Bikers in Traffic

remotesensor

Has anyone ever been in heavy traffic and a biker flies up the middle of the road brushing off your car or hitting your wing mirror and you're left sitting there fuming as they keep on going as if it didn't happen?

It's happened 3 times to me over the last year and I saw it happen to another driver the other day. I've only seen it in city centre btw. There was never really any damage done or deep scratches but I find it absolutely infuriating that someone brushes their bike off my car and doesn't even acknowledge it. You are just left sitting there, in the heavy traffic effing and blinding and wondering when you can pull in or have enough time between lights to get out to see if there's any damage.

I know theres nothing I can really do about it but I'm just wondering do other people find this happening all the time?

*I keep a good road position btw, I'm always conscious of that.

daveharnett

This might encourage some more considerate overtaking

fryup

Bikers should be put up against a wall and shot, they ruin the roads for us law-abiding car drivers

Cuddlesworth

fryup wrote: »

Bikers should be put up against a wall and shot, they ruin the roads for us law-abiding car drivers

I have yet to meet one.

Gumbo

fryup wrote: »

us law-abiding car drivers

havent seen much of them lately tbh

fryup

daveharnett wrote: »

This might encourage some more considerate overtaking

do Halfords sell em??

Dartz

fryup wrote: »

Bikers should be put up against a wall and shot, they ruin the roads for us law-abiding car drivers

Fryup.... you're in for one man.

I for one, have seen the exact opposite to be the case.

Dirk Gently

remotesensor wrote: »

Has anyone ever been in heavy traffic

no

remotesensor wrote: »

You are just left sitting there, in the heavy traffic effing and blinding

You need a bike tbh.

P.C.

fryup wrote: »

Bikers should be put up against a wall and shot, they ruin the roads for us law-abiding car drivers

How exactly do I ruin the roads for you? :mad:

I ride very responsibly, but have had quite a few law-abiding cars try and take me out by changing lanes with out looking, etc.

I am allowed to filter on my bike, and would never touch a car - my bike is too valuable.

KamiKazi

fryup wrote: »

Bikers should be put up against a wall and shot, they ruin the roads for us law-abiding car drivers

Can't tell if you're trolling or retarded, but I can assure your average motorcyclist is 10x the responsible driver the average car driver is.

Alanstrainor

fryup wrote: »

Bikers should be put up against a wall and shot, they ruin the roads for us law-abiding car drivers

ah here stop the trolling.

Nothing to see here, move it along.

Danbo!

In my own experience (as a car driver & cyclist) motorcyclists are very law abiding, they have to be to survive!! Moped drivers are a completely different story, dangerously undertaking etc..

MASTIE

P.C. wrote: »

How exactly do I ruin the roads for you? :mad:

I ride very responsibly, but have had quite a few law-abiding cars try and take me out by changing lanes with out looking, etc.

I am allowed to filter on my bike, and would never touch a car - my bike is too valuable.

I was taken out by a law abiding car driver changing lanes without looking twice in 12 months. Put an end to my biking days.:mad:

remotesensor

Here, there as many bad bikers as there is bad drivers, this wasn't a rant about bikers per se. I was just wondering was this happening to other drivers too as it has happened to me so many times. I know there is pretty much nothing I can do about it.

alias no.9

P.C. wrote: »

I am allowed to filter on my bike, and would never touch a car - my bike is too valuable.

You are alowed to filter on the right to make a right turn and filter on the left to make a left turn.

P.C.

alias no.9 wrote: »

You are alowed to filter on the right to make a right turn and filter on the left to make a left turn.

No, I am allowed to filter.

alias no.9

P.C. wrote: »

No, I am allowed to filter.

Where does it say that?

Juwwi

Some of the bikers on the m1 in the mornings must be thrill seekers.

Making a third lane in the middle of the road at 70mph and weaving in and out of traffic and l have never seen 1 weaving bike indicating.

Wossack

alias no.9 wrote: »

Where does it say that?

where does it say you're not? theres no laws on filtering - gets treated the same as overtaking afaik

alias no.9

Wossack wrote: »

where does it say you're not? theres no laws on filtering - gets treated the same as overtaking afaik

Indeed, there are no laws on filtering. Bikes are treated no different than cars under the law. If it's overtaking, then the laws are the same as they are for cars.

