Q. What is the difference between a London bus driver and a Birmingham bus driver?

 

A.  A London bus driver indicates and pulls out, a Birmingham bus driver pulls out then indicates in case you didn't notice (at least the ones on the 60 / 62 group of routes down through Tyseley used to).

 

 

In fact the standard of bus driving varies enormously from one fleet to another.  In this general area we have one fleet where the drivers are uniformly good, one where they are a bit variable and another where they are uniformly lethal.  I think it all comes down to company culture.  It seems to be the smaller companies which have the higher driving standards and the largest companies which have the lowest.

 

I will generally try to help bus drivers, but there are a couple of places where I will never let them out.  It's not down to them, it's down to the fact that the council has seen fit to place traffic islands in the middle of the road at a busy bus stop to ensure that it is impossible to legally pass a stopped bus.  It's nothing personal, but if it means you will be holding me up for a significant period of time I'm not going to let you out.  Pretty much anywhere else, I will.

 

 

 Must run into West Bromwich town centre. A red light is only advisory and the challenge is to make it into the intersection (and block it) before adjacent traffic is given a shot at the green.

I'm guilty of several of the DRL/sticker crimes mentioned above

 

My annoyances.

Kiwi drivers in general!

 

"Worst" offences I regularly see here:
 

Indicating right to go straight on at a roundabout. It's misleading and breaks traffic flow.

Most (mini) roundabouts near me have the left lane for turning left only, other lane for straight on or right. So many people at the last minute do a swerve into the left lane, seemingly with no clue they are doing it.

Texting and calling while driving.

Putting seat belts on at the end of the street or while driving. It's so urgent that I set off that I can't stop 10 seconds to fasten a seat belt!!

Appalling parking, not giving a **** about others' property (door dings, scraping bags down cars, scuffed corners on cars, badly kerbed wheels, putting bags on other people's car roofs etc etc)

Cars driving around with no bumpers. Sometimes with number plate screwed back on the metal, so have been like that for a while! Sometimes just because their boyracer FMIC doesn't fit.

People driving drunk. It seems to be "acceptable" to many people here, grr.

Most of mine have already been mentioned so I won't be a parrot and repeat them. But one I do have is directed at those pesky convertible users again.

The amount of people I see with the roof down and big earphones on (Beats in-particular) really annoys me. See if you can't hear the radio with your roof down, why don't you just put it up instead of looking like a right ****head with earphones on while in a car?

its a facebook page mate. its largely chavs and theres about 90,000 members now. its a laugh sometimes.

 

p.s. never post a picture of anything thinking you wont get abuse, because you will, unless youve got big boobs, then everybody will just tell you to get those out, and youd be snowed under with friend requests off spotty teenagers.

 

but yeah, have a look, it can be laugh lol

I've Had a few debates on there tbh lol.

Posted a pic of my vrs and never received any bad feedback which surprised me.

Most of mine have already been mentioned so I won't be a parrot and repeat them. But one I do have is directed at those pesky convertible users again.

The amount of people I see with the roof down and big earphones on (Beats in-particular) really annoys me. See if you can't hear the radio with your roof down, why don't you just put it up instead of looking like a right ****head with earphones on while in a car?

Headphones are a big pet hate of mine, on drivers cyclists etc. you can't hear sirens, horns etc.

My pet hate is people complaining you are driving too fast, too close to the car infront, etc etc etc. then when you pull over and let them drive they drive faster than you.

People who cannot park in bays - How hard is it to get the damn thing in between the lines?!

 

People who when parking on busy terraced streets who don't bother to pull up the few yards to the car in front/ behind and just park right in front of their house - Other people need to park as well. but thanks to you, we can't! (sorry, my road seems to have a competition of who can be the most selfish... and snobbish)

 

Badge snobbery - "Oh... you drive a Vauxhall, how quaint. I drive a Mercedes"      "Oh good for you, would you like a badge?"

 

People who cant seem to park any close to the kerb - Do you really have to park a whole 10 inches or something away from it?

 

People who bay park right next to you so you can't get in or out of the car - Hmm, People who used to do this, I would make sure to be ever so slightly negligent when opening my door. (at least when I was in my old car)

 

Passengers who begin to fiddle with your heating, climate control, choice of music, etc. when giving them a lift  - I'm giving up my time to give you a lift, leave it alone!

