Last August, New York City made it a misdemeanor for a driver to injure or kill a pedestrian who has the right of way. Drivers can face fines of up to $250 or 30 days in jail. (Presumably there was no penalty at all before this?)
Bus drivers think they should be exempt from this law–that they should be allowed to continue to maim and kill pedestrians without penalty. “…the arrest last week of a bus driver who struck a 15-year-old girl angered union officials, who sent a memo to members this week warning that bus drivers were under attack and were being treated like ‘criminals.’”
Article at this link. Discuss.
My thoughts? In 30 years of bike commuting, of my top 10 “close calls” of being nailed, at least half of them were at the hands of reckless, careless, and/or aggressive bus drivers. Their sense of entitlement to run people over with impunity does not surprise me.
Also: We’re considering a fine of $250 a harsh penalty for negligently killing someone? Wow, we have a long, long way to go as a society.
Oh the good old days… when you could just kill pedestrians who had the right of way and then go for a snack. Now they want you to pay a $250 fine… fuckers!
I get the concept that people get hit through no intent of the driver, but that is true of all drivers. I’m not sure why a professional driver should be exempt from a law that applies to everyone else. Shouldn’t the bus driver be held to a higher standard?
I don’t think your comment of “bus drivers want to be able to main and kill pedestrian” is the case here. They are making the point that these things happened despite any intent or negligence, but that is true of regular car drivers as well.
If this law is to apply to anyone, it should apply to everyone. Maybe they’ll be a lot less careful knowing there are consequences.
And yea, $250 is harsh for killing someone? I would be furious if I lost a loved one, the person responsible is out a couple days pay(if that).
Bus drivers think they should be exempt from this law–that they should be allowed to continue to maim and kill pedestrians without penalty. “…the arrest last week of a bus driver who struck a 15-year-old girl angered union officials, who sent a memo to members this week warning that bus drivers were under attack and were being treated like ‘criminals.’”
Some of the closest calls I’ve had were from bus drivers. There have been plenty of times commuting too and from work where I’ve noticed every single car has given me significant room, slowing down and changing lanes when appropriate, but where every single bus as buzzed me.
I understand that it’s more difficult to drive and manouver a bus. Somthing that I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing safely. But then, I haven’t had training and am not paid to do that.
I’m loving this #LetsBePerfect campaign. Maybe they should extend bus driver’s immunity to include killing pedestrians, other drivers, knocking down utility poles, or just plain old driving their bus off a cliff. For fucks sake…nobody’s perfect right?
I run near an elementary school. The school bus drivers have a 25 mph zone to drive through (where I run). It’s only about one mile long, but there are lots of kids in the area, houses, and some off-road parking. At any rate, the school bus drivers come down that road like bats out of hell. I’ve been nearly hit several times because of their speeding and inattentiveness. I complained to the school, but saw no change in behavior. Now, if a bus driver is coming down that road I hop into the woods until he passes. Only way to survive.
In NYC, I feel sorry for anyone who must drive in those conditions. Half the pedestrians are looking down at their cellphones or chatting through their bluetooth, and many others just assume they can cross against the light. NYC does not have control of their roads, like most of America. I’m just surprised they don’t kill more people.
The bus drivers are wrong on this issue, imho. If they can’t slow down, they should quit. Ditto for everyone else, including cyclists.