ben
10-19-2006, 07:33 AM
*NOTE: it was not OHSU, but rather trimet instead (explained in later posts)*
each morning that i ride to work, i usually see this OHSU bus near the intersection of NE 47th and Everett (east of 47th, south side of Everett, 1 or 2 houses in). i'm not sure if they are picking up senior patients, handicapped ones, or what. Normally, the bus just sits there and idles as i pass it around 7am (maybe a few minutes before). However, today the bus started pulling out from the curb (no blinker) as i was about to pass it. since i'm always watching for that sort of thing, i was able to brake and fall in behind the bus. i, of course, had front and rear lights on, bright reflective stuff all over the place. i could see the driver in the side mirror, he obviously wasn't using them. we travel about 1/2 block before he decides to brake in the middle of the street (no signal). therefore, i had to brake and then headed to pass him on the right. as i was in the process of going around him, he throws it into reverse and starts to back up. thankfully i was able to zip around him before he made contact (though i was worried that one of my panniers might catch). he just kept backing up. i pulled up by the boarding doors and threw up my hands and said "what the hell?!" i was already a bit late for work, so i went on my way. the driver proceeded to back up his bus in the middle of a bike route and take the left hand turn that he missed.
i just got off the phone with OHSU, the operator said she wasn't sure who i was supposed to file the complaint with, so she patched me through to an on-call administrator (who was only accepting voice messages). i left them a message briefly describing the incident and requested that they call me back on my cell phone and inform me of where/with whom i should file the formal complaint.
each morning that i ride to work, i usually see this OHSU bus near the intersection of NE 47th and Everett (east of 47th, south side of Everett, 1 or 2 houses in). i'm not sure if they are picking up senior patients, handicapped ones, or what. Normally, the bus just sits there and idles as i pass it around 7am (maybe a few minutes before). However, today the bus started pulling out from the curb (no blinker) as i was about to pass it. since i'm always watching for that sort of thing, i was able to brake and fall in behind the bus. i, of course, had front and rear lights on, bright reflective stuff all over the place. i could see the driver in the side mirror, he obviously wasn't using them. we travel about 1/2 block before he decides to brake in the middle of the street (no signal). therefore, i had to brake and then headed to pass him on the right. as i was in the process of going around him, he throws it into reverse and starts to back up. thankfully i was able to zip around him before he made contact (though i was worried that one of my panniers might catch). he just kept backing up. i pulled up by the boarding doors and threw up my hands and said "what the hell?!" i was already a bit late for work, so i went on my way. the driver proceeded to back up his bus in the middle of a bike route and take the left hand turn that he missed.
i just got off the phone with OHSU, the operator said she wasn't sure who i was supposed to file the complaint with, so she patched me through to an on-call administrator (who was only accepting voice messages). i left them a message briefly describing the incident and requested that they call me back on my cell phone and inform me of where/with whom i should file the formal complaint.