[BCM] Need some pointers

Wed May 17 12:53:23 EDT 2006

I think if you have an incident like I did you should definitely speak up.
The editor from Badtransit.com wants to interview me to confirm my story so
he can post it on the site. Thanks to Turtle, I will file the RMV report.
Enough bad reports should get bad drivers off the road.
The MBTA unfortunately has a lot "greater" problems than bad bus drivers...

  _____  

From: bostoncriticalmass-bounces at bostoncriticalmass.org
[mailto:bostoncriticalmass-bounces at bostoncriticalmass.org] On Behalf Of Rob
Arnold
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 10:43 AM
To: Boston Critical Mass
Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Need some pointers

I've had close calls with busses as well, in various parts of the city, and
I ride far into the lane. I consider them the most dangerous vehicle on the
road. I wonder if we could wage some kind of letter-writing campagin to the
MBTA. Would it do any good? 

On 5/17/06, turtle <turtle at zworg.com> wrote: 

First of all, yeah, bus drivers suck.  Not all of them, but many of them
are so completely insane when it comes to safety and respect.

Secondly, you won't be able to find a police report, since no damage was
done and no one was hurt.  Well, you can FILE a crash report with the
police, but no one will take you seriously.  You CAN file a report with
the RMV, however.  See the MassBike FAQ for the link:
http://massbike.org/resources/  (Scroll down to near the bottom and
lookf for the "driver complaint" question.) But that will only work if
you got the driver's description, bus number, and time of day/route, 
for identification purposes.

Finally, seriously, don't ride all the way over to the right.  Ride far
enough into the lane that you have pelnty of space on your right.  Take
the lane if it's narrow (as it is in most parts of Mass Ave.). 
Seriously.  You are entitled to it, and you will be safer, too.  Yes,
some motorists may get annoyed, but they won't treat you as if you were
two-dimentional, like that bus driver did.  And the more people who bike 
like they belong on the road, the more people will begin to understand
that we do belong on the road.

Oh, and one last thing.  I'm glad you are ok!

-Turtle
Got arrested after getting pissy at a bus driver who harassed me... 

Boston Critical Mass <list at bostoncriticalmass.org> wrote:
>
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>
> So this morning, I almost got sideswiped and pinned by an MBTA bus. I have
> notified the MBTA, Badtransit and T-Rage. I'll fill out an incident report

> with the cops after work. Is there anything else I should do?
>
>
> here is a copy of my e-mail to the MBTA
>
> From: Justin Wong [mailto:lilwong at bu.edu  <mailto:lilwong at bu.edu> ]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 10:02 AM
> To: 'cdubose at mbta.com'
> Subject: MBTA Bus Route 1
>
>
> To whom it may concern,
>
> This morning at approximately 8:43 AM I was biking on Mass Ave when a
Route 
> 1 bus honked at me 3 times and proceeded to accelerate and cut me off. I
was
> riding respectfully as far over to the right as I could and there was
plenty
> of room to pass, even for a bus. The problem I want to address in this 
> e-mail is: I should not have to worry about dying on our city's streets
> because your bus driver thinks she owns the road. Fortunately for me, I
was
> able to slam the breaks and turn sharply to the right before hitting a 
> parked car or being pinned by the bus.
>
> The license plate of the bus is: 2294. You can expect a police report
filed.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Justin Wong
>
>
>
>
>
>
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> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
> <HTML><HEAD>
> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
> charset=3Dus-ascii">
> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1543 " name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD>
> <BODY>
> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><SPAN class=3D300332114-17052006><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>So = 
> this morning, I=20
> almost got sideswiped and pinned by an MBTA bus. I have notified the =
> MBTA,=20
> Badtransit and T-Rage. I'll fill out an incident report with the cops =
> after=20
> work. Is there anything else I should do?</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
> <DIV><SPAN class=3D300332114-17052006><FONT face=3DArial=20
> size=3D2></FONT></SPAN></DIV> 
> <DIV><SPAN class=3D300332114-17052006><FONT face=3DArial=20
> size=3D2></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
> <DIV><SPAN class=3D300332114-17052006><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>here = 
> is a copy of my=20
> e-mail to the MBTA </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
> <DIV><SPAN class=3D300332114-17052006><FONT face=3DArial=20
> size=3D2></FONT></SPAN></DIV> 
> <DIV><SPAN class=3D300332114-17052006><FONT size=3D2><FONT=20
> face=3DTahoma><STRONG>From:</STRONG> Justin Wong [mailto:lilwong at bu.edu ]
=
>
> <BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, May 17, 2006 10:02 AM<BR><B>To:</B>=20
> 'cdubose at mbta.com'<BR><B>Subject:</B> MBTA Bus Route = 
> 1<BR><BR></FONT></FONT>
> <DIV></DIV>
> <DIV><SPAN class=3D377105413-17052006></SPAN><FONT size=3D2>T<SPAN=20
> class=3D377105413-17052006>o whom it may concern,</SPAN></FONT></DIV> 
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN =
> class=3D377105413-17052006></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3D377105413-17052006><FONT =
> face=3DArial>This morning=20
> at approximately 8:43 AM I was biking on Mass Ave when a Route 1 bus =
> honked at=20
> me 3 times and proceeded to accelerate and cut me off. I was riding =
> respectfully=20 
> as far over to the right as I could and there was plenty of room to =
> pass, even=20
> for a bus. The problem I want to address in this e-mail is: I should not =
> have to=20
> worry about dying on our city'sstreets because your bus driver=20 
> thinksshe owns the road. Fortunately for me, I was able to slam =
> the breaks=20
> and turn sharply to the right before hitting a parked car or being =
> pinned by the=20
> bus.</FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV> 
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3D377105413-17052006><FONT=20
> face=3DArial></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3D377105413-17052006><FONT = 
> face=3DArial>The license=20
> plate of the bus is: 2294. You can expect a police report=20
> filed.</FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3D377105413-17052006><FONT=20 
> face=3DArial></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3D377105413-17052006><FONT=20
> face=3DArial>Sincerely,</FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV> 
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3D377105413-17052006><FONT=20
> face=3DArial></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3D377105413-17052006><FONT = 
> face=3DArial>Justin=20
> Wong</FONT></SPAN></DIV></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
> <P><FONT size=3D2><BR></FONT></P>
> <DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML> 
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----------------------------------
"One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we
seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal.  We must 
pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means." - Martin Luther King Jr.
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