Blind Spots

Our New Flyer Trolleys will have an important modification over the first order of motor coaches. The left side of our exterior mirrors will be below our line of sight, and not above. This elevation change means we can turn left and see where we are headed. We still have the stanchion between the front and side of the bus as a blindspot, but no longer have the billboarding effect of the mirror below an overhead arm support. This work order modification is a direct change from input from our union representative in the Joint Leadership Management Board. I am grateful for this modification; management listened to what the JLMB (Joint Leadership Management Board) had to say, and made the change.

Pedestrians must take ownership of their surroundings when stepping off the curb. There are those rare moments when our tracking left and a pedestrian’s movement in a crosswalk are at an exact relative speed such that your profile is blocked from our sightline between the front windshield and our side window. This has happened to me several times a year, and it is both a shock to me and the person crossing.

Stink eye and angry retaliation from the pedestrian soon follows, and it is imperative I try to let them know I could not see them, but usually they are so angry at my perceived lack of care, they don’t see their own responsibility of looking before they leap, so to speak. 

The hardest angst to overcome is the angry pedestrian emotionally unavailable with phone and music in hand, refusing to communicate with me, the driver. No learning takes place, save for a passive aggressive complaint to await me in the dispatcher’s office about two weeks later. Our Vision Zero campaign is a blessing to behold, especially with the great design graphics on the back of our buses. 

Unfortunately, like all good messages, a Las Vegas casino winking neon sign, a movie marquee, a Golden Gate Foghorn, is not enough for some folks. My hope is this chapter can save another chapter in an operator’s career, or in a pedestrian’s life. Pedestrians do have the highest right of way from all others: skaters, cyclists, and motorists, but this includes the law: do not start crossing if an intersection is blocked. If a bus has passed the second stop line of a nearside crosswalk, the intersection is blocked. If your visibility is blocked from the sight line of the oncoming lane such you cannot see an opposing vehicle approaching, the intersection is blocked. As a pedestrian, the rule of law is to look both ways before you start crossing.

As a transit operator, you dear readers, would be surprised to learn the percentage of pedestrians who do not look before they leap. It isn’t a small percentage like 5 or 10. It’s over half of all crossing pedestrians. Please spread the word of Vision Zero if you see someone take off without looking. My vision of Happy Destiny is for you to stay within your current body, and not be rushed to the ER. 

All the legal maneuvers and fault finding after a fatality could all be avoided by taking personal responsibility when stepping off the curb. Family members and loved ones cannot do this for us in the moment of now. It is our responsibility.