Equal-rank crossroads, a cyclist on the right and eight standing passengers
You are driving a 12 m solo bus on a scheduled town service and approach an unsignalised, equal-rank four-way crossroads at 28 km/h. There are no priority signs and the traffic lights are dark. You want to turn left. Eight passengers are standing behind the driver's area; the registration document allows 32 standing. It is 07:40, dry, visibility good. A car approaching from the right is going straight on at about 40 km/h with no indicator. At the same moment a cyclist passes you on the right, squeezing between the bus and a row of parked cars, and intends to continue straight across the junction. Your right mirror catches the cyclist level with the rear axle. On the left corner the kerb radius is tight and a pedestrian is waiting to cross the road you are about to enter. Two of the standing passengers are elderly and are holding the handrail with one hand only.
1. Who has priority here, and in what order must you deal with the other road users? Name the rule and apply it.
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Two separate questions are hidden in one: junction priority, and the conflict with the cyclist.
Junction. The crossroads is unsignalised and no approach carries a priority sign, so all four roads are of equal rank and the right-hand rule applies: you give way to vehicles approaching from your right. The car from the right is going straight on, so it passes before you. Turning left gives you no priority over it - the left turn only adds duties: give way to oncoming traffic going straight or turning right (none here), and give way to pedestrians crossing the road you are entering, so the pedestrian on the left corner goes before you complete the turn.
Cyclist. This is not a priority question, it is an overtaking conflict. The cyclist is coming up on your right and intends to go straight; if you swing left, you cut across him, and because of the swept path your rear right corner will follow through exactly the space he is in. As the driver of the larger, better-protected vehicle with the bigger blind spot, you must not begin the turn until he has cleared the junction or stopped.
Practical order: right mirror and shoulder check → let the cyclist clear → give way to the car from the right → check the pedestrian on the left corner → complete the turn.
2. How do you actually execute the left turn with a 12 m bus, and what makes it dangerous at this particular junction?
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Speed. Down to walking pace, roughly 10–15 km/h, before the front wheels reach the corner. At 28 km/h a 12 m bus still needs about 12 m to stop on dry asphalt, and carrying that speed through a tight kerb radius throws standing passengers off balance.
Position and signal. Indicator on early, just left of the centre line - early enough that the cyclist behind understands you are turning and does not commit to the gap on your right.
Geometry. The rear wheels track inside the front wheels, typically 1–1.5 m on a 12 m bus, and the rear overhang swings out. With the small kerb radius on the left corner, the tail sweeps toward the kerb; if you cut the corner, the rear right corner sweeps into the space where the cyclist is. Enter slightly wide, turn the wheel progressively, no sudden corrections, and watch the right mirror for the whole manoeuvre, not only at the start.
Observation. Mirrors alone are not enough when a cyclist is level with the rear axle - you need a shoulder check through the right-hand window before committing.
Pedestrian. The crossing of the road you enter is part of the turn; you finish the turn only when it is clear. At 10 km/h a stop needs 2–3 m, which is why the low entry speed is the safety margin.
3. What are your obligations towards the eight standing passengers in this situation?
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Standing is lawful here because the vehicle is built with a low-floor standing area and grab rails and the document allows 32 standing passengers; eight is well inside the limit. What changes is the standard of driving, not the legality.
KRESZ requires passengers to be carried so that they are not endangered, and for standing passengers that translates into concrete driving behaviour: no abrupt braking or steering, a lower entry speed to corners, and a longer gap to the vehicle in front so that you never have to brake hard.
In practice: check in the interior mirror that people are holding a rail - two elderly passengers holding with one hand is a warning sign, and you may wait a moment before moving off from the stop; move off smoothly; and if a hard brake becomes unavoidable, warn them aloud. The better answer is always to prevent the situation by slowing earlier, which is exactly what the left-turn sequence above does.
You cannot demand medical fitness from a passenger, but you are responsible for the consequences of your driving. If someone is visibly unwell or unsteady, you can ask them to sit or to wait for the next service; you cannot simply ignore it and then brake late.