Door Taco
I’m a driver, and was doing the 4 line on this particular day, which just so happened to be New Year’s Day. Happy to have survived driving on New Year’s Eve in a snowstorm with throngs of drunken motorists on the road, I thought that my New Year’s Day work would be a Sunday drive. I was quite wrong.
Lyndale Ave. is notorious for its thin lanes, especially between Franklin Ave. and 24th St. I was approaching the intersection at 22nd, with traffic on the left of me and parked cars on the right of me, effectively boxing me in. About 30 feet in front of me, a taxi popped its door open. I was helpless, spare an extended blare on the horn and some ineffective braking (it was icy out). The door didn’t close. When I hit the door, it sounded like I imagine you would hear from swinging a 2-by-4 into a lamppost. Of course, it didn’t effect the movement of the bus at all (someone might as well have thrown a newspaper in front of my bumper). I parked the bus and rushed back to the scene, and thankfully there was just a taco-ed door lying in the street, no severed arm (my honk might have prevented that), just a very flustered cab driver. Apparently, it was the passenger that popped the door, then took off running when it got smacked. Then came the hour-long ordeal of waiting for the MT Cops and supervisors to show up and take pictures/ask questions, while all my passengers had to wait a whole 30 minutes for another 4 to show up (though they all agreed it was completely not my fault).
I took the damaged bus back to the garage, pulled out a fresh one, and drove back out onto the battlefield. I’m part of the club now: when I went through training, my trainer said something like “if you drive for long enough, you WILL get in an accident.”
Let us take some lessons from this:
if you see a bus driving in the middle of the street, don’t fly into a fit of rage trying to pass it. It’s either that or take off car doors (and limbs, and heads).
Don’t open your door into traffic. It makes me a sad bus driver.
Feb 1st, 2007 at 2:04 pm
I like the analogy of the car door to a newspaper being thrown on the windshield…man that is crazy. So were the riders getting pissy with having to wait?
Feb 1st, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Wow! that was a good story, I can tell you I will never pass a bus again . . .unless I am in a hurry
Feb 1st, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Hey I ride the 4 every day
It’s nice to hear from a driver! My mom is one of those who can’t seem to handle driving around buses. She gets all flustered and doesn’t know what to do. I don’t think she’s ever just stopped in front of one though.
All I can say to that passenger is “Hey, you. Out of the gene pool.”
Feb 1st, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Re: Rett:
Naw, I only had about 5 people on the bus at the time (who rides the bus on New Year’s Day?), and since they all saw the accident,. they agreed it wasn’t my fault and didn’t get in my face about it. They were nice and chilland wated until the next 4 came.
Re: Dan:
Haha, good to know. If only all drivers could be as patient as you, It would make life so much easier for us drivers (it’s pretty hellish as-is).
Re: Diana:
Advice for your mom: wait until the bus pulls into a stop and puts its right signal on, indicating that it’s pickup people up. THEN pass it. If you ever see me on the 4, say hi! I drive from 2 pm - 7 pm (when I’m not doing the 2, 21, 46, or 146, or going to school : / ) . You’ll recognise me, I’m the only driver that is authorized to control a 25,000 lb vehicle but can’t legally buy a beer : P
Feb 1st, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Grr, that post was full of unnecessary typos. Most importantly, in reply to Diana, I only drive the 4 from 2-7 pm on Saturdays, otherwise I’m doing the 2 from 9-noon on Saturdays and 3:30-5:30 on Mondays, the 21A from 2-10pm on Sundays, and the 46/146 from 4-5:30 on Fridays. Say hi, I get so incredibly bored and socially-deprived! Driving can be such a lonely proffession . . .