Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Near Miss of the Day 792: National Express bus driver in ultra-close pass on cyclist (includes swearing)

Our regular series featuring close passes from around the country - today it's the West Midlands...

This isn’t the first time a National Express driver has been featured in our Near Miss of the Day series – there are a couple of previous examples here – and according to James, the road.cc reader who sent this clip in, such incidents involving the company’s buses are “unfortunately, an all too frequent event” in Coventry, where he lives.

“I’ve had another two similar incidents recently and have made subject access requests to National Express for the video from the buses,” he told us.

Referring to those specific occurrences, he said: “In a few months’ time when the videos of these latest incidents have been published – currently they're private because they've been reported to West Midlands Police – I'll send them along for possible inclusion in Near Miss of the Day.”

That ‘NMotD National Express’ tag that we use looks like it’s going to be busy …

> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?

Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.

If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.

If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).

Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.

> What to do if you capture a near miss or close pass (or worse) on camera while cycling

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

21 comments

Avatar
wtjs | 1 year ago
2 likes

I feel both of you are on a losing wicket trying to incite sense from that nutter!

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to wtjs | 1 year ago
2 likes

Good point, stand down!

Unless ... who's the nutter again?

Avatar
wtjs | 1 year ago
1 like

Nobody has been sacked! Nothing is ever done when there's no death or serious injury, and usually nothing when there is.

Avatar
onlinejones replied to wtjs | 1 year ago
0 likes

I know someone who worked for them (recently retired).

Avatar
onlinejones | 1 year ago
3 likes

Somone's got the sack. NX Buses won't tell you what action they take, but that's what they do. Personally I'd rather they re-educate their drivers, 'cos that's what we want. Safe drivers.

Avatar
jaj991 replied to onlinejones | 1 year ago
0 likes

I don't think anyone got the sack, I've seen this driver a couple of times since this incident but his driving was marginally better. Video is here https://youtu.be/ZRiSncHuE_Q

Avatar
TheBillder | 1 year ago
4 likes

If James the op is in touch with National Express, tell them to contact Lothian Buses, who have really improved on this through training drivers properly. Not perfect, but I can almost always rely on their drivers to give me good lateral space. Sometimes when using a bus I think they follow a cyclist in front too closely, but I haven't noticed this when on my bike.

Avatar
Surreyrider | 1 year ago
3 likes

I'm wondering what the point is of continuing to publish these videos...err stills. We all get close passed regularly, we all know the police response is generally poor or worse and we all know things need to change. But nothing has changed overall as a result of Road CC's 7.000 instalments of this series because we're the wrong audience. If you're going to start a campaign, you need clearly defined and material objectives. I don't see any here beyond promoting forum chat. 
Bit of a rant, I know, I don't have the answer/s and yes I realiae this is a media site but I just think Road CC could do better or be more effective somehow. 

Avatar
Flintshire Boy replied to Surreyrider | 1 year ago
1 like

.

Yeh but, no but.

.

All they want is clicks.

.

They have no interest whatsoever in campaigning - in fact, if things were perfect from the cyclists' point of view, then the site would have less content to fill up with.

.

 

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Flintshire Boy | 1 year ago
6 likes

Flintshire Boy wrote:

.

Yeh but, no but.

.

All they want is clicks.

.

They have no interest whatsoever in campaigning - in fact, if things were perfect from the cyclists' point of view, then the site would have less content to fill up with.

.

 

.

Yeah it's a rubbish site.

.

If I were you I'd leave and never come back.

.

That'd show 'em.

.

Avatar
Flintshire Boy replied to Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
1 like

.

Do you think so? Interesting, 'cos I think it's quite a good site. And maybe you do too, given all the comments you've made over the years.

.

Go on, though, read my comment again. Shall I spell it out for you? Say it again only a touch more slowly?

.

You've 'responded' to a point that I haven't made!

.

There's a word for that. Forgotten what it is. But I just call it dumb.

.

Have a super Sunday!

.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to Flintshire Boy | 1 year ago
5 likes

Flintshire Boy wrote:

.

You've 'responded' to a point that I haven't made!

.

.

Well, if you can't beat 'em

.

.

.

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to Flintshire Boy | 1 year ago
3 likes

Fucking hell, a reply to a direct thing.  Shame you never replied all the times previously when asked direct questions on why you supported previous criticisms of content on the site you now actually believe is good.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Flintshire Boy | 1 year ago
2 likes

Flintshire Boy wrote:

 

I just call it dumb.

 

 

Avatar
Bungle_52 replied to Surreyrider | 1 year ago
2 likes

It would be good if road.cc mounted a campaign and it looks like they are at least looking into further action, see this link https://road.cc/content/forum/do-you-submit-video-footage-police-we-want....

However. In my opinion CUK should be more active in this area with their expertise in campaigning. If they ever do anything about it then at least road.cc has established a body of evidence on police responses to submissions for them to refer to and I think road.cc should be applauded for that at least.

Avatar
HoarseMann replied to Surreyrider | 1 year ago
10 likes

I think one reason a NMotD submission of mine was taken to court and prosecuted, is because when the police said they needed to make sure it was in the public interest, I was able to respond that the video had 9k views and had made the news it was so bad.

I've also noticed other news sites - even the DM! - are pulling these close-pass stories from road.cc. So it is reaching other audiences. Yes, these other audiences might not be expressing the same views as people on here, but change is a slow game.

Keeping the issue in the news helps other organisations who are doing the campaigning work, such as Cycling UK. There's been some progress with updates to the Highway Code, close-pass police operations, increase in cycling infrastructure etc. So I do think it is having an effect.

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism | 1 year ago
1 like

At least from the still, I suspect the bus passes close and then pulls in even closer once the first wheel passes the cyclist. Might be the fisheye effect but the bus even looks like it is approaching on the angle. 

Avatar
jaj991 replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 1 year ago
2 likes

I think you're right, video is here https://youtu.be/ZRiSncHuE_Q

Avatar
Oldfatgit | 1 year ago
6 likes

No video ...

Maybe they should go back to putting the emergency stop on the outside rear of busses, so when you get close passed you can hit the engine cut off.

Avatar
Velo-drone | 1 year ago
7 likes

Is it me, or is this missing something ...?

Like, errr ... a video maybe?

Avatar
jaj991 replied to Velo-drone | 1 year ago
1 like

Latest Comments