Terrifying moment buses pass inches from people’s front doors | UK | News
Terrifying moment buses pass inches from people’s front doors | UK | News
Residents in Wales say they fear for their safety as buses drive illegally on the pavement on a daily basis – just inches from their front doors. One resident on East Road in Tylorstown claims she was nearly ran over by one of the buses in May 2022 when she was stepping outside her house.Another resident on the road has captured years’ worth of CCTV footage appearing to show the buses mounting the pavement and driving along it
CCTV captures the terrifying moment a bus passes just inches from front doors in a small town in Wales. Residents of a Rhondda Valleys street are living in fear as Stagecoach buses allegedly mount the pavement on a « daily » basis, coming perilously close to their front doors. One local from East Road in Tylorstown reported a near-miss incident with a bus as she stepped out of her house.
Another has compiled extensive CCTV footage over the years, which appears to show buses driving on the pavement when faced with narrow road conditions, such as two buses trying to pass each other simultaneously.
Despite repeated complaints to Stagecoach, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, and South Wales Police, and even intervention by the area’s councillor and MP, residents say there has been no improvement. A recent video provided to WalesOnline captures a bus illegally using the pavement on Saturday, April 6.
In response, Stagecoach has stated that safety is « our top priority » and promised a thorough investigation into the issue. The council has expressed its concerns to the bus company and noted that any formal probe into these incidents falls under police jurisdiction.
East Road’s Alana Sargent, 41, a dedicated carer and community volunteer, has voiced her alarm over the escalating issues outside her door, saying she has witnessed the chaos for six years. « It’s always happened, but it’s getting worse now with the amount of traffic on the road, » she said.
« Generally, other people will pull up onto the pavement but stop, whereas Stagecoach don’t stop – they continue to drive at speed past the houses, that close to the door…We’ve even had a double decker do it as well. »
Alana described the perilous situation as a daily hazard. « Some will wait, some won’t. Generally, midday, when there’s another bus coming down, that’s when we get an issue, » she explained.
Residents have compiled extensive CCTV
She claims she’s had several of her own near-misses with buses barrelling down the pavement, claiming she’s been « nearly run over » multiple times.
Highlighting the proximity of apparent danger, she remarked that the buses come so close, they’re just « a wing mirror width from the door ». With a touch of dark humour, she quipped, « I’m wondering if [the buses] actually going to come in for a cup of tea, I’ll be honest. They are that close. »
A disabled woman has told how she cheated death after a bus nearly ploughed into her outside her home.
Alana has mobility issues and relies on an electric wheelchair to get around. She claimed last year she was forced to jump out of the way of a bus as it overtook a double decker when she was outside her front door.
« I opened the door, I looked out. Thankfully, I looked to see that there was a bus coming, and I had to jump back in. That was when I started complaining, » she said.
CCTV footage of the near miss has been passed to WalesOnline.
« The Highway code does state when overtaking parked cars, if the obstruction is on your side of the road, you are supposed to wait until you can go, » she said. « Now, if the obstruction is on the opposite side of the road as it is coming up, and there’s someone already overtaking those parked cars, you’re supposed to wait and let them continue through until you can pass safely and not drive on the pavement.
« It’s actually a criminal offence. It’s classed as dangerous driving… all I want is it to stop before someone gets hurt. »
Residents on a road in the Rhondda Valleys say they fear for their safety as Stagecoach buses drive illegally on the pavement on a daily basis – just inches from their front doors. One resident on East Road in Tylorstown claims she was nearly ran over by one of the buses in May 2022 when she was stepping outside her house.Another resident on the road has captured years’ worth of CCTV footage appearing to show the buses mounting the pavement and driving along it. The clips, shared with WalesOnline, seem to show the bus drivers do this when the road is too narrow for two big vehicles to pass through, such as when two buses are passing at the same time.The residents claim complaints have been made to Stagecoach, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and South Wales Police for years and their local councillor and MP have even got involved – but nothing has improved. The most recent clip shared with WalesOnline shows a bus illegally driving along the pavement on Saturday, April 6. Stagecoach told WalesOnline that safety is our top priority and they intend to fully investigate this matter.