P.C.

alias no.9 wrote: »

Where does it say that?

FILTERING:
i.e. overtaking slow moving or stationary traffic. It should only be carried out by trained and experienced motorcyclists and should never be attempted by novices or newcomers. It requires intense concentration and awareness, high levels of observation, machine handling and anticipatory skills

More here.

SonOfPerdition

About 10 years ago i clipped a ladies mirror and dislodged it while filtering in heavy city traffic. I stopped and tried to refit the mirror for her but failed. I gave the lady my mobile number and told her to repair it and i'd reimburse her.

About a week later i got a call in work and it was the same lady saying that she had a quote for 65 punts, so i got her address and sent her a cheque for the full amount that day.

yet another week later the same lady rang again to thank me, not just for the money but mainly for making a point to her husband. It turns out he had given her a hard time over it saying that she was stupid to trust a scummy biker and that she wouldn't see a penny. when she got the cheque he had muttered "it'll probably bounce". When it cleared in her bank she had great pleasure in telling him the "nice biker" had paid in full. We chatted for about 5 minutes and both of us hung up laughing at her husband's stereotyping.

I've clipped other mirrors since, mainly white vans for some reason and always stop to make sure no damage was done. I've also clipped a taxi with my pannier, i didn't realise it until he blew his horn and told me. Once he knew i had been oblivious and was ready to check for damage he waved me on. it was the perception that i was pissing off that annoyed him, and rightly so.

we're not all holligans, most of us ride sensibly and will take responsibility if we do feck up.

mind you, there are arseholes who ride bikes, the same as there are arseholes who drive cars, its not what they ride/drive its just the way some people are.

rccaulfield

robbie1977 wrote: »

Some of the bikers on the m1 in the mornings must be thrill seekers.

Making a third lane in the middle of the road at 70mph and weaving in and out of traffic and l have never seen 1 weaving bike indicating.

I always indicate going thru the middle, traffics never moving at 70 tho-far from it!!! Nearly at a standstill in alot of parts closer to swords exit-feel sorry for the poor car drivers sitting in that every day-not slagging at all here!!!
A fair few bad drivers out there bikes included, need to be good to survive tho imo!
OP- never happened to me in the cage - That would be very annoying!!!

Cuddlesworth

robbie1977 wrote: »

Some of the bikers on the m1 in the mornings must be thrill seekers.

Making a third lane in the middle of the road at 70mph and weaving in and out of traffic and l have never seen 1 weaving bike indicating.

Like car drivers who like to tear around those bikers won't last long.

RosieJoe

fryup wrote: »

Bikers should be put up against a wall and shot, they ruin the roads for us law-abiding car drivers

You one of these lay-abiding idiot car drivers who move across lanes to block bikes filtering in traffic? Have come across a lot of them on the M50 :mad:

Cuddlesworth

remotesensor wrote: »

*I keep a good road position btw, I'm always conscious of that.

Thinking about this last night, you are either extremely unlucky or you have horrible road position and awareness.

hobochris

remotesensor wrote: »

Here, there as many bad bikers as there is bad drivers

Motorcyclists make up 2% of all road users in Ireland.

So even if every motorcyclist in the country was bad they still wouldn't match the numbers for bad car drivers.

A large majority of bikers in Ireland have had advanced training and have taken advanced(grade 2) assessments, its practically a requirement if you want to ride a motorcycle in this country and live to see your next birthday.

Jaysoose

Ahh motorcyclists...had a run in a month or so back with one particulrly hard and tough biker, was going over the bridge going from castleknock into blanchardstown village were there is very little space if you are on the apex of the bridge and a biker guy tried to go down the inside of me and hadnt enough room. He gets past me after traffice moves off and makes a gesture to me so i gave him the fingers back, he stops and asks me to wind down my window...convo went like this.....

him: did you just give me da bleedin fingers?
me: yeah i did
him: pull over down here and i will sort you out
me: sure no hassle

He pulls in and i drive past him giving him the fingers at the same time laughing at his general douchbaggyness, dont think he was impressed.

Isolated incident i know but the fact remains that this partcular biker seemed to believe that the rules of the road didnt apply and i should have pulled over onto the footpath to let him past.

bladespin

If a biker hits your car it's an accident, if they ride off you have the right to report them for leaving the scene.


TBH if a biker rubs your car then, more often than not it's down to your road position, narrowing a lane. Bikes are big lumps of metal, if they rub off your car they will leave dents, scrapes and general damage, if there is no damage then it was probably the rider's clothing.


Leaglly, filtering is quite legal unless you break a traffic law while doing so; speeding - silly, crossing a solid line to get by, careless etc.

I've ridden bikes for nearly 20 years and have encountered every kind of car driver, most may not be law-abiding but they're courteous, there are a few that hate to see a bike filter past (illogical jealousy I guess) so they will deliberately pull over to the line if they see a bike in their mirror (dangerous driving), I generally give then a close shave or a pat on the mirror, just to thank them etc.

Run_to_da_hills

I blame bad planning by the Dublin City Council for not permitting bikers use bus lanes. As a Biker I a have no choice but to filter through the narrow gaps between cars often posing a risk to myself when some idiot opens a door in my path or pedestrians J walking. Many roads throughout the city have been made the gap even narrower for motorcyclists since the introduction of cycle / bus lanes.

macplaxton

remotesensor wrote: »

Has anyone ever been in heavy traffic and a biker flies up the middle of the road brushing off your car or hitting your wing mirror and you're left sitting there fuming as they keep on going as if it didn't happen?

I'd acknowledge it, but still keep going unless I took it clean off. But that attitude is going on past experience.

Knocking mirrors is "fair game" in London (where I worked as a despatch rider) and spent more miles filtering through traffic than most have had in lifetime, but a good filterer should be able to miss everything - just - most of the time. My handle bar mirrors would go over most car mirrors, and would go under transit van mirror if a dab of the brakes where applied just before reaching them to make the front suspension dip in time. Brake levers, handle bar ends and mirror for motorcycles aren't cheap either, so any contact isn't intentional.

Good road positioning is essential to avoid knocks.

Never had it happen in Dublin, sitting in a car, but then I usually see them coming and position myself accordingly.

but there's a big difference between a shoulder knock which has caused the mirror housing to ping and a heftier blow that does physical damage to the part

SonOfPerdition

bladespin wrote: »

I generally give then a close shave or a pat on the mirror, just to thank them etc.

you'll be smacking the ground sooner or later if you keep that up.

hobochris

SonOfPerdition wrote: »

you'll be smacking the ground sooner or later if you keep that up.

You have to catch the bike first, average bike is 3-4 times faster than most cars.

SonOfPerdition

macplaxton wrote: »

but there's a big difference between a shoulder knock which has caused the mirror housing to ping and a heftier blow that does physical damage to the part

if you hit the mirror housing hard enough to make it ping you've most likely scratched it . . i.e. physically damaged it.

SonOfPerdition

hobochris wrote: »

You have to catch the bike first, average bike is 3-4 times faster than most cars.

No matter how fast you are if a car driver turns or moves to the right as a biker is making a close pass or patting the mirror then prepare to taste tarmac. Any biker that thinks the performance of his bike is going to get him out of trouble is going to wise up sooner or later .....the hard way.

BlackWizard

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Not in the wet

Here we go. Round 1.

Bikes -v- Cars

I've never been touched by a bike. One bike put his hand on my car when he was driving by.

I'd love to have a bike instead of a car, but the dangers and weather are too big factors for me

agent_smith

Actually modern day bike tyre technology is fairly advanced. I remember reading superbike magazine and they said that most bikes are limited by the rider and not the surface these days (ice, snow etc... excepted).
Anyway back on topic.... As both a car driver (cager) and a biker, I can understand how infuriating it would be to have somebody slap against your car mirror when filtering. That said.... as a biker... the last thing i want to do is bump my mirrors because bike mirrors are damn expensive to replace. I usually only filter (inside or outside) a lane of traffic if I can be aboslutely sure i will not bump my mirrors. If traffic is stopped and i cannot get past without bumping my mirrors i pull them in and move past and then push them out again. I think its common courtesy. That said, I would imagine that most bikers would have a good road ethic.

slimjimmc

bladespin wrote: »

If a biker hits your car it's an accident, if they ride off you have the right to report them for leaving the scene.

