The Deadly "Blind Spot" on Transit Buses

[roamer]

I passed through a little bit ago. The vehicle was definitely making a left turn. It was stopped just beyond the only crosswalk at the intersection. The crosswalk one block to the west is closed, and one block to the east is an unsignalized/unmarked crosswalk. This particular intersection will have the walk sign active when vehicles are allowed to exit the transit center.

Thank you very much for the report, Atomic Taco.

Yes, now that I scrutinize the news photos from various reports in the media, I now see where the bus was southbound leaving the transit center and making the left turn to go eastbound on NE 100th Street. And it being a left turn was confirmed here by KIRO's Rob Munoz ...click

Thank you for noting that the walk light is active when there's a green for the exiting traffic from the transit center. That doesn't look good for the driver at all. Why didn't he/she see the pedestrian? Again, the Orion VII NG has a very thick A-pillar (however, KCM's left mirror configuration shouldn't have played a role in the driver not being able to see the pedestrian as has been noted several times in this thread, they are using a smaller and lower-mounted left mirror which theoretically shouldn't block the vision of a driver making a left turn ...even a very short driver (or one sitting low in the driver's seat) should be able to see over the top of the mirror housing. Here is a Google SV image of an Orion VII laying over at that exact intersection (nearside, westbound) where one can see the thickness of the A-pillar and window frame (and also showing the small and low-mounted left mirror housing) CLICK HERE.

At the time I drove buses in and out of the Northgate Transit Center, there was no traffic control signals at that intersection. I believe they installed the traffic signals around 2008.

ETA: "I believe they installed the traffic signals around 2008." Confirmed: Here's a 2008 Google SV image showing them in the process of preparing to install the traffic signals at that intersection: CLICK

[Lavalamp]

A few more details in the Times this morning. The driver has a good safety record. Police are looking into where the pedestrian was when struck.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/metro-bus-driver-shaken-up-following-fatal-crash/

[roamer]

Thanks much for the update, Lavalamp.

As has been discussed previously in this thread, many bus drivers involved in these left-turn-pedestrian accidents are not only veteran drivers but also have excellent safety records. In reading comments about the rash of left-turn-pedestrian accidents that have recently happened at MTA in the NYC area, public sentiment seems to blame the bus operator for severe negligence in not being careful, driving recklessly, driving while distracted, etc., etc.

As I've mentioned so many times in this thread, I considered myself a conscientious and very safety aware bus driver (not having a preventable accident in over 25-years) but yet I had two EXTREMELY close calls when making a left turn in a bus and just about running down a pedestrian crossing the street in a crosswalk. So each time I hear of another left-turning-bus killing or injuring an innocent pedestrian crossing the street legally in a crosswalk, all I can keep saying as "there but for the grace of God go I" as I could have just as well had such an accident myself. Why I was able to stop the bus within inches (or less) before coming in contact with the pedestrian is something I will never understand.

The vast majority of transit bus drivers in the U.S. and Canada are conscientious and very safety oriented. They don't want to be involved in accidents of any kind. I'm confident that all try very hard to avoid having an accident.

Even in the Seattle area (as in NYC and all other major cities), the public's general perception of transit bus drivers seem to be that they are overly aggressive, run red lights, and act as if they own the road. I know of no motorist (including myself, actually) who wants to be behind a transit bus so therefore, most motorists will not want to let a bus out into traffic or allow it to change lanes. In the attempt to keep a schedule, bus drivers often have to almost "bully" their way into traffic or run the risk of not doing what they are paid to do --move the bus from point A to point B.

Bus drivers get criticized by the passengers on the bus as well when the perception is that they are driving too "conservatively." I once had a passenger yell out from his seat "You could have made that light!!!!" when I stopped for a yellow signal light.

So no matter if the pressure is from how tight Metro schedules their trips, feuding with motorists, or comments from passengers on the bus, a transit driver's most important task is to drive the bus safely from that point A to that point B. When I was in training at Metro in the 1970s, a day didn't go by where they didn't indoctrinate us with their “three S’s” mantra they expected of bus drivers being that of "safety, service, schedule" and made it a point that the priority was in that order. I'm not sure if they still do that or not but from what I've heard from some sources, it's not emphasized as much now as it was back then more than 40-years ago.

