O'Connell street

markpb

I remember there being some noise in the media about the surface on O'Connell St outside the GPO being sandblasted to make it less slippy.

I can confirm that when wet, it's still quite slippy

Chips Lovell

You go down? Not a place I'd like to hit the deck. Too many buses coming up behind.

markpb

Lost control of the back wheel, bounced the front wheel off the kerb and recovered just before I fell. Not fun at all. Just a heads up to anyone else cycling along there, don't brake for jaywalking pedestrians, it can only end badly.

Ghost Rider

It's pretty hair-raising round there alright. Worst part is that if you do fall, the traffic lanes are so tight (ever since the footpath was widened) that there'd hardly be any leeway for a car or bus to swing out of your way.

I find most jaywalking pedestrians will shift a*s when you don't appear to be interested in braking for them. That said, I wouldn't try it if I wasn't confident I could actually stop a few feet in front of them. Jaywalking is, after all, part of the national heritage here.

markpb wrote:

Lost control of the back wheel, bounced the front wheel off the kerb and recovered just before I fell. Not fun at all. Just a heads up to anyone else cycling along there, don't brake for jaywalking pedestrians, it can only end badly.

Chips Lovell

I rarely cycle up O'Connell St, but I can see what you mean. Part of the problem is that the pedestrian lights go red before people can get across the street. That of course means that loads of people just jaywalk.

Chips Lovell

Ghost Rider wrote:

Jaywalking is, after all, part of the national heritage here.

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of pedestrians cross with their ears as much as their eyes. If they don't hear a vehicle coming, they'll sometimes just walk out without looking. I nearly creased two girls outside the Dundrum shopping centre a while back. They were standing on the side of the road and without looking right just walked out in front of me. Had to shout at them and just barely missed them. Would have been a nasty spill as I had a friend right behind me and he probably would have gone down too.

markpb

Suffolk St, College Green and O'Connell St are a nightmare to cycle through. On more than one occasion I've come to a junction where I have a green light but can't get through because of the sheer volume of jaywalkers. College green is particularly nasty because people have a habit of stepping out onto the road (to pass other pedestrians) without looking behind them.

Can anyone who commutes through town reccomend a different route for me? I come into town along Dorset St and have to get to the Luas at Stephens Green. I tried going down Gardiner st and across the bidge at IFSC but changing lanes to get onto Moss st or Georges Quay was a bit hairy.

Ghost Rider

Here's a route that's slightly longer but easier and probably a bit safer...

Instead of taking the left off Dorset Street onto Gardiner Street, take the next left i.e. North Frederick Street. Head down towards O'Connell, but avoid it by taking a right and heading down Parnell Street. At the end of that, take the left onto Capel Street, continue down there and cross the river at Grattan Bridge, up Parliament Street. At the end of Parliament, take a left then, about 50 yards down, take the right as if heading into Dublin Castle. Then take a sharp left before the castle entrance and go up that lane at the side of The George pub. Taking a right at the end, you're heading up South Great George's Street. Take the second left onto Lower Stephen Street, follow that road as it bends round to the right behind Stephen's Green Shopping Centre and you're practically there.

markpb wrote:

Suffolk St, College Green and O'Connell St are a nightmare to cycle through. On more than one occasion I've come to a junction where I have a green light but can't get through because of the sheer volume of jaywalkers. College green is particularly nasty because people have a habit of stepping out onto the road (to pass other pedestrians) without looking behind them.

Can anyone who commutes through town reccomend a different route for me? I come into town along Dorset St and have to get to the Luas at Stephens Green. I tried going down Gardiner st and across the bidge at IFSC but changing lanes to get onto Moss st or Georges Quay was a bit hairy.

markpb

Ghost Rider wrote:

Here's a route that's slightly longer but easier and probably a bit safer...

Cheers, I'll give that a go in the morning.

I noticed the last street (Lwr Stephens St) is one way and not in the good way, is it busy in the mornings or will I have any problems?

Ghost Rider

It's not, it's one way in a good way!

markpb wrote:

Cheers, I'll give that a go in the morning.

I noticed the last street (Lwr Stephens St) is one way and not in the good way, is it busy in the mornings or will I have any problems?

Ghost Rider

I believe Google Maps is wrong on that score, by the way.

Ghost Rider wrote:

It's not, it's one way in a good way!

BeerNut

Hate the GPO plaza in the wet. F**king lethal.

el tonto wrote:

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of pedestrians cross with their ears as much as their eyes. If they don't hear a vehicle coming, they'll sometimes just walk out without looking.

As I recover from my swerve, having avoided a guy I nearly creamed on Sundrive Road, I hear "You wanna get an engine on that thing, bud."

Ghost Rider

The solution might be to mount a speaker on your handlebars and attach it to an MP3 player blasting out a recording of a juggernaut.

BeerNut wrote:

Hate the GPO plaza in the wet. F**king lethal.


As I recover from my swerve, having avoided a guy I nearly creamed on Sundrive Road, I hear "You wanna get an engine on that thing, bud."

