Hit by cyclist on pavement

Builderfromhell

This morning, while walking up O'Connell st., I was hit by a cyclist going fairly fast down O'Connell st. just outside Ulster bank. He was weaving around pedestrians and hit me as I moved from one side of the pavement to the other.

I stopped and looked back at him and to my surprise he stopped and glared at me. I strolled down to him and gave him a 'pavement for pedestirans, cars for cyclists speech'. He compalined to me that I should have been more careful and watched where I was going. He made out I walked into him. I was speechless.

Anyway, I walked off and couldn't decide what to do next. wlak the short distance to Henry st. and report him or just leave it. I decided to leave it - the Gardai are busy.

I have since wondered hwt would have happened if I had been seriously injured. He wouldn't be insured. What is the best course of action if you get hit badly by cyclists.

I cycle myself and actually don't have aproblem with people cycling slowly along wide pavements like O'Connell ave. but speeding down O'Connell st. when their are pedestrians is a bit much.

jmccoy

Unless you can identify the person and have witnesses (inc. CCTV) in order to issue proceedings for any subsequent injury and damages caused you wont get far.

I was walking up the Roxboro Road a few weeks ago and at a blindspot between CBS and the entrance to the old freight depo a youngfella on a bike came out of nowhere, only for me putting my arms in a blocking position I would have been hit bad. As a result of my blocking tactic the youngfella got hit bad when his head collided with my arms. Stupid little muppet.

Iang87

admit it you saw him coming and decided to punch him as he cycled by

jmccoy

Iang87 wrote: »

admit it you saw him coming and decided to punch him as he cycled by

TVDX

It's unbelievable isn't it?. Whatever about 10 year old kids who may be in danger on the road, I've seen grown men cycling on the pavements recently. If your one of those idiots reading this, get off the path.

Liam Byrne

Bring dark glasses and a white stick and - when you see them coming - hold the stick out between the spokes ?

steveon

I remember when I lived in Tooting In South West London and it had bycycle and bus lanes everywhere but I can tell you I never ever once saw one bike in the provided lanes as they were always using the footpaths, although I dont condone it I can understand why as the drivers there were flamin lunatics with no care but for themselves, needless to say its no better here. The bike lanes should be raised from the main road as when they are the same height as the road, and road debris, glass etc simply gets shoved into the bike lane...

That said hope ur ok builder from hell....

ergonomics

I was jogging in Castletroy a while ago and a cyclist hit me and knocked me to the ground. She stopped and shouted at me to watch where I'm going at which point I shouted back that she was cycling on the PATH which is located immediately to the right of the CYCLE PATH. Needless to say she went bright red and cycled off, on the cycle path.

dave98

Builderfromhell wrote: »

This morning, while walking up O'Connell st., I was hit by a cyclist going fairly fast down O'Connell st. just outside Ulster bank.

if it happened outside the bank there will definately be CCTV so if your still annoyed by it in the morning you could report him

Spiritoftheseventies

In Amsterdam the cycle lanes are on the footpaths. Very annoying. Ring their bells at you if you so much as step into their territory. But really reporting it to the police would have been a bit too much. Im sure they have a lot more to be worrying about at the moment.

concussion

In Amsterdam the cycle lanes are very clearly marked as such. And yes, they're perfectly right to ring their bells at you, would expect cars to ignore you if you walked down the middle of the road???

bullets

Not excusing the ejjit that was mucking about and hit the OP its just not on cycling dangerously especially on foot paths..........but....to do a complete 180......

I cycle on the path when there are no pedistrians on it.
(not in town mind you) but outside of the town.
I'f a pedistrian should be on the foot path I stop and get off my bike or go onto the road. Most mornings on my way
to work there is nobody on the paths so I'm lucky.

Its much too dangerous on the roads these days for cyclists
traffic is way different to what it was like growing up as a kid where you cycled everyplace without a worry.

I cant even cross the road on a bike these days. Nightmare
when it comes to busy roundabouts, I most of the time need to wait at a traffic light to wait for a gap in traffic.
I dont like pushing the button and waiting for the green man as its usually accompanied by glareing looks by Drivers if you stop traffic just to wheel your bike from one side to the other.

