Metroline bus driver flattens Transport for London shelter in North Finchley after 'misjudgement'

2:17pm Friday 4th January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Chris Hewett

Witnesses described hearing a huge bang as the red Arriva bus crashed into the stop in North Finchley High Road Witnesses described hearing a huge bang as the red Arriva bus crashed into the stop in North Finchley High Road

Waiting for public transport can be a real pain but it was lucky no-one was seriously injured when a double-decker bus flattened a shelter this afternoon.

Witnesses described hearing a huge bang as the red Metroline bus crashed into the stop in North Finchley High Road at the junction with Mayfield Avenue shortly after midday.

No-one was in the shelter, which crumpled under the impact and scattered glass across the pavement, and passengers and the driver escaped injury.

Passengers travelling south towards Finchley Central were ushered off the stricken vehicle and instructed to wait for another bus.

Norman Reid, who works at a nearby car garage, said: “The driver must have just swung in too far – it’s amazing. It was just lucky no-one was in the bus shelter or it could have been nasty.”

Transport for London, which operates the service, directed buses on routes 125, 263, 626 and N20 to a temporary stop a few metres down the road.

A TfL spokesman said: “The driver sadly misjudged it coming into the stop. The shelters are designed to crumple as this one did and it was a very low impact strike.

“He just came in slightly at the wrong angle and because the buses pull up quite close to the stops, the left corner of the bus just clipped it.

“I imagine the driver was a bit shaken but no-one was injured.”

Despite the apparent low impact of the collision, onlookers were surprised by the amount of damage caused to the shelter, which was almost completely destroyed.

Richard Fielden, 51, said: “I’m sure anyone in that shelter would have been badly injured with the way it has come down – it looks pretty dangerous to me.

“I’m sure they do tests on these things and there must be a reason for it but I would not have liked to have been in there when it happened.”

The bus was towed away by a recovery truck shorty before 2pm but a police cordon around the damaged shelter remained in place this afternoon.

Were you on the bus or did you see the crash? Do you think the bus shelters should be designed to crumple on impact? Leave your comments below or email chewett@london.newsquest.co.uk.

Comments(6)

james smyth says...
10:49am Sun 6 Jan 13

So a bus driver flattens a bus shelter and its misjudgment? Why is it not careless driving or driving without due care and attention ? After all a bus driver is supposed to be a proffesional
driver.He could of killed someone.
If you forget your oyster card and use someone elses card you get fined by TFL and you both get threatened with this and that ,but isn't that really just a case of misjudgement? After all no one has been hurt and it hasn't cost TFL anything as the cards are pre paid.

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Harroweveryman says...
11:06am Mon 7 Jan 13

James Smyth says "He could of killed someone".

In fact he could HAVE killed someone.

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VIKING ONE says...
12:19pm Mon 7 Jan 13

the days are gone when you chose the profession,now all you need is a conventional driving license and they train you in exchange for your commitment for a year or something.the state of some new drivers driving is abhorrent,they get pushed through at the bus companies are the testers not the government. last week London charring cross road the same thing,i believe,it may be partly to do with the strut that protrudes out on the nearside upper window to prevent tree hits?

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MrFuj says...
8:40pm Mon 7 Jan 13

Knowing a bus driver who is a friend I know the pressures that they are put under. They have to keep to time, if they don't and have to curtail the bus the company gets charged £7 per mile and if the company loses too much mileage they could lose the route which could inturn cost the driver his job. Not only do they have to deal with this pressure they also have to deal with the general public who try every trick in the book to not have to pay and high volumes of traffic, long shifts and for little reward. One driver makes a mistake and you all hound him, this accident is no different to 2 cars crashing into each other on the road, is that classed as dangerous driving or driving without undue care and attention? No it is not, insurance details are swapped and it is over. This accident is no different seeing as nobody was hurt!

You abuse the driver I say poor bus driver and I hope he is not too shaken up!

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MrFuj says...
8:47pm Mon 7 Jan 13

Also these accidents happen often because cars park in bus stops causing the driver to have to pull in the stop at a tight angle in which the shelters are often placed too close to the kerb for the drivers to be able to get close enough to the let the passengers off safely. As was probably the case with this accident.

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VIKING ONE says...
9:27am Tue 8 Jan 13

mr fuji,the difference between car drivers a PCV driver is not equivocal, i know the bus stop in question it is opposite met polices traffic unit station TDX. the road is sufficiently wide there for a driver not to have to pull right in as cars can pass very freely,yes understand the job is pressurized,so are many others,and understand more than you will know about code reds code blues,and center comms,they are the guys on the radio,who keep speedy early shift drivers in control and regulate them,if the jobs too hard get out.!!its a very responsible job. 60,plus civilians on a bus is not equivocal to civilian car accidents,get things into perspective.!

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