She claimed her disabled son refuses to use his wheelchair on the pavement outside their home because he does not believe it to be safe.
« However, he won’t use a chair along our bit of road, because of the buses, » she said.
Alana claimed there had been another occasion when she and her son faced another terrifying near miss.
« I had to jump into the doorway because the bus mounted the pavement as I was walking down the street. Now, if I had my son with me and he was in his chair, he wouldn’t have had a chance in hell… he’d be dead. »
She said her husband is also worried he will « not be able to get out of the way quick enough ».
« Several times I’ve nearly been run over, but I’m lucky enough that I can move out the way, » she claimed. « My husband’s the same – he’s opened the door a few times and a vehicle’s gone flying past. So it’s lucky that he’s not stepped out, » she said. Aside from the close shaves, Alana also alleges that the repeated mounting of buses onto the pavement outside her house has resulted in damage.
« The state of the path is all uneven. The paving slabs have dropped lower than the actual kerb edge, » she claimed, reasoning that it also triggers water to pool in the area when it rains and « seep into the houses ».
In the CCTV footage, the road appears to be too narrow for two buses, owing to cars being parked on one side opposite her house. « It’s now got to a point that the blame is being pushed back onto the cars being parked, where they’re legally parked, » she contested.
Reacting to Alana’s complaints made on X, a Stagecoach spokesperson told her: « I have reported this to the depot but advise to contact the council as well regarding the parking on the street to allow buses to pass safely. »
She said she asked the council to install bollards on the pavement to deter buses from driving onto it, only to be refuted on grounds of hampering « prevent accessibility ». She harbours concerns about double yellow lines potentially being drawn along the road which could restrict residents’ parking.
« There is nowhere else to park. If you come up the Valley from Pontygwaith all the way up, there are cars parked on one side of the road, » she said. « If they’re going to get rid of the parking opposite and stop the problem the whole way up the Valley…then that’s two, three, maybe four miles of residents that won’t be able to park their cars. »
Alana claims the pavement outside her house has been damaged by the bus driving there
Alana went on to say that despite bringing the issue to the attention of the South Wales Police for the past two years through her local councillor, the situation has not improved. She said: « We’ve got the local policing team saying it’s a ‘caught in the act’ [found committing offence], even though there’s CCTV and photographic evidence of it happening. »
According to the Highway Code, when overtaking parked cars, drivers are required to wait until it is safe to proceed if the obstruction is on their side of the road. If the obstruction is on the opposite side of the road and another vehicle is already overtaking, drivers must wait until the manoeuvre is complete before proceeding.
Driving on the pavement is a criminal offence classified as dangerous driving.
David Wheatley, who lives on East Road, has been documenting Stagecoach buses with his CCTV system, which shows vehicles mounting the pavement.
A bus appearing to drive on the pavement
He recounted how the buses speed past homes at « 20mph », barely sparing a « mirror’s distance off the wall ».
« The only reason they’re not any closer to the door is that the wing mirror will be ripped off on the wall. That’s how close they go, » claimed David, a retired civil servant. He said that the buses often travel on the pavement for about 200 yards before rejoining the road.
He claimed that recent scaffolding has curtailed this yet they still manage to zoom past approximately six houses or 150 feet. Despite raising concerns with Stagecoach’s Porth depot in January 2022 and receiving assurances of action, David claims the illegal pavement driving persists.
In response, Martin Gibbon, Managing Director for Stagecoach South Wales, stated: « Safety is our top priority and we have since arranged to fully investigate this matter following receipt of this complaint. »
A spokesperson for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council expressed their understanding of the community’s concerns, stating: « We fully understand the concerns raised by the community on this matter. When the Council was made aware of the footage, officers raised their concerns with the bus service operator as driving in such a manner, on the pavement and very close to properties, is clearly unacceptable. Any formal investigation into these incidents, as with any instance of dangerous driving, would be the role of South Wales Police. »
Cet article est apparu en premier en ANGLAIS sur https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1887267/terrifying-moment-bus-passes-inches-from-front-door