Side of Bus Shelter 1 - 0 My Bike

[Davos119]

For embarrassing ways to write off a bike (or a frame at least), cycling straight into the side of a bus shelter must rank up there with the best.

I could make excuses, but there's no point really. Better, I suppose, to write off your bike by cycling into a bus stop than by going under a bus.

On the plus side, almost every cyclist who passed me while I was sitting on the verge waiting to be picked up stopped to check if I was alright, to chat, to sympathise, to see if they could help. That - and fantasising about what exotic hand-built beauty I could replace the frame with - went some way to improving my day. Thank you fellow cyclists.

[fausto copy]

Sorry to hear of your mishap and hope you weren't too badly shaken.
Really pleased to hear about the sensitivity and concern from t'other cyclists.
There really does still seem to be a great bit of camaraderie around in this little cycling world of ours.
Must ask too, why you didn't get the bus home?

[Edwards]

You have my respect for saying you were a fault. So refreshing not to read, it was the bus stops fault, the company should never have put it there, it was hidden from view, or even it jumped out in front of me.
It was also good to read about the other cyclists, even a little heart warming.

Anybody know any good bus stop jokes?

[Guy951]

Shouldn't this thread be titled in the best BBC fashion...

"BUS SHELTER COLLIDES WITH CYCLIST"





Glad you're not hurt.

[fatboy]

Must ask too, why you didn't get the bus home?

If it was a Sunday then that would be why!

[Davos119]

You clearly jest, but now I come to think of it, even though I cycle that route every single day, I swear the bus stop jumped out at me from behind a bush...

Anyway, re: good bus stop jokes - here's one:

Q: What do you get if you write your frame off by cycling straight into the side of a bus stop?
A: A Bob Jackson Audax End-End

Well, it made me laugh...

[mark barker]

OK, so I've been puzzling over this for a while.... How did you ride into a bus stop?

[Davos119]

OK, so I've been puzzling over this for a while.... How did you ride into a bus stop?

Good question. I'm still not exactly 100% sure myself.

This is the offending stealth ninja bus stop: http://tinyurl.com/66dtxv5

It was a combination of bad timing and a moment's inattention on my part. The cycle lane narrows where the bus stop is - only room for one bike to squeeze behind it as you can see. I must have been looking down or otherwise just generally not paying attention, and just as I looked up, there was an oncoming cyclist right there behind the bus stop. In the fraction of a second I had to register him there, some subconscious part of me decided to hit the bus stop rather than him. The bike was killed instantly, but fortunately for me, that big sheet of perspex in front of the poster (off which I bounced), is surprisingly flexible.

[Si]

Ah, bus stop inthe middle of a cycle path, it all makes sense (or lack of planning/design sense) now!

[thirdcrank]

... I could make excuses, but there's no point really....

Having seen the streetview, I'd say you have shown a lot of forbearance. What sort of dolt is responsible for an arrangement like that?

61
Cycle Routes and Other Facilities. Use cycle routes, advanced stop lines, cycle boxes and toucan crossings unless at the time it is unsafe to do so. Use of these facilities is not compulsory and will depend on your experience and skills, but they can make your journey safer. (Highway Code) My emphasis

had it been one of those talking jobbies that announces when a bus is due, they might program it to announce "Sorry mate, ...."

[alicej]

Yeah, to be fair, that is a bit of a ninja bus stop isn't it?

Glad people stopped to see if they could help, I do that whenever I can.

[Flinders]

That layout is insane- I'm not a person who would generally say 'claim against the council' but in this case even I would look into doing so.
At the very least I'd want the accident officially logged and the layout investigated with a view to it being altered- widened into the verge if nothing else.

Glad you're okay, and good luck with the new bike.

[Flinders]

(I say insane because it's clear that the advertising sign (or anyone waiting at the bus stop) blocks cyclists' view of other oncoming cyclists.)

[iandriver]

A good few years ago, my wife fluffed hopping up the kerb and went over the bars landing in Stevenage ambulance station. They scooped her up and took her off. The scars have healed nicely now, the ones on the outside anyway .

Funny enough, I fractured my right elbow falling off on the cycle path into Addenbrooks Hospital in Cambridge. Annoyingly, I then rode several miles past the hospital before realising something really wasn't right and having to make my way back to A&E.......

[horizon]

You have my respect for saying you were a fault. So refreshing not to read, it was the bus stops fault, the company should never have put it there, it was hidden from view, or even it jumped out in front of me.

Well the consensus now appears to be that it was the bus stop's fault. Personally I would have taken primary position on the road.