I promised some time back that I wouldn't editorialize in this thread so I'll shut up now and attempt not to do this again in future posts. Thanks for your indulgence.

[roamer]

For those of you interested, Laura Kaufman of Crosscut.com (Seattle-based) has written a follow-up article to both yesterday's tragedy at the Northgate Transit Center in Seattle but also to follow-up on her September article pertaining to the blind spot on the Orion VIIs created by the wide A-pillar.

Here's a link to her article published today:

94-year-old killed by bus with safety questions

And although I knew her article of September existed, I hadn't read it in its entirety until today. Not only does she explain in detail about the "eight inch thick" A-pillar on the Orion VII but gives a detailed account of Brian Sherlock's (whom I've mentioned several times in this thread) involvement pertaining to the procurement of the KCM Orions in which the "ball was dropped" on a less than $300 per bus re-engineering of the A-pillar on Metro's Orion VIIs that never happened even though an Orion engineer claimed he was able to cut the width of the A-pillar to less than half.

I also didn't realize that KCM has had eight left-turning-bus-pedestrian injury accidents, seven of which involved their Orion VIIs.

A very informative article:

Metro buses: Pedestrians in a blind spot?

[roamer]

...and yet another one in NYC involving an MTA bus. Last night, an NFI XD40 (coach 7152) making a left turn strikes and kills a pedestrian crossing the street in a crosswalk at an intersection controlled by signals.

http://patch.com/new-york/ditmaspark/another-brooklyn-pedestrian-killed-mta-bus

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/woman-hit-killed-mta-bus-brooklyn-article-1.2465961

My own opinion: MTA Xcelsiors use left mirrors that are still too large and mounted too high. They could stand to be slightly smaller at 8" x 8" --it appears they use a housing that might be 9.5" x 9.5" or 10" x 10" instead of 8" x 8"-- and the mirror assembly itself should be mounted at least 6" lower.

.

[roamer]

The narration in this news account is a sad story to read on Christmas Eve. I can't find any other news accounts of this accident but it involves a NJ Transit coach in Pleasantville New Jersey which is just outside of Atlantic City. The story does mention that the bus was making a left turn when it hit and killed the pedestrian last night at about 6:30pm.

Until more is published on this accident, I won't guess what type of bus was involved or what left mirror configuration it has.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/alerts_breaking/witness-recalls-fatal-pleasantville-bus-crash/article_052ec3f0-aa68-11e5-b499-371063481597.html

.

[roamer]

An anonymous KCM bus driver expresses concern in a Union newsletter (published today but written on December 3rd after the fatality pedestrian accident in Seattle at the Northgate Transit Center) pertaining to the size of the left mirror and the thick A-pillar on a new Proterra Catalyst prototype currently being readied for testing in the Seattle area:

Proterra Safety
By A Full Time Operator

In light of today’s tragic accident at the Northgate Transit Center I feel a few things need to be said.

As a transit operator we are trained to square our turns and take them at a speed of 5mph. As professional drivers, that is our responsibility. There’s a bulletin posted letting drivers know that PR’s will be issued if we are caught turning our wheels while the bus is in motion before making our left turn. The Supervisor will be standing on the corner critiquing us and holding a radar gun to make sure we do not go over the specified speed.

I understand that safety is our #1 priority… SAFETY–SERVICE--SCHEDULE … This is how Metro trains us and I couldn’t agree more with the slogan, this is how it should be.

As a driver our worst nightmare is a bus/pedestrian accident; just thinking about it is terrifying. We are typically behind the wheel as full-time operators 10 to 13 hours a day. All it takes is one moment and lives are changed forever.

So with this knowledge why does Metro continually make our jobs harder? Why do they continually buy dangerous equipment with serious design flaws? Did they learn nothing from the Orions they purchased?!

I recently had the opportunity to sit in the seat of one of Metro’s latest “green machines” that are being tested out of the Eastgate Park’n’Ride. The “Proterra” is an electric battery bus that needs to be charged every 30 miles, so yes, it’s “green,” but not very efficient for a transit system the size of King County Metro.

