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Garda safety campaign for Dublin

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  • 01-10-2012 2:53pm
    #1
    buffalo
    Registered Users Posts: 8,056 ✭✭✭


    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/1001/breaking42.html
    One of the State’s most high profile road safety campaigns kicked off in Dublin this morning.

    The city which now has the safest roads among EU capitals will see a new ‘Casualty Reduction Plan’ target vulnerable road users over the next eight weeks.

    I like how the Casualty Reduction Plan means "increased garda street enforcement of cycling and pedestrian rules". Surely there should be enforcement of road rules? Though I'd support fining of cyclists with no lights, footpath cycling, etc.
    The early hours of the morning at weekends were identified as the times of high risk of single vehicle collisions often involving speed and alcohol

    Are speeding and drunk drivers now included in the "vulnerable road user" grouping? This is news to me.


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Comments

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    #2
    Jawgap
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,297 ✭✭✭✭Jawgap


    27638216.jpg


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    #3
    BostonB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    THE VAST MAJORITY of serious accidents on Dublin’s roads involve cyclists, pedestrians or motorcyclists, Gardaí have said.
    Traffic Fatalities up to 9am on 1st October 2012
    Pedestrians:
    18
    Drivers: 64
    Passengers: 24
    Motorcyclists: 15
    Pedal Cyclists: 07
    Pillion Passenger/Other 04
    Total Year to Date: 130

    http://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-casualty-roads-617881-Oct2012/
    http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=1368&Lang=1

    Something wrong there, I know its accidents vs fatalities so I don't have the figures for accidents. But Drivers + Passengers 88 out of 130? Considering this http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056740608

    Personally I've seen very little on the street Garda presence for dangerous and/or aggressive driving. And you see it in every queue and junction almost constantly around the city. Does the media seem to have an agenda to vilify cyclists? That said I don't see why they don't confiscate bikes off cyclists with no lights at night, or the promotion of reflective gear.


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    #4
    buffalo
    Registered Users Posts: 8,056 ✭✭✭buffalo


    They would be national statistics, and the statement is about Dublin, where there would obviously be a higher concentration of pedestrians and cyclists.


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    #5
    Chips Lovell
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,268 Mod ✭✭✭✭Chips Lovell


    Threads merged


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    #6
    boiledsweets
    Site Banned Posts: 104 ✭✭boiledsweets


    Are speeding and drunk drivers now included in the "vulnerable road user" grouping? This is news to me.

    Its sickening to think that they are now seen as some sort of victim,this is ridiculous to do this,if anything they are perpetrators,they are committing a criminal act that can get someone killed,they have an awareness of this before they take that first drink and second drink and so on,and step into a car with the keys,they know its wrong,they know they can get someone killed but carry on regardless..


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    #7
    trad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,696 ✭✭✭trad


    It might have something to do with the Garda fleet being clapped out and the only mobile offenders they can catch are pedestrians and cyclists.


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    #8
    BostonB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    buffalo wrote: »
    They would be national statistics, and the statement is about Dublin, where there would obviously be a higher concentration of pedestrians and cyclists.

    ah, :o I'm still suspicious of these stats any links to them?


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    #9
    buffalo
    Registered Users Posts: 8,056 ✭✭✭buffalo


    BostonB wrote: »
    ah, :o I'm still suspicious of these stats any links to them?

    I just followed your link! :pac:


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    #10
    BostonB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    The journal talks about them but doesn't link to them. Maybe I'm missing it?


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    #11
    buffalo
    Registered Users Posts: 8,056 ✭✭✭buffalo


    BostonB wrote: »
    http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=1368&Lang=1

    I don't see them on the journal site... do you mean you missed them on the right hand side at the link above? Which then links to http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=138


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    #12
    BostonB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    My point was the stats the Journal is talking about don't make a lot of sense. Maybe if they'd said % of accidents, it would. But it makes no sense to mix cyclists with motorbikers never mind the other groups.Its doesn't seem to tally with any stats we've discussed here in the past. My point about the Garda stats is simply is that's what you expect, cyclist to be quite low with regard to other groups. Drivers and passengers to be the highest, by a big margin. One of the main reasons is there's simply a lot less cyclisst. It doesn't tally with the journals story either, even if they are based on different areas you expect some correlation, not them to be chalk and cheese different.