Cycle Lanes I would love to see raised so they are not on the same level as the road. And would love to see more of them. Pedestrians/Joggers etc all too often walk/jog on these so often I am on the footpath to avoid a walker, while the walker is taking up the cycle path cos they like the texture of the red lovelyness.

Glass and rubble and muck at the side of the road is a nightmare.
All too often when on the road I actually need to stop to avoid glass as I have not got an inch to
spare on the road with drivers getting too close for comfort. You have the left hand side of the road
and all too often you end up trying to cycle inside the yellow lines and over each and every gutter covering.

~B

Spiritoftheseventies

concussion wrote: »

In Amsterdam the cycle lanes are very clearly marked as such. And yes, they're perfectly right to ring their bells at you, would expect cars to ignore you if you walked down the middle of the road???

How about putting the cycle lanes on the roads.

concussion

bayviewclose wrote: »

How about putting the cycle lanes on the roads.

Some of the cycle lanes are part of the road, some are part of the footpath, some places have roads, cycle lanes and footpaths physically separated by kerbs and controlled by traffic lights. It doesn't make any difference which method they use because pedestrians have their own place to walk.

rmacm

bayviewclose wrote: »

In Amsterdam the cycle lanes are on the footpaths. Very annoying. Ring their bells at you if you so much as step into their territory. But really reporting it to the police would have been a bit too much. Im sure they have a lot more to be worrying about at the moment.

Meh they're clearly marked in Amsterdam, same here where I am in Germany. They have every right to ring their bell at you if you're in the cycle lane, there's generally enough footpath to accomodate both cyclists an pedestrians if you just watch where you're going.

bantee

Bad cyclists are pretty much like bad drivers: no concept of the rules of the road, not very attentive, moves too fast in congested areas, and are generally a danger on the roads.
I used to share a house with a so called "bad" cyclist. It was uncanny the amount of accidents he was involved in. Of course none of them were his fault :rolleyes:

Jumpy

Cycle on the road and in dangerous areas dont give them space to try an overtake. Car drivers arent stupid, if you give them room then they will try to pass with an inch to spare, if you pretend to be a car for the dangerous bit they wont overtake, too much risk to themselves. You might get beeped, but a horn never killed anyone (no penis jokes please)

ladowack

Jumpy wrote: »

Cycle on the road and in dangerous areas dont give them space to try an overtake. Car drivers arent stupid, if you give them room then they will try to pass with an inch to spare, if you pretend to be a car for the dangerous bit they wont overtake, too much risk to themselves. You might get beeped, but a horn never killed anyone (no penis jokes please)

You would be using the road with no care or attention if you are doing this, if there is no overtaking then it would be wise to stay well in to the side of the road to allow the car behind you to slow down to the slower cyclist and besides it would be much safer for you in the long run!

billy the squid

It amazes me to see cyclists out by the regional cycling on the footpath when there is a cycle lane less than a foot to their right or left.

concussion

ladowack wrote: »

You would be using the road with no care or attention if you are doing this, if there is no overtaking then it would be wise to stay well in to the side of the road to allow the car behind you to slow down to the slower cyclist and besides it would be much safer for you in the long run!

Utterly wrong - the vast majority of drivers will overtake a cyclist whether or not there is a continuous white line and most will do this while there is oncoming traffic. If the road isn't big enough for bike plus car plus car who do you think is going to be squeezed off the road???

If you are cycling ensure you are far enough on the road that you have room on both sides, about 2 feet out is good. On winding or narrow roads with oncoming traffic, move out so drivers don't think they can squeeze past and then move back in to allow them to pass when the road is clear. Don't hold up traffic unneccessarily, but don't hug the kerb either, ride assertively and make sure you're visible at all times.

concussion

billy the squid wrote: »

It amazes me to see cyclists out by the regional cycling on the footpath when there is a cycle lane less than a foot to their right or left.

Most of that cycle lane is completely inadequate. However you're completely correct, they shouldn't be on the footpath, there's nothing wrong with the road there.

