Red-light warning after death

The death of that MTA bus driver brought a warning from transportation officials about red-light running:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and city Department of Transportation highlighted the dangers of running red lights as part of the national campaign "Think Ahead. Stop on Red." Last week, the driver of a sport utility vehicle ran a red light and the SUV collided with an MTA bus in Willowbrook. The bus driver was ejected and run over by the bus. "Motorists running red lights are a major risk for Metro bus and train operators and passengers," said MTA Board Chairwoman Pam O’Connor. Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who chairs the council’s Transportation Committee, said drivers need to slow down. "In 2004, over 900 people were killed and approximately 176,000 were injured nationally as a result of crashes caused by drivers not stopping at red lights," she said. "Last year, in the city of Los Angeles alone, there were 50,623 traffic collisions and of this total, 3,290 were red-light traffic collisions." (CNS)

Comments

[Best Bus Driver]

First of all I am a bus operator. I feel that people driving these fancy cars are so rude to buses, what is thye big deal,why cant you guys just let us over? its only for a quick second. I dont understand what the big deal is. The sooner you let us over traffic will continue to flow. the only thing you people think about are yourselves. we understand you guys have places to be, thats not a problem but i think if everyone were a little more courteous on the rode there would be alot less accidents and fatalities.

[Best Bus Driver]

First of all I am a bus operator. I feel that people driving these fancy cars are so rude to buses, what is thye big deal,why cant you guys just let us over? its only for a quick second. I dont understand what the big deal is. The sooner you let us over traffic will continue to flow. the only thing you people think about are yourselves. we understand you guys have places to be, thats not a problem but i think if everyone were a little more courteous on the rode there would be alot less accidents and fatalities.

[Marcotico]

I'm with Paul on this one. I'm sure Amber may have once been almost broadsided, but most people don't respect a bus's turn signal and just assume the next person will let them in. Everyone needs to drive a little more courteously, bus drivers and automobiles. But we should also remember that buses are providing a valuable service like ambulances and fireengines.

[ed]

i was an MTA busdriver. police have what a fellow busdriver called an "understanding". first we have our own cops. thats right we have "metro sheriffs". our cops are a great interface with other cops. second we provide esential service: in peak times we cut traffic in half, that's right 1/2. and we can't stop. not that we don't want to, just that nobody is wearing seatbelts! many people don't know this. i did this once: the guy in front of me stoped inexplicably in heavy traffic, all cars arround us and in front of us were moving in heavy downtown traffic. suddenly he stops. i remember his no licenseplate back end reflecting my headlights, he stoped so suddenly. to avoid hitting him, i stopped so hard sombody fell on my bus, and i almost got fired.

[pj]

First, what do you have against BMWs? They are great cars, especially for maneuvering past busses. Secondly, I hate busses and bus drivers. They are rude, and think they own the road. They will just pull out in front of you, run red lights, and whatever else they want. Bus drivers are representatives of the city, and should act accordingly - with respect, service, and courtesy.

[Amber]

Paul, your comments are ridiculous. So, aside from the jaywalking pedestrians, the road rage drivers, cops, ambulances, the bicyclists and motorcyclists, I need to watch out for and excuse bus drivers who don't follow the rules of the road...because they are in a BIG vehicle? So, Hummer drivers and UPS trucks are outside the law as well? So I shouldn't be mad at the moving van that pulled out in front of me the other day because he's in a big truck? And being broadsided has nothing to do with being selfish. It means you are already in the lane when the bus driver decides to floor it to make the light. And just how, in your vast driving experience, is a driver supposed to pull over into an occupied lane or an opposing lane when the bus driver decides to pull out into traffic? Who is being selfish or stupid here? Is there a "Bus Driving for Dummies" manual we don't know about? Based on your understanding of how driving works, it's probably better you're on the bus. OH, and I don't have a BMW. Many people who don't ride the bus don't either so stop being so judgmental.

[Amber]

Paul, your comments are ridiculous. So, aside from the jaywalking pedestrians, the road rage drivers, cops, ambulances, the bicyclists and motorcyclists, I need to watch out for and excuse bus drivers who don't follow the rules of the road...because they are in a BIG vehicle? So, Hummer drivers and UPS trucks are outside the law as well? So I shouldn't be mad at the moving van that pulled out in front of me the other day because he's in a big truck? And being broadsided has nothing to do with being selfish. It means you are already in the lane when the bus driver decides to floor it to make the light. And just how, in your vast driving experience, is a driver supposed to pull over into an occupied lane or an opposing lane when the bus driver decides to pull out into traffic? Who is being selfish or stupid here? Is there a "Bus Driving for Dummies" manual we don't know about? Based on your understanding of how driving works, it's probably better you're on the bus. OH, and I don't have a BMW. Many people who don't ride the bus don't either so stop being so judgmental.

