Traffic right of way


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rOnGrEn

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Jan 8, 2005
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Hey guys,

Just a quick check...

Say I am driving on the left most lane of a road and the traffic is flowing (ie. green light in front). Just as I was driving pass a bus stop, the bus suddenly drove out of the bus bay, cutting into my lane, almost causing an accident (with me of course). I am a very careful driver, wasn't speeding, and had been in the leftmost lane all along, my headlamps were on.

Do I have the "right of way "or am i obliged to give way to the bus even though the traffic was flowing? (courtesy driving aside :)) Does the presence of a yellow box give the bus the right of way even if the traffic was flowing? IF the leftmost lane was a bus lane, does it give the bus the right of way to come out from the bus bay then?

I am inclined to think that I had the right of way, but just need to confirm before I can feedback to the relevant parties.

Thanks in advance!
 

Hey guys,

Just a quick check...

Say I am driving on the left most lane of a road and the traffic is flowing (ie. green light in front). Just as I was driving pass a bus stop, the bus suddenly drove out of the bus bay, cutting into my lane, almost causing an accident (with me of course). I am a very careful driver, wasn't speeding, and had been in the leftmost lane all along, my headlamps were on.

Do I have the "right of way "or am i obliged to give way to the bus even though the traffic was flowing? (courtesy driving aside :)) Does the presence of a yellow box give the bus the right of way even if the traffic was flowing? IF the leftmost lane was a bus lane, does it give the bus the right of way to come out from the bus bay then?

I am inclined to think that I had the right of way, but just need to confirm before I can feedback to the relevant parties.

Thanks in advance!

since u said ur headlights on, means its at night, buslane rules not applied you have the right of way :)
 

no, yellow box is there so that the silly bus can drive out in the case where there is red light in front, so that cars don't fill up the yellow box and make it stuck there forever

of course only learner drivers practise this :dunno:

in this case, is the bus driver's fault, i'm inclined to think, based on your side of the story, i never really did mug all the rules for my basic theory but can be summarised something like

1) driving straight usually right of way
2) bigger road usually right of way
3) er, right hand side people usually right of way

a lot of it is common sense, actually, in this case you can clear faster than him, he should be looking for a proper gap so that he can just join in; question is, was there bus lane, and was it bus lane hours? if it is bus lane, er, i think you're not even supposed to be in it
 

since u said ur headlights on, means its at night, buslane rules not applied you have the right of way :)

:bsmilie: might be, after 7
but you can turn on headlights during the day if lighting condition is not good :dunno:
 

Thanx for the response.. Basic theory was a few years back but I still remember I should have right of way since I was driving straight and the traffic was flowing.

Well the thing is there wasn't a bus lane..and it happened at 8.15pm.. Out of bus lane hours.. I asked whether bus lane will affect the right of way to try to think maybe this kind of action was inherent from the driver's training..or they used to doing it in bus lanes.. :bsmilie:
 

Thanx for the response.. Basic theory was a few years back but I still remember I should have right of way since I was driving straight and the traffic was flowing.

Well the thing is there wasn't a bus lane..and it happened at 8.15pm.. Out of bus lane hours.. I asked whether bus lane will affect the right of way to try to think maybe this kind of action was inherent from the driver's training..or they used to doing it in bus lanes.. :bsmilie:

no la, some of the sbs drivers are very one kind, i suppose applies to driving community as a whole, just guai lan

the attitude taken is that they are huge, so you bump them you lugi, so they just take it that people will give way to them automatically, quite exasperating at times

some of them might be rushing for time, i guess, i remember a few years back got time schedule or something silly like that; heard it was lifted? but not sure if that's really the case
 

no la, some of the sbs drivers are very one kind, i suppose applies to driving community as a whole, just guai lan

the attitude taken is that they are huge, so you bump them you lugi, so they just take it that people will give way to them automatically, quite exasperating at times

some of them might be rushing for time, i guess, i remember a few years back got time schedule or something silly like that; heard it was lifted? but not sure if that's really the case

precisely.. the attitude.. haha..

The way some bus captains drive is really quite dangerous and intimidating.. And in my case almost caused an accident... :thumbsd:

I doubt that bus driver was late on schedule as it has just come out from the interchange and there wouldn't be any jam at this hour.. But I once sat in bus 151e (express.. the bus skips some stops and goes to the expressway in the middle journey..and the bus arrival time is explicitly written on the bus stops).. That driver was late on schedule and he really drove quite dangerously..:nono:
 

no, yellow box is there so that the silly bus can drive out in the case where there is red light in front, so that cars don't fill up the yellow box and make it stuck there forever

of course only learner drivers practise this :dunno:


Tat's e problem with Sg drivers. They dont practise wat they learn. Very selfish attitude wen it comes to e yellow box i suppose. e box is there for a reason.

