New to Cycling in city centre.. Gulp

girlbiker

I'm new to cycling in Dublin, tottering around on my fake vintage bike but Dublin I swear puts the total s*&ts up me....the roads are trecherous! Whats the biggest potholes that you've ever come across??!
I also find myself cycling contra flow to traffic instead of taking a five mile diversion just to pass 10 metres of road, Anyone got any tips for me to survive the streets, are there any cycle lanes thats arent more dangerous than the roads..any shortcuts where I can skip the worst traffic in the city centre.. Its like being in a computer game but 'game over' is death :eek:!!
And seriously....where can I lock my bike for more than ten minutes without it getting swiped? My friend locked hers on Georges street and we returned to find it gone in only one hour, on a busy saturday! With the cycling incentive coming up dont you think the state of the roads should be dealth with first??

TinyExplosions

if you let us know the route you are taking, we can suggest alternatives, and get into a big fight over the legality of going the wrong way up a one way street, and give out to everyone who's not around Dublin... it'll be fun!

As for locking your bike... just don't

Raam

A lot of it is down to confidence. The only way to get that confidence is to keep at it. Don't worry, it will come. When I first cycled in the city, it used to stress me, not anymore though.

blorg

You forgot how irresponsible it is to cycle in the dark.

OP- just get a turbo trainer and commute on that.

Caroline_ie

Welcome to the ongoing, never solved issues of cycling in Dublin. It is Dangerous in many ways when you're not used to it.

Keeping eye contact with motorists is a good habit to take. Signal and look at them, so they know what you are doing. Look out for pedestrians, as they can be as dangerous as cars, and they usually don't give a damn about cars approcahing as they're crossing the road, so they care even less about a cyclist.

Pot holes, take it as good exercice, up the saddle!!! As for the theft issues, go for a heavy duty kryptonite lock! Or wreck your bike ...

Be safe and Enjoy!!

TinyExplosions

blorg wrote: »

You forgot how irresponsible it is to cycle in the dark.

OP- just get a turbo trainer and commute on that.

Oh yeah, that's true... man, remember last night, when Timmy got hit? That was nasty... the drugged up yoof in the Corsa didn't even stop!

Chips Lovell

I think most people on here would agree that poor road surfaces are one of the biggest issues facing cyclists. However, painting "cycle lanes" on the road is much cheaper than fixing the roads themselves.

girlbiker

TinyExplosions wrote: »

if you let us know the route you are taking, we can suggest alternatives, and get into a big fight over the legality of going the wrong way up a one way street, and give out to everyone who's not around Dublin... it'll be fun!

As for locking your bike... just don't

I'm going from Drumcondra to Merrion square, but often stay in Rathmines and cycle to Merrion Square from there??

flickerx

girlbiker wrote: »

Anyone got any tips for me to survive the streets

speak softly and carry a large kryptonite.

but seriously - you'll build up a tolerance to it, dont stress. its like anything the first time you do it, you're nervous and you're worried that you'll make a mess of it, but with time and practice soon you'll be up here with the rest of us, breaking red lights, going the wrong way up one way streets, and abusing motorists for the slightest infraction.

ChipPanBuddha

Buy a decent lock but make sure you use it properly. There's not much you can do if they really want to steal your bike but you can make it a bit more awkward which means they might pass yours by and target the bike beside it that's less secure. Might sound harsh but it's the attitude you need to take. Here's some useful tips on locking strategy. Really useful site all round this, sections for beginners and commuting
http://sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

the_syco

ChipPanBuddha wrote: »

Here's some useful tips on locking strategy. Really useful site all round this, sections for beginners and commuting
http://sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html

Some will object that felons might cut the rear rim and tire to remove the lock. Believe me, this just doesn't happen in the real world. First, this would be a lot of work to steal a frame without a useable rear wheel, the most expensive part of a bike, after the frame. Second, cutting the rear rim is much harder than you might think. Since the rim is under substantial compression due to the tension on the spokes, it would pinch a hacksaw blade tight as soon as it cut partway through. Then there are the wire beads of the tire, also difficult to cut.

That sounds quite odd. Is it true? Always locked both back wheel and the "tube connecting wheel to seat tube", to the pole.

Lumen

Cycle defensively, create space for yourself, don't worry about "death from behind" - it's "death from the side" you need to avoid.

Signal your intentions clearly but don't assume people have seen your signals.

Cycling in the city is fun, like swimming with sharks.

'68 Fastback

Lumen wrote: »

Cycle defensively, create space for yourself, don't worry about "death from behind" - it's "death from the side" you need to avoid.

