Thrown off bike

short circuit

Based on previous discussions on this forum, I am contemplating where to post the following experience ...

Coming into work today morning through the main street in Blanchardstown, I see a car coming out of an estate on the left. The woman stops ... proceeds to take a look on both sides of the road and decides to join the main street. By this time, I am half way across the junction ... so she merrily proceed to plough into the bike throwing me a few feet down the road. And as I am collecting my wits and bits & pieces of the bike/bag etc. she is shouting over from inside the car if I am OK and if I want her to stop .. and by the time I can think of something sensible to say ... she is gone ... :mad:. And 10 other cars behind her went on their way as well .. just waiting long enough for me to drag myself off the road.

Thankfully, I managed to pick up all the pieces and get going. The above is nothing to be surprised about ... but to make this interesting, I have a question :-
1. Should this post stay in this forum where 90% of visitors will be able to empathise with me
2. Have a rant section in this forum where I can pour my heart out without disturbing everyone else
3. Post this is the Motors forum and give out some choicest of words running through my head since today morning and wait for some free entertainment from the petrol heads for the rest of the day

Thanks for the time ... and rant over ...

Feeling much more peaceful and ready for the battle on the roads in the evening.

Gavin

Best option, tell all your mates and work chums that will listen and post it here. You'll be so tired of telling the story that it will diminish your anger, you'll get more perspective on it and then forget about it and continue on cycling.

So yeah. number 2 is good, heart pouring.

Posting in the Motors forum will merely annoy you in the end.

'68 Fastback

First off, I'm glad you're here trying to figure out where to post your story rather than in hospital figuring out where your teeth go.

+1 Verb. You'll get much more sympathy here.

Sean9015

Must be the day for it. Nearly taken out on the Quays this morning by a car cutting across to avoid the traffic. THe bizarre thing was, the Garda motorbike behind me then zoomed off and pulled up next to him at the next set of lights for a "conversation". As I got there, and pointed out that said car had only just missed me, Garda basically tells me to go away (rather less politely)!

Add to that the Garda cyclist round the back of Stephens Green shopping centre at 5:30 last night dressed in black without any lights, I despair....

xz

well, for one , you are OK,that's the main thing.
That aside, whether or not you were injured, this is a case of hit and run,the lady in question should not have driven off, after a brief inquiry as to whether or not she should stop. She should have stopped.Full stop(no pun intended).
You gotta love those motorists, they are everywhere. You approach a junction/sideroad, there is someone in a car waiting to pull out, they look both ways, they see you coming, you are doing 20+km/h, you are 30 feet away, they look you straight in the eye and proceed to pull out right in front of you,especially when there is no traffic behind you.
Now what would have waiting less than 10 more seconds have done??
Certainly doesn't make you late. But hey, we are only on a bike, we don't travel very fast (motorists mindseye) it won't hurt if we should fall, why should they cede to such a small, slower vehicle.It doesnt even have an engine for Chrissake.

MMmmmmmm ranting feels good;)

72hundred

Good to hear you're OK.

Is the bike actually OK? An impact like that would have written the front wheel I would have thought.

Caroline_ie

short circuit wrote: »

Feeling much more peaceful and ready for the battle on the roads in the evening.

I hope you are ok ... Blancharsdtown in the morning is awful whether you are walking, cycling, driving, on the bus, shopping ... or even looking out the window from your office ...

sean_d

Sean9015 wrote: »

Must be the day for it. Nearly taken out on the Quays this morning by a car cutting across to avoid the traffic.

Definitely is...had a woman overtake me (barely) then dive into a carpark on the left this morning too, missed the front wheel by about 2 inches. I let a roar, then noticed that the traffic entering/leaving the carpark (school rush, 9am) was such that she could progress no more than a car length off the road. I politely knocked on her window and asked if there was "any particular reason she wanted me to spend Christmas in hospital, or was it just more of a general disregard for the wellbeing of others?"
Didn't get much of a coherent response...

short circuit

72hundred wrote: »

Good to hear you're OK.

Is the bike actually OK? An impact like that would have written the front wheel I would have thought.

Its actually surprising how strong a round piece of metal with a few thin long pieces of metal holding it in place is ... it didn't even come off true ... OK .. not any more off than what it was previously .. .. but then that will start another car vs cyclist thread ..

