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VOICES
Opinion A story of a good bus driver and a cyclist on Dublin's quays
After I was hit by a driver on the quays, I was overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers.
RECENTLY THERE HAVE been a lot of articles in the media about bus drivers and cyclist, especially about their behaviour on the Dublin quays.
On our daily commutes, I am sure we all come across bad road users; including car drivers, bus drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians glued to their mobile screens whilst crossing the roads.
So, I thought it would be nice to share a good story…
I am a seasoned cyclist and yesterday I was hit by a driver on the quays. I was going straight and was in front of the car which was turning left. He saw me, sped up and drove into my back wheel, then sped off and left me collapsed on the road.
Many people came to my aid; pedestrians, a lovely Italian lady who was unbelievably caring, café workers inviting me to sit and have a cup of tea, a bus passenger who got off the bus to see if I was OK. I have a few bruises but nothing bad, mostly shock.
The most helpful of all was Andre – a bus driver – who had observed the incident from behind and stopped his bus to see if I was alright. Even though he had a bus full of tutting passengers, he took a couple of minutes to talk to me, to let me know how to report the incident, and explain how he could help. He was aware of keeping his passengers waiting, so he got in contact with me later to help some more. He told me about the bus cameras, and how the front bus video camera got it all on tape, and he called the incident into Bus Control who are keeping the video footage as evidence for the garda.
Even though I am still shook up from the incident and the reckless driver, I am heartened that there are still many good people on our Dublin streets, especially Andre who is a credit to his profession and, on top of that, a good human being.
Even though there are horrible bus drivers and road users, there are many more good ones.
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