Call me old fashioned but I tend to avoid death from all directions:D

72hundred

Lumen wrote: »

Cycling in the city is fun, like swimming with sharks.

Yes, I'd agree. I enjoy the city for cycling. Although to expand that simile, like swimming with Sharks you'll eventually get bitten :eek:!

blorg

the_syco wrote: »

That sounds quite odd. Is it true?

In what sense? It is true that if you lock just the rear wheel in that place you cannot remove the bike without sawing through the rim, yes (just visualise.)

cgf

girlbiker wrote: »

I'm going from Drumcondra to Merrion square, but often stay in Rathmines and cycle to Merrion Square from there??

Have a look at the DTO route planner http://www.dto.ie/web2006/jp.htm

Húrin

girlbiker wrote: »

I'm new to cycling in Dublin, tottering around on my fake vintage bike but Dublin I swear puts the total s*&ts up me....the roads are trecherous! Whats the biggest potholes that you've ever come across??!
I also find myself cycling contra flow to traffic instead of taking a five mile diversion just to pass 10 metres of road, Anyone got any tips for me to survive the streets, are there any cycle lanes thats arent more dangerous than the roads..any shortcuts where I can skip the worst traffic in the city centre.. Its like being in a computer game but 'game over' is death :eek:!!
And seriously....where can I lock my bike for more than ten minutes without it getting swiped? My friend locked hers on Georges street and we returned to find it gone in only one hour, on a busy saturday! With the cycling incentive coming up dont you think the state of the roads should be dealth with first??

Dublin is alright for cycling. It's no Copenhagen but it's much better for cycling than most cities in Britain and France.

Avoid the potholes.

What one way streets are you referring to on your routes?

I think Dublin is safe for locking as long as you're not using a little cable lock, or just locking the wheel. I have parked my bike for years on Thomas St, sometimes only the frame and not the front wheel, and even though said wheel has a quick release bolt it has never been stolen! So your friend had bad luck or a bad locking job.

Civilian_Target

Dublin city centre's pretty bad. London is the only worse city I've ever cycled in.
Take a lane and go for it. Pretend you're a car. Buy at least a bell, or a stadium horn.

For locking, get a D lock, the smaller the better, and lock the vertical part of the frame that decends from the saddle to something damn solid. If you have enough room, lock in the back wheel. If you still have room, weave your helmet into the lock to occupy the extra space.

Civilian_Target

And having read that sheldon brown article... I agree with him, and am going to buy a smaller lock. Screw the seatpost!

BostonB

I found picking a good route makes all the difference. Some roads are just easier/quieter to cycle on and others just seem to have more aggressive drivers on them. If it takes you 5 minutes longer pick the best route.

girlbiker

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Welcome to the ongoing, never solved issues of cycling in Dublin. It is Dangerous in many ways when you're not used to it.

Keeping eye contact with motorists is a good habit to take. Signal and look at them, so they know what you are doing. Look out for pedestrians, as they can be as dangerous as cars, and they usually don't give a damn about cars approcahing as they're crossing the road, so they care even less about a cyclist.

Pot holes, take it as good exercice, up the saddle!!! As for the theft issues, go for a heavy duty kryptonite lock! Or wreck your bike ...

Be safe and Enjoy!!

Pot holes are not excerise! they make my faceshake very unattractively:rolleyes:..I have to cycle through Summerhill I bet no one esle finds a road more potholes than that!

Gavin

http://wiki.boards.ie/wiki/Safe_Cycling

seamus

Potholes and bumps in the road slow you down and contribute to wear and tear, so avoid if possible.

Since it's gotten darker, Thursday evening in Dublin is officially "moron hour". You're no allowed to drive a vehicle or walk in Dublin on a Thursday between 5pm and 7pm if you have an IQ over 80.

In fact, watch out for patterns. If you set out on your journey and you notice a few more stupid manouvers than normal, you can safely assume that the journey is going to be more dangerous than normal. I'm not sure why this is, but some days everyone on the road seems to be confused or sleepy or in a rush, all at the same.

The one big thing you can do is be predictable. Before you change a road position or go through a junction, think about who it might affect, and what you're expected to do.

And when going through a pedestrian crossing where the man is red, most pedestrians are expecting you to stop for them Just scream at them and watch the lemmings leap back and have a heart attack. It's fun.

