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I will be posting the following to Metrolink today. I've removed my full name and address for posting here. If anyone else saw this happening this morning (7:20am on Symonds Street, Auckland City) could I suggest that you consider making a Roadwatch report or writing to Metrolink? Thanks. Hope this isn't too long to post!
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To whom it may concern,
I am writing to complain of dangerous driving by the driver of Metrolink bus number 809, which was running on route 247 down Symonds Street, at roughly 7:20 in the morning on April 30th. I believe that this driver needlessly endangered the life of a cyclist who was legally using the road at this time, and I would like to request that Metrolink take appropriate disciplinary action against the driver.
The incident happened on the Symonds Street overpass over the southern motorway, between St Benedict’s Street and the intersection with Karangahape Road and Grafton Bridge. A cyclist was going over this the overpass towards the K. Road intersection, on the far side of the left-hand traffic lane. The right-hand lane was clear at the time.
There is a cycle lane on the footpath beside this traffic lane, but at the time of the incident this was mostly blocked by numerous pedestrians and broken glass, and the cyclist in question had obviously chosen to use the road instead. As you and your driver should be aware from New Zealand road law, cyclists are permitted to use regular traffic lanes instead of available cycleways when they believe this is necessary for safety. Therefore the cyclist in question was legally using the road at the time of the incident - please bear this in mind when you read the following.
Riding down the cycle lane at slow speed, with several other riders, I witnessed your bus no. 809 tailgating the cyclist over the overpass. Your employee was driving the bus, at speed, with only one metre’s following distance behind the cyclist – which is an absolutely unsafe following distance with any vehicle, and clearly in violation of traffic laws. This continued for about twenty seconds, with your employee using his bus horn the entire time.
When your driver finally passed the cyclist near the intersection with Karangahape Road, he took the time to open his front door to shout at the cyclist, before apparently deliberately swerving to the left while passing the cyclist, with passing room of about half a metre. This action was completely unnecessary and again endangered the life of the cyclist for no good reason.
It should be obvious to you as a professional public transport operator just how dangerous your driver’s actions were. If the cyclist had had to move to the right to avoid an obstacle, to brake suddenly, or if they had struck a pothole and fallen, it would have been impossible for the bus driver to stop in a safe distance without running the cyclist over. The result would have almost certainly been serious injury or death.
By the time of the incident the time the cyclist was on the far left of the traffic lane – riding on top of yellow lines - and couldn’t possibly have moved any further aside. There was nothing to be gained from your driver’s obnoxious overuse of the horn, except to frighten the cyclist and make an accident even more likely.
To top it all off, the right-hand lane was clear to the side of the bus. It would have been easy for your driver to simply overtake the cyclist in the other lane, and then return to the left-hand lane. I have ridden this same route for years, and Metrolink drivers have always done this manoeuvre to pass me without any problems – but your driver was clearly more interested in venting his anger at an innocent road user, rather than driving his bus safely and sensibly.
It’s only through sheer chance that I did not have to go directly to the Police today to report a fatality because of your driver’s unnecessary and dangerous driving. I recommend that you discipline your driver and give him a refresher course on basic road rules and safety before he gets behind the wheel again.
Perhaps you might also suggest that your driver seek anger management help, as he seems prone to road rage which causes him to act dangerously and completely unprofessionally as a representative of your company. Certainly this would be worthwhile if it might prevent a cyclist possibly being crushed to death under a Metrolink bus in future.
The incident this morning will have been seen by myself, my companion, several other cyclists, other drivers behind the bus, and also the numerous passengers of bus no. 809. I am confident that at least a few of these people will be following it up with the Police as far as they are able. Hopefully the cyclist in question will also do so, assuming they aren’t too shaken or intimidated by your driver’s actions.
Please be aware that I will be sharing the details of this letter with various cycle and public transport groups, so that they are aware of the dangerous driving exhibited by your employee. I believe these people will be very interested in any response that Metrolink might make.
Finally, in my five years of daily cycling in the city I’ve found most Metrolink drivers to be considerate and professional, giving enough space for drivers and cyclists to use the road and passing them when it’s safe to do so. I hope that Metrolink will show a real commitment to safety on our roads by taking appropriate action against the driver involved in this incident, and I look forward to hearing your response and the details of the action Metrolink will take.
