop 'riding like an idiot'.

"After I told him to leave me alone, he then called me a 'f******
elephant on a bike' and told me 'I needed to lose some f****** weight'. >>> He was shouting at me out of his window, verbally abusing me and making >>> me feel incredible unsafe and uncomfortable.

"The behaviour was sexist, dangerous and misogynistic. I want a copy of >>> the video footage recorded on this journey, and I want a full report on >>> this incident. It is unbelievable to have to put up with this abuse as a >>> woman just riding her bike."

road.cc contacted Arriva and was told "we have not received a complaint" >>> and encouraged the cyclist to do so in order for "further details" to be >>> taken and investigated. road.cc has seen an earlier email sent by
Arriva's customer service department telling Phoebe "the London region is
under TfL" control and providing TfL contact details as well as an Arriva
London phone number.

"Not even an apology, nor an email address. Just TfL's phone number," >>> Phoebe explained. "When I emailed Arriva head office they shrugged it >>> off, and tried to send me to TfL as they said they don't control this >>> area and TfL have the area authority.

Earlier this week, TfL told road.cc it would be "supporting" Arriva as >>> the bus company investigates a driver's actions seen in our Near Miss of >>> the Day series. TfL's head of bus operations Rosie Trew said: "We expect >>> the highest standards from bus drivers and will not tolerate any driving >>> that endangers cyclists or pedestrians".

That incident was similar to another video shared by us, back in
February, which led to a cyclist speaking out about "bullyish" bus driving.
Near Miss of the Day 851 - Bus driver squeezes cyclist into kerb (Lauren O'Brien)

In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his sacking >>> after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against a cyclist,
pushing a rider towards the kerb after they left a cycle lane and took primary position.

The incident was described as "atrocious" by a witness who saw the driver
stop his bus to deliberately block a cyclist who was forced to bunnyhop >>> onto a kerb to avoid a collision.

https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-verbally-abused-bus-driver-301213 >>>

--
Spike

Can you provide evidence for this alleged incident

Yes. There was a witness that I can get in touch with.

or did you just make it up as usual?

You choose.

--
Spike

I choose you made it up.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Mike Collins <[email protected]> wrote:

On Saturday, 13 May 2023 at 16:52:23 UTC+1, Spike wrote:

Mike Collins <[email protected]> wrote:

On Saturday, 13 May 2023 at 13:41:14 UTC+1, Spike wrote:

The bus driver must have been taking lessons from the tandem riders that >>>> all but forced me off the footway while telling (for want of a better word)

me to get out of the way.

I almost raised my arm and told them get get of the <expletive> pavement, >>>> but knew they’d never understand.
[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

A London bus driver allegedly verbally abused a cyclist, dangerously >>>>> overtook her, ran a red light and beeped their horn before making
comments about the rider's weight.

That is the account of road.cc reader Phoebe Perry who says the driver >>>>> left her feeling "incredibly unsafe and uncomfortable" during the
incident near Elephant and Castle on Walworth Road in London on Friday morning.

The rider has put an official complaint in to Arriva, the bus company who >>>>> operates on the route, as well as contacting Transport for London and the >>>>> police. On contacting Arriva's head office Phoebe says her concern was >>>>> "shrugged off" and she was sent to TfL who then in turn sent her back to >>>>> Arriva but were "completely unbothered".

Explaining how the incident unfolded, Phoebe was on her way into Central >>>>> London when the off-service bus driver pulled into a cycle box at a red light.

"I then mentioned to my partner that it was a funny-looking bike," she >>>>> recalled. "The traffic lights changed, so we cycled forward. There was a >>>>> car parked in the cycle lane, but as we moved out the bus driver then >>>>> dangerously overtook us."

A couple of traffic lights later, the bus driver "speeding up and
running" one red "to stay behind me", now once again stopped behind
Phoebe and "beeped his horn at me".

"I turned around to ask him what his problem was, and said that he was >>>>> the one driving dangerously," she said. "He then went on to tell me it >>>>> was a 20 zone, so he won't overtake me, so I could stop 'riding like an idiot'.

