Truck crash in O'Connell street

I know its not exactly the best thing to say but this does not surprise me at all! The foothpath and the road look the same and the crossing at the spire last about 5 seconds so you dont have enought time to cross the full lenght of the road.

fitzyshea wrote: »

I know its not exactly the best thing to say but this does not surprise me at all! The foothpath and the road look the same and the crossing at the spire last about 5 seconds so you dont have enought time to cross the full lenght of the road.

When you're driving on the road, it's obvious where the road is. If you're on the path and not watching it's very easy to just wander straight onto the road. Two women were killed by a bus after walking straight out last year IIRC.

Bit odd what happened here, but perhaps the kid walked straight out and the driver took evasive action which is why he ended up on the median?

navan re the last photo every little helps - to aid the understanding of how it occurred

daymobrew wrote: »

The broken windscreen in the fifth photo, of the front of the trunk, makes me wonder whether the truck was attacked by stones. Maybe that would account for the speed at which the truck left the road.
I didn't noticed anything along it's off-road route that was tall enough to cause that damage.

If you look at photo 3 you'll see that he probably ran through a couple of pedestrian / traffic light poles. The light clusters would probably be at about that height I'd imagine?

msg11 wrote: »

Re the gardai, what the hell is going on? I would bring that photo to make a complaint as they are standing around doing absolute nothing.

So based on a still photograph, you've come to the conclusion that these Gardai are standing around doing nothing?

bigkev49 wrote: »

Completely off topic but does the tyre on the left hand Garda bike in the third picture look completely bald to anyone else?

you can see it better in the fourth photo

Ive heard it was a heart attack the driver suffered, Lucky really this could have been alot worse.

Leaving aside the issue of this particular accident there is little doubt in my mind that O Connell St represents one of the greatest examples of poor,bordering on negligent,Civic Administration.

As with so much of our central planning we begin with an essentially positive and desireable concept,such as the ORIGINAL O Connell St Integrated Area Plan represented.

However what we end up with is a bastardized version in which many of the essential elements,such as substantial reductions in general traffic volume,never actually materialize.
This usually occurs when DCC or The Gardai cave in to some presure group or other and make piecemeal alterations as can most easily be seen with the "Taxi Rank" at the Northern extremity.

Here we have a facility which if it were being sold in a retail outlet would be described as of non-merchantable quality and unfit for it`s stated purpose.

If anybody doubts this then just take 10 minutes any day to observe how difficult it is for Taxi Drivers to make SAFE use of this newly provided facility,which incidentally has neither shelter,seating or information,all of which WERE present on the Old rank at the same location.

This shambolic amaturish attitude from DCC is only matched by an equally dislocated lack of policy from an Garda Siochana.

For example there now exists a very serious and worsening situation on the Southbound side of the Street,whereby the private Dublin Citytours operator parks one of their open top buses at the approach to the North Earl Street/Henry St Pedestrian Crossing.

Just to clarify,there is NO Bus-stop at this point and the driver often leaves the cab to perform ticket-selling duties on the footpath,leaving the bus ticking over with the nearside indicator left flashing.

Now since this bus is now de-facto PARKED and also obscuring the view of following traffic it therefore constitutes an obstruction.

I regularly witness Bus Atha Cliath services and many other classes of road users having to make severe right hand lock manouveres at EXACTLY the most dangerous point...the approach to a (Provenly Dangerous) Pedestrian crossing.

Recently this company has started allocating a second Bus to sit parked in exactly the same alignment at the NEXT pedestrian crossing outside Clerys.

This situation has become problematic since the reopening of the "New" street and the relocation of the Dublin Bus Tours Operation to Cathal Brugha Street.
It seems as if the competing operator took a decision to seize the former Dublin Bus sites even though these had actually physically disappeared and so we have what is a potentially catastrophic situation just waiting for the right combination of events.

Now,in the context of Karl75`s remarks about the demeanour of the Gardai,I would add that there is something very wrong with a situation whereby the above dangerous mullarkey is perpretated EVERY day directly opposite one,two or SEVERAL Gardai who are on some form of Duty attached to the GPO.

I have had conversations with Gardai on the Traffic Corps number (6669800) and they have been in agreement on the danger of this practice.
However this never translates to any actual action on the street itself.

On one occasion following my witnessing a VERY close call when a courier motorcyclist had to take evasive action due to a Dublin Bus being forced to apply hard right lock to clear this parked ticket seller,I rang 112 and explained the situation to a Garda.

Incredibly the Garda rounded on me for using the 112 number to report this,saying that it WASNT an emergency and I should contact Store Street to make my views known....I attempted to reason with him and explain that in the blink of an eye this parked Bus could contribute to a disasterous RTA which might then meet his criteria.

Such is the level of Garda inaction to what is now rapidly becoming a Public Safety issue that I am left to speculate if there is some unwritten agreement between the Gardai and the Operator whereby the force will leave well enough alone in return for some other cooperation or consideration.

My point is that when such obviously dangerous practice is carried on in full view of Gardai who,to a member,take absolutely NO action,then the forces management should not be surprised at the decreasing level of confidence being shown by the general public.

Given that the Street itself is constantly monitored by both DCC Traffic Cameras AND the Gardai`s own CCTV units the defence of not knowing simply wont hold water in this case.

Perhaps msg11 and Karl75 are somewhat nearer the spot than some posters are comfortable with,and the pictures represent a fair portrayal of the Garda forces actual methodology ?

Anyway if any of you are out and about in OCS tomorrow take a closer look at the ticket selling tour buses from ALL companies along the South Bound side in particular.......:)

AlekSmart wrote: »

Incredibly the Garda rounded on me for using the 112 number to report this,saying that it WASNT an emergency and I should contact Store Street to make my views known.

This is surprising and disappointing - my local Super told me that it was fine to rung 112 because it will be categorised appropriately so as not to interfere with other emergencies.

I suggest writing to the Assistant Commissioner for Dublin. That will get some action.