 

Passenger's who begin to open the car door even before you've completely stopped!!!!!!!!!!

 

People hogging the centre / fast lane!

 

People who don't bother to use dipped beam!

 

People who crawl around like  tortoises and create a train of cars behind them....

 

 

Oh I could go on forever...

 

Keep death off the road & just ban taxi drivers (especially the two ****s from a mini cab company based at Guildford station who jumped the red lights at speed the other night) & women drivers, who are just a fecking menace.

I've Had a few debates on there tbh lol.

Posted a pic of my vrs and never received any bad feedback which surprised me.

Yeah me too haha. Got bored of it eventually though.

Got fed up of seein 1.2 corsa's n people thinkin theyre rapid mate

My new pet hate is 'for off road use - rally spec bulbs' these Cockends annoy me more than range rovers with their dipped beam in my face.

Forgot to mention one of my biggest hates;

 

Inconsiderate cyclists (which I think happens to be pretty much every cyclist in London), you know... those Lycra clad middle aged men on bicycles thinking they own the road. Cycling round with headphones in their ears, riding around like they're in the tour-de-bloody-france, cutting you up left, right and centre and forcing you to slam on your brakes. Going through red lights, roundabouts etc, and if you hit them, you can rest assured that despite the circumstances of the accident, it's going to be YOUR fault.

Why? Because we must spare a thought for the poor cyclist, he's a vulnerable party so we must, pay attention to them and look out for them! Don't get me wrong, I would hate to hit a cyclist and would feel terrible if I did. Seriously though, if they're so vulnerable why do they ride around like they've got some super invincibility force field bubble around them?

 

Don't even get me started on those teenager's riding around on their little BMX's with their hoods up trying to look "gangsta", doing wheelies or riding around with one hand down to their butt pulling down their jogging bottoms so as to expose as much underwear as humanly possible, with their other hand holding a mobile phone to their ear... probably arranging to meet their drug dealer or something.

 

I'm not even going to mention the pedestrian who seem to wait until there's a car hurtling toward them at 30-odd mph before deciding to cross...

 

Maybe I'm getting rather too cynical for my relatively young age (I'm not even 28), or has the whole world just gone to ****?

^^ Rant!

 

One thing that does my head in is the total loss of any common sense over pedestrian crossings. Pedestrians walk across without looking, as if a set of painted white lines are a magical forcefield that will protect them. Drivers here seem to be almost desperate to stop to let people cross and stop way too early, or slow down even if no-one is in sight. The same drivers will not let you out of a junction when you're driving. And of course crossings are mostly invisible to cyclists, they don't need to stop.

 

Also crossing near a crossing. Why?! Just walk to the ***ing crossing! It's actually a fineable offence here to cross the road within 20m of a crossing. Not that it's enforced.

 

Also when someone starts walking across the crossing then walks diagonally across the road in the direction they want to go, are you allowed to run them over once they leave the lines?

Oh I agree with you about the complete loss of any common sense when it comes to pedestrian crossings, some people just seem to walk across it without even waiting or looking, despite the fact that there could be a car just 10 feet away from it still doing 20+mph or something, thereby forcing you to slam on the brakes.

It's ridiculous, you're forced to slam on the brakes as hard as you can just to stop in time, you can feel the brake pads being torn to shreds on the disc's as all the warning light's on your car go off like Blackpool illuminations and you can feel the G forces almost ripping your head clean off it's body, and in the end they don't even thank you and just give you a dirty look as if you're in the wrong and are driving like an idiot...

 

Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little about the braking sequence, but you can see where I'm coming from...

 

The worrying part is that if you hit him in such a scenario, you're in the wrong and there's nothing you can do to argue your case because he's got right of way...

 

I know that in Poland, at traffic lighted pedestrian crossing it is an offence to walk across before the green man is showing, and is punishable by way of fine if caught by a police man and even when you have a green man, driver's turning right can still drive through, they should give way to pedestrian's, but they rarely do.

With many member's of my family being from Poland, I've spent many a wonderful holiday there and have seen some crazy driving that would make any British persons eye water... it really is something to behold. Eg, two drivers racing each other through a 30mph zone while doing at least 90+ in the ****ing rain going right through a red light... sure, it was 10pm at night, but still...

