Should Buses be Painted Bright Colors for Safety Purposes?

[Scrabbleship]

Over on the Upstate New York forum, there's been a thread on a recent (Albany) Times Union article on a new paint scheme at CDTA and a series of responses that are critical of the authority. The latest response to that letter, in today's paper, brings up something that could ring true everywhere.

Brighten colors of CDTA buses for safety

I read with interest your Oct. 30 article regarding new colors for the CDTA buses, "A bus of a different color." CDTA should consider painting their buses a bright yellow or orange, so other drivers might seem them in enough time to avoid being hit as their buses run full speed through red lights.

I cross Western Avenue several times a day. More often than not, I witness CDTA buses running red lights. On one recent occasion, I was coming out of University Place turning onto Western with my green light. All other vehicles were stopped. As I entered the intersection, I was nearly hit by CDTA bus as it barreled, full speed through the intersection. I cannot imagine the amount of injury there may have been to my kids and me if we had actually been hit.

Forget about calling CDTA to file a complaint. In my experience, no one ever follows up. Calls to the Albany police also fall on deaf ears. Let's paint those buses a bright yellow or better yet, install lights and sirens so we know that they are coming.

RALPH PENNEY Albany

Part of this letter can be chalked up to overreaction, however are yellow/orange colored buses really less prone to collisions than primarily white or darker colored buses? Or is a color of a bus a totally moot point in terms of safety especially considering how few systems have buses of those colors and there's no major trend for systems to go that way. It might just be ranting, but it opens up an interesting topic.

[BusManCow]

Just a thought about running red lights: Even though it is very dangerous, and many irresponsible drivers run them long after they have changed red which is even more dangerous, but the main reason buses run so many lights in my opinion is to keep from having to make a fast stop in order to stop at the light. Imagine a bus with people standing, some old and not very stable, women with their babies in their arms etc., a light is turning red as you are approaching, you could stop, but it would be a fast stop and likely to make it cause someone to fall or come out of their seat, thus opening the door for a lawsuit, so you look at approaching traffic, you can make it and get through just before or at the second the opposite traffics light turns green, so do you run it or stop?....Most will run it, and while dangerous being with good intent to save their own butts from lawsuits, getting wrote-up, or injuring a passenger.Still dangerous though.-Kyle

[Beeline Flx789]

No buses shouldn't be painted in bright colors because in reality,it doesn't make a difference.Accidents involving buses are still going to occur.There is nothing that can be done to change that.

[Hawk Operator 10]

There is nothing that can be done to change that.

From the letter it seems that upstate transit has some really bad habits to get a letter and column on the issue of red light running.  Something can be done to change this, find the cause of problem and correct it.

To my fellow operators in upsate NY:

Remember that your family, friends, and loved ones can be a vitim of this reckless disregard for red lights.  If they are dead or you are in prison, you miss out the rest of your life.  Stop at the red, save a life.

[Scrabbleship]

There is nothing that can be done to change that.

From the letter it seems that upstate transit has some really bad habits to get a letter and column on the issue of red light running.  Something can be done to change this, find the cause of problem and correct it.

Thing is in my 3+ years in a regular CDTA rider I haven't really noticed about. In fact, it's rare that they end up in such a position given that the majority of the time either a) they get to a stop right as the light turns red or b) they finish loading just as a green light cycle ends. Western Ave. is an odd breed because it's a major road that's largely residental with pockets of retail namely near the UAlbany campus (the area mentioned in the letter) and outside the Albany city limits.

I chalk it up more to everyone with an axe to grind to CDTA using the TU's article on the paint scheme to berate CDTA. I've seen other TA's that make CDTA look like angels in that departments.

[SickCert]

We had a bus in illuminous yellow some years ago to 'reflect' the use of nighttime buses.

On a bright sunny day it was painful to use your mirror with the summer glare off the bodywork.

I think most of the variations of colour have been tried and tested over the years and accident rates still go up. Most over road users see the bus and thats when they panic and try ovetaking it!

Instead of paint we need a large cow-bell in between the headlights!!

[AMoreira81]

While bright colors aren't needed, IMO, all commercial buses should have reflective tape on the sides and rear.

[Devochka]

No buses shouldn't be painted in bright colors because in reality,it doesn't make a difference.Accidents involving buses are still going to occur.There is nothing that can be done to change that.

X2.

I drive white buses with reflective striping.  I still hear stories of "oh, I didn't even see you."  It's as if people just look right on through the bus.  You can make the buses any color you want -- fluorescent orange, yellow, etc. -- and people will still see what they want to see.

_erin

[Devochka]

Just a thought about running red lights: Even though it is very dangerous, and many irresponsible drivers run them long after they have changed red which is even more dangerous, but the main reason buses run so many lights in my opinion is to keep from having to make a fast stop in order to stop at the light. Imagine a bus with people standing, some old and not very stable, women with their babies in their arms etc., a light is turning red as you are approaching, you could stop, but it would be a fast stop and likely to make it cause someone to fall or come out of their seat, thus opening the door for a lawsuit, so you look at approaching traffic, you can make it and get through just before or at the second the opposite traffics light turns green, so do you run it or stop?....Most will run it, and while dangerous being with good intent to save their own butts from lawsuits, getting wrote-up, or injuring a passenger.Still dangerous though.-Kyle

This is exactly the reason that as an operator, I run red lights.  I do not want to throw any passengers into (or through!) the windshield.  Our policy here is that if a passenger falls while you are moving, it is immediately considered an at-fault, preventable accident.

Note that if I have to do something like this, I will usually try to alert traffic stopped at the intersection by tapping my horn a few times in quick succession.

_erin

[Hawk Operator 10]

I do not want to throw any passengers into (or through!) the windshield. 
_erin

And here I thought that was a cool way to show them out!:-))

[BusManCow]

This is an interesting topic on the paint, I don't think the bright paint is nescesary, however the reflective tape is a great idea and should be required, its simple and cheap and does the trick, a strip in every corner and a couple in the center, and as far as night goes if you can't see it you should not be driving. I noticed Lynx has many bright colored buses of various colors, but nothing to do with safety I don't think since they are all different colors and not all of them are bright, but it is a rather unique paint scheme.-Cow