[LLL]

In delhi, everyone seems to be after blueline buses, blaming them for all the accidents.

But i had 2 near misses today with 2 wheelers which made me wonder why bluelines are being made the scapegoat.

1. A biker was travelling in front of me @ 40-50 kph and suddenly saw someone familiar. Without any qualms, the guy brakes hard and stops in the middle of the road. I know braking wouldnt help, so i swerved to right and avoided hitting him...now if instead of me, a blueline would have been following him, it would have been a 100% fatal accident. And our media would have blamed the poor bus driver.

2. A guy was driving a scooter with his left hand, a mobile sandwiched between his ear and shoulder, his right hand free to catch the mobile if it falls off. Since he couldnt move his head (as mobile would have fallen off), he turns right without checking...luckily i was driving really slowly and stopped...else the mobile, scooter and driver would have been badly hurt. But imagine a blueline instead of me....

i think we need to institute challans for padestrians and this type of behaviour...

[Eddy]

These are one-off incidents that you mention where the two wheeler was at fault. But generalizing it is incorrect.

The blue lines are hated because they drive overspeed, do not follow lane driving, race each other on the roads and generally break traffic laws which lead to fatal accidents. And therefore, I dont sympathise with them.

[esteem_lover]

Really sad that something that has been useful for the commuters has been stopped(or to be stopped). In chennai, the blue line buses have just begun.

[reignofchaos]

LLL for the first one, its your fault... if you tailgate the guy and hit him from the rear, you haven't been maintaining safe distance. About the latter, I have nothing to say, the scooterist is a lunatic.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Really sad that something that has been useful for the commuters has been stopped(or to be stopped). In chennai, the blue line buses have just begun.

Bluelines are not being stopped here in Delhi. Its just that they are being replaced with alternate modes of public transport like metro, high capacity buses ( AC and Non-AC ) and increasing the number of govt owned DTC buses. RTVs , which earlier acted a feeders to the metro are also plying on normal blue line routes.

Earlier, there used to RedLine and Green Line buses in Delhi.

[speedzak]

Originally Posted by Eddy

The blue lines are hated because they drive overspeed, do not follow lane driving, race each other on the roads and generally break traffic laws which lead to fatal accidents. And therefore, I dont sympathise with them.

That's a true point!

But as told LLLLLLL....., The road manners by some bikers are very bad. Some car(er)s are also not behind when it comes to this.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by speedzak

That's a true point!

But as told LLLLLLL....., The road manners by some bikers are very bad. Some car(er)s are also not behind when it comes to this.

True. But a Blueline will always take more risks since its generally not his daddy's vehicle so scratches and dents done really matter. Also, being in a bus gives you a sense of personal safety where you know that you are at minimal risk unless you hit a truck. This leads to a drop of guard / overconfidence and hence rash driving to make more moolah.

[low_bass_makker]

In simple word ..I don't sympathize with a blue liner

[greatDrive]

To me, Cab drivers driving Qualis or indicas are more dangerous than Blue line buses.

[LLL]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

LLL for the first one, its your fault... if you tailgate the guy and hit him from the rear, you haven't been maintaining safe distance. About the latter, I have nothing to say, the scooterist is a lunatic.

the guy stopped from a speed of 40-50 to 0 in middle of the road. How can then i be @ fault?

Shouldnt u signal, check ur mirrors and then safely move out of the road before stopping? Thats y i said, blueline would have ended up hitting him. In fact, even a truck, SUV would have hit him.

[1100D]

Most commercial vehicle accidents are caused, apart from faulty maintenance, due to failure of the vehicles to take evasive manouvres from speeds that they were not supposed to be doing in the first place.

[ms_rana]

Sometime last week or so in Times of India Delhi newspaper (2nd page) there was a half page write-up on condition in which Blueline drivers work. There were couple of drivers pics along with their stats.

The most striking thing was that these drivers have to work anywhere between 13-16 hours a day and that too without any lunch break!!! This is really unbelievable!!! Majority of them do not have any formal training which may acquaint them with rules and regulations and other driving tips and guidelines.

There are certain other factors that indirectly/directly contribute to the problem. These Blueline buses are actually truck chassis on which bus body is built. The vehicle is meant for bearing load .. lots of load. That's it. Nothing else. The driver has to deal to heavy unassisted steering, poor gearshifts (must have heard grinding sound when they change gear and engine sitting right right next to them crying continuously for mercy. Obviously because of cost factor, there is no Air Conditioning either. Take all these factors into account and imagine someone going through the ordeal 12-16 hours a day without any break for day in and day out !!! I really think that there should be some sort of law making it mandatory that a driver must leave steering after 9-10 hours of work. Also there should be 30 minute lunch break and the owner should be responsible for periodic medical checkup of the driver and his acquaintance with the driving ethics and laws.

Nonetheless I agree that there is lack of sensible driving ethics in Blueline drivers but then this would only come with persistent pressure from governing authorities to bring them on track. And this is no secret that the Blueline owners know how important they are for Delhi/NCR and they take city for ransom at will. The government must have a fleet of their own to control the menace. DTC is having negligible presence on road but can be improved if there is a determination.

Then comes Auto wallas ... anyways that is a separate topic altogether

[xinome]

you guys have never been to trivandrum city or kowdiar roads have you!

cars and bikes here fly @ 100 + without even caring
ask me i know i have saved myself from serious fatal accidents

[1100D]

Folks lets not find ways to mask the devastation these commercial vehicles (blueline i this case, Kolkata busses are another similar example) create. Sporadic experiences aside, most accidents involving these vehicles are caused by driver error (lack of judgement) and lack of maintenance.

The whole system of public transportation needs to be relooked.

[kjdesigns_2000]

I hate bluelines. They overspeed, stop where ever they feel like, overtake another stationary bus on the bus stop itself, have tampered speed limiters, drivers and conductors are illiterate and uncivilized, are always overloaded, and look ugly