"After I told him to leave me alone, he then called me a 'f******
elephant on a bike' and told me 'I needed to lose some f****** weight'. >>>>> He was shouting at me out of his window, verbally abusing me and making >>>>> me feel incredible unsafe and uncomfortable.

"The behaviour was sexist, dangerous and misogynistic. I want a copy of >>>>> the video footage recorded on this journey, and I want a full report on >>>>> this incident. It is unbelievable to have to put up with this abuse as a >>>>> woman just riding her bike."

road.cc contacted Arriva and was told "we have not received a complaint" >>>>> and encouraged the cyclist to do so in order for "further details" to be >>>>> taken and investigated. road.cc has seen an earlier email sent by
Arriva's customer service department telling Phoebe "the London region is >>>>> under TfL" control and providing TfL contact details as well as an Arriva >>>>> London phone number.

"Not even an apology, nor an email address. Just TfL's phone number," >>>>> Phoebe explained. "When I emailed Arriva head office they shrugged it >>>>> off, and tried to send me to TfL as they said they don't control this >>>>> area and TfL have the area authority.

Earlier this week, TfL told road.cc it would be "supporting" Arriva as >>>>> the bus company investigates a driver's actions seen in our Near Miss of >>>>> the Day series. TfL's head of bus operations Rosie Trew said: "We expect >>>>> the highest standards from bus drivers and will not tolerate any driving >>>>> that endangers cyclists or pedestrians".

That incident was similar to another video shared by us, back in
February, which led to a cyclist speaking out about "bullyish" bus driving.
Near Miss of the Day 851 - Bus driver squeezes cyclist into kerb (Lauren O'Brien)

In October a Go-Ahead London employee lost an appeal over his sacking >>>>> after being found to have "used [his] bus as a weapon" against a cyclist, >>>>> pushing a rider towards the kerb after they left a cycle lane and
took primary position.

The incident was described as "atrocious" by a witness who saw the driver >>>>> stop his bus to deliberately block a cyclist who was forced to bunnyhop >>>>> onto a kerb to avoid a collision.

https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-verbally-abused-bus-driver-301213 >>>>>

--
Spike

Can you provide evidence for this alleged incident

Yes. There was a witness that I can get in touch with.

or did you just make it up as usual?

You choose.

--
Spike

I choose you made it up.

I can well imagine why.

--
Spike

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Lothian Buses have won a court battle over the sacking of a former employee following a cyclist collision on an Edinburgh road, the ex-driver has confirmed.

Sam Beech, the former Lothian Buses driver, took the firm to tribunal after being fired following an incident on September 21, 2019.

The driver had accelerated away from a bus stop, near to the Pilrig Street junction, at around 8:30pm, when a cyclist overtook him and clipped his wing mirror.

He told a tribunal judge that he hadn't realised the nature of the collision until he spotted the cyclist gesturing to him.

CCTV from the night of the incident showed that the bus and cyclist collided again. Mr Beech claimed it was the cyclist who had fallen into the bus after losing his balance.

While Mr Beech insisted the longer triple axle bus has a “quick response” to acceleration, the transport firm argued: "It would have been easier to slow the bus and stop the bus." They also accused him of accelerating towards the cyclist.

A court also heard how police had cleared Mr Beech of wrongdoing after the cyclist was found to be “under the influence of alcohol".

Though, concerns were also raised over the driver's conduct after the incident took place, as the 39-year-old waited several minutes before leaving the cab to check on the cyclist.

While the ex-driver explained he was radioing for assistance and was cautious that the cyclist could be aggressive, Lothian Buses insisted he should have left the bus and checked the cyclist more promptly.

Lothian Buses sacked the driver on the grounds that he drove “aggressively” and said his actions were “worthy of dismissal".

Mr Beech confirmed that the case has gone to Lothian Buses ruled, which means the tribunal has ruled to not uphold his claim. Lothian Buses were aware of the outcome but did not wish to comment further.

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