cycle lanes&the gardai

jdscrubs

Wondering if this has happened to anyone else. Funny.

Yesterday evening was cycling down dorset street onto bolton street. Took slip cycle lane onto capel street. Wanted to go to Cineworld. On cycle lane. Went past junction with capel street and end of Parnell street. When I did so, garda car on cycle lane which is counter cyclical(think thats the right word for it, cyclists can go up&down said lane). Had 2 choices, to go around the garda car on the road but could get knocked down as cars come up that way or go on footpath. Did latter. When I did so, garda got out of car&asked what I was doing. Replied I was cycling. He said that the cycle lane was for going up onto bolton street. Thankfully for me, there was a cycle sign behind him which has on both sides a sign for cycling. When I pointed this out to him, he turned around and said to me, cant cycle on the footpath. Fair enough I said. Walked rest of the way. Funny thing is 2 cyclists then went past me&nothing was said to them. Couldnt stop laughing afterwards.

beans

From what I can gather, I would have first checked over my right shoulder to check for traffic, pulled out into the lane if safe, and passed in traffic.

It'll take a bit of conscious effort to do this (check behind, evaluate, maneuvre) until it becomes second-nature. Get out of that habit of mounting the path, it's almost always a bad idea (ice, kids, dogs, cops, militants, etc)

jdscrubs

beans wrote: »

From what I can gather, I would have first checked over my right shoulder to check for traffic, pulled out into the lane if safe, and passed in traffic.

It'll take a bit of conscious effort to do this (check behind, evaluate, maneuvre) until it becomes second-nature. Get out of that habit of mounting the path, it's almost always a bad idea (ice, kids, dogs, cops, militants, etc)

Beans, the traffic is coming the other way when I am cycling down the lane so no can do on looking over the right shoulder. The garda car was facing my way so had to go onto the pavement which I dont usually do due to the reasons you give or go around the car&may get knocked down by a car.

sgross75

They will always find away to try catch you out with some technicality....

There is a little Hitler that cruises around in the riot van in Dundrum. I was heading up the hill on the Kilmacud Road and went through the intersection. Whilst 3/4 of the way through the intersction the lights changed to amber and I obviosly continued.
The next thing I hear a siren go off and I look round and there is Adolf waving me to pull in....He went off at me going through a red light, just told him that it was amber 3/4 of the wat through. He said that he was right behind me and it was red when i went through...Didn't get any better when I said that he must have gone through on red too!! Got told to watch my mouth and never to talk back to him....who is he The Dog ?? Just gold told to watch myself and not to be a hazard and an irrate to motorist....But anyways he gives me a wave in the morings and an odd comment but it does not phase me....

Don't get me started on the bike patrol round Rathfarnham....Up on the side walk, through red lights...only short of putting a halfpipe on Butterfield Avenue and doing stunts like on the Dew Tour !!

beans

Beans, the traffic is coming the other way ...

Yeah, just replayed that section in my mind and noticed that

Similarly puzzled the first time I took that cycle lane and found on-coming traffic approaching alright! I had assumed it was for the sole use of bikes coming off Capel St -> Dorset St, but never verified that till just now.

blorg

I got stopped for cycling the wrong way down a one-way street, using the contra-flow lane on St. Andrew Street. I pointed out that the lane was on the left side of the road in the direction I was heading, and all the signs and cycles painted on it were facing towards me. Got let off with a sort of "er, right, you be careful in future."

Ghost Rider

That's an oft-abused cycle lane, that one. People park in it, walk along it looking the wrong way and even cycle in it in the wrong direction!

There aren't too many contra-flow lanes around but they sure as sh*t seem to confuse people.

blorg wrote: »

I got stopped for cycling the wrong way down a one-way street, using the contra-flow lane on St. Andrew Street. I pointed out that the lane was on the left side of the road in the direction I was heading, and all the signs and cycles painted on it were facing towards me. Got let off with a sort of "er, right, you be careful in future."

Gavin

Ghost Rider wrote: »

That's an oft-abused cycle lane, that one. People park in it, walk along it looking the wrong way and even cycle in it in the wrong direction!

There aren't too many contra-flow lanes around but they sure as sh*t seem to confuse people.

AIIEEE !! Top Quote !!

rubadub

blorg wrote: »

Got let off with a sort of "er, right, you be careful in future."

Thats it? I thought he would have had you hauled in for having no stabilisers on your bike, or some other invented law they come up with when they are shown up as ignorant.