    Seems to be written to focus on negatively on cyclists, and the comments underneath reflect that.


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    #13
    hardCopy
    Registered Users Posts: 5,969 ✭✭✭hardCopy


    Free Hi-Viz?


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    #14
    buffalo
    Registered Users Posts: 8,056 ✭✭✭buffalo


    BostonB wrote: »
    Seems to be written to focus on negatively on cyclists, and the comments underneath reflect that.

    The comments reflect what they always do, the amount of muppetry on the Internet.

    I think it's more of a case that the piece reflects the Garda statement, which is probably a bit of a 'scare' campaign: "Cyclists and pedestrians - be more careful or you'll get run over!"


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    #15
    opti0nal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 900 ✭✭✭opti0nal


    buffalo wrote: »
    I think it's more of a case that the piece reflects the Garda statement, which is probably a bit of a 'scare' campaign: "Cyclists and pedestrians - be more careful or you'll get run over!"
    Maybe or maybe not...for the first time in a very long time, I saw a driver pulled over by a Garda traffic car for driving in the bus/cycle lane in on the Howth Road inbound at Killester. Abuse of that lane is near full time, so hopefully passing drivers took notice.

    It's good the campaign starts now, people need to get their lights in order before the dark mornings and evenings.


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    #16
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,475 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    target vulnerable road users
    how about targeting the types of road users most likely to cause accidents, rather than those who are likely to be the victim of such people.

    Cars with only one headlight, learners driving by themselves, people blocking cycle lanes and clearways, taxis parking everywhere and anywhere, those kind of things.

    The campaign really sounds like it's trying to blame cyclists, bikers etc for getting hit in the first place...

    Not to mention the terrible road / cycle lane surfaces that probably cause many of the cycling injuries that occur anyway


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    #17
    Undercover Elephant
    Registered Users Posts: 465 ✭✭Undercover Elephant


    opti0nal wrote: »
    Maybe or maybe not...for the first time in a very long time, I saw a driver pulled over by a Garda traffic car for driving in the bus/cycle lane in on the Howth Road inbound at Killester. Abuse of that lane is near full time, so hopefully passing drivers took notice.
    Delightful stretch that. I was once almost sideswiped there ... by an ambulance.


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    #18
    kingoffifa
    Registered Users Posts: 369 ✭✭kingoffifa


    Undercover Elephant wrote: »
    Delightful stretch that. I was once almost sideswiped there ... by an ambulance.

    at least the response time would have been quick


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    #19
    monument
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 14,072 Mod ✭✭✭✭monument


    Lumping serious injuries and deaths together, as well as lumping cyclists, peds, and motor cyclists together mainly seems to be an RSA thing. Sadly few question it.

    I'd only be happy when zero people are killed on the road, but there was one single cyclists killed in Co Dublin in 2010.

    Here's the stats: http://cyclingindublin.com/dublin-cyclist-deaths-and-injuries/


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    #20
    tomasrojo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,745 ✭✭✭✭tomasrojo


    From what I recall of the last such Garda campaign, the cycling fatality totals are actually rather low*, so they lump them in with the much larger pedestrian and motorcyclist figures. Probably because they know in their hearts that cycling is really dangerous, so they need to create some figures to reflect that "reality".

    *About 1 a year in Dublin for the last few years, as monument points out.


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    #21
    RobertFoster
    Registered Users Posts: 9,137 ✭✭✭RobertFoster


    monument wrote: »
    Lumping serious injuries and deaths together, as well as lumping cyclists, peds, and motor cyclists together mainly seems to be an RSA thing. Sadly few question it.