[Amber]

Paul, your comments are ridiculous. So, aside from the jaywalking pedestrians, the road rage drivers, cops, ambulances, the bicyclists and motorcyclists, I need to watch out for and excuse bus drivers who don't follow the rules of the road...because they are in a BIG vehicle? So, Hummer drivers and UPS trucks are outside the law as well? So I shouldn't be mad at the moving van that pulled out in front of me the other day because he's in a big truck? And being broadsided has nothing to do with being selfish. It means you are already in the lane when the bus driver decides to floor it to make the light. And just how, in your vast driving experience, is a driver supposed to pull over into an occupied lane or an opposing lane when the bus driver decides to pull out into traffic? Who is being selfish or stupid here? Is there a "Bus Driving for Dummies" manual we don't know about? Based on your understanding of how driving works, it's probably better you're on the bus. OH, and I don't have a BMW. Many people who don't ride the bus don't either so stop being so judgmental.

[John]

If you think it's scary dealing sharing the roads with buses, consider how frightening is for people riding their bicycles through Los Angeles.

[David in Los Angeles]

Very few drivers in traffic ever let a bus "in" ... but they're loaded with people who AREN'T in cars (more cars = more traffic). I see a bus signal, I always slow down and let it in. If buses waited and waited and waited for a break in traffic, they'd never, ever get anywhere. Maybe not a justification for just pulling out in front of smaller cars, but perhaps understandable.

[Paul]

Amber, 99% of the time when someone is "almost broadsided" by a bus, it's because they're being stupid or selfish. Buses are gigantic. It's extremely hard for drivers to see other cars trying to zoom around them, and believe me, I see this dozens of times every day when I ride the bus. If you see a bus' blinker go on, give them room. They likely won't be able to see your little BMW trying to floor it past them before they can change lanes.

[Josh]

MTA bus drivers are the worst red light runners. While working downtown, I have countless times seen MTA or Dash busses run clearly red lights in order to keep on schedule. The drivers will usually honk their horns as a "courtesy" to let pedestrians know that the bus is going through the intersection come hell or high water. I take MTA officials' warnings about red light running as the hypocrisy and genuflecting they are so long as the MTA implicitly encourages the drivers of its own five-ton behemoths to continue to endanger the public for the sake of timely service.

[Steve]

How ironic. The only vehicles I see running red lights with regularity downtown are the busdrivers. And they do it with unbelievable arrogance and audacity...one gave me the finger as she ran the light because I dared to honk as she nearly killed me and a handful of pedestrians. Maybe the MTA should worry about their own.

[Darren James]

This comment is directed at Tom A. Tom, let me barrow your theory and ask you a quick question. If one day you happen to leave the front door to your house unlocked and an house invader walks in and kills you and your family, is it your fault? By all means, just as the bus driver was careless, so were you in not locking the door right? My point is, yes the victim should've taken all the neccesary precautions, but the blame is to be placed on the red-light runner.

[Amber]

As regrettable as any death is, I wonder about the stats on how many accidents were CAUSED by bus drivers. I am constantly amazed at the lack of courtesy and care most bus drivers show. They pull out into lanes without looking or just feel they can because they are bigger than you. I have almost been broadsided by buses that race through the "orange" light. I have almost been pushed into opposing traffic by buses that illegally change lanes. Being on time is one thing, driving like a maniac is another. Frankly, the MTA needs to take a better look at how their own drivers operate before waving stats in our faces.

[Amber]

As regrettable as any death is, I wonder about the stats on how many accidents were CAUSED by bus drivers. I am constantly amazed at the lack of courtesy and care most bus drivers show. They pull out into lanes without looking or just feel they can because they are bigger than you. I have almost been broadsided by buses that race through the "orange" light. I have almost been pushed into opposing traffic by buses that illegally change lanes. Being on time is one thing, driving like a maniac is another. Frankly, the MTA needs to take a better look at how their own drivers operate before waving stats in our faces.

[Amber]

As regrettable as any death is, I wonder about the stats on how many accidents were CAUSED by bus drivers. I am constantly amazed at the lack of courtesy and care most bus drivers show. They pull out into lanes without looking or just feel they can because they are bigger than you. I have almost been broadsided by buses that race through the "orange" light. I have almost been pushed into opposing traffic by buses that illegally change lanes. Being on time is one thing, driving like a maniac is another. Frankly, the MTA needs to take a better look at how their own drivers operate before waving stats in our faces.

[Bill]

I have seen several crashes caused by drivers waiting to turn left who are struck by oncoming traffic which should have stopped but did not stop. Sometimes the driver wanting to turn spots the oncoming car dipping slightly as the brakes are applied, and knows its safe to do the turn. Best solution is more left turn arrows, especially the permissive variety. Even better, put a yellow light on the FRONT of the vehicle which flashes when the brake lights are on at the rear, therefore the driver wanting to turn knows for sure that the oncoming vehicle has applied the brakes and its safe to turn.

[Tom A.]

As dispicable as red light runners are, it should also be pointed out that the bus driver apparently wasn't wearing his seatbelt.