Willie Smith Vlog: Bus takes out fellow rider

[The Ouzo]

Do you think that bus driver felt or heard that collision.I have driven a bus and know that you hardly feel anything on that side.

he just passed very closely to a bunch of cyclists to his left, he should be checking his left mirror and surely he would have seen the chaos ensuing in his wake.

[Quagga]

What he is legally supposed to do is besides the point - Why not discuss what we need to do because of lawlessness in this country - If you think you can live in a lawless country like normal and without being on your guard or a defensive mode then you will soon be another statistic

 

 

Yes absolutely ! Thats why so many of cyclists are getting taken out, because we assume that drivers all drive legally and obey the law. 

If thats the way you think then i hope you have your life insurance and Med Aid sorted.

If you start doing things because other people break the law where does it end?

 

How do we then deal with a stop street? Sit there hours because other people skip the stop street.

 

Yes IF the cyclist was more left or even on a MTB next to the road then it would have been a scare at best. Maybe we should all stay home then.

 

What irritates me is that the bus knocks someone over while doing something illegal and most people want to tell the victim what he should have done. BS

 

The cyclist did nothing wrong.

[Quagga]

Do you think that bus driver felt or heard that collision.I have driven a bus and know that you hardly feel anything on that side.

Please never drive a bus again then!

 

As a motorist you should be using your peripheral and check your mirrors often.

The cyclist took a fall right next to the door of the bus, the bus driver saw it I can tell you that..

 

BTW I have an old Code 14 license and had a PDP 

[The Ouzo]

It doesnt really matter if the cyclist was in the middle of the lane and illegally 3 abreast, he was an obstruction to the bus and the bus should have taken precautions to manouvre around the obstruction safely.

 

My argument still stands, if that has been a car / motorcycle / donkey cart (insert any object harder than human flesh) there, the bus would not have passed so closely.

[Eldron]

If you start doing things because other people break the law where does it end?

 

How do we then deal with a stop street? Sit there hours because other people skip the stop street.

 

Yes IF the cyclist was more left or even on a MTB next to the road then it would have been a scare at best. Maybe we should all stay home then.

 

What irritates me is that the bus knocks someone over while doing something illegal and most people want to tell the victim what he should have done. BS

 

The cyclist did nothing wrong.

 

In theory you are right but if you want to go home to your wife and family safely for the rest of your life then unfortunately you need to adapt to your surroundings.

 

We do it every day - chosing which airline to fly with, choosing which countries to go on holiday too, deciding which roads to ride on, deciding which areas to drive through hell even deciding which foods to eat has a consequence.

[floatfox]

Your outlook and cognisance on this incident is disgusting to say the least.

Why?? Because I am pointing out that I think the cyclists in this group are also to blame for this accident? Yes, I also think the bus was to close.

 

I was taught from a young age to keep as far left as it is possible and that's what I believe in. Before I overtake another cyclist I check behind to see that there is no car approaching from the rear. I cannot understand why this is so difficult to understand. I feel very sorry for the cyclists involved as I see them as human beings with families, but what we as cyclists fail to realise is that motorists see us as cyclists and not as a father, or a mother or a child.

 

The guy using the camera: Clearly if you look at where he was riding to film, it is a distraction. If it was not a distraction, where is the rest of the video? The camera suddenly points down because he has to grab hold of his handle bars to steer clear of the accident. 

 

The people in this group were clearly riding next to each other on a few occasions, not only when overtaking. 

[floatfox]

What he is legally supposed to do is besides the point - Why not discuss what we need to do because of lawlessness in this country - If you think you can live in a lawless country like normal and without being on your guard or a defensive mode then you will soon be another statistic

 

 

Yes absolutely ! Thats why so many of cyclists are getting taken out, because we assume that drivers all drive legally and obey the law. 

If thats the way you think then i hope you have your life insurance and Med Aid sorted.

 

Thank you for those true words...

[Patchelicious]

We also have the legal right to walk through Johannesburg CBD at midnight.

[LeoKnight]

Riding further away is not going to be any safer, I have been on the EDGE of the road and the lady texting missed me by centimeters.

 

Drivers do not care about us, and riding further left is NOT safer I promise you.

 

My opinion is a bit different, yes going further might not make you safe, but it will based on probability & likelihood still be safer than driving closer to the road (ok I know there is a counter argument that the closer you are to the middle of the road the more visible you would be thus it might keep you safer).

 

The argument for me a a bit like safety belts, there are certain instances where not being buckled up actually saved people, but based on the probabilities it is still safer to be buckled up than not.

 

But back to the real point.. wishing everyone involved a speedy recovery

[madmarc]

If you start doing things because other people break the law where does it end?

 

How do we then deal with a stop street? Sit there hours because other people skip the stop street.