One of the procurement committee drivers was in the process of charging the bus and allowed me to have a seat behind the wheel. I was dumbfounded and thought, here we go again. A large pillar on the left side similar to the Orion’s causes a large blind spot. But even more disturbing was the LARGE driver’s mirror and where it is mounted, are they serious!!!??? It’s a MASSIVE blind spot that takes up half of a crosswalk and most of your window.

As if that wasn’t enough I was told the left window fogs up so you can’t see through it nor can you open it. There are also some questionable safety issues with the braking system.

I’m all for protecting the environment and I understand it’s the “way of the future”, but at what cost, Metro??

The drivers and procurement committee, just like the bathroom coordinator, shouldn’t be the patsy that Metro can blame when something goes wrong.

Stop passing the blame Metro! As drivers we need to accept our responsibility but you also need to accept yours. SAETY -SERVICE –SCHEDULE is your motto, so walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk!!

My continued praise of KCM's efforts to change their left mirror configuration appears that it could be a bit short-sighted as current operators at that agency are obviously still expressing concern even after the collaborative effort by ATU Local 587 and KCM to retrofit all the left mirrors on their coaches.

The photo accompanying the article published today in the January issue of the ATU Local 587 newsletter is attached which shows the mirror and A-pillar from the driver’s seat ...also attached is an outside shot of a KCM Proterra Catalyst showing the left mirror and A-pillar from an exterior view taken by CPTDB member SounderBruce:

from ATU Local 587

Proterra electric bus leaving Eastgate P&R by SounderBruce, on Flickr

As stated numerous times in this thread and as I've now spread the following message on many internet blogs, forums, and comment sections, it's absolutely sickening that managers at transit agencies can't grasp the concept. They should make it a priority to work with the ATU International and with bus manufacturers to reduce the size of the left mirror and alter its mounting position along with bus manufacturers reducing the width of the A-pillar. I can't believe that these educated and highly-paid managers can't understand that many lives will be saved by just making some rather simple changes. Again 1) reducing the size of the left mirror and alter its mounting position and, 2) forcing bus manufacturers to reduce the width of the A-pillar ...bus manufacturers do not understand the importance this simple alteration will make and it's totally achievable with today's engineering technology.

Transit agencies have the responsibility to provide the bus operator safe equipment to drive. They are falling short and people continue to get injured and killed.

.

[roamer]

Appears to have been another left-turning bus hitting a pedestrian this morning in Bethesda Maryland. Few details but from the photo accompanying the short announcement cited below, the Ride On bus was obviously making a left turn at a controlled intersection with crosswalks.

http://www.ooyuz.com/geturl?aid=9807417

[roamer]

Appears to have been another left-turning bus hitting a pedestrian this morning in Bethesda Maryland. Few details but from the photo accompanying the short announcement cited below, the Ride On bus was obviously making a left turn at a controlled intersection with crosswalks.

http://www.ooyuz.com/geturl?aid=9807417

Sadly, the woman hit yesterday by the left-turning transit bus has died.

http://wjla.com/news/local/woman-in-serious-condition-after-being-hit-by-bus-in-bethesda

[MAX BRT]

Bus Driver's unions will want to be alerting the journalists in Bethesda. Still almost no one knows how common this is. Once people know the solution is not far away.

[roamer]

Bus Driver's unions will want to be alerting the journalists in Bethesda. Still almost no one knows how common this is. Once people know the solution is not far away.

*thumbs up*

[roamer]

...and another one. This one is a left-turning double-decker OC Transpo bus in Ottawa. From what I can gather, it was turning left onto eastbound Carling Avenue exiting the Carlingwood Shopping Centre this morning when it hit an 87-year old lady crossing the street in a crosswalk critically injuring her.

The bus is an Enviro500 with one of those left mirror housings that are approximately 8" x 15"

This particular brief news report shows some raw footage of the position of the bus during the investigation:

http://www.ottawasun.com/2016/01/11/woman-90-struck-by-bus-on-carling-ave

...photo below shows the size of left mirror housing

from raw news footage, Ottawa Sun

[roamer]

Another left-turning bus has hit a pedestrian crossing the street in a crosswalk. This happened in Atlanta this morning. Fortunately, the female pedestrian has suffered non-life threatening injuries.

It appears the MARTA bus is a NFI Xcelsior that has a large 8" x 15" left mirror housing.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/pedestrian-hit-by-marta-bus-in-atlanta/np5mc/

[roamer]

The following is an interesting and very sad case. It just was reported today that a hit-and-run accident in Ames Iowa that killed Emmalee Jacobs, an 18-year old Iowa State University student on December 14th last month, has been determined to have been caused by a CyRide public transit bus. The bus was making a left turn at the time when Emmalee was crossing the street in a crosswalk. She evidently had a walk-light as the traffic signal was blinking yellow for a left turn for vehicular traffic.

The driver of the bus, Benjamin Clague, is a 23-year old who has been driving for CyRide for over two years. It has been determined through area surveillance cameras and the ones on the bus that there is enough evidence that he did hit Emmalee and kept going, not stopping until a few blocks later to check the exterior of the bus. He evidently did not report the accident even though they now have enough evidence that he did know that he hit "something."

It's similar to the accident in NYC in November when Paul Roper, a MTA operator, hit and killed a woman in a walker crossing the street in a crosswalk when he was making a left turn and kept on going even though he knew he had hit "something."

The similarity doesn't end there. The bus in the CyRide incident was also an Orion. This time, an Orion V with a similar A-pillar as the Orion VII involved in the MTA incident. CyRide uses a similar (but not the exact) left mirror as the one on the MTA coach which is a large-almost square mirror mounted higher than it has to be.

Here is the exact bus involved in the Ames accident from file photos on CyRide website.

Here is an example of the left mirror CyRide uses from the driver's compartment (this bus is a Gillig Advantage, however, and the left mirror appears like the one now used on many TriMet coaches in Portland Oregon). My opinion is that the mirror could stand to mounted at least 8-10" lower than what the photo shows.

I'll make the same comment as I did in the Roper incident; having a left-turn-pedestrian accident is one thing (terrible and horrific) but to not stop and render aid or not to come forward afterward is unforgivable. Driving buses for as many years as I did, one's initial reaction when hearing a "thump" of any kind it to immediately scan the mirrors. You will not miss seeing that you've run over something (or worse, a human being!) when immediately looking especially in the left mirror.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2016/01/20/arrest-made-fatal-isu-hit-and-run/79057916/

http://amestrib.com/news/cyride-driver-arrested-hit-and-run-death-emmalee-jacobs

ETA: I've done some reading of back articles after reporting this story. Reading about Emmalee was so emotional for me. She was so young, so bright, and had such a promising life ahead of her. To have her life taken in this manner was so sad but what was even more emotionally difficult for me to take was that she was not checked on or comforted by the driver who knew what he had done but just kept driving. Of all the stories I've related in this thread, this one has hit me the hardest. The commonality that she was hit by a left-turning bus is one thing but that she was left in the road alone on that dark and rainy morning was distressing to my core like no other.

[roamer]

...and AGAIN! This time in Cincinnati. A left-turning Cincinnati Metro Gillig Advantage was turning left when it hit two people crossing the street in a crosswalk Wednesday evening. It was a father and daughter. The father, a 73-year old was killed and the daughter, age 41, is in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. They were crossing the street after getting ice cream.

Cincinnati Metro (Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority or SORTA) uses a variety of left mirrors but the one on the Gillig involved in tonight's accident has a larger-than-necessary left mirror mounted at eye-height of a shorter driver (or a driver that prefers to sit lower in the seat). I have attached a photo of the front of the bus from a news video from WLWT, a local TV station in Cincinnati.

The driver is a 10-year veteran of Metro with a good driving record.