Slice

The only advice I have is to be confident enough to command the road space you're cycling on and watch out for the many potholes on the southbound route between Georges Street all the way down to Camden Street. Oh, and never cycle contra flow - I can't get over the number of people I see who do this, there's always another way to get where you're going and just as quickly. Plus, be conscious of the fact that pedestrians are the most unpredictable variables on the road

Manone

I travel this route on my commute. It's mapped somewhere on my profile on mapmyrun and I will share with you if you want more, but this is the route I take.

If you go down Gardiner Street there is a cycle line with a broken line that is usually fairly well observed by motorists and then go around the back of the Customs House, which can be scary if you're not used to wide spaces with Bus Eireann buses crossing your path. Across the bridge on the cycle path and cross onto the right lane signalling all the way and up by Pearse Street giving plenty of space to pedestrians along by Pearse Street and this will take you around to Merrion Square.

Pearse Street is the worst I've experienced and I did hit a pedestrian who stepped out blindly. Embarassing as both of us ended up on our asses with a Dart load of people exiting on the path.

A bike that is easy to handle and allows you to get the power down is very handy for getting you by traffic or around obstacles when you need. Once you gain confidence and have respect for other people on the road it is very enjoyable.

Chinafoot

Obey the traffic lights. Myself and another man got rammed by a bike as we were crossing the road at Connolly station last week. There were lots of people crossing and she then hit two other people with the front wheel as she tried to shove her way through everyone despite the light being red. About 30 minutes later, while on the bus, I saw another man hit a young girl who had begun crossing the road (again the light was red and the green man was present) and he then proceeded to shout at her for stepping out. They're just two recent examples but it's something I see daily in the city centre.

It's not just vehicular traffic you need to consider, pedestrians use the roads too.

john77

BostonB wrote: »

I found picking a good route makes all the difference. Some roads are just easier/quieter to cycle on and others just seem to have more aggressive drivers on them. If it takes you 5 minutes longer pick the best route.

That's my approach, I don't care if I have to add another couple of miles onto my commute if it means less traffic or traffic lights. Currently using the Grand Canal towpaths instead of going down Kylemore & thru ballyfermot. It's so much more relaxing in comparison.

the_syco

seamus wrote: »

And when going through a pedestrian crossing where the man is red, most pedestrians are expecting you to stop for them Just scream at them and watch the lemmings leap back and have a heart attack. It's fun.

I loled.

=-=

As for obeying the lights, I pity the fool who decides to cycle into me when the green man is flashing.

SerialComplaint

john77 wrote: »

That's my approach, I don't care if I have to add another couple of miles onto my commute if it means less traffic or traffic lights. Currently using the Grand Canal towpaths instead of going down Kylemore & thru ballyfermot. It's so much more relaxing in comparison.

Hear, hear. I avoid the very busy traffic on the very narrow Dundrum Road & Milltown Road by cutting through St Columbanus estate and heading down the grassy bank by the Luas line.

irishmotorist

Obey the rules of the road and be cautious at all times.

I personally find Nassau St. one of the worst places for steppers-then-lookers onto the road. Cos of this, I take it slowly and watch for the likely suspects.

It's all well and good shouting at some moron (I do it at least once a week), but at the end of the day, you are the only person looking out for your safety. Staying on the bike and not hurting yourself or others is your responsibility. You can't depend on anybody else.

concussion

Bump - didn't want to start a new thread but I'm just wondering what others here do when cycling up the inside of slow/stopped traffic and there are cars pulled too far over to the left. I'm sure most of these motorists would move over and provide some room if they knew I was there (well...) but where flashing leds in their mirrors don't alert them is it acceptable to knock on their car/windows in order to get a bit of space on the road?

BostonB

Why not. Its all about awareness.

SerialComplaint

concussion wrote: »

Bump - didn't want to start a new thread but I'm just wondering what others here do when cycling up the inside of slow/stopped traffic and there are cars pulled too far over to the left. I'm sure most of these motorists would move over and provide some room if they knew I was there (well...) but where flashing leds in their mirrors don't alert them is it acceptable to knock on their car/windows in order to get a bit of space on the road?

These cars are the bane of my life, particularly along the narrow Dundrum road. My response varies with the weather, my mood, my speed, the degree to which I'm forced to slow down.

If I can manage to get through without slowing down too much, I usually gesticulate wildly to the driver to move out and I point out the line of other cars. I doubt if my message gets through more than 1% of the time.

If I have to slow down to squeeze through, I will normally knock in the inside window and indicate to the driver to push out. The response varies from apologetic, to laughs to threats of violence.

