Dublins "Finest" wreck ghost bike on quays

kona

Well, unless its some artistic after-thought, I saw tonite that one of our many muttonheads decided it would be a great idea to go to town on the rear end of the "Ghost Bike" on the quay at the arch into Temple Bar.

Also saw a bike relieved of its rear wheel, and a bunch of locked bikes with the brake levers ripped off. My what a lovely city we live in. I wont even start on the cesspool of humanity that was in temple bar tonite, I think I should have drank more......Alot more.

I get more ashamed of this country every day.

Harrybelafonte

Jeez, thougt you meant cops first.

I know you're angry, but please don't fall into the trap so many Irish do by giving out about how crap Ireland is or how stupid etc the Irish are. There are few countries out there that I'd rather live in than here. England's Police State (not an exaggeration), America read same. Ireland has its moments, some really bad moments, but it's a damn sight better than a lot of other places.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Rumour has it that it was a crack commando unit of renegade boards.ie posters who were outraged that the family of the dead cyclist may not have been consulted in the erection of the monument.

blorg

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I know you're angry, but please don't fall into the trap so many Irish do by giving out about how crap Ireland is or how stupid etc the Irish are.

Oooh, now you've gone and done it. Just wait until Kona gets up :eek:

Captain Havoc

blorg wrote: »

Oooh, now you've gone and done it. Just wait until Kona gets up :eek:

And he'll be like a bull 'cause he's hungover

Harrybelafonte

Eh, I, no, I was tired earlier. I take it back, Kona. You were spot on.

Jip

kona wrote: »

I wont even start on the cesspool of humanity that was in temple bar tonite,

Well there's your problem, you were in Temple Bar !

mloc123

being temple bar it was more likely England/scotlands finest.

Doctor Bob

I passed this at 10:25 am on Friday morning and the back wheel was damaged at that stage, but in a way that suggested it had been hit by the bumper of a vehicle using the adjacent loading bay. Perhaps it was kicked in subsequently, but I don't think the initial damage was done by drunken yobs, Irish or otherwise- and I'd agree, the nationality is anything but certain given the location.

(Also, to the best of my knowledge, the family of the man in question was consulted before the bike was put there. Pretty sure that's standard Cycle Campaign policy. I'm definitely a ghost bike skeptic, but not for the reason suggested by Sean K.)

tomasrojo

I saw the back wheel buckled when I passed it on Saturday afternoon. Just the back wheel, no other obvious damage.

I'm also, like Doctor Bob, not a fan of Ghost Bikes, but I've mentioned the whys and wherefores before.

kona

Well, If it was damaged by a Truck in the Loading bay, regardless of your origin, you pay tax in Ireland, live in Dublin(probably) so are part of society. So I'd call them Dubliners.

I'd also imagine that since the majority of people in Temple Bar are Irish, I would say it was Irish.

RE: Me going on a Hate Ireland rant. From being a regular visitor to both the UK and USA, I have to say I feel safer walking around Hells Kitchen in NY then Temple Bar at night.
Ireland needs a few years as a Police state, We REALLY need a Zero Tolerance, no bull**** view to petty crime and Drunken Bull****. The place has really gone to the dogs, I suggest you spend a night in temple bar on a saturday nite, then a night in NY and in London maybe. Then compare, IMO Dublin is a disgrace. (actually watch Taxi Driver, Times square in that is like O connel street in dublin these days)

Dont believe everything in the papers, USA and Britain are seen to be police state due to High Security.
If Ireland was being targetted by a bunch of Lunatic extremists we would be the same. Norn Iron 20 years ago anybody?

Lumen

kona wrote: »

RE: Me going on a Hate Ireland rant. From being a regular visitor to both the UK and USA, I have to say I feel safer walking around Hells Kitchen in NY then Temple Bar at night.

You may be right about the top tourist spots, but I don't think that applies to the countries in general. There are many towns in the UK where you'd need your head examined to go out after dark on a Fri/Sat night, and I'd imagine a fair few places in the US even more so (although it is difficult to generalise about such a huge and diverse country).

Before moving to Ireland I lived for a while in one of the richest/"nicest" parts of London (the sort of place where every other car is a Porsche and you regularly see film stars in the supermarket), and on a Friday night the high street was taken over by drunken idiots pushing each other around in shopping trolleys and playing steeplechase over cars. I had my car vandalised and one night my scooter was stolen three times.

I'd also draw a distinction between acts against property and those against the person. Whilst it is disrespectful, pointless and stupid to vandalise a ghost bike, it is just a few bits of metal, and whilst it is possible that those responsible then go on to rob/stab someone I don't know whether there is actually any correlation.

poochiem

^that^

I've been all over the US and going out after 5pm is something that is not feasible in many places. In lots of urban centres there is almost no street lighting; you think Temple Bar is bad you should try Birmingham (Alabama not England!)...only junkies are on the street and its like that throughout the south. Also there is simply no social life in a LOT of American towns, no bar scene, nothing; you go to work and drink beer in front of your own TV.