I get almost physically ill in having to keep reporting these left-turning-bus/pedestrian accidents. The frequency in which they are happening is gut-wrenching. Again, this frequency can be cut way back by just making a few modifications to the equipment. Transit agencies have the responsibility to provide their drivers with a SAFE vehicle to drive!

http://www.wlwt.com/news/man-dead-woman-injured-after-hit-by-metro-bus-in-hyde-park/37676022

http://www.fox19.com/story/31075177/two-pedestrians-struck-by-bus-in-hyde-park

http://www.wowktv.com/story/31075666/cincinnati-metro-bus-crash-leaves-1-pedestrian-dead-1-hurt

.

from news clip courtesy of WLWT TV http://www.wlwt.com/news/man-dead-woman-injured-after-hit-by-metro-bus-in-hyde-park/37676022

[roamer]

This accident happened earlier this month and it didn't alert any of my news feeds on the subject so I did not document the incident in this thread at the time. It involves a VIA transit bus in San Antonio. However, just today, they released video taken on the bus from three separate cameras.

The news release described the pedestrian as possibly not being in the crosswalk but by viewing the videos, it appears to me that he's close enough to the intersection making that irrelevant pertaining to the driver not being able to "see" him as he's crossing the street while she is making a left turn. This happens at night so the videos have to be scrutinized closely but two show the actual impact and the audio of the driver/passengers' reactions. Evidently the pedestrian suffered only minor injuries; thankfully.

What I'd like to emphasize is what the probable reason might be for this accident happening ...or WHY the driver didn't SEE the pedestrian? I'm not really concerned with whether the pedestrian was acting unlawfully by not being exactly inside the crosswalk. No matter, shouldn’t the driver still have been able to SEE him crossing the street as she was making the left turn? Sure, she should have been able to SEE the pedestrian but probably because of her view being blocked by the left mirror housing and A-pillar, wasn't able to.

Some noteworthy things to consider in this accident are 1) it was a female driver --not that I'm trying to imply that all female drivers are short but as we all know, the chances are greater that a female driver will either be shorter in stature or sitting lower in the seat than a male-- 2) the huge left mirror housing that VIA uses is mounted at exactly at eye-height of a driver who might sit lower in the seat (no matter if it's the driver's choice or that they are just shorter in stature) thus the huge left mirror housing will have more of a tendency to block the driver's vision while making a left turn, and 3) the pedestrian possibly could be a juvenile thus shorter in stature making it more probable being hidden from view of a shorter driver by the left mirror housing and A-pillar.

Those three things combined together make having a left-turn-pedestrian accident involving a bus all the more probable. Many of these left-turning-bus-pedestrian accidents involve both a bus driver who might sit lower in the seat AND/OR a shorter pedestrian.

In the videos, the pedestrian can actually be seen getting hit by the front of the bus. In the audio, it can clearly be heard his getting hit by the bike rack and the subsequent gasps by those on the bus. Many of you may ask "how did the driver not see the pedestrian?" However, keep in mind that the driver has a much different visual perspective from the driver's seat and again, the left mirror housing and A-pillar will often "shadow" the pedestrian as the left turn is being made so that the pedestrian gets hidden from view. Although the driver isn't shown rocking-and-rolling in the seat, she does seem to be scanning carefully as the turn is being made.

Raw video/audio from bus:

A VIA D40LF with large left mirror housing and eye-level mounting height visible:

File photo from CPTDB courtesy of MetrolinerXLZ posted on 24 February 2013

[Lavalamp]

Here's an article in this morning's Seattle Times which talks about a new pedestrian warning system for drivers which uses cameras. It has limitations and it doesn't sound like ATU is too excited about it. The article also has some interesting info on ongoing ATU efforts in line with what roamer has previously posted about the A-pillar and mirrors. King County Metro GM Desmond is also quoted as wanting to reduce bus vs. pedestrian incidents, which average 24 per year for Metro.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/metro-buses-testing-system-to-improve-pedestrian-safety/

[roamer]

This accident happened in 2014 and involved an Atlanta MARTA bus making a left turn and hitting an elderly female pedestrian. She survived but is suffering from a variety of ailments. Even though she was cited for not being in a crosswalk, that is being disputed. But more important is why the bus driver wasn't able to see her in order to avoid the accident. Whether she was in the crosswalk or not, a bus driver should be able to see a pedestrian crossing the street.

The left mirror size along with its mounting position and thick A-pillar add to the possibility of having such an accident. A bus driver shouldn't have the added burden of being forced to compensate for these visual obstacles. The operator should be provided with a safe vehicle to drive. Transit agencies can help their drivers but their stubbornness and sometimes outright refusal to correct this problem is perplexing.