TBH if a biker rubs your car then, more often than not it's down to your road position, narrowing a lane. Bikes are big lumps of metal, if they rub off your car they will leave dents, scrapes and general damage, if there is no damage then it was probably the rider's clothing.

I don't agree. If a biker contacts your car while filtering past crawling or stationary traffic it's nearly always the biker's fault, assuming no one actually moves out to squeeze the bike out as he's passing. Every driver, including bikers, should be constantly aware of the width of his vehicle and the gap needed to get past cleanly. If the way through is blocked by a badly positioned car, or narrowing lane, or what ever the cause, the end result is the same... if the gap is too narrow do not attempt to squeeze through, bide your time and wait for a safe opportunity. This rule applies to all road users.

ToxicPaddy

Stee wrote: »

...Moped drivers are a completely different story, dangerously undertaking etc..

Jeez there is a sweeping statement if I ever saw one.. :rolleyes:

I have a moped and twice I have been hit by car drivers who simply are off in a world of their own.

One guy pulled out of a junction and hit me side on when I was on the main road and he was pulling onto to from a side road so I had right of way.. and another decided it was a good idea to just change lanes on the quays in Dublin without even bothering to look to his left (he was in the right lane) and without notice or indicating, decided to cross 2 lanes to pull into a bus stop/layby.. side swiped me and nearly put me into a bus that was parked to my left.. :mad:

Not all moped drivers are not dangerous, most are sensible careful drivers, just like a lot of bikers and car drivers.. there are exceptions to the rule but dont tar us all with the same brush please!!

Tox

bladespin

SonOfPerdition wrote: »

you'll be smacking the ground sooner or later if you keep that up.

I doubt it very much, hard to be hit by a stationary car lol, great imagination you have though.

I'm pretty sure I'd be able to hold it up, after all, it's a slow manouver, god help the driver when I stop though, I take a very dim view of someone attempting to assault me with their car.

bladespin

slimjimmc wrote: »

I don't agree. If a biker contacts your car while filtering past crawling or stationary traffic it's nearly always the biker's fault, assuming no one actually moves out to squeeze the bike out as he's passing. Every driver, including bikers, should be constantly aware of the width of his vehicle and the gap needed to get past cleanly. If the way through is blocked by a badly positioned car, or narrowing lane, or what ever the cause, the end result is the same... if the gap is too narrow do not attempt to squeeze through, bide your time and wait for a safe opportunity. This rule applies to all road users.

That's exactly what I said. if a biker hits your car and drives off it's leaving the scene of an accident.

I obey the rules and am aware of the limits of my machine, if it's safe to continue I will.

hobochris

bladespin wrote: »

I doubt it very much, hard to be hit by a stationary car lol, great imagination you have though.

I'm pretty sure I'd be able to hold it up, after all, it's a slow manouver, god help the driver when I stop though, I take a very dim view of someone attempting to assault me with their car.

Assault? I'd consider it attempted murder and would let the red mist take over accordingly.

Blazher

remotesensor wrote: »

Has anyone ever been in heavy traffic and a biker flies up the middle of the road brushing off your car or hitting your wing mirror and you're left sitting there fuming as they keep on going as if it didn't happen?

.

Being a Biker, I will say move over and make sure there is enough room for a bike to filter up! Its your own doing not the bikers

Cuddlesworth

agent_smith wrote: »

Actually modern day bike tyre technology is fairly advanced. I remember reading superbike magazine and they said that most bikes are limited by the rider and not the surface these days (ice, snow etc... excepted).

I would say with Irish roads there are enough things on the surface of the road, small patch's of gravel, tar lines, road markings, dirt, cow **** etc which would minimally effect a car pushing its limits but be lethal a bike.

stevenmu

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

As a Biker I a have no choice but to filter through the narrow gaps between cars often posing a risk to myself when some idiot opens a door in my path or pedestrians J walking. Many roads throughout the city have been made the gap even narrower for motorcyclists since the introduction of cycle / bus lanes.

Well, you do have the choice of just stopping and waiting for traffic to move off or for a gap to open up, you don't actually have to try and get through if it will be dangerous to yourself or others to do so.

One universal truth on irish roads that applies to both car and bike drivers is that if people were willing to wait and add an extra minute or two onto their journey time we'd all get where we want to go much safer.

