A recent survey of Arriva bus drivers in Denmark's five largest cities revealed that, within the past year, as many as 40 percent of drivers have seen passengers on their way in or out of a bus being hit by a cyclist. Nearly twice as many drivers said that they had seen accidents involving riders and cyclists more than once.
The vast majority of drivers – nearly 90 percent – say the situation at bus stops is very dangerous.
“A driver's worst fear is opening the door for a passenger who goes out and gets hit by a cyclist," Flemming Nielsen, who drives the 1A line in Copenhagen, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.
Nielsen was behind making Arriva's management aware of the problems at bus stops. The company, along with cyclist union Cyklistforbundet, is starting an awareness campaign next month, focusing on traffic rules at bus stops.
"In many cases, neither the cyclists nor the passengers know the rules, which leads to conflicts and dangerous situations,” said campaign manager Donald Lukowski.
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The campaign will run in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg and Esbjerg. Information screens on the buses will show an animation on how to be safe at stops, and buses will be equipped with stickers reminding passengers to take care when they get off the bus.