Within the following article is a video taken from inside the bus showing the driver as the bus hits the pedestrian:

Legal battle over woman hit by MARTA bus

[roamer]

A SEPTA bus making a left turn hits a 93-year old male crossing the street inside a crosswalk pinning him under the bus in Glenside, Pennsylvania yesterday afternoon.  The pedestrian didn't survive.  The bus driver was reportedly a female.  The bus appears to be a Nova Bus LFS HEV which has the pesky double windshield pillar.  

http://6abc.com/news/police-id-man-93-struck-and-killed-by-septa-bus-in-glenside-/1273439/

http://www.fox29.com/news/local-news/115288947-story

Also, it was brought up previously in this thread about the size and extemely horrendous mounting position of SEPTA's left mirror  ...one of the worst I know of.  It's also been discussed about SEPTA's management to properly address the situation.

 

 

 

edited to add on 06 January 2017: 

The bus driver has been convicted of homicide.  The driver was reading "route pages" which are written directions and/or maps of a particular route, while making the turn. 

http://6abc.com/news/septa-driver-convicted-in-deadly-glenside-bus-crash-/1686420/

This hits me hard as I worked much of my career as a "report operator" which is a position where we are paid to be on standby to fill-in for another driver on the spur-of-the-moment.  A "report operator" must know all the routes but sometimes we are required to drive a route which we may not have driven in a long time and are not as familiar with as others.  We often take "route pages" along with us as we are driving so as not to miss a turn.  Again, I consider myself so fortunate and keep repeating the mantra "there but for the grace of God go I" as I too could very easily have been a convicted criminal during my career as a bus operator. 

[roamer]

And another one.  This time in New Haven CT.  A Connecticut Transit NFI D40LF was making a left turn and struck a pedestrian crossing the street.  Fortunately, the pedestrian has survived.  

http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2016/04/07/city-bus-strikes-pedestrian/

LOOK AT THE LEFT MIRROR THAT CT USES!!!  ...the dreaded 8" x 15" mounted directly at the driver's eye-height.  In my opinion, this combination is the absolute worst when it comes to obstructing the driver's vision when making a left turn. 

photo from above news article

[MVTArider]

Thanks for the continued reporting Roamer, how many of these accidents or deaths have there been now since this topic was started?? This is definitely not some minor thing that only happens once or twice a year. It looks like 10 different hits were documented on just this page.

[roamer]

MVTArider, thanks so much for your comments.  Yes, way too many of these types of accidents as anybody following this thread knows all too well.  Although my news feeds pick up the majority of these left-turn-bus-pedestrian accidents in the U.S. and Canada, there are still some that i miss.  

Although at one time, I was keeping track of the elements on a spreadsheet of each left-turn-pedestrian accident, I no longer have the time to keep it up-to-date and I also question my personal objective of doing so.  The spreadsheet kept track of the gender of both the driver and the victim, whether if it was a fatality accident, the manufacturer and model of bus involved, size and mounting position of the left mirror, type of intersection where the accident happened (traffic control, crosswalk, pedestrian signal, etc.), and other miscellaneous notes of each accident.  

To be truthful, my original intention was just to rant as i have said so many times in this thread, I came so close to having such an accident and I considered myself a very conscientious driver with an exemplary safety record.  I also wanted to form a network where drivers involved with these accidents could contact each other for support as I know how devastated they must be.  My efforts in this regard have not been well received.  

Even though I was going stop posting in this thread, I've been urged by several here to keep reporting these left-turning-bus-pedestrian accidents.  I still think that this subject should be kept in the forefront until we see more managers at transit agencies understand what's going on here

Now that the officers of the Amalgamated Transit Union International --the largest union for bus operators in the U.S. and Canada-- acknowledge the problem, I now am taking myself out of the crusade, so-to-speak, as i really did not desire to become an activist in doing anything constructive in solving the problem in the first place.  The ATU must put more pressure on transit agencies in North America to help the drivers avoid having theses left-turn accident with pedestrians.  Instructing them to simply "rock and roll" is not the answer.  It's the easy way out for them. 