I do agree about the width of the roads though, there are places where cycle and bus lanes have cut into regular traffic lanes so much that there's not even room to fit a car, let alone leave extra room for bikes. And I'm some who likes to try and leave room for bikers/cyclists. It's nice to look out at someone not spending their life stuck in a queue and dream

rccaulfield

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Not in the wet

Eh no- grip is down in the same way for bikes and cars in the wet! Nowhere near.

zynaps

stevenmu wrote: »

I do agree about the width of the roads though, there are places where cycle and bus lanes have cut into regular traffic lanes so much that there's not even room to fit a car, let alone leave extra room for bikes. And I'm some who likes to try and leave room for bikers/cyclists. It's nice to look out at someone not spending their life stuck in a queue and dream

It might help as well if road markings gave more warnings of things like lane termination/merging etc. Sometimes you're driving up an unfamiliar two-lane road and suddenly your lane is for turning left/right only. This happens a few times coming from Santry down the Swords Road towards the Shantalla bridge - one minute you're in the right hand lane and the other is a bus lane, then the right-hand lane is for turning right only so you move left, then it becomes the bus lane again so you move right, then it happens again, then the left hand lane is for turning left only and the right is for going straight - some of them aren't indicated (or I need my eyes checked ) until you're practically hitting a junction which means rash, rushed decisions which reduce the driver's ability to observe and make decisions in good time. Which makes things more dangerous for bikers coming up behind/alongside.

Dazher wrote:

Being a Biker, I will say move over and make sure there is enough room for a bike to filter up! Its your own doing not the bikers

No, it's the biker's. If you look into a gap and see that there isn't enough room, don't ride into it. Simple! If someone has parked their car horizontally across the road, I can't drive straight into them then complain that it's "their doing" that I'm suddenly in a wheelchair. You should always take responsibility for your actions, even if the other party has done something stupid or inconsiderate.

I rode a bicycle for 6 years or so (until it was stolen just after I passed my driving test :P) and an attitude of "he's in the wrong, so I'll just go ahead" would just have gotten me flattened under a bus.

funkyjebus

Oh I've done this, only once. But i'd do it again. Why cyclists must conform with the RTA but vehicles don't is beyond me.

I was cycling up a road coming to a red light, now it is my right as a cyclist under the RTA to use the full lane, but I like many other cyclists don't we stay to teh side to aid the flow of traffic. In this circumstance I didn't as the red light was upcoming and saw no point in a car over taking me. However he did, whipped out onto the other side of the overtook me whipped back into lane and stopped infront of me (about 10 feet in front) and left not enough space for me to get by.

He deserved it and i'd do it again. Drivers (not all but a few, only takes one to knock me down) do this to me all the time. Happens at least once a day.

BlackWizard

funkyjebus wrote: »

Oh I've done this, only once. But i'd do it again. Why cyclists must conform with the RTA but vehicles don't is beyond me.

I was cycling up a road coming to a red light, now it is my right as a cyclist under the RTA to use the full lane, but I like many other cyclists don't we stay to teh side to aid the flow of traffic. In this circumstance I didn't as the red light was upcoming and saw no point in a car over taking me. However he did, whipped out onto the other side of the overtook me whipped back into lane and stopped infront of me (about 10 feet in front) and left not enough space for me to get by.

He deserved it and i'd do it again. Drivers (not all but a few, only takes one to knock me down) do this to me all the time. Happens at least once a day.

When cyclists start paying road tax and insurance I'll treat them as another vehicle on the road. Until then, move the f00k out of the way and stop cycling in pairs blocking up half the road.

remotesensor

Blazher wrote: »

Being a Biker, I will say move over and make sure there is enough room for a bike to filter up! Its your own doing not the bikers

Oh cheers thanks. I guess Ill just keep half my car in the bus/cycle lane so. As I stated in the original post I stay within my markings. If that's the attitude its no wonder I've been hit a few times. Maybe I should just pull in when I see a bike in my mirror.....

Cuddlesworth

remotesensor wrote: »

Oh cheers thanks. I guess Ill just keep half my car in the bus/cycle lane so. As I stated in the original post I stay within my markings. If that's the attitude its no wonder I've been hit a few times. Maybe I should just pull in when I see a bike in my mirror.....

Cool.

While your at it, could you get me a Coffey too? Black, no sugar.