 

Yes IF the cyclist was more left or even on a MTB next to the road then it would have been a scare at best. Maybe we should all stay home then.

 

What irritates me is that the bus knocks someone over while doing something illegal and most people want to tell the victim what he should have done. BS

 

The cyclist did nothing wrong.

 

Stop thinking like and Ostrich - The world you live in is what we hope it will become one day, but we have a ways to go before we get there.

 

I live in reality where nothing surprises me, and like to think that i'm still walking and breathing as a result of my defensive and self preservation attitude when it comes to personal safety.

 

If you and I were walking through a shopping center and came up to a wet floor, i'd walk around it to ensure i don't slip and fall. You'd walk through it because its not supposed to be wet.

[JA-Q001]

Stop thinking like and Ostrich - The world you live in is what we hope it will become one day, but we have a ways to go before we get there.

 

I live in reality where nothing surprises me, and like to think that i'm still walking and breathing as a result of my defensive and self preservation attitude when it comes to personal safety.

 

If you and I were walking through a shopping center and came up to a wet floor, i'd walk around it to ensure i don't slip and fall. You'd walk through it because its not supposed to be wet.

 

 

Its good you live that way, you are an idiot if you don't. I am that way myself while cycling.

 

But calling out the cyclist when you yourself know that what needs to happen is more awareness for the cyclist is not helping the situation, its worsening it. So in the end you yourself will have to become even more defensive and self preserving.

 

The cyclist was riding well within his rights and if the driver was more considerate, did not swerve closer to a soft target with a 10 ton object and actually was thinking of his responsibilities while driving the vehicle, then things could have been a lot different.

[Jase619]

Why?? Because I am pointing out that I think the cyclists in this group are also to blame for this accident? Yes, I also think the bus was to close.

 

I was taught from a young age to keep as far left as it is possible and that's what I believe in. Before I overtake another cyclist I check behind to see that there is no car approaching from the rear. I cannot understand why this is so difficult to understand. I feel very sorry for the cyclists involved as I see them as human beings with families, but what we as cyclists fail to realise is that motorists see us as cyclists and not as a father, or a mother or a child.

 

The guy using the camera: Clearly if you look at where he was riding to film, it is a distraction. If it was not a distraction, where is the rest of the video? The camera suddenly points down because he has to grab hold of his handle bars to steer clear of the accident.

 

The people in this group were clearly riding next to each other on a few occasions, not only when overtaking.

I think the general negative feeling we have towards your opinion, is that there are always a few that take threads like this and turn into a victim blaming/cycling community blaming/we are also to blame conversation.

 

I’m waiting for someone to say that this wouldn’t have happened if cyclists didn’t ride through red lights. That’s another class favourite.

 

While your opinion has merits, but blaming cyclists who Just got hit, will never ever ever come off any other way than you being a class 1 Afrikaans Box about it. Arguments for road safety and improvements of our cycling habits has its place, but it won’t be well received in this thread.

 

As Quagga or whoever stated, please post the same rules as you did for pedal cycles for vehicles as well, would be interesting to see how many laws we break everyday

[Mamil]

No person should receive a driver's license without first crossing the city in which they live by bicycle every day for a week.

[madmarc]

Its good you live that way, you are an idiot if you don't. I am that way myself while cycling.

 

But calling out the cyclist when you yourself know that what needs to happen is more awareness for the cyclist is not helping the situation, its worsening it. So in the end you yourself will have to become even more defensive and self preserving.

 

The cyclist was riding well within his rights and if the driver was more considerate, did not swerve closer to a soft target with a 10 ton object and actually was thinking of his responsibilities while driving the vehicle, then things could have been a lot different.

 

Never called out the cyclist or said he did anything wrong - In fact i fully agree the Bus driver was in the wrong. But that is an opinion of a cyclist.

 

 

What i did say was this could have been avoided (In hindsight) if the cyclist had acted differently or made a better decision by riding more to the left. 

 

Yes if the bus driver had acted differently as well it also could have been avoided, but we as cyclists, who always end up worse off than the vehicle, we need to take the initiative and think differently - Or they gonna kill us all.

[gogo@]

I ride ON the yellow line because WHEN I DO ride any further left I find chop drivers still pass me IN the emergency lane too close in which case i have no space to bale left.

Besides which that is the edge of the road.

I’m appalled at some of the comments here.

[Mamil]

I'm also appalled. In the same class as "Ah well, he walked down to the local shop for milk and a loaf of bread and got mugged - shouldn't have done that"

 

I ride ON the yellow line because WHEN I DO ride any further left I find chop drivers still pass me IN the emergency lane too close in which case i have no space to bale left.
Besides which that is the edge of the road.
I’m appalled at some of the comments here.