Each season brings with it new challenges for motorists. Our bus-driving columnist Busman Bob weighs in on the challenges that come with driving during the summer months
Driving a bus in summer has its fair share of challenges too, among which are the condition of the roads following the winter months.
Like most drivers, I much prefer to be on the road at this time of year rather than during the winter months. It’s warmer, the daylight hours last longer and I don’t have to drive with the heaters and wipers constantly on. I am penning this article as we have just experienced possibly the warmest and driest couple of weeks for some time. Where is my talk about the weather leading you may think? Don’t worry, I’m getting around to it. [wlm_nonmember][…]
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Many people, particularly if they don’t drive, think that much of the problems which occur on the roads happen over the winter months. In certain areas this may be the case, but some of my recent findings do suggest otherwise. Recently when I have been driving on certain routes, I have found that some things do need addressing.
For example, the recent warm weather has caused a very sudden surge in the growth of trees. This is all well and good, but when they are situated next to major roads or in the middle of roundabouts this can cause reduced visibility. Extra caution must also be taken when driving double-decker buses or high-sided vehicles, because tree branches have been known to smash windows and do damage. In all areas where this is an issue, the local councils should make it a priority to constantly assess routes for potential hazards as it could reduce costs for everybody; the old phrase ‘prevention is better than the cure’ comes to mind.
Perhaps the next most noticeable thing in recent weeks has been the ever-increasing number of cyclists on our roads. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against them, in fact some have acknowledged that I have given them space and even waved at me. However, there is still a minority who spoil it for the cycling fraternity as a whole, by doing some extremely dangerous manoeuvres in traffic and riding side by side. The Government needs to come up with a stricter policy for cyclists who use busy roads, especially in our big cities. It should be compulsory for helmets and high-visibility clothing to be worn, and fines should be issued for wearing headphones and indeed using a mobile phone whilst riding.
Summer months also bring concerts and other such events to our towns and cities. All good for the economy, but us drivers have to contend with the heavier traffic and often have to take alternative routes due to road closures in order to get our customers to their destination – again making the point that it’s not just snow and ice that closes roads or causes delays.
Perhaps the most concerning and expensive issue of all is the ever-increasing number of potholes. I know that this has been a hot topic recently, but one comment that did make me laugh was ‘why is it that our vehicles have to be roadworthy but our roads aren’t vehicle-worthy?’ An interesting point, especially as the winter weather was the main factor here, but even though we are now approaching summer not all roads have been sorted.
The main points here are that we all pay hefty sums to tax our vehicles and now that the Government plans to get tougher on MOT testing, perhaps a more comprehensive highway maintenance plan is needed to ensure that our roads don’t get into such a state in the first place. It seems that a lot of roads that are maintained by different subcontractors fall way short of the standard that we should be getting, yet we still end up paying more and more tax.
I would like to praise Lancashire County Council on acting to reduce congestion in one of the Lancashire towns which I often drive through. The town of Whalley in the Ribble Valley has recently undergone some work; the main road through the town has been widened, which means that parked vehicles no longer impede buses from getting through what was an extremely narrow and congested place. This has come at the right time as a lot of tourists visit in the summer, so a big thanks to all who made this happen.
I am writing this just five days after the first anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing. In the last decade of my career, one of the highlights that I will remember for a very long time was driving a bus in service to and from Manchester displaying the words ‘We Love Manchester’ on our destination blinds for all to see. What’s more, I am still proud to continue serving the people of Manchester and hope to do so for many years to come. Until next time, Busman Bob.
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