Buses Stopping at non bus stops
Discussion
I thought I'd pick the PH general brains as it seems there's a wealth of knowledge about various things on here.
To give you a background, there's a school on the road that joins the one I live on. They have a bus service specifically to pick up the pupils.
Not only do they have to perform a somewhat precarious turn round an island between two residential roads. They actually block driveways whilst waiting for the pupils (around 30-40 minutes waiting)
Now I was wondering whether they are allowed to block a driveway if they don't have a bus stop? They just sit along the road and wait for the pupils and also on a corner making it tricky to pull out of other driveways and for two way traffic as it's only a small residential street.
No advice really but wondered if what they do is actually allowed or if there's any implications.
To give you a background, there's a school on the road that joins the one I live on. They have a bus service specifically to pick up the pupils.
Not only do they have to perform a somewhat precarious turn round an island between two residential roads. They actually block driveways whilst waiting for the pupils (around 30-40 minutes waiting)
Now I was wondering whether they are allowed to block a driveway if they don't have a bus stop? They just sit along the road and wait for the pupils and also on a corner making it tricky to pull out of other driveways and for two way traffic as it's only a small residential street.
No advice really but wondered if what they do is actually allowed or if there's any implications.
Alex_225 said:
...To give you a background, there's a school on the road that joins the one I live on. They have a bus service specifically to pick up the pupils.
Not only do they have to perform a somewhat precarious turn round an island between two residential roads.
What else are they supposed to do to turn around? Not only do they have to perform a somewhat precarious turn round an island between two residential roads.
Alex_225 said:
They actually block driveways whilst waiting for the pupils (around 30-40 minutes waiting)....
30~40 minutes waiting for pupils? - Really?Way back yonder when I used to take the bus to school, you had a window of @ 5 minutes maximum to get to the school bus. Miss that 5 minute window and you didn't go to school that day!
In regards to turning around, they use a traffic island that is there to divide a junction. They are forced to use it as a roundabout, I am aware the bus drivers have moaned about people parking outside their own properties because it makes the turn difficult. The drivers hate it and the residents aren't keen on them having to do the turn either.
That's by the by.
And yes the buses usually pull up about 3ish and wait for the pupils to come out. Sometimes it's less time and sometimes it's longer, I guess perhaps depends on traffic from the depot.
That's by the by.
And yes the buses usually pull up about 3ish and wait for the pupils to come out. Sometimes it's less time and sometimes it's longer, I guess perhaps depends on traffic from the depot.
Alex_225 said:
In regards to turning around, they use a traffic island that is there to divide a junction. They are forced to use it as a roundabout, I am aware the bus drivers have moaned about people parking outside their own properties because it makes the turn difficult. The drivers hate it and the residents aren't keen on them having to do the turn either.
That's by the by.
The clue is in the highlighted part! (Especially the underlined part! That's by the by.
)Again I ask: So what is their alternative?
Alex_225 said:
And yes the buses usually pull up about 3ish and wait for the pupils to come out. Sometimes it's less time and sometimes it's longer, I guess perhaps depends on traffic from the depot.
How things have changed!My previous example was for getting to school in the morning, at home time the buses pulled up @ 10 minutes before the end of the school day, waited 5~10 minutes (depending on the driver), and then, if you missed your bus you had to go back into school and try to find a teacher who could help find a way to get you home (and the fuss they made about it meant you'd only ever miss your bus once!)
To be fair, traffic was a lot lighter back in the 70's & 80's though.
The title of your thread is misleading though as it implies you're talking about buses that pull over randomly to let people get on or off, even if they're not at a recognised bus stop.
What you're actually talking about is buses that are parked and queueing up outside of a school waiting for the kids to come out - That's not the same thing as your title suggests!
The drivers obviously leave some additional time to ensure they can get to the school before leaving time, even if there is heavy traffic around, so some days they arrive extra early and have to wait.
In a similar vein to My question above: What else are they supposed to do? - Keep driving round until it's closer to school leaving time?
If you live by a school you have to accept that it gets a tad busy around the area at school starting time and home time - That's just a simple fact of life!
Apart from the squeeze to get to the school ,they probably get there early so that they can park near the school ,leave it any later and the chances are the roads will be clogged up with badly parked people carriers and chelsea tractors .
I know a few bus /coach drivers and all refuse to do school work .
I know a few bus /coach drivers and all refuse to do school work .
