Driving/parking in bike lane = 1 point - start reporting!

daymobrew

I rang Cabra Garda station about the daily parking on the bike lane near Navan Road Church. The Garda seemed receptive to receiving such reports.
I'll have to leave a few minutes earlier in the morning for my daily report.

We finally have some power against such inconsiderate (and illegal) parking.

copacetic

did they say if it matters if it is a broken white line seperating the lane from the main part of the road rather than a solid one?

daymobrew

daveym wrote:

did they say if it matters if it is a broken white line seperating the lane from the main part of the road rather than a solid one?

I didn't go into any specifics. The stretch I mentioned is a solid while line. I'll be in on Wednesday morning and I'll post my experience.

Cabaal

Hmm this sounds interesting....now if only their were cycle lanes around waterford

cyclopath2001

daymobrew wrote:

I rang Cabra Garda station about the daily parking on the bike lane near Navan Road Church. The Garda seemed receptive to receiving such reports.
I'll have to leave a few minutes earlier in the morning for my daily report.

We finally have some power against such inconsiderate (and illegal) parking.

It's always been an offence to park in a cycle lane when parking is not permitted. The only difference now is that in addition to a fine there's a penalty point.

In general, it's never allowed to drive or park in a cycle lane which has a continuous white line to its right. It's allowed to park in one which has a broken white line. A sign will indicate time restrictions. Driving in a cycle lane with a broken white line is allowed at any time. Stopping in one is not.

And, of course, regardless of the above exceptions, anything that is actually dangerous is prohibited (if a Garda agrees).

Litcagral

cyclopath2001 wrote:

It's always been an offence to park in a cycle lane when parking is not permitted. The only difference now is that in addition to a fine there's a penalty point.

In general, it's never allowed to drive or park in a cycle lane which has a continuous white line to its right. It's allowed to park in one which has a broken white line. A sign will indicate time restrictions. Driving in a cycle lane with a broken white line is allowed at any time. Stopping in one is not.

And, of course, regardless of the above exceptions, anything that is actually dangerous is prohibited (if a Garda agrees).

AFAIK driving on a cycle lane is subject to 1 penalty point but parking in a cycle lane will merit a Fixed Charge Offence (increased to €40) but no points.

cyclopath2001

Litcagral wrote:

AFAIK driving on a cycle lane is subject to 1 penalty point

Up to 1997 that was the case. But the PDs introduced a subtle change in the rules that means that the rule only applies to cycle lanes with a continuous white line to the right (RRM022). This leaves the principal type of lane, the type with a broken white line (RRM023) open for drivers to drive in. A strict interpretation would suggest that while drivers can drive in this kind of cycle lane, they cannot stop in one. This would be similar in principal to the mostly unenforced rule about not stopping on a pedestrian crossing.

SI 274/1998:
(5) (a) A mechanically propelled vehicle, other than a mechanically propelled wheelchair, shall not be driven along or across a cycle track on the right hand edge of which traffic sign number RRM 022 has been provided, save for the purpose of access to or egress from a place adjacent to the cycle track or from a roadway to such a place.

None of this is explained in the 'Rules of the Road'.

daymobrew

Litcagral wrote:

AFAIK driving on a cycle lane is subject to 1 penalty point but parking in a cycle lane will merit a Fixed Charge Offence (increased to €40) but no points.

I will state that to park on a cycle lane you have to drive on it and the penalty point should be 'awarded' for that.

Litcagral

daymobrew wrote:

I will state that to park on a cycle lane you have to drive on it and the penalty point should be 'awarded' for that.

Some cycle lanes become designated parking areas at certain hours e.g. between 7pm and 7am. If a driver parks on the cycle ane at 9 pm (when it is legal to do so) then he/she could not be prosecuted for driving on it.

ruprect

Litcagral wrote:

Some cycle lanes become designated parking areas at certain hours e.g. between 7pm and 7am. If a driver parks on the cycle ane at 9 pm (when it is legal to do so) then he/she could not be prosecuted for driving on it.

So if the driver who parked legally returns at 8am the next morning it is acutally in their interest to leave the car there until 7pm to avoid the potential penalty point for driving off. If they leave it there for day they just get a €40 fine, which is pretty cheap for all day parking

godfather69er

ruprect wrote:

So if the driver who parked legally returns at 8am the next morning it is acutally in their interest to leave the car there until 7pm to avoid the potential penalty point for driving off. If they leave it there for day they just get a €40 fine, which is pretty cheap for all day parking

sure you have to drive in the lane anyway to park on it you ****ed either way, im soo happy about this, the ****ers parked outside raheny credit union will be crying, ignorant pricks

daymobrew

Litcagral wrote:

Some cycle lanes become designated parking areas at certain hours e.g. between 7pm and 7am. If a driver parks on the cycle ane at 9 pm (when it is legal to do so) then he/she could not be prosecuted for driving on it.

You are completely right. Thank you for pointing this out - though, as ruprect states, the driver can be done for parking in a cycle lane. Either way there is a consequence for being in the cycle lane and I'm happy about that.

cyclopath2001

daymobrew wrote:

I will state that to park on a cycle lane you have to drive on it and the penalty point should be 'awarded' for that.

But only if the cycle track has a continuous white line (RRM022) to its right and the driver drove along it at a time when the cycle lane was in operation. Even then, the driving would have to have been witnessed by a Garda.

I'm sure all will be explained in the new 'Rules of the Road'.

daymobrew

I dropped into Cabra Garda Station this morning with a photo of a car parked in the cycle lane on Navan Road (with solid white line edge to the lane).
The Garda said that they were well aware of such incidents (though it didn't sound like they do anything about them).
He couldn't issue penalty points because they haven't received the forms :rolleyes:
Pathetic.

Victor

daymobrew wrote:

He couldn't issue penalty points because they haven't received the forms

He doesn't issue the penalty points, all he has to do is issue a ticket.

daymobrew

Victor wrote:

He doesn't issue the penalty points, all he has to do is issue a ticket.

Okay. It's pathetic that they didn't have the forms. It's not like these new penalty point offences came into effect without anyone knowing.

A few days ago I wrote to the Assistant Commissioner for Dublin telling him that my reports of motoring offences are being ignored by the stations I report them to. I'll be curious what happens. When I wrote to the previous Assistant Commissioner the local Superintendent visited to encourage me to continue reporting.