If I'm unable to get through at all, I go out along the outside of the car. tap on the drivers window, tap a second time when the radio/stereo stopped them from hearing my tap (3 inches from their right ear), smile in a friendly way to get them to lower the window, and then ask them if they had any particular reason for blocking my route on the inside. Again, the responses vary from apologetic (sorry, I'm on a conference call), to laughs to threats of violence, to rants about road tax or cycle lanes, to being called a bully etc etc.

I kid myself that I'm training in the drivers of south Dublin, one at a time.

DirkVoodoo

I either sit behind tha car and wait my turn if its a large vehicle or the gap is small and covered with wet leaves.

I did cycle past a car once who was too close to the kerb and my elbow clipped his wing mirror. It was a fairly steep hill so if I had unclipped it would have been near impossible to get back in.

Anyway, the driver had a few honks to show that he was the alpha motorist.

Just do what makes you feel safest. There is nothing wrong with not weaving in and around cars.

blorg

In fairness if there is not a cycle lane it is purely a matter of courtesy for any driver to leave room on the left. Some roads there just isn't space, other roads it is just one driver with a bad road position. I will simply go around them and continue on my way, I don't think it is right in those circumstances to knock on their windows etc.

Technically the same goes for dotted line cycle paths although I might gesture at someone unnecessarily blocking a dotted line cycle track (again sometimes there is simply no room.) I will gesture to drivers impinging on solid line cycle paths though. Generally I go with gesturing, knocks are reserved for when someone is actually looking like they are driving into me.

Civilian_Target

Personally, I find it safer to pass cars on the right... you never know who might want to hop out onto the pavement and door you in the process!

Chips Lovell

Wouldn't dream of knocking on their window. They've just as much a right to be on the road as I have.

Gavin

Civilian_Target wrote: »

Personally, I find it safer to pass cars on the right... you never know who might want to hop out onto the pavement and door you in the process!

But you have to watch out for the impatient motorist rapidly pulling out to try a u-turn as happened to Lumen during the week.

Agree with tonto and blorg, it's a bit annoying getting blocked in for no reason, but it's never so bad that I can't unclip one foot and drag the bike by.

Mine you, on the Dundrum road once, I put my Fenix on flashing and three or four cars all moved out for me. They must have thought I was the cops, I turned it back to steady fairly quickly, not the best of ideas.

Chips Lovell

Verb wrote: »

Mine you, on the Dundrum road once, I put my Fenix on flashing and three or four cars all moved out for me. They must have thought I was the cops, I turned it back to steady fairly quickly, not the best of ideas.

If you had a blue filter for it, you'd be laughing

SerialComplaint

el tonto wrote: »

Wouldn't dream of knocking on their window. They've just as much a right to be on the road as I have.

blorg wrote: »

In fairness if there is not a cycle lane it is purely a matter of courtesy for any driver to leave room on the left. Some roads there just isn't space, other roads it is just one driver with a bad road position. I will simply go around them and continue on my way, I don't think it is right in those circumstances to knock on their windows etc.

Just to clarify, in the cases that I'm talking about, there is definitely enough room to allow a cyclist to progress comfortably on the inside. 19 out of 20 cars take up a sensible road position that allows cyclists to proceed easily. 1 out of 20 hugs the kerb like their life depends on it, and blocks progress for cyclists, with no benefit to themselves.

If it is OK for them to block the route like this, then it is OK for me to cycle 3/4-ways out on the road when traffic is moving freely and hold them up for no good reason, and with no benefit to myself.

kenmc

Verb wrote: »

Mine you, on the Dundrum road once, I put my Fenix on flashing and three or four cars all moved out for me. They must have thought I was the cops, I turned it back to steady fairly quickly, not the best of ideas.

I leave my one on flash the whole time, precisely because I have noticed so many cars pulling in for me to pass. I always give them a wave to say thanks though.

blorg

I've had someone knock me off quite badly when I was overtaking them on the right- they turned right suddenly into a driveway and clipped my back wheel. In situations where it would be impossible/highly unlikely for a car to overtake on the right, drivers do not expect a cyclist to be doing it.

@SerialComplaint- sure, but it is a courtesy. I don't think it is right to be knocking on people's windows because of their failure to offer a courtesy. With regard to cycling in the middle of the road, there is actually a regulation that you have to keep left. I will of course cycle in the middle of the road if it is _necessary_, e.g. if there are cars blocking the left of the road.

Chips Lovell

To be honest I think it's just as rude the motorist honking their horn because they can't pass you on a narrow road.

DirkVoodoo

When I say I clipped his mirror I should clarify it somewhat to avoid confusion.