So you are aware, I don't live on the same road as the school, for some unknown reason our road was chosen as the place they would stop and wait for the pupils because it's round the corner.
So it's not quite as clear cut as living on a road with a school and then moaning about it. There's some council beurocracy that has determined that they're not allowed to park outside the school which is on a different road to mine.
Regardless of trying to pick holes in my post and the history of the situation I was merely asking if buses stopping for any length of time over driveways had any legal implications.
So it's not quite as clear cut as living on a road with a school and then moaning about it. There's some council beurocracy that has determined that they're not allowed to park outside the school which is on a different road to mine.
Regardless of trying to pick holes in my post and the history of the situation I was merely asking if buses stopping for any length of time over driveways had any legal implications.
Why aren't they waiting at the school?
I live not far from a school. I'm in a private cul-de-sac and the school is 300 yards from here on a main road. When we moved here it was a junior school. Since then it's more than doubled in size and is now an academy. When it reopened the traffic chaos was blocking a junction on a major road. They had to move the entrance to their car park to solve the problem.
I live in a private road and a lot of parents decided it was easier to use our road to drop off/collect their kids than queuing to get to the school drop off point. The fact they were driving down, and parking on, a narrow pavement seemed to be of no significance.
Several letters to the head of the school, and a retired neighbour who will go out and ask them what they're doing parking on his pavement, later and they've got the hint.
Write to the head of the school, your local councillor, parish councillor and highways agency.
I live not far from a school. I'm in a private cul-de-sac and the school is 300 yards from here on a main road. When we moved here it was a junior school. Since then it's more than doubled in size and is now an academy. When it reopened the traffic chaos was blocking a junction on a major road. They had to move the entrance to their car park to solve the problem.
I live in a private road and a lot of parents decided it was easier to use our road to drop off/collect their kids than queuing to get to the school drop off point. The fact they were driving down, and parking on, a narrow pavement seemed to be of no significance.
Several letters to the head of the school, and a retired neighbour who will go out and ask them what they're doing parking on his pavement, later and they've got the hint.
Write to the head of the school, your local councillor, parish councillor and highways agency.
No idea mate. There is space outside the school which if they used would stop there having to be 200+ pupils traipsing down the road in one go.
It's been mentioned several times to the school that the road isn't suitable but makes no difference.
The thing is that if people parked on the road (quite legally) the bus would be knackered. Many an occasion have we had a double decker stuck on the traffic island because it's cut the corner and got stuck on the wet grass because someone has parked on the road perfectly legally. That gives you an idea of how small the road is to expect buses this size to try and turn round. Bizarre.
It's been mentioned several times to the school that the road isn't suitable but makes no difference.
The thing is that if people parked on the road (quite legally) the bus would be knackered. Many an occasion have we had a double decker stuck on the traffic island because it's cut the corner and got stuck on the wet grass because someone has parked on the road perfectly legally. That gives you an idea of how small the road is to expect buses this size to try and turn round. Bizarre.
Alex_225 said:
...I was merely asking if buses stopping for any length of time over driveways had any legal implications.
Indeed there are. I refer the Honourable Member to the reply I gave some moments ago. 
Getting the drivers ticketed though is quite another matter.
The police no longer have the resources to give such a low level* issue any priority.
* In their world view rather than yours.
untakenname said:
I would just speak to your neighbours and agree for a week to park cars 3 meters spaced all along the road, the bus company would soon get the hint.
Wouldn't want to be parked near the junction then. Friend of mine was a bus driver and his attitude was 'if you park in a place that makes it difficult for me to move my bus, then I'm not going to lose sleep if I clip it'. There's a lady lives nearby who has a disabled space right next to a chicane on a bend, she always leaves it sticking out over the lines and it's been punted by about three buses over the last couple of years, none of them stopped.
he sounds. Let's hope someone drives into his car and fStreet view would be handy. As a general rule I try and park someone that'll cause as little issue to others as possible. In 'hail and ride' sections I've stopped over a driveway, for 15 seconds kinda thing so someone can get off but not for even 5 min let alone half hour plus.
As for the turning round thing, it sounds like cars parked on a junction? Unless I'm miss understanding what you're saying? Again, street view link would be handy.
Have you or anyone else asked the driver why he keeps parking there?
As for the turning round thing, it sounds like cars parked on a junction? Unless I'm miss understanding what you're saying? Again, street view link would be handy.
Have you or anyone else asked the driver why he keeps parking there?
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