I got a taste last spring, when TriMet offered to let me test drive one in the Central Garage parking lot. Turning is anything but simple, even at the required 5 mph or less. It requires at least six steps of scanning in a matter of seconds.
In March, TriMet sent out a training bulletin to all bus drivers, reminding them to properly scan with "advanced eye use skills" and to "rock and roll" in their seats to see around various blind spots on the big vehicles as they turned into an intersection.
"Intersections are usually the most dangerous locations along your route," the bulletin states.
Read the. (.PDF).
Here are the six scans that every driver is required to make when turning into an intersection:
1. Scan before you move
2. Scan before you turn
3. Scan during your turn
4. Scan at the completion of your turn
5. Scan before you enter an intersection
6. Scan your mirrors every 5 to 8 seconds
"You need information before you move, so scan before you take your foot off of the brake," the bulletin reminds drivers. "Turning is a risky maneuver as you are often crossing the path of other motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. That’s why turning requires three sets of scans; before, during and after the turn."
Investigators will likely never know if the operator of the bus that hit five pedestrians at Northwest Broadway and Glisan Street performed all of those scans before turning into the crosswalk.
But it's clear that the term "driving" doesn't do the job justice. It's more of an 8-hour wrestling match involving a big wheel, a bigger bus, sharp reflexes and clear cognizance.