Was heading back from a sat spin with Guillame, turning left up Glenamuck road which is quite a steep road and was under a lot of heavy luas works at the time. There were a set of temporary traffic lights as a stretch of road was reduced to a single lane. They very nicely erected the traffic lights and had them and some traffic cones blocking the cycle path.

There was ample room to move to the front of the queue bar one car that was a bit closer to the kerb than the rest.

I didn't want to go around the outside in case the lights went green and the cars which would have had to pull right anyway might not have seen me. And as I mentioned the "legal" route was blocked.

I misjudged the distance and caught my elbow on his wing mirror. I don't think he needed to start beeping like mad at me. I did not purposely smack his wing mirror and unless someone tried something dangerous, I would not be in the habit of confronting drivers.

Like I said, for the most part if I don't feel comfortable I would always just sit in the lane. My morning commute takes me down westminster road, the road near the kerb is painted with double yellow lines and normally has a nice pile of wet leaves. If the gap is too narrow then I always feel that if I unclip one foot there and try and shimmy past, I will end up with a one way ticket to the kerb.

Lumen

I wouldn't knock on a window unless I needed to inform the driver of some critical safety issue, like the back of their car was on fire. It just seems rude.

More importantly, it's potentially dangerous. I did this to my wife last weekend as I undertook her on a car vs bike "race" to the shops, and it scared the crap out of her - she almost crashed the car.

concussion

el tonto wrote: »

To be honest I think it's just as rude the motorist honking their horn because they can't pass you on a narrow road.

If there's no room, then there's no room and that's fine - not much can be done. But if there is ample room for a bike, a car and clearance on the right for oncoming traffic, it is damned annoying when there's one person in on the left.

zzzzzzzz

SerialComplaint wrote: »

Just to clarify, in the cases that I'm talking about, there is definitely enough room to allow a cyclist to progress comfortably on the inside. 19 out of 20 cars take up a sensible road position that allows cyclists to proceed easily. 1 out of 20 hugs the kerb like their life depends on it, and blocks progress for cyclists, with no benefit to themselves.

If it is OK for them to block the route like this, then it is OK for me to cycle 3/4-ways out on the road when traffic is moving freely and hold them up for no good reason, and with no benefit to myself.

If there's no cycle path, not only are they allowed to drive close to the curb, but they're SUPPOSED to keep left.

EDIT: sorry just read this post now:

blorg wrote: »

@SerialComplaint- sure, but it is a courtesy. I don't think it is right to be knocking on people's windows because of their failure to offer a courtesy. With regard to cycling in the middle of the road, there is actually a regulation that you have to keep left. I will of course cycle in the middle of the road if it is _necessary_, e.g. if there are cars blocking the left of the road.

kenmc

concussion wrote: »

If there's no room, then there's no room and that's fine - not much can be done. But if there is ample room for a bike, a car and clearance on the right for oncoming traffic, it is damned annoying when there's one person in on the left.

Yeah - even worse is the muppet who wants to turn left around Christmas, so gets as far over to the left as they can back at Easter, just in case they miss the turn or something - I really don't get it - there's nowhere they can go so they just block it all up for everyone. :rolleyes:

blorg

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

If there's no cycle path, not only are they allowed to drive close to the curb, but they're SUPPOSED to keep left.

The ROR actually suggests that while you should drive on the left you should leave room for cyclists, but again AFAIK this is as a courtesy and there is no legal requirement to do so:

ROR: Your road position wrote:

Make sure you drive your vehicle far enough to the left to allow traffic to safely pass or overtake on the right but not so far to the left that you are driving on a cycle lane or blocking or endangering cyclists or pedestrians.

cyclopath2001

blorg wrote: »

The ROR actually suggests that while you should drive on the left you should leave room for cyclists, but again AFAIK this is as a courtesy and there is no legal requirement to do so:

This is true, but if drivers were to overtake cyclists and then move in front of them and block their progress, they'd be in breach of the overtaking regulations.

blorg

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

This is true, but if drivers were to overtake cyclists and then move in front of them and block their progress, they'd be in breach of the overtaking regulations.

Sure, but I think in this case we are talking about traffic stopped in a jam where one car in the queue is unnecessarily close to the kerb- AFAIK this is something the ROR suggests you don't do and is failing to show a courtesy but is not illegal in any way. Sure it annoys me too but I wouldn't go knocking on someone's window over it.

What does annoy me is the Ranelagh bike lane being full of parked cars. Didn't see the clampers up there this evening, usually they clean up on Saturdays. Honestly amazes me, drivers don't seem to know what this sign means:



They have pasted one immediately above the parking meter now, with the times of operation (15:00-19:00, Mon-Sat), still people are parking there...