Last week, Q-Line asked, “Do you think Big Blue Buses are being driven safely? Why or why not?”
Here are the readers’ responses: ■ “A lot of drivers do not pay attention. They talk on their cell phones and take care of personal matters without watching the road. The bus driver on route number 47 refuses to pick up people in wheelchairs. He just passes them up. I see it all the time.” ■ “The buses are not being driven safely. They go too fast. It is a very stressful experience to ride the bus not to mention downright scary. This is true of all the buses, not just the Blue Bus. I used to take the bus to Malibu on weekends but stopped going because of the speed at which the drivers would take the curves on PCH. Everyone would hang on for dear life. It felt like the bus would tip over. Another bad place to be on a bus is descending the hill into the Santa Monica Canyon on 7th Street. The bus goes so fast it could not possibly stop in the event of an emergency. I’ve been a bus passenger when the driver has honked her horn at a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The drivers also tailgate cars at high speeds. The police seem unconcerned over the speeding buses. I wish I could ride the bus. It’s ridiculous that this situation is allowed to continue. An additional comment is that I have called and spoken to the bus company, and they tell me that there are bus supervisors that pose as passengers. I seriously doubt that.” ■ “I ride a bicycle, and I have almost been side-swiped so many times by buses. I’m always in the safe zone, you know, the bike path lane. It’s really scary. They go so fast. I think that they should have more training.” ■ “I do think the bus drivers are going too fast. Some of them go so fast they pass up people on bus benches!” ■ “I think the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus is generally a safe bus. I have not heard of any deaths until very recently. However, I do think that when the bus is crowded, and you have to stand and the bus stops abruptly, that is unsafe. You get thrown! It is very likely to happen. It happens a lot.” ■ “There are a couple of things I notice that make the drive somewhat risky over there in Santa Monica. I’ve noticed a number of times the personal use of cell phones by the drivers. They also seemed to be overworked. People have told me that they have to reach a certain number of hours to receive certain retirement benefits. They seem stressed out, and I think these circumstances may contribute to the related accidents.” ■ “I think the bus drivers are not driving as safe as they used to. I could have easily been that senior who was killed by that bus turning the corner off Ocean Avenue. Often I’ve stood there and waited for the signal to turn green and the bus has been waiting to turn right. They just turn! They don’t wait for the pedestrians. They can’t even see the pedestrians in most cases. I always wait for them to go first, and by that time the red hand is blinking and I have to wait another cycle to get across the street.” ■ “I do think the bus drivers drive pretty safely. I think the real culprits in this city are the speeders who drive their SUVs and talk on their cell phones and passing you on the right hand side, which is illegal. It’s not the buses, it’s the young maniacs!” ■ “Sometimes it appears the buses are not being driven safely. I’ve seen them plow through yellow lights at intersections, and I’ve seen buses driven as though the drivers are in a big hurry. It appears as though overall traffic on the streets is heavier, and the buses time points and schedules need to be adjusted so the driver has plenty of time without having to drive fast. The police also need to strictly enforce traffic laws.” ■ “I’ve noticed that since the bus transit has been put in in Santa Monica that the bus drivers do seem to blow their horns quite a bit. They hurry to keep their schedules. I was on a bus the other day and our bus driver nearly missed hit-ting a car to be on time. They are so stressed out to be on time! They have a lot of pressure.” ■ “They drive dangerously fast and jerk the brakes often. The number 14 goes around curves in Brentwood so fast that it is sometimes impossible to stand up. In the past couple of months, the drivers have been exhibiting road rage. They are so rude.” ■ “I say they certainly are being driven safely. Pedestrians should be more careful. I am not a bus driver.” ■ “The new busses are driven in an erratic fashion. Very jerky. The brakes seem to grab. Many of the drivers are new and seem to be under stress. The drivers don’t wait until passengers get seated, and then the drivers take off too fast making the passengers stumble and fall. Many times the drivers don’t wait for people to get aboard, even when the potential passengers are knocking on the door. The drivers of the automobiles pull out in front of the buses making the drivers nervous. The whole scene is erratic and frightening.” ■ “No, the buses are not driven safely. The elderly get on, put their coins in the box, and the drivers deliberately, if they are out of sorts, put their foot to the metal and drive off knocking elderly people onto the ground. I am 60 years old and have almost fallen over several times. It’s horrible.” ■ “Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus has a few bad apples like all municipal systems. I’ve reported a few, but they are still employed and still driving in the same manner. Clearly there is a lack of supervision and follow-up. Have you ever tried to report a bad driver? Try calling 451-5444 after 5 p.m. or on weekends. There is but a recording. Big Blue should have one of those ‘How is my driving?’ Call 1-800-BAD-BLUE stickers on every bus in contract with the fleet reporting service and improve its follow up and supervision of drivers. Further complicating matters the new traffic calming and beautification elements make it hazardous for the buses to operate in mixed traffic. The new concrete medians force buses, cars and bicycles even closer together and put pedestrians in harms way. Even the most seasoned bus drivers will have accidents. Both Big Blue and the City of Santa Monica need to re-examine their practices. Big Blue can certainly stand to improve its safety record.” ■ “No, I do not think the Big Blue buses are being driven safely. I’ve thought this for a long time, and, in fact, I’ve made a commitment to myself about a month ago that I would carry a pen and paper in my car so I could write down numbers of buses so I could report them. I wonder if the drivers are being asked to work under realistic conditions or if the schedules being given are too optimistic and they are feeling some kind of pressure to maintain them.” ■ “The new style buses are very dangerous. It’s impossible to safely walk even one step while the bus is moving. The drivers complain about how unreliable and dangerous the brakes are. When you apply the break pedals, the buses jerk and cause people to fall. Also, many times the back door does not open. It’s very difficult to reach the cord to signal a stop without falling.” ■ “I ride the bus and have been doing so for 45 years. They need that ‘How am I driving?’ sticker on the back of the buses. There should be a form available in the bus to make comments.” ■ “I don’t think the buses are driving unsafely. I think the problem is all the traffic. More traffic, more accidents. It’s not the bus driver’s fault.” ■ “Last Saturday, I was scared by a Big Blue Bus that went flying by me at a high rate of speed. I did not even know where the bus came from! I thought to myself ‘Wow, I wonder if that person’s shift is over, and they really want to get home?’ Then I saw it stop to pick up some passengers. I would not want to be on that bus at any cost.” ■ “I’m a lifelong resident of Santa Monica, and I’ve noticed the buses have gotten a lot more dangerous over the past few years. I often see the blue buses running red lights all over town. Wherever I turn, practically every third time they are running yellow or red lights. They drive fast all the time. On Main Street when I was crossing the crosswalk, one bus refused to stop and almost hit me and missed by inches. It was actually exceeding the speed limit there on Main Street, which they often do all the time. Something needs to be done. I have a theory about this that the drivers are not from Santa Monica so they have an aggression towards citizens of Santa Monica.” ■ “I was riding a MTA bus a couple of weeks ago and the bus hit another car. So I know for a fact that they do hit people. On the blue bus, they speed. They need training. I like them all, but they drive too fast. I see them having cell phone conversations with loved ones.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 9, 2002. Read the original PDF.