 

On the bright side, knowing about the rule of driver's being able to turn right during a red light did serve me in good stead as I was able to save my girlfriend from being hit by a car while we were holidaying in Paris one time.

Also when someone starts walking across the crossing then walks diagonally across the road in the direction they want to go, are you allowed to run them over once they leave the lines?

Yes

Motorcyclists on motorways who over/undertake between the lanes.

 

Before I get lambasted for criticising the "filtering" manouevre allowed by the Highway Code, I point out that filtering on a motorway/dual carriageway is only permitted in "slow moving traffic", and only with extreme caution being aware of vehicles changing lane - the legal definition of "slow moving traffic" on a motorway is less than 30 mph.

 

Try telling that to the tw4ts around London on the M23, M25,M3 and M4 who cause massive hold ups and waster the taxpayers money on Air Ambulances and Hospital Trauma resources when they get it wrong!

 

Impatient, aggressive and idiotic car drivers who undertake on motorways or weave across lanes to try to jump ahead of a few car lengths and cause everyone else to brake sharply (again, "undertaking" on motorways is both illegal and highly dangerous. 

Edited 17 June, 201411 yr by bealine

Not strictly true.

Our pet hates travelling in cars.  :p

Not strictly true.

 

Ah, you're right.   I presumed, like many people I guess, that the motorcycilsts I see were "filtering" when in fact they are "lane splitting" or "undertaking", both of which could get them in serious trouble if it doesn't kill them first!

http://www.solent-advanced-motorcyclists.co.uk/riding-tips-mainmenu-46/157-riding-tips-filtering.html'> http://www.solent-advanced-motorcyclists.co.uk/riding-tips-mainmenu-46/157-riding-tips-filtering.html

Silly illegible stickers. Like dapper for instance

People who can't use remote controlled central locking properly, the idea is that you are walking towards your car, get the key out of your pocket, press the button and then get to your car and open the door and get in without having to wait. Not walk up to you car, get the key out, press the button and get in. You might as well save the battery and just use the key as a key if you're going to do that.

People who can't use remote controlled central locking properly, the idea is that you are walking towards your car, get the key out of your pocket, press the button and then get to your car and open the door and get in without having to wait. Not walk up to you car, get the key out, press the button and get in. You might as well save the battery and just use the key as a key if you're going to do that.

I know what you mean!

Its designed so you dont have to stand next to the car fumbling around!

Those of us who're blessed with KESSY, just grab the door handle & open the door. Those door fob things to operate the locks are sooo yesterday you know! 

People who can't use remote controlled central locking properly, the idea is that you are walking towards your car, get the key out of your pocket, press the button and then get to your car and open the door and get in without having to wait. Not walk up to you car, get the key out, press the button and get in. You might as well save the battery and just use the key as a key if you're going to do that.

My reason is key does the lock, remote does the lock and alarm. What's in the boot cosy more than the car did, so the alarm goes on. I can't see the point in unlocking the car from half a mile away.

Edited 18 June, 201411 yr by StevesTruck

My reason is key does the lock, remote does the lock and alarm. What's in the boot cosy more than the car did, so the alarm goes on. I can't see the point in unlocking the car from half a mile away.

Not half a mile away, just so you dont have to stop next to the car and fumble around finding the key, then unlocking it etc etc.

I think all hes trying to say is, you could do that in your way to the car, then just walk up to it, open the door and get in.

No messin

Not half a mile away, just so you dont have to stop next to the car and fumble around finding the key, then unlocking it etc etc.

I think all hes trying to say is, you could do that in your way to the car, then just walk up to it, open the door and get in.

No messin

Yes! Even only 6 foot away from the car, or less, just so you don't stop, it's what it's for.

 

Maybe I'm getting rather too cynical for my relatively young age (I'm not even 28), or has the whole world just gone to ****?

 

I'm definitely with you there on both cyclists and pedestrians to mention just a few and I'm not that much older than you!  When is it ever okay to cycle three abreast, do they think they are invincible or something when they travel in packs and don't get me started on pedestrians sauntering around the roads as they please - yes I am one myself sometimes but I do at least try to avoid being run over

Refurbished wheels with corroded wheel nuts!