BeerNut

Ghost Rider wrote:

The solution might be to mount a speaker on your handlebars and attach it to an MP3 player blasting out a recording of a juggernaut.

Or ride round going "Brrrm brrrm". What I wanted to do was go back and say "What you want to do is look both ways before crossing the road."

Danbo!

Ghost Rider wrote:

Instead of taking the left off Dorset Street onto Gardiner Street, take the next left i.e. North Frederick Street. Head down towards O'Connell, but avoid it by taking a right and heading down Parnell Street. At the end of that, take the left onto Capel Street

I've found this a little easier, with quieter roads. You can also just continue down dorset street straight, leading onto bolton street. take a left at the fork in the road where the 'booze2go' off licence is and your on capel street. top of capel street is one way, except for cyclists. then just continue as Ghost Rider suggested.

el tel

el tonto wrote:

...I nearly creased two girls outside the Dundrum shopping centre a while back. Would have been a nasty spill as I had a friend right behind me and he probably would have gone down too.

Going down on them would have been a very nice gesture in the circumstances

sorry, couldn't resist...I'll get my coat:o

Ghost Rider

Yep, that'd be quieter again.

noblestee wrote:

I've found this a little easier, with quieter roads. You can also just continue down dorset street straight, leading onto bolton street. take a left at the fork in the road where the 'booze2go' off licence is and your on capel street. top of capel street is one way, except for cyclists. then just continue as Ghost Rider suggested.

Civilian_Target

O'Connell St's manic, I wouldn't suggest using it. I agree with the route the others have suggested, go down Gairdner St., across just past Connolly and follow the one way system to Pearse St. and Merrion Sq. Then follow the road up to the back of St. Stephens Green via Baggot St. It's quite a bit longer in terms of distance, but probably quicker in terms of lights.

There's a map for most of your route on my website
[EDIT]OK, it's a **** map, but it's something like this:
[/EDIT]

flickerx

Two things that made it worse when they did up O'Connell Street

- they got rid of loads of bike lock ups, all the ones at the Parnell St end and the O'Connell monument are gone, so the ones in front of Easons are ALWAYS full, people end up locking their bikes to the trees

- they got rid of the cycle lanes when they widened the footpaths. when you're going northbound from westmoreland st, the bike lane just vanishes once you cross the river. its a nightmare. when you are in front of the GPO, you can see these pseudo-line square markings on the stones, where the bike lane IS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD. i wish i had a picture to demonstrate this. its unreal.

sham of a renovation. absolute sham.

Civilian_Target

?! To be honest, they're perfectly correct to discourage cycling on O'Connell Street, it's insane!

blorg

el tonto wrote:

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of pedestrians cross with their ears as much as their eyes. If they don't hear a vehicle coming, they'll sometimes just walk out without looking.

This is completely true, I am very careful to look out for anyone standing at the side of the road looking like they are about to step out. Another good reason not to ride far to the left of the lane IMO.

What is really difficult are the ones that are sauntering along and then with no warning whatsoever veer out onto the road. This can be a particular risk with contra-flows and has happened to me on the Andrew St one, pedestrian was (somewhat understandably) only looking for traffic ahead of him, coming in the opposite direction. Missed him (just.)

Thomas_B

I cycle up and down O'Connell St. every day, and don't seem to have the same problems as other people. Granted my pace might be a bit more leisurely than some of you -- but what's the point in rushing when there are so many traffic lights on that street that you have to stop for anyway? (you do stop for them, right?)

Getting a good loud bell is a start -- I recently got one in Halford's that's quite loud and have had far less near-misses as a result.

The bit of O'Connell St. that's really mental in my opinion is the last bit as you're heading southbound -- there's just enough room for three lanes of cars/buses -- but that doesn't leave any room for the humble cyclist!

flickerx: you might be interested in Ciaran Cuffe (Green Party TD)'s video on Youtube showing some of the delights of the O'Connell St. renovation: http://youtube.com/watch?v=OxOIjC1jW0g

Mucco

Thomas_B wrote:

The bit of O'Connell St. that's really mental in my opinion is the last bit as you're heading southbound -- there's just enough room for three lanes of cars/buses -- but that doesn't leave any room for the humble cyclist!

As a cyclist, you are part of the traffic. Take one of these lanes, and don't be so humble!

John_C

I've never found O'Connell street to be a problem. The traffic is mostly busses and very slow so I can keep speed with it and stay in the middle of the lane.

garo

Another vote for Civilian_Target's route. I work in TCD and use that route daily. Much less lights. I would actually stay on the riverside cycle lanes till Lombard St. before turning right.

Whenever I have to do O'Connell St. I always stay in the centre of the lane. I am honked at once a month or so, but that is preferable to being run over. You do go slower because you have to wait for the traffic in front of you.

Cabaal

Mucco wrote:

As a cyclist, you are part of the traffic. Take one of these lanes, and don't be so humble!

agreed, while I'm not in Dublin I believe in going in the middle of the lane especially when traffic is slow moving as it keeps me safe

I was up in Dublin at the weekend and saw some muppet on a bike using a phone swerving around the place while another cyclist was trying to pass him out on O'Connell street....