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Riding home at approx 5:30pm heading west up Dandenong Rd, I had just turned onto the main road from the service lane, there were 2 cars and a bus approaching in the left most lane, but they were a fair distance back.

The two cars went past, although the second driver slowed right down and crawled past, the “Quinces” bus — Vic. DKA 119 — pulled in towards me as he went past, scraped along my pannier straps and as I through my right hand out, brushed along my knuckles. The driver was looking at me in the mirror and appeared to be either laughing or smirking.

I followed the bus to the Quinces depot in Atkinson Rd and went into the office to make a complaint — the guy (Steve) in the office seemed quite upset and promised to look into it first thing after easter.

Followups:

Wednesday 2-Apr-1997: I received a call from Steve and he said he had spoken to the driver. The driver claimed I had darted out from the side road without looking and swerved into the middle of hte lane in front of the bus. I said that this was not how the incident had appeared to me and was told that “we have spoken to all our drivers and reminded them that cyclists are legitimate road users.”

Wednesday 16-Apr-1997: I was riding back to uni at lunch time along Blackburn Road and there was a semi-trailer parked on the lawn and leaning into the left lane, as I went past, the bus that had just caught up to me pulled out completely into the next lane to overtake. I laughed when I saw the number plate — same bus, same driver.

On my way to work, riding along Willesden road Oakleigh. Just past the Greek school I was pulling up on the left of the two cars stopped at the pedestrian crossing, all of a sudden the lady driving the rear one (Maroon Mitsubishi Magna) decided to turn left into a parking space, no indicators, didn't look. I hit her rear door and fell onto the car in the next parking space.

Her words to me “Oh, are you all right, I so sorry, I didn't see you, I didn't look.”

Damage to me — small bruise on the back of left calf, scraped bar end.

Damage to her — panel damage and a bent-in left rear door.

I was too shaken to take down her number or any details, and didn't bother because there didn't seem to be any damage to me. It did annoy me a lot because every morning I see idiots around this school and every morning I have to do something to avoid being hit by them. Around 100m further up the road after I had got back on my bike I had to hit the brakes to avoid being reversed into by a driver who decided to back out into the traffic without looking.