Yes, drivers involved in these types of accidents will always be charged by both the police investigators and the transit agency they work at for traffic infractions and a preventable accident respectively  --that won't and shouldn't change.  However, my point all along is that transit agencies themselves are also complicit.  Transit agencies have the responsibility to provide their drivers with safe equipment to drive.  A bus is unsafe, in my opinion, when it has a left mirror that blocks vision and to a lesser extent, an A-pillar that is much more thick than it has to be.  

Two things must be done which will substantially reduce (but admittedly, not entirely eliminate) these left-turn-pedestrian accidents that the ATU must keep the pressure on transit agencies to do :

1.  Reduce the size and locate the mounting position of the left mirror so it does not block the vision of even the shortest driver or a driver who prefers to sit lower in the seat.  

2.  Insist that bus manufacturers engineer the A-pillars in bus design where they are as thin as they can possibly be.  

In the future, when these two things can be accomplished so that the driver has a clear view when making a left turn, I am positive that these left-turn-pedestrian accidents will be substantially reduced if not just about eliminated entirely. 

[LegoNovaLFS2001]

That left mirror I wouldn't blame entirely. I've seen some people just cross without looking down or up the street in Connecticut.

[roamer]

There was an accident yesterday in downtown Wichita Kansas where a left-turning city bus hit a pedestrian.  Fortunately, the pedestrian only received minor injuries.  The news alert linked below actually cites the reason for the accident being the man was in blind spot of bus driver.  The photo in the article appears to be a file photo and probably not of the actual scene.  Not only the bus shown in the file photo is a Gillig Advantage but also, the bus involved in a left-turn pedestrian accident last September in Wichita was a Gillig Advantage with an 8" x 15" left mirror housing mounted directly at driver eye-height.  See the video in the post from September HERE. 

Man receives minor injuries after being hit by Wichita city bus

 

 

 

 

On 4/12/2016 at 0:27 PM, LegoNovaLFS2001 said:

That left mirror I wouldn't blame entirely. I've seen some people just cross without looking down or up the street in Connecticut.

Yes, there definitely have been many incidences of pedestrians generally getting hit by buses when not paying attention  ...texting, etc. but LEFT-TURNING bus-pedestrian accidents are almost exclusively associated with the pedestrian getting hidden from view of the bus driver because of the left mirror and A-pillar.  The reason I'm so passionate about these types of accidents (a left-turning-bus coming in contact with a pedestrian) is that I had two extremely close calls as a bus driver making a left turn because my vision was blocked.  

 

 

 

 

[roamer]

There was an accident yesterday afternoon in Denver involving an RTD NFI XD60 (coach 9330) hitting a pedestrian.  The pedestrian was taken to a hospital with serious injuries so fortunately, it sounds as if she will survive.

Woman hit by RTD bus at 14th and Broadway
 

RTD bus hits woman near Civic Center Park

 

The news articles I've seen do not give much detail at all.  In fact, none mention that the bus was making a left turn.  However, the photos from the media strongly suggest that the bus was in the middle of a left turn because of the position it is shown.  

Furthermore, Denver RTD uses the infamous 8" x 15" left mirror housing mounted directly at drivers eye-height especially if the driver is short, has a short torso, or prefers to sit lower in the seat ...again, the worst possible combination for creating a visual obstruction when making a left turn.  

Yes, the driver will be charged with a preventable accident and cited by the police.  However, as mentioned so many times in this thread, transit agencies have the obligation to provide their drivers with safe equipment to drive.  A left mirror of the size and mounting position which Denver RTD uses is a safety hazard and therefore is not a safe bus for an operator to drive.  Consequently, the RTD is equally at fault in accidents such as these.  Since managers at transit agencies are now well aware of this hazard and most fail to take corrective action, I truly believe that transit agencies such as RTD are complicit when it comes to fault and charging who to blame for these accidents.  

 

Photos from the accident scene provided by news media:

From 7Denver ABC

From Fox31 Denver

File photo from Jermain Gilkey of coach 9305 (the same series of 9330 that was in yesterday's accident) showing the 8" x 15" left mirror housing mounted directly at driver eye-height especially if the driver is short, has a short torso, or prefers to sit lower in the seat: 

Denver RTD Coach 9305