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I hope you are ok ... Blancharsdtown in the morning is awful whether you are walking, cycling, driving, on the bus, shopping ... or even looking out the window from your office ...

Physically ... everything is in 1 piece ... after sliding across the road ... I was more worried about the tights being scrapped completely and letting my ass hang out for the world to see ...

Lastly ... anyone interested in buying a new front wheel .. Alex 350 rims ... hardly used .. no damage what so ever .. :P

Vélo

xz wrote: »

But hey, we are only on a bike, we don't travel very fast (motorists mindseye) it won't hurt if we should fall, why should they cede to such a small, slower vehicle.It doesnt even have an engine for Chrissake.

MMmmmmmm ranting feels good;)

And we don't even pay ROAD TAX!!!!!!!:eek::eek:

72hundred

Aquinas73 wrote: »

And we don't even pay ROAD TAX!!!!!!!:eek::eek:

F!xed.

TinyExplosions

Aquinas73 wrote: »

And we don't even turn me on!!!!!!!:eek::eek:

New boards rule invoked

Wez

Sorry to hear mate!

Posting in the motors forum - I'm guessing that foolish female doesn't have a hobby of checking those forums out, more the fashion/gay & lesbian forum!

Almost got taken out twice today riding back from college, apparently indicating and glancing to see if there's someone on the inside is gone out of fashion! Had to lock up the brakes to avoid hitting a taxi, forcing me into the curb. Had the feeling of "I'm gonna be airborn in a second" for what seemed like hours!

Take care out there, ease of the front brake and keep it shiney side up! The ice and rain make braking much worse (as you all know)!

tibor

**** buzz. Hope you're alright.

I came off my bike in Blanch this morning too, no collision though. The bike went from under me with the frost/ice when I had to break a little harder than expected when the 4x4 in front of me stopped short at the junction coming out from Bradys to the main road.

2 women drivers did pull in to help me get myself & my things back together though, so they're not all bad!

DirkVoodoo

Sorry to hear that, silly woman. Nice of her to have a quick shout and keep going. If she had any decency she would have pulled over and got out to see if you were ok.

No point posting in motors, you won't really get any objectivity from them. You will get a bit of sympathy and a lot of "I was driving in this morning and some cyclist...[insert road rage story here]".

We all sympathise here anyway. I would have thought most people would have got out and checked if you were ok. Don't suppose it counts as a hit and run does it? Do you have the make/model, or a partial reg? I'm not saying send in the SWAT team but a friendly call from the Gardai might make her a more responsible driver.

Mr. Presentable

Should report it. Leaving the scene of an accident - apart from the hitting you offense - is very serious.

Alanstrainor

Glad you're alright OP, hit a patch of ice on a hill/corner dismorning and came off...felt like a right tit. Noticed i had lost grip and couldn't break for obvious reasons, so had to just try and take the icey corner and went into a slide. Wasn't hurt, just wish i hadnt decided to wear my work trousers while cycling, look like a right eejit at the mo.
Back on topic sort of, had a kind motorist, not involved with what happened at all, stop and make sure all was well after taking the slide.

short circuit

Thanks a lot guys ... I am actually glad I posted it here ..

But I am pissed off as well at the number of near misses just people on this forum have had ..... and that too just today ... :eek:

I think we should all start a charity fund to sponsor research into an Ironman suit for cyclists ...

But atleast it the thread proves that people can stop looking for the invisibility cloak ... :cool: ... every cyclist on the Dublin streets wears it ..

monument

I'd my first near miss in a while yesterday. Was on the cycle track along stopped traffic (going reasonably fast, I suppose) when a car on the opposite side of the road crossed over into a side road across the cycle track. Had the right of way but was also somewhat in the wrong (far lower then 50%, I'd say). Luckily my bike's brakes are in good nick.

Civilian_Target

Good to hear you're only shaken and ranting.

Similar things have happened to me, really makes you feel exposed

If you fall off and there's a car stopped, blocking oncoming traffic, it's definitely worth taking some time to lie there. You can make sure everything is functioning as it should and it lets everyone at the scene get their senses together so that it doesn't turn into a shouting match!

