Cycling on the quays ....

clairebear83

As a long-time cyclist in the city centre I am quite perturbed about cycling on the quays & was wondering how other people feel about it..?

I walked by the ghost bike yesterday in honour of the man killed a couple of months ago & to be honest it struck the fear of god into me (as does the one on Harold's cross bridge .. )
Since that accident I have avoided the quays like the plague as there is clearly not enough room for articulated lorries, buses, cars & cyclists, which is a bit of an inconvenience depending on where I'm going to !

Has anyone found that there been an improvement in attitudes towards cyclists on the quays since this accident from other road users ? I would imagine that seeing the ghost bike would make people more aware & careful but in this country i doubt anyone actually gives a sh*te . (sorry im a little disillusioned since i got hit by a bus earlier this year !!)

So basically I was just wondering how other people felt about it.. I have to go to temple bar on my lunch break & to be honest im sh*tting it thinking about cycling down there ! :eek:

Cheers

penexpers

If we were to avoid anything because some harm might arise then life wouldn't be very fun.

The quays are fine for cycling on so long as you are assertive and take the lane etc.. I do find the North Quays safer than the South Quays though.

clairebear83

jaysus dont i know - i am obsessed with cycling !

For some reason that accident has really affected me, i guess because i work closeby & some of my colleagues went by the scene that morning & pleaded with me not to cycle down there when they came into work.

I feel so much frustration with the council for not providing more adequate protection for cyclists on this portion of the quays & would love to do something about it but dont know what ....
At the end of the day even if you're lit up like a bloody christmas tree & wearing a helmet its not going to protect you from the blind spot of a truck or a bus ... and that frightens the bejesus out of me !

Chips Lovell

I don't have any particular problems with the quays. I think once you know how to cycle in proximity to HGVs and buses (or not in proximity more like it) and are confident about switchin lanes, its no more dangerous than any other road. I've seen more dangerous driving along the grand canal in the mornings for instance.

penexpers

clairebear83 wrote: »

At the end of the day even if you're lit up like a bloody christmas tree & wearing a helmet its not going to protect you from the blind spot of a truck or a bus

It's a good idea to never let your self be in the blind spot of a truck/bus - and it's easy to do as well. Whenever a HGV overtakes me, I jam on the brakes until it has passed me completely. I never try to underpass a HGV stopped in traffic.

Blowfish

penexpers wrote: »

The quays are fine for cycling on so long as you are assertive and take the lane etc.. I do find the North Quays safer than the South Quays though.

Definitely, East of the custom house especially, the North Quay is actually pretty wide with plenty of room for travelling alonside traffic. It'll be interesting to see how the new bridge affects traffic volume along there though.

petethedrummer

I cycled along it in both directions for most of the summer on a bike with ropey brakes. You just have to be a bit assertive. I only had one close call, but it was a left turning vehicle incident that could have happened anywhere.

DirkVoodoo

Getting to know the road would help also, my last trip down the south quay (possibly my 3rd ever by bike) I was hitting every little bump and pothole, being surprised by changing road layout and a little unsure of where the best road position was to be had.

On the other hand, I know my commute route backwards along with ever little surface imperfection, which makes it more pleasant and safer too.

barrabus

I think the quays are pretty darn dangerous. Maninly beacuse of the lane witdths, pedestrians and HGVs / Buses.
I do my best to aviod em. The south quays between O'Connell street and the Four Courts are objectively very dangerous no matter how good a city cyclist you are. The road width tapers a number of times meaning a vehicle is more likely to misjudge your road positioning.
Also you often have buses in both lanes with drivers with big blind spots ...

Jawgap

I've never been able to figure it out but the South Quays are much scarier than the North Quays.

The North Quays are just like any other road with heavy traffic and a bit of cop-on will keep you safe, but the South Quays seem dangerous - they would be my least favourite bit of road to be on with the bike in the Dublin.

beans

When I started cycling the Quays, I had to traverse the south-side from the IFSC to Heuston and beyond to Parkgate St. The following section used to always freak me out:



I started off by sticking to the Bus lane, the yellow dots below. This necessitated cutting across two lanes of traffic to get into the correct lane for turning right at Heuston. I now stick to (what I would consider) the correct (safer) lane from the final bridge, the red dots:



When I did this two years ago, I would get stick from drivers regularly, despite the space they have to pass me on the right. Anyway, I've been back on this route for the past 3 weeks, and this hasn't happened once. Perhaps proof positive of drivers becoming more aware of and considerate to cyclists?

I don't mind the quays, but remember a time that I did. It's certainly not intuitive, nor ideal for less experienced cyclists.

monument

Jawgap wrote: »

I've never been able to figure it out but the South Quays are much scarier than the North Quays.

The North Quays are just like any other road with heavy traffic and a bit of cop-on will keep you safe, but the South Quays seem dangerous - they would be my least favourite bit of road to be on with the bike in the Dublin.

It's the difference in space, road layout, and higher speeds obtained on the south quays.

blorg

monument wrote: »

It's the difference in space, road layout, and higher speeds obtained on the south quays.

Good point from Jawgap there, the south quays do feel much worse all right. Maybe something could be done to calm the traffic on them.

Bicyclegadabout

monument wrote: »

It's the difference in space, road layout, and higher speeds obtained on the south quays.

I always assumed it was because the South Quays are full of people mad to get out of Dublin, be it out to Lucan, Maynooth, or further out to Athlone, Mullingar or ultimately Sligo or Galway. Besides being in a rush to get out of Dublin, a lot of these people would not be that used to driving in Dublin.
Whereas the North Quays are full of people who've already spent ages in slow moving traffic, and aren't so giddy to capture each little opportunity to make time.

That's just a theory, but It is an attitude that I have noticed as a passenger of many drivers on the quays over the years.



Anyway...I've never had a peaceful ride down the South Quays. I've never had an accident on it either. If you have to use it, be assertive, but mind the big vehicles.

mmclo

But it is not unsafe to drive in a car afaik. Speed increases rapidly at Guinnesses and motorists change lanes sharply.These are two of the biggest factors.

I find it easier with experience i.e. changing lanes etc. but in extreme circumstances prepared to bail and not cross lanes but go to ped crossing near Hueston, though that hasn't happended in ages

BostonB

North quays if ok. South quays is poor. Mainly because the lane marking which would embrass a 3yr old. And almost no enforcement of speeding and its a fast stretch of road.

I would say the south quays is really only suitable for experienced cyclists. I know a few guys that do it everyday, but tbh it looks hairy when they do it. Just because they do it every day doesn't mean they do it right every day either. I don't like south quays myself and tend to avoid it. I'm usually heading for the phoenix park and thus I have cut across to the right on the quays at hueston, and then up Parkgate street. I don't like that stretch either. Its not cycle friendly.

North quays is fine.

tomasrojo

Part of the South Quays will be inside the new 30km/h zone, so perhaps that will make a difference. At least I think part of it is inside the new zone. Alas, as far as I remember, that doesn't include Guinness and further east.

As it is, I use the South Quays occasionally. If my route brought me along there everyday, I'd probably change my route. Likelihood of accident is a function of how hazardous a road is and how often you travel it. But, to be fair, I've never had any incident on it.

monument

I live on Parkgate Street, I'd see my self as a reasonably experienced urban cyclists, and think I am well able for the stretch of road. But I still avoid it and use routes north or south of it to get home.

Why? Because it's generally not enjoyable at all.

BostonB

tomasrojo wrote: »

Part of the South Quays will be inside the new 30km/h zone, so perhaps that will make a difference. ....

Theres always hope.