Jumpy

Might be worth noting that there will shortly be no such thing as "mandatory" cycle lanes. Only cycle lanes that a cyclist can choose to use if they see fit.
Cycling on the footpath will still be illegal though.

Henry Ford III

Cyclists on footpaths are a pain.

Spiritoftheseventies

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Cyclists on footpaths are a pain.

I think they go on the footpaths because there are some slopes on it so it gives them a bit of momemtum.

concussion

They cycle on the footpath because
a: they perceive the road to be much more dangerous than it is
or
b: they are ignorant twat's who couldn't give a fcuk about anyone but themselves.

Spiritoftheseventies

Some roads are dangerous, some are not. To be fair I dont see that many cyclists on paths.

Raiser

This is a pet hate of mine - its a horrible feeling to be walking along on a footpath somewhere minding your own business and suddenly have some absolute Cnut zip past you at speed allowing you about a centimetre of clearance - Why are they so sure you won't have to move left or right and then get maimed by them??? When there is a near miss they usually just scowl and pedal off etc.

- An umbrella in the eyeball would learn that ignorance right out of them.

bullets

My Pet Hate is Women Walkers that walk in pairs or trios that take over the entire width of the footpath.

I've never once see any of them get out of the way for anyone walking in the
opposite direction

You would think it would be good manners or logical that if there was two people
taking up the entire path, and one person coming the against them that one out
of the 2 people would move to allow the one person to pass.

But NO! ignorant out! in a world of their own nattering away to each other
they will mow you down, or force you off the path into the ditch or onto the road
without even registering that there is even another human being on the same footpath.
Oh they are evil they are!

I will sound sexist here but its not my intention its just
I've never seen it happen with men. Only women.
Its even worse if its 2 Mothers out walking abreast with Buggy's
there is no room for a person to pass! and you dont see and
of the buggy pusher side of the path move.

Then there is the Dog owners with the damn flexy lead.
Dog on one side of the footpath with the owner on the other.
Flexi Lead stretched across like a trip wire waiting for a victim that
may be walking the opposite way, Probably the same person that was driven off
the path by the walkers and ended up walking on the ditch in order to get past them
and standing in dog poo after some dog walker that did not bring a doggy bag with them.


~B

ladowack

concussion wrote: »

Utterly wrong - the vast majority of drivers will overtake a cyclist whether or not there is a continuous white line and most will do this while there is oncoming traffic. If the road isn't big enough for bike plus car plus car who do you think is going to be squeezed off the road???

If you are cycling ensure you are far enough on the road that you have room on both sides, about 2 feet out is good. On winding or narrow roads with oncoming traffic, move out so drivers don't think they can squeeze past and then move back in to allow them to pass when the road is clear. Don't hold up traffic unneccessarily, but don't hug the kerb either, ride assertively and make sure you're visible at all times.

You should never ever move out on a narrow road especially on bends this is nonsense! Think of your own safety first! What your advocating is irresponsible.

Jumpy

ladowack wrote: »

You should never ever move out on a narrow road especially on bends this is nonsense! Think of your own safety first! What your advocating is irresponsible.

Regular cyclist are we? Being crushed into the kerb is just a little more painful than holding up a line of traffic.

Jumpy

It might be worth reading this.
http://wiki.boards.ie/wiki/Safe_Cycling

Specifically in the paragraph on "Road Positioning"

concussion

ladowack wrote: »

You should never ever move out on a narrow road especially on bends this is nonsense! Think of your own safety first! What your advocating is irresponsible.

I've been cycling on an almost daily basis for 9 years on both urban and rural roads. I have lost count how many times cars have overtaken and turned left in front of me or pulled out of/across an intersection causing me to brake hard to avoid them. I have never had an issue with cars not seeing me so your advocacy of staying in to avoid being hit is moot. The only time I have been really worried was after a bus sat on my wheel with oncoming traffic approaching. After checking behind a second time I overcorrected and drifted left and what happened - he passed me out. With myself, a bus and a car all occupying two single lanes you can imagine who had to stop and ride into the ditch :mad:

In my opinion, impatient drivers are the most dangerous - any day I go out when it's raining heavily I know there are going to be big hold-ups and I could guarantee someone will cut me off. I actually feel safer at night than I do at 8-9 am or 5-9 pm on a rainy day. The same holds with the bus incident - the road narrowed for 100 metres, there was a bus stop 300 m ahead and he still went for it.

zuroph

ladowack wrote: »

You should never ever move out on a narrow road especially on bends this is nonsense! Think of your own safety first! What your advocating is irresponsible.

how do you think he got the name concussion?

concussion

zuroph wrote: »

how do you think he got the name concussion?