Hungrycol

Is it just me or have motorists gone a but mad recently? I think half their minds are on Christmas and the other half on rushing to be somewhere. Incidents seem to be happening more frequently these past few weeks. I nearly got side swiped by a car spotting a parking space on his left and zoomed for it (across a cycle track I might add - broken lines). Fortunately I have a loud voice and scared the life out of his female passenger and he stopped before I could dent his car further.

inforfun

Hungrycol wrote: »

Is it just me or have motorists gone a but mad recently? I think half their minds are on Christmas and the other half on rushing to be somewhere. Incidents seem to be happening more frequently these past few weeks. I nearly got side swiped by a car spotting a parking space on his left and zoomed for it (across a cycle track I might add - broken lines). Fortunately I have a loud voice and scared the life out of his female passenger and he stopped before I could dent his car further.

Personally i don't think it is the season.
For me it is the pathetic standard of knowing how to drive a car and how exactly the road rules work.
I come from a country where we cycle quite a bit and where, compared to Ireland, there is actual a huge amount of separate cycle paths. That already makes a big difference.
First few months i tried to move around on a bicycle but i gave up after one incident where i was going straight at a t-crossing and some Muppet in a car decided he could go in front of me and turn left.
Almost ended up in his door and in stead of an apology i had to endure a nice portion of abuse as a bonus.
It was then that i decided to walk or take the bus because i really didn't feel like ending up in the hospital or in prison (as i can lose my temper too)

AFC_1903

What would drivers be guilty of (ie potentially charged with) in situations like these?

Driving without due care and attention?
Dangerous driving?
Leaving the scene of an accident (hit and run)?
Attempted manslaughter?

Civilian_Target

Dangerous driving usually.
It's actually pretty serious, I'm told if you send a cyclist to hospital, you usually lose the license for 6 months, and possibly get some community service to boot. (But I have only annecdotal evidence from non-cyclists to back this up)

BostonB

I think someone has to be a right git to knock someone off and not stop and check they are ok. I'd report them. They obviously have no awareness that they could have killed you.

Unless you get details and a witness, I think your wasting your time with the Guards. I've little faith in them myself.

Freewheeling Ed

monument wrote: »

I'd my first near miss in a while yesterday. Was on the cycle track along stopped traffic (going reasonably fast, I suppose) when a car on the opposite side of the road crossed over into a side road across the cycle track. Had the right of way but was also somewhat in the wrong (far lower then 50%, I'd say). Luckily my bike's brakes are in good nick.

If I understand this correctly, the driver was tuning right (probably a yellow box) throught a gap in stopped traffic.

The driver is permitted to make the manouver providing it is safe to do so.
If a cyclist is crossing the junction legally (on the inside of stopped traffic) the driver turning right does not have right of way, because it is not safe.

It happenes less, but scares me more, than drivers turning left.
Its bloody dangerous. A truck or bus at a juncion makes it really dangerous.

The cyclist has right of way.. but..... not much good to you with a Micra parked on your nads.

buffalo

Sean9015 wrote: »

Must be the day for it. Nearly taken out on the Quays this morning by a car cutting across to avoid the traffic. THe bizarre thing was, the Garda motorbike behind me then zoomed off and pulled up next to him at the next set of lights for a "conversation". As I got there, and pointed out that said car had only just missed me, Garda basically tells me to go away (rather less politely)!

Add to that the Garda cyclist round the back of Stephens Green shopping centre at 5:30 last night dressed in black without any lights, I despair....

I was going straight through a crossroads on Tuesday, as a Garda car came from the opposite direction to turn right, across my path. He had no flashing lights or sirens, so I didn't bother stopping. He had to stop and threw his hands up at me, completely ignoring the car stopped in the middle of the intersection that would've blocked him if he were going straight. What hope have cyclists when it appears that even Gardaí don't know the ROTR?!*


*and yes, I realise this is a frequent discussion here.

jimmycrackcorm

Freewheeling Ed wrote: »

If I understand this correctly, the driver was tuning right (probably a yellow box) throught a gap in stopped traffic.

The driver is permitted to make the manouver providing it is safe to do so.
If a cyclist is crossing the junction legally (on the inside of stopped traffic) the driver turning right does not have right of way, because it is not safe.

It happenes less, but scares me more, than drivers turning left.
Its bloody dangerous. A truck or bus at a juncion makes it really dangerous.

The cyclist has right of way.. but..... not much good to you with a Micra parked on your nads.

