Bristol bus company warned by police after close pass of cyclist

First Bus, you say? https://www.strava.com/segments/9379498

I ride that route daily as part of my commute.

The cycle lane is in poor condition, and usually full of parked cars further up the hill. It's not worth the paint.

Anyway, it's a steep hill in a 20 mph zone (initially) so anything catching up with you or passing is unlikely to be keeping to the limit.

It has been noted that cyclists make handy mobile traffic calming. It’s similarly cynical to the fact that no one seriously expects anyone to drive at 20mph, and no one has any intention of enforcing that limit, but a small percentage of drivers will drive at 25mph and help to keep down the speed of those who’d otherwise go through at 40mph.

That to me is a demonstration of poor infrastructure in action.

Those bike lanes painted on the side of the road are seen by many motorists as an indicator of how close they can get to cyclists... my lane, your lane sort of thing. This is what the bus did.

Secondly, these traffic islands are often used to control and slow traffic. Its not the island itslef that slows traffic, its slow moving traffic (i.e. cyclists) that motorists encounter at these pinch points that control the traffic. we are literally being used as pawns in a vain attempt to lower driving speeds.

How is that ever seen as right? 

Can someone please point the idiot at the bus company to Highway Code Rule 63 "cyclists use of the lane is not compulsory" and Rule 163 "you SHOULD give ... cyclists... as much room as you would a car" and then perhaps him to explain how a cyclist doing something he is allowed to do, justifies the bus driver failing to do something required of him by the Highway Code.  There's even a little picture for the cretin in case he's too thick to work it out from words alone.

Also worth pointing out the guidance specifically state that cyclists should take the lane when it is unsafe to pass e.g. where the road narrows.  What a cretin!

We cannot say who was driving the bus. We cannot say if anyone actually was driving the bus. Was there even a bus? Who can say. Our drivers, whether or not they were driving buses that may or may not have been on that or any other road at, before or after the time of the alleged close pass, are all exceptionally well trained in driving buses and in fact in all aspects of their lives. Our drivers are superhuman and would never pass a cyclist, horse, stray sheep or mislaid shopping trolley at a distance closer than 1 AU.

Eh? Looks to me like the cyclist is using the cycle lane, but the bus squeezed through where there is a central crossing island and the width for road vehicles is too tight for it?

You dissapoint me slightly Peter, I was really hoping that clip was going to be a squirrel driving a bus...

They need some suitable training: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=zT74IMdBi3I

What a fool I am, I read the article on the local rags website then read the comments. 

We have FirstBus in Leeds and i've had crap load of issues with these knuckle dragging morons...was even assaulted by one after I leaned on his window when he stopped (after running me into a kerb), wrote letter of complaint...got standard 'our drivers trained to high standards' fob off letter back

First's drivers are a nightmare. They're all desperate to keep to something approaching the published timetable but failing as Bristols rush hour traffic is so bad. I've been travelling by bus a lot lately and I dread it when the bus encounters cyclists: the drivers invariably pass or follow far too close. I don't know which of their drivers get training regarding vulnerable road users, but I don't think it's been any of the drivers of literally any bus I've been on for the last six weeks or so!

So Avon & Somerset police are laying down the law. Funny that the Bristol Post video segued  (at least when I watched it) straight into another close pass video from April starring a deadly First Bus driver squeezing up a cyclist, eliciting a warning from the police

. How many 'last' warnings do they get?

Could someone from Road.cc contact the bus company for comment or to answer questions on this? Perhaps use the position as a media company to challenge and change this kind of lack of understanding?

"Regardless of the fact that this cyclist does not appear to be using the designated cycle lane as the Highway Code recommends" 

So the cycle lane doesn't meet government standards, and the driver doesn't overtake in line with Highway Code recommendations. Heaven forbid the cyclist might be travelling in the other direction as there's no cycle lane, what would they try to use as a lame excuse then?

"Regardless of the fact that this cyclist does not appear to be using the designated cycle lane as the Highway Code recommends" 

Really?  Looks to me that he was taking the line to discourage idiots from overtaking as he approached the crossing.