A large Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus ran onto a sidewalk, narrowly missing a bus stop bench and taking out a line of newspaper racks, near the downtown Palo Alto Post Office on Friday morning.
The Line 35 bus was traveling east on Hamilton Avenue near Waverley Street at about 11 a.m. when the incident occurred. No one on the sidewalk was injured, Palo Alto police Sgt. David Lee said.
VTA spokeswoman Stacey Hendler Ross said the driver was attempting to turn right onto Waverley from Hamilton and misjudged the curb, striking the newspaper racks. One passenger on board complained of back pain but declined medical treatment. The driver will continue on the route with another bus. VTA will investigate, Hendler Ross said.
Lee said that paramedics checked the driver, who was uninjured and the female passenger. The driver was not cited, and police will not investigate further.
Comments
Old Palo Alto
on Aug 19, 2016 at 2:11 pm
on Aug 19, 2016 at 2:11 pm
A large Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus ran onto a sidewalk, narrowly missing a bus stop bench and taking out a line of newspaper racks, near the downtown Palo Alto Post Office on Friday morning.
The driver will continue on the route with another bus. VTA will investigate, Hendler Ross said.
Drive a bus up a curb and allowed to continue the route?!?!?!?
AMAZING!!!
Adobe-Meadow
on Aug 19, 2016 at 2:30 pm
on Aug 19, 2016 at 2:30 pm
VTA continuing to make friends in the North County
Adobe-Meadow
on Aug 19, 2016 at 2:34 pm
on Aug 19, 2016 at 2:34 pm
If the driver described a mechanical failure and it was visibly noticeable I can see how they could let the driver finish the route. Not too shocking.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 19, 2016 at 2:42 pm
on Aug 19, 2016 at 2:42 pm
So pleased nobody was sitting on the bus stop bench waiting for a bus. This could have been a lot worse.
Whether the driver was at fault or the bus had mechanical problems, I think in either case, the driver should at least have been replaced. The driver should surely have had a report to file and whatever before being allowed to drive another bus.
This is not the way for VTA to make friends and influence new riders here.
Crescent Park
on Aug 19, 2016 at 3:25 pm
on Aug 19, 2016 at 3:25 pm
Time for this:
Web Link
another community
on Aug 19, 2016 at 9:43 pm
on Aug 19, 2016 at 9:43 pm
The VTA will continue to waste money and make things worse if it gets its $6 billion tax measure passed on November 8. See those left lanes on El Camino? Get out. VTA buses and miles of unused roadway only. Want to cross El Camino? Run. Left turns between intersections? Gone. Want to operate a business on El Camino? Better be the bus repair business.
Gunn High School
on Aug 20, 2016 at 6:43 am
on Aug 20, 2016 at 6:43 am
Driver didn't immediately continue in route. She took the bus back to the yard to file a report and had a few hours off
University South
on Aug 20, 2016 at 9:37 pm
on Aug 20, 2016 at 9:37 pm
VTA's buses are a noisy, smelly, expensive, bulky, carbon-intensive way to haul very few to zero passengers around. VTA ought to sell them to a successful transit agency and replace them with Priuses.