I think this is 50/50 also because I'm aware of a couple of junctions like this on my commute. Traffic builds up and is stopped but there is a box junction to allow cars across in and out of the side road. The problem is that it is next to impossible for a driver turning in to see an oncoming cyclist.

The first time I came across this I was flying down the cycle lane at 35 km/h and was just lucky that the timing was right for me to miss the car turning in.
Now I'm very aware of this as it's in the same class as the trucks turning left at the junction situation.

Raam

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

I think this is 50/50 also because I'm aware of a couple of junctions like this on my commute. Traffic builds up and is stopped but there is a box junction to allow cars across in and out of the side road. The problem is that it is next to impossible for a driver turning in to see an oncoming cyclist.

I treat those situations very carefully, I just roll up and wait until I can see that the way is clear and safe.

blorg

Civilian_Target wrote: »

Dangerous driving usually.
It's actually pretty serious, I'm told if you send a cyclist to hospital, you usually lose the license for 6 months, and possibly get some community service to boot. (But I have only annecdotal evidence from non-cyclists to back this up)

I doubt this severely, I was hit by someone not paying attention, broke my elbow, there was no prosecution at all AFAIK (there was a civil case and compensation.) It wasn't malicious now in any way, he just wasn't paying attention.

Civilian_Target

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Traffic builds up and is stopped but there is a box junction to allow cars across in and out of the side road. The problem is that it is next to impossible for a driver turning in to see an oncoming cyclist.

This is why, in traffic, you should be passing cars on the right, not on the left.

Gavin

Civilian_Target wrote: »

This is why, in traffic, you should be passing cars on the right, not on the left.

There are dangers on either side. I would not overtake on the right, cars exiting from the side road do not expect a cyclist to be on the outside. Rapid U-turns are also a serious danger.

There is a danger of dooring on the left which is hard to avoid, true.

BostonB

Civilian_Target wrote: »

This is why, in traffic, you should be passing cars on the right, not on the left.

I got knocked off on the right, by someone doing sudden U-turn.

blorg

BostonB wrote: »

I got knocked off on the right, by someone doing sudden U-turn.

I was also knocked off while passing someone on the right, he didn't expect me to be passing him on that side. In general terms I think filtering on the left is safer, but of course it always depends on the specific situation.

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

Traffic builds up and is stopped but there is a box junction to allow cars across in and out of the side road. The problem is that it is next to impossible for a driver turning in to see an oncoming cyclist.

In this situation you are best off slowing down at the box and only proceeding if it is safe, you need to be aware that you are not going to be visible to a motorist turning in. If overtaking on the right you would be at exactly the same risk only with motorists coming out of the side road, and they would have even less expectation of your being there (and you would be more at risk of being thrown into oncoming traffic.)

BostonB

Its a similar situation if you take off like a rocket as the lights go green, you often get oncoming traffic turning right trying to beat the lights and not expecting cyclist to sudden shoot out into the junction. They are in the wrong, but its no help to you if you get hit.

I was hit by someone doing an illegal U turn, he simply didn't look properly and I certainly wasn't expecting a car at the kerb and another lane to suddenly take off in a 180 across my lane, (there were two lanes). In future I'd be more wary of a parked car with someone in it, and the motor running.

jimmycrackcorm

Civilian_Target wrote: »

This is why, in traffic, you should be passing cars on the right, not on the left.

So you are saying that i'd have to leave the cycle lane each time there is traffic stopped?

Civilian_Target

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

So you are saying that i'd have to leave the cycle lane each time there is traffic stopped?

Psycholane?

conor rowan

Civilian_Target wrote: »

This is why, in traffic, you should be passing cars on the right, not on the left.

id second this i regularly move out to the middle of the road if coming up to traffic at junctions,mainly as a result of those dreaded curb huggers.

i also have a habit of using the bus lanes instead of the paint on footpath that passes for most bike lanes. have to deal with the odd bit of ire and beeping of horns from the odd taximan/bus driver but i generally feel safer out among the traffic where i can be seen than marginalised on the sides where you tend to get ignored. i realise this can be viewed as ignorant (and technicaly illegal)behaviour but it gives me peace of mind.

in saying that if im gonna be plodding along going nowhere fast i will go in the bike lanes, but if im more/less keeping up with the pace of traffic i dont see an issue with it

Niallface

using the right or being on the bus lane provides more escape routes when the moronic happens unless sidehopping curbs on 700c tyres is your thing