Bus Stop Approach with a Parked Van and a Pedestrian Between
You are driving a category D bus on a two-lane city street with a 60 km/h limit, approaching a signed bus stop where you must pick up passengers. A van is parked illegally in the bus-stop bay, leaving a gap of about 2.2 m between the van and the kerb. A pedestrian with a child is standing on the pavement near the van, partly hidden from your view by the van's body. It is daylight and dry. A car is following you about 20 m back. Your bus is 2.55 m wide. There is a solid line on your side of the road, and traffic in the opposite direction is moderate. You are running 4 minutes late.
1. Where do you stop, and what do you do about the 2.2 m gap?
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A 2.2 m gap cannot be used: the bus is 2.55 m wide, so entering the bay would mean mounting the kerb or striking the van. The correct decision is to stop as close as practicable to the stop before the van, without blocking the carriageway more than necessary, and to keep the bus parallel and close to the kerb where the gap allows. Crossing the solid line to swing wide is not permitted. Because you are 4 minutes late, there is pressure to stop badly - the model answer must reject that pressure. Passengers should be picked up at the safe point, and the illegal parking should not be treated as a reason to stop in a dangerous position.
2. How do you manage the pedestrian and child partly hidden by the van?
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The van creates a vision block, so the pedestrian and child could step out without seeing you and without you seeing them in time. The correct approach is to slow well before the stop, cover the brake, and treat the area behind and beside the van as occupied. Do not wave the pedestrian across - a wave can be misread and can pull them into the path of the following car 20 m back. Stop short of the van so that the crossing point in front of it stays clear, and let the pedestrian choose the moment. The judgement tested is anticipation of a hidden hazard and refusal to give a misleading signal.
3. What do you do about the car 20 m behind as you slow for the stop?
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At 60 km/h the car is only about 1.2 seconds behind, which is too close for comfort. Signalling early and braking progressively gives the driver time to react; braking late and hard would risk a rear-end collision with passengers on board. If the car stays close, the safe response is to slow earlier and more gently, not to brake sharply to 'teach' the driver. The model answer should link the following distance to the way you manage the stop: the approach speed and braking profile are chosen for the traffic behind as well as for the stop itself.