Then again, u have the right of way. But very debatable if u happens to knock e bus fm behind if e bus driver chooses to go drive out of his bay n u hit him. Cuz e one who hit e backside is always at fault.
 

Hi rOnGrEn,

based on your story personally i think you got the right of way. But road situation is very tricky. Some of the examples below might happened and the case might go either way.

1) Did the bus even on the right signal >>> ?

2) As you mention you drove slowly thus maybe the bus driver "judge" wrongly and "assume" he can drove out of the bus stop before you reached.(Do take note as its night time, bus driver might have some difficulty in judging or tireness)

3) You could be at the "blind spot" from the bus driver point of view.

lucky no accident happened. And its always better to be cautious and courteous on the road. :)
 

precisely.. the attitude.. haha..

The way some bus captains drive is really quite dangerous and intimidating.. And in my case almost caused an accident... :thumbsd:

I doubt that bus driver was late on schedule as it has just come out from the interchange and there wouldn't be any jam at this hour.. But I once sat in bus 151e (express.. the bus skips some stops and goes to the expressway in the middle journey..and the bus arrival time is explicitly written on the bus stops).. That driver was late on schedule and he really drove quite dangerously..:nono:

seriously does that give you any sign that the transport company is giving good services to justify for the fare increase? I'm driving too, sometime, quite freqently I also take the public transport and seriously, I feel that the transport company esp the 3 letter one should not be justifiable for the increase in the fare. They have a lane to themselves which other road user can't use and instead of sticking to that stupid lane, they straight away cut out 2 lanes causing jam in the ubi area. Why are they so special? We also pay road tax what and if the transport company can have the LTA open up a lane specially for them, why can't they stick to that damn bloodly lane? Sometimes you get stupid bus captain who thinks that everyone must give way to them and they are like no need to see blind spot one, just chiong out and everyone will siam them or give way to them. I've seen this type of action almost everyday along the stretch of road from AMK seagate to seragoon road esp at bus stop area when the bus driver sees that the car that went pass him has slow down, while there is still a car approaching close behind, the bus driver will just swerve the bus out and expect the car appraching to give way to him.....WTF isn't he suppose to give way to the car approaching instead of the other way round? Another thing is the interior and the quality of service of certain bus service still sucks, and till now I have not yet seen any improvement to it esp on bus service 133 and some of the shuttle service, the buses are old, aircon for some of the single deck is warm and stuffy during peak hours, seats have scribblings on them, I mean if you want the increase in bus fare, be it to cover your operation or to earn a profit, at least show some proof that there is an upgrade in service, not just plain saying. Show some proof 1st then you charge and if there is a priority, please upgrade the road manners of the bus captains if not, let the public who can show and proof the action of those ill mannered bus captains fine the transport company as like how they fine those vehicles that violate the bus lane. Think maybe can write in to LTA to suggest the idea of fining the transport company of those ill mannered bus captains then confrim will benefit us photographers one.....lol all camp near bus stop sure can earn alot in a day not need to do wedding or d&d shoot.:bsmilie:
 

Answer: You have right of way. Yellow box allows the side lane to move out only if the main lane is stationery. Flowing traffic trumps the yellow box.
 

question here, quickly

what the heck does fare price increase have to do with safe bus drivers?

if a driver is bo chup about safety or traffic rules, no amount of money is going to change that
similarly, a higher salary due to fare price increase does not nessicitate attraction of safer bus drivers :dunno:

classic case of the singaporean syndrome, as observed by moi

as for bus driver cutting into two lanes, please, some of them have to make turn right after next traffic light straight after the bus stop, blame it more on poor design by the company itself or overly high demand by consumers instead of the bus drivers
 

precisely.. the attitude.. haha..

The way some bus captains drive is really quite dangerous and intimidating.. And in my case almost caused an accident... :thumbsd:

I doubt that bus driver was late on schedule as it has just come out from the interchange and there wouldn't be any jam at this hour.. But I once sat in bus 151e (express.. the bus skips some stops and goes to the expressway in the middle journey..and the bus arrival time is explicitly written on the bus stops).. That driver was late on schedule and he really drove quite dangerously..:nono:

i think the attitude applies for lots and tonnes of drivers too..have seen countless speeders who like to cut in and out without signalling, i hate them the most..arghh we can't do much anyway
 

Tat's e problem with Sg drivers. They dont practise wat they learn. Very selfish attitude wen it comes to e yellow box i suppose. e box is there for a reason.

Then again, u have the right of way. But very debatable if u happens to knock e bus fm behind if e bus driver chooses to go drive out of his bay n u hit him. Cuz e one who hit e backside is always at fault.

Thanx for the reply..i thought i remembered there was no yellow box... (i asked about the yellow box and bus lane in my first post to think about the situations when the bus driver might have right of way and what could have cultivated such behaviors).. Just now when I sent my gf back home, I double checked and there was indeed no yellow box at the particular bus stop... :sweat:

haha.. if I was so far back and the bus was already so "out" that I would hit its backside if I had continued, I would of course give way.. but that was not the case... The bus drove out of the bay as I was passing it and I had to "evade" to the right .. thankfully the right lane was clear..
 