Less of that now, there aren't that many trees for me to hit when I'm cycling in town :D

And for ladowack, here are the opinions of some more cylists
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055651124

baza1976

I wonder if the OP posted this in the cycling forum how he/she get on. I once asked a question there about why people cycling n groups hold up traffic. I just wanted to know why they cycle 3 or 4 abreast at times...I found why the hard way....... ouch ... it still hurts

concussion

The OP had a very valid complaint, people cycling on the footpath. It went a bit downhill from there when road positioning came up. BTW, hope the wounds inflicted in the Cycling forum have healed

Meredith

What is the story with cyclists who insist on using the road when there is a perfectly good cycle right beside them? Motorists pay tax which contribute to paying for said cycle lanes, cyclists pay NO tax....start using the lanes cyclists!!

Jumpy

Meredith wrote: »

What is the story with cyclists who insist on using the road when there is a perfectly good cycle right beside them? Motorists pay tax which contribute to paying for said cycle lanes, cyclists pay NO tax....start using the lanes cyclists!!

Err no?

The cycle lanes are more dangerous than the road.

concussion

This thread is awesome.

limklad

Cycle lanes are dangerous in Limerick with all those wide women not only taken over the large wide foot paths but also the cycle lanes too with either their dogs with long leads entering grass areas where children play allowing their dogs doing the business, or using child buggies with kids in them push into the road ahead of them with oncoming traffic, or with their wide waving arms look like they are doing the "Herr Hilter" thing at high speed with both of their arms slicing nearby pedestrians and cyclist alike .

And then you see the good looking ones with revealing clothing and you end up cycling into things such as lamp posts, sign posts, cars, trucks, hedges etc.

Dangerous world here in Limerick and you taught that gang land violence was bad!!:(.

dunworth1

i can think of a few places where i need to cycle on the path

sarsfield bridge for one the way at the side of the road it slopes down
cars come so close to the side of the road that you have no choice but to go on the foot path


i really wish they would do something about this.

i just do not feel safe cycling on the road in some places so i cycle or walk my bike on the path (depending whether their are people)

Jumpy

Walking isnt really an option in cleats.

concussion

dunworth, don't feel you need to get off the road because the side of the road is unsuitable, just push out as far into the lane as you need to. You're perfectly entitled to do so if the edge is unsafe. Obviously ensure you're visible to other traffic behind you. In general there's a lot of traffic coming across the bridge so you don't need to worry about holding up impatient people.

Mrmoe

All pedestrians, cyclists and motorists have a duty to prevent accidents at all times. This supersedes all other rules of the road.

ninety6days

Builderfromhell wrote: »

What is the best course of action if you get hit badly by cyclists.

hit them back?

seriously though, i've got this beaten. Crossing the ped zebra at the parkway roundabout. Stopped to let one of the cars pass, figured the next guy would bother to check as he was at a crawl. walked in front of him as he had stopped. He starts shouting behind me. I pointed out that maybe at a pedestrian crossing he shouldnt run people over. Off duty guard apparently, knows the law. I pissed myself laughing and carried on while he ranted.

Raiser

ninety6days wrote: »

hit them back?

seriously though, i've got this beaten. Crossing the ped zebra at the parkway roundabout. Stopped to let one of the cars pass, figured the next guy would bother to check as he was at a crawl. walked in front of him as he had stopped. He starts shouting behind me. I pointed out that maybe at a pedestrian crossing he shouldnt run people over. Off duty guard apparently, knows the law. I pissed myself laughing and carried on while he ranted.

Be careful - the Gardaí are knocking down at least one pedestrian a month recently......

- Don't think even the Joyriders have that casualty rate