Rain madness

chemgirl

Why is it that when it rains people driving cars become absolutely insane!!! I drive into college every day and when it rains its just pure madness. Take this morning for example when after spending about 15 mins getting from cornelscourt to mount anville i see an ambulance fly up the road and pull in. As i come up to it al you can see is this poor child about 14 or so thats been knocked off his bike spread over the road and path getting help while a bunch of people stand around looking. Now at the best of times people go down this road fast but when theres traffic and they see the oppurtunity to speed they bomb down it. This accident required 3 ambulances, a fire engine and 2 police cars. Not 5 mins later i couldnt pass through a traffic lights as their was no room in front of the yellow box but the woman in a merc behind me decided she didnt want to wait so decided to pull round in front of me nearly causing another accident!!!!
Seriously what makes people go crazy in the rain????? :eek:

kfallon

The whole 'splashing people by driving into puddles' buzz just doesn't do it for some people these days!

Sea Sharp

Because when it's raining the mammys all give their kids a lift to school leading to more traffic on the road and more 'madness'.

Case closed.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!!!

mp3kid

chemgirl wrote: »

this poor child about 14 or so thats been knocked off his bike spread over the road and path getting help while a bunch of people stand around looking. Now at the best of times people go down this road fast but when theres traffic and they see the oppurtunity to speed they bomb down it. This accident required 3 ambulances, a fire engine and 2 police cars.

Saw this on my way to work, gave me quite a fright. Poor kid looked in a bad way.

I think the people standing watching were involved in the crash and/or witnessed it so were asked to stay by the medics.

gurramok

You drive into college? :eek: Perhaps you are adding to the heavy traffic just like mammys bringing their darlings to school!

Back in my day, I cycled in all in types of weather. It was rare anyone drove into college.

mp3kid

gurramok wrote: »

Back in my day, I cycled in all in types of weather. It was rare anyone drove into college.

and brought your own packed lunch aswell ?

Kimono-Girl

gurramok wrote: »

Back in my day, I cycled in all in types of weather. It was rare anyone drove into college.

ah but back in my day we didn't have fancy pants bikes! we used walk in all types of weather!

i remember one day was walking up college road from the bus stop and it was lashing, real heavy down pour, we got absolutely soaked through by the time we got to the college a change of clothes was needed! good times!

stovelid

At various times, I'm a pedestrian, driver and cyclist and the road is full of bell-ends from each category: dangerous drivers, arrogant cyclists and thick pedestrians that jaywalk without warning.

The rain just exacerbates the bad behaviour from everybody.

gurramok

mp3kid wrote: »

and brought your own packed lunch aswell ?

Yeh, bag on my back with lunch, puncture repair kit, bicycle pump & raingear at the ready for when that rain comes.

chemgirl

gurramok wrote: »

You drive into college? :eek: Perhaps you are adding to the heavy traffic just like mammys bringing their darlings to school!

Back in my day, I cycled in all in types of weather. It was rare anyone drove into college.

somehow i dont think cycling from WICKLOW would get me in for my nine lecture.

gurramok

chemgirl wrote: »

somehow i dont think cycling from WICKLOW would get me in for my nine lecture.

Driving that far on a students wages must be costing you a fair whack.

They have trains in Wickla! Bus it in?

If you're living in the middle of nowhere, drive to the train station doing your bit to reduce congestion and help the environment:pac:

biko

After Hours -> Driver's forum

kylith

I've just had to put up listening to my boss moan about having to walk 10 feet to his car, then drive home in the rain. Pity about him, I had to cycle 5km to work this morning, but according to him that's my choice.

My boss can be a right pain.

starlit

I don't like getting splashed by cars in the rain!

GTE

gurramok wrote: »

Driving that far on a students wages must be costing you a fair whack.

They have trains in Wickla! Bus it in?

If you're living in the middle of nowhere, drive to the train station doing your bit to reduce congestion and help the environment:pac:

This general argument, however well intentioned, doesnt work in all cases.

Being in the middle of nowhere means you need the car to get to the places that public transport dont think you need to get to so then you have car insurance etc. plus public transport costs? Even being in bigger towns that arent under the Dublin Bus umbrella means you cant get to the other local places unless it happens to be on the main bus route to Dublin ect.

For me it was just as easy to drive in to college BUT since I needed the car for the everyday stuff back home it was much cheaper to just drive yourself.
Even being in bigger towns that arent under the Dublin Bus umbrella means you cant get to the other local places unless it happens to be on the main bus route to Dublin ect.

TwoShedsJackson

Drivers here do not moderate their driving to suit conditions: sun beating down, peasoup fog, torrential rain, night, whatever, they're going to drive the way they want.

dr.fuzzenstein

chemgirl wrote: »

Not 5 mins later i couldnt pass through a traffic lights as their was no room in front of the yellow box but the woman in a merc behind me decided she didnt want to wait so decided to pull round in front of me nearly causing another accident!!!!
Seriously what makes people go crazy in the rain????? :eek:

OK, I've read through this sentence several times, if I understand you correctly the woman behind you overtook you in stationary traffic to get ahead of you?
And there was a yellow box?
That's what I think it means, but that is so nuts I refuse to believe it.
OK, now I've heard everything. You should have taken her number, I would.
If you have it, call the Gards, they might even do something (and FF might become a bastion of professionalism), but it's worth a shot.
Sadly it seems that nothing is ever done about this type of behaviour on Irish roads, the Gards don't seem to care and nothing ever happens to people like that.
Unless a child gets knocked down, then the nation leaps to it's feet as one and roars "How Could That Have Happened?!"
How indeed.

gurramok

bbk wrote: »

This general argument, however well intentioned, doesnt work in all cases.

Being in the middle of nowhere means you need the car to get to the places that public transport dont think you need to get to so then you have car insurance etc. plus public transport costs? Even being in bigger towns that arent under the Dublin Bus umbrella means you cant get to the other local places unless it happens to be on the main bus route to Dublