Stagecoach Buses are Unsafe

Two recent incidents tell me that Stagecoach drivers in Cambridge are not trained to be safe driving around cyclists. Or, in other words, they're taking unacceptable risks with the welfare of valid road users. 

Here's the evidence - this one I've talked about before:

And here's yesterdays. Same place, similar close pass, but at far higher speed.

I've left more footage after the overtake on this one, for two reasons. Firstly I want you to see the response of the driver to being challenged, which is lamentable. Yes, I've got the bus lane to ride in, but he's overtaken me in the same lane I'm in with inches to spare. I'm in a primary road position within that lane as recommended in adult cycling training to make it clear that should not be overtaking close within the lane, this is accepted as good cycling practice. You have no business using a close overtake as punishment regardless of whether you agree with the advice to cyclists in official UK department of transport documents. And secondly I want you to see that he gained nothing from this overtake - I caught him easily and passed him at the second red light. Thats what happens with a close overtake in city traffic, you always catch up and they've never gained anything.

I'd also like you to note what happens if instead of riding in a primary position in the bus and cycle lane, I'd chosen to ride in a secondary (or worse) position. In the second video you'll see that from about 20 seconds - the overtake of the cyclist ahead of me is almost as bad as the one I'd suffered. In the top video go forward to around 38 seconds and watch from there - see how close the driver is to the cyclist in front, its even worse than my overtake. This isn't just disregard for cyclists safety, its hostile, aggressive driving.

Road positoning isn't helping here - primary or secondary, the bus drivers are squeezing through the constriction (traffic island followed by solid white line) regardless of cyclist behaviour, and they're doing so with inches to spare at high speed.

As things are currently going this will only end when a cyclist is driven under the wheels of one of these buses.

Stagecoach, this has to change. It has to change NOW. Will you meet with me to discuss how to change it? Or are you going to back your drivers in bullying cyclists off the road?