Can buses, motorists learn to share road?
Published 9:00 pm Sunday, August 6, 2006
Marvin Miller wants to tell us about bus drivers.
“They have absolutely no regard for other drivers,” said Miller, a Snohomish resident. “They are driven by schedules only. The only reason there aren’t a lot of accidents involving buses is because they have such a reputation for cutting off drivers, sometimes forcing them into oncoming traffic, that it has become a necessity to watch out for them.”
It’s not as simple as that, said Martin Munguia, a spokesman for Community Transit.
Bus drivers get training on how to interact with the driving public, training that emphasizes safety over quickness, he said.
“In the real world, (bus drivers) have to drive in traffic just like the rest of us,” Munguia said. “They have to get in and out of lanes to get to where they’re going.”
Dawn Moisanen, a bus driver for Everett Transit, agreed.
“Understand we’re human, we make mistakes just like they do,” she said.
Moisanen also said most regular drivers don’t respect buses.
“They don’t see buses,” she said. “They cut you off. It’s like you’re not even there.”
The law says you must yield to a bus. Do you?
Write me and tell me who is right.
In the meantime, Moisanen has a favor to ask of Miller and the rest of you.
“Cut us a break sometimes,” she said. “Let us in occasionally.”
When is it OK to pass on right?
Question: Is it legal to pass to the right of a vehicle on 67th Avenue that is making a left-hand turn onto one of the side streets?
We live on 67th Place and this happens all of the time when we turn east up our street. I have seen pedestrians almost hit by cars that are swinging around to pass.
I have seen situations where trucks will pass around the car turning and the car behind them is surprised and almost rear ends the car turning because they couldn’t see that a car was turning from behind the moving truck.
Sheryl Heavin, Marysville
Answer: In general, motorists should not drive on the shoulder of a road or pass to the right of a vehicle stopped to make a turn. These practices can be very dangerous.
When approaching a vehicle stopped in the road, it is often very difficult to see potential hazards such as other vehicles or pedestrians who might be encountered during such a maneuver.
Of course, there are situations where it can be appropriate to pass on the right, especially on roads with multiple lanes of travel.
If the line on the right is a solid white line, it’s illegal to cross to pass another vehicle. However, if there is no white line, or the line is not continuous (dashed stripe), it can be permissible to pass on the right with caution.
Brad Benfield, spokesman for the state Department of Licensing