Yours sincerely,
<Redacted>
I am writing to complain of dangerous driving by the driver of Metrolink bus number 809, which was running on route 247 down Symonds Street, at roughly 7:20 in the morning on April 30th. I believe that this driver needlessly endangered the life of a cyclist who was legally using the road at this time, and I would like to request that Metrolink take appropriate disciplinary action against the driver.
The incident happened on the Symonds Street overpass over the southern motorway, between St Benedict’s Street and the intersection with Karangahape Road and Grafton Bridge. A cyclist was going over this the overpass towards the K. Road intersection, on the far side of the left-hand traffic lane. The right-hand lane was clear at the time.
There is a cycle lane on the footpath beside this traffic lane, but at the time of the incident this was mostly blocked by numerous pedestrians and broken glass, and the cyclist in question had obviously chosen to use the road instead. As you and your driver should be aware from New Zealand road law, cyclists are permitted to use regular traffic lanes instead of available cycleways when they believe this is necessary for safety. Therefore the cyclist in question was legally using the road at the time of the incident - please bear this in mind when you read the following.
Riding down the cycle lane at slow speed, with several other riders, I witnessed your bus no. 809 tailgating the cyclist over the overpass. Your employee was driving the bus, at speed, with only one metre’s following distance behind the cyclist – which is an absolutely unsafe following distance with any vehicle, and clearly in violation of traffic laws. This continued for about twenty seconds, with your employee using his bus horn the entire time.
When your driver finally passed the cyclist near the intersection with Karangahape Road, he took the time to open his front door to shout at the cyclist, before apparently deliberately swerving to the left while passing the cyclist, with passing room of about half a metre. This action was completely unnecessary and again endangered the life of the cyclist for no good reason.
It should be obvious to you as a professional public transport operator just how dangerous your driver’s actions were. If the cyclist had had to move to the right to avoid an obstacle, to brake suddenly, or if they had struck a pothole and fallen, it would have been impossible for the bus driver to stop in a safe distance without running the cyclist over. The result would have almost certainly been serious injury or death.
By the time of the incident the time the cyclist was on the far left of the traffic lane – riding on top of yellow lines - and couldn’t possibly have moved any further aside. There was nothing to be gained from your driver’s obnoxious overuse of the horn, except to frighten the cyclist and make an accident even more likely.
To top it all off, the right-hand lane was clear to the side of the bus. It would have been easy for your driver to simply overtake the cyclist in the other lane, and then return to the left-hand lane. I have ridden this same route for years, and Metrolink drivers have always done this manoeuvre to pass me without any problems – but your driver was clearly more interested in venting his anger at an innocent road user, rather than driving his bus safely and sensibly.
It’s only through sheer chance that I did not have to go directly to the Police today to report a fatality because of your driver’s unnecessary and dangerous driving. I recommend that you discipline your driver and give him a refresher course on basic road rules and safety before he gets behind the wheel again.
Perhaps you might also suggest that your driver seek anger management help, as he seems prone to road rage which causes him to act dangerously and completely unprofessionally as a representative of your company. Certainly this would be worthwhile if it might prevent a cyclist possibly being crushed to death under a Metrolink bus in future.
The incident this morning will have been seen by myself, my companion, several other cyclists, other drivers behind the bus, and also the numerous passengers of bus no. 809. I am confident that at least a few of these people will be following it up with the Police as far as they are able. Hopefully the cyclist in question will also do so, assuming they aren’t too shaken or intimidated by your driver’s actions.
Please be aware that I will be sharing the details of this letter with various cycle and public transport groups, so that they are aware of the dangerous driving exhibited by your employee. I believe these people will be very interested in any response that Metrolink might make.
Finally, in my five years of daily cycling in the city I’ve found most Metrolink drivers to be considerate and professional, giving enough space for drivers and cyclists to use the road and passing them when it’s safe to do so. I hope that Metrolink will show a real commitment to safety on our roads by taking appropriate action against the driver involved in this incident, and I look forward to hearing your response and the details of the action Metrolink will take.
Yours sincerely,
<Redacted>
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