    I'd only be happy when zero people are killed on the road, but there was one single cyclists killed in Co Dublin in 2010.

    Here's the stats: http://cyclingindublin.com/dublin-cyclist-deaths-and-injuries/
    Not always. I was watching something on the BBC a few months back about paramedics or something. They were tending to some poor chap who'd taken a header off his bike and landed on his face. The voice over dropped in a statistic along the lines of "Every year over 12,000 cyclists are killed or injured in the UK." I had to rewind it as I'd missed the "or injured" part and thought there was a cull on.

    Silly statistics to add together when you think about it. A lot more injuries occur than deaths, but you're only going to think the worst if they're lumped together.

    You never hear the two together for car accidents. Or even in football... "Every year over 100 players are killed or injured in the Premier League."


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    #22
    tomasrojo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,745 ✭✭✭✭tomasrojo


    The paramedic show wasn't Helicopter Heroes, was it?


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    #23
    BostonB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    I assume you've all seen this lego kit...

    http://systemicfailure.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/lego-bike-accident/


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    #24
    kerry4sam
    Registered Users Posts: 15,127 ✭✭✭✭kerry4sam


    I saw this through the RSA on facebook (here):
    Road Safety Authority Ireland
    Today we announce the start of An Garda Síochána’s Casualty Reduction Implementation plan in the Dublin Metropolitan Region, running for the next 8 weeks. This follows a decline in the number of road deaths in the Capital over the last number of years; which has resulted in Dublin’s streets becoming the safest of all EU Capital cities. Together, we continue to reduce the number of road users killed and seriously injured, our pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers.

    They really have upped their promo work in recent times so Well Done to them for that :)


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    #25
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,475 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    RSA wrote:
    our pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers.

    fuck the horse riders though! :pac:


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    #26
    ednwireland
    Registered Users Posts: 14,315 ✭✭✭✭ednwireland


    anyone want togo after hours on this, real quality discussion (even the motors one isnt that bad)

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056769944

    My weather

    https://www.ecowitt.net/home/share?authorize=96CT1F



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    #27
    buffalo
    Registered Users Posts: 8,056 ✭✭✭buffalo


    RobertFoster wrote: »
    "Every year over 100 players are killed or injured in the Premier League."

    If I was drinking tea, this would've made me spit it out on my keyboard.


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    #28
    morana
    Registered Users Posts: 2,097 ✭✭✭morana


    didnt see a yellow clad protector of the public anywhere on my 3km commute from North strand to Merrion Sq!


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    #29
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,475 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    morana wrote: »
    didnt see a yellow clad protector of the public anywhere on my 3km commute from North strand to Merrion Sq!

    probably parked up keeping the motorway free of the two wheeled menaces


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    #30
    Ole Rodrigo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,013 ✭✭✭Ole Rodrigo


    So I got accosted last night by a guard outside Wongs in Clontarf. He waved me down with one of those neon stick things. I had no idea what was going on. Turned out my front light was too dim and he couldn't see me approach ( it was dipped for the oncoming traffic ). Although I was legally compliant with a front and back light, he said, for Gods sake would I ever put on a hi vis jacket and wear a helmet. And then he sniffed rather haughtily at the torch strapped to the handlebar - a TK11 - and suggested I use somethin a bit less cobbled together, maybe one of those LED ones that were good value and can be seen by people pulling out of their driveway, and then I might not get creamed. It was all I could do but thank him for his advice and off I went.


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    #31
    ThisRegard
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,834 ✭✭✭✭ThisRegard


    Head garda guy was on just before 5 on The Last Word this evening, pretty sad listening. He's coming down hard in this intelligence lead crack down for one, plus he talks about how cyclist are getting better at wearing their high vis clothing.

    You can bet that gardai involved in this will be stopping cyclists purely because they're not wearing high vis vests.


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