Hi rOnGrEn,

based on your story personally i think you got the right of way. But road situation is very tricky. Some of the examples below might happened and the case might go either way.

1) Did the bus even on the right signal >>> ?

2) As you mention you drove slowly thus maybe the bus driver "judge" wrongly and "assume" he can drove out of the bus stop before you reached.(Do take note as its night time, bus driver might have some difficulty in judging or tireness)

3) You could be at the "blind spot" from the bus driver point of view.

lucky no accident happened. And its always better to be cautious and courteous on the road. :)

Hi.. Thanx for the reply.. and your balanced considerations!
1) Yup the bus did on the right signal, but as I drove on, the normal thought would be that the bus would wait for traffic to clear before moving out, and I did not think of the need to stop for the bus to move out..
2)I was pretty near the bus for it to drive out and clear off cleanly..
3)Hmmz.. you have a point here.. But I do believe to pass driving tests.. we were all taught to check our mirrors and blindspots.. :bsmilie::bsmilie:

Oh and I do agree that its better to be cautious and courteous on the road.
 

Sometimes you get stupid bus captain who thinks that everyone must give way to them and they are like no need to see blind spot one, just chiong out and everyone will siam them or give way to them. I've seen this type of action almost everyday along the stretch of road from AMK seagate to seragoon road esp at bus stop area when the bus driver sees that the car that went pass him has slow down, while there is still a car approaching close behind, the bus driver will just swerve the bus out and expect the car appraching to give way to him.....WTF isn't he suppose to give way to the car approaching instead of the other way round?

Seems like such behavior is not an isolated case..

Another thing is the interior and the quality of service of certain bus service still sucks, and till now I have not yet seen any improvement to it esp on bus service 133 and some of the shuttle service, the buses are old, aircon for some of the single deck is warm and stuffy during peak hours, seats have scribblings on them

hmmz.. just for info.. if you all visit the sbs transit website.. they actually have a FAQ and I once read that the temperature in the buses is automatically adjusted using climatic control.. http://www.sbstransit.com.sg/doyouknow/facts_bus.aspx#5 .. The driver have no control over the temp. I know because there was once i boarded a bus 10 that was FREEZING cold.. (even with sweater on the coldness was still unbearable).. and the bus driver could not turn up the temperature..I sent a feedback to SBS transit and credits to them for replying that they have sent the bus in question for a checkup and maintenance. So i guess they do listen to feedback and suggestion from the public. :)

I do feel the strain for increasing fare.. My primary mode of transport is still public transport and $5 a day is half of my daily allowance.. but lets not talk about fare increase and policies here ba.. too complicated.. :)
 

Answer: You have right of way. Yellow box allows the side lane to move out only if the main lane is stationery. Flowing traffic trumps the yellow box.

Thanx for the clarification! :)
 

Hey guys,

Just a quick check...

Say I am driving on the left most lane of a road and the traffic is flowing (ie. green light in front). Just as I was driving pass a bus stop, the bus suddenly drove out of the bus bay, cutting into my lane, almost causing an accident (with me of course). I am a very careful driver, wasn't speeding, and had been in the leftmost lane all along, my headlamps were on.

Do I have the "right of way "or am i obliged to give way to the bus even though the traffic was flowing? (courtesy driving aside :)) Does the presence of a yellow box give the bus the right of way even if the traffic was flowing? IF the leftmost lane was a bus lane, does it give the bus the right of way to come out from the bus bay then?

I am inclined to think that I had the right of way, but just need to confirm before I can feedback to the relevant parties.

Thanks in advance!

Hi rOnGrEn, I have nothing against you or am bashing you but it is this type of driver that have no idea or forget traffic rules that can cause accident. Dun take it to heart but it pays to know the rules well.

Moving traffic have the right of way but as mention, drivng a bus is not easy. I dun have cilivian class 4 but have SAF class 4. Driving a 3 tonner is really not easy. It can be as heavy as a bus, althought shorter but still high up and have a lot of blind spots.

For the future.....

Even if you have right of way, the moment u see the bus signal or pull off, you better give way even if you're near, if not u still will suffer. Dun take it for granted as the driver might not see you or he is sleeping.

Unless u driving a tank, then I got nothing to say. :bsmilie:
 

i think the attitude applies for lots and tonnes of drivers too..have seen countless speeders who like to cut in and out without signalling, i hate them the most..arghh we can't do much anyway

yar lor.. sometimes i really wished all drivers could drive more safely ..

I guess the least we can is to keep a good distance from the car in front.. and refrain from roadhogging lane 1 if we drive slow.. (actually i don't drive too slow.. i keep to the road limit.. just that some cars don't:bsmilie:)
 

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