Hell's Kitchen is a gentrified area of mid-manhattan, the home of actors and celebrities and the well off, it used to be rough up until the late 80's. You should try Chicago, Detroit, Philly, LA, Atlanta, Washington etc etc couple of blocks out of the CBD and you will get mugged/may get shot; and it's the cops will warn you that!

Outside of NooYoik and San Fran I don't think you'd be too happy trying to cycle anywhere either.

I think I'm happier here, with the occasional whinge.

dave.obrien

The most important single factor in why I won't move away from Ireland is that if I did, and the other places were genuinely better, I would have to stop complaining. I don't know how I'd manage that.

But I echo what others have said, I think that there are qualities in Dublin that make it worth staying for (which are VERY difficult to see in Temple Bar at the weekend), and negatives to other cities that might not be apparent unless you live there for a long time. Petty crime and scumbags aren't anthropological anomalies unique to Dublin, unfortunately.

Also, I would like to say that if anyone vandalised a ghost bike knowing what it represented, then it is especially bad. But given that most people don't know what the ghost bike thing is about, I doubt that IF the bike was vandalised, it was done so knowing it was a memorial.

wayne0308

I didn't know what these ghosts bikes were until I read this thread. To be honest I haven't seen any or noticed them. I'd say only the dedicated scummer would have vandalised it if they knew it was a memorial. If I didn't see the plaque I would have just said to myself jeez thats a rough looking bike.

I'm not sure how these ghost bikes are placed, but that has to be a factor aswell, if a lot of goods vehicles are loading or unloading in the area, its only a matter of time until the bike gets a shunt.

dave.obrien

wayne0308 wrote: »

I'm not sure how these ghost bikes are placed, but that has to be a factor aswell, if a lot of goods vehicles are loading or unloading in the area, its only a matter of time until the bike gets a shunt.

They're located where a cyclist has died in a road collision. Maybe the fact that that's where a person was killed would suggest that the bike itself might not be out harms way either? Is there any evidence for or against the theory that the bike looks like it was hit by a goods vehicle yet?

Chips Lovell

Homicides (per 100,000):
New York: 6.3
London: 2.2
Dublin: 2.1

Robbery (per 100,000):
New York: 265
London: 466
Dublin: 116

You're more likely to get killed or robbed in New York or London.

Doctor Bob

dave.obrien wrote: »

Is there any evidence for or against the theory that the bike looks like it was hit by a goods vehicle yet?

Isn't a Doctor's word sufficient?

I'll try for a glimpse shortly and let you know if it's worse now than it was on Friday. On Friday, the damage looked pretty unambiguously vehicular.

Doctor Bob

Okay, it's definitely had another going over in the interim. Both wheels are buckled, where only the back one was done on Friday.

And as to the question of cause, on Friday it looked like our litte Pacman symbol (:pac:) in reverse, which would suggest to me a force consistent with rear-ending by a bumper rather than a pair of size 12s.

Edit: This is relevant insofar as the question of intent is relevant. There's a big difference between vandalism and inadvertent damage.

niceonetom

Leeds city centre at about 1am is by far the scariest place I have ever been.

Signal_ rabbit

Lumen wrote: »

You may be right about the top tourist spots, but I don't think that applies to the countries in general. There are many towns in the UK where you'd need your head examined to go out after dark on a Fri/Sat night, and I'd imagine a fair few places in the US even more so (although it is difficult to generalise about such a huge and diverse country).

Before moving to Ireland I lived for a while in one of the richest/"nicest" parts of London (the sort of place where every other car is a Porsche and you regularly see film stars in the supermarket), and on a Friday night the high street was taken over by drunken idiots pushing each other around in shopping trolleys and playing steeplechase over cars. I had my car vandalised and one night my scooter was stolen three times.

I'd also draw a distinction between acts against property and those against the person. Whilst it is disrespectful, pointless and stupid to vandalise a ghost bike, it is just a few bits of metal, and whilst it is possible that those responsible then go on to rob/stab someone I don't know whether there is actually any correlation.

A scooter?! You were obviously in the posh part of the town (which part?), I used to dream of owning a scooter, I grew up in the dodgy part of SE London, we had to get up early, lick road clean etc etc.

Having been here for thirteen years now, Ireland appears to be a lot safer, well it is out in the sticks!

kona

Without dragging this even more off topic, I'd like to make the point that in the USA Guns are legal. Its alot easier to pull a trigger and run, than to either A) Stab somebody Beat them to death.

Yes, there are plenty of guns here, in the hands of scumbags, but no to the same extent as NY.

As for London, well, I get what you say, Fulham Broadway on a matchday afternoon is "Interesting" to say the least.:D

jaqian

wayne0308 wrote: »

I didn't know what these ghosts bikes were until I read this thread.

Same here.

To be honest I haven't seen any or noticed them.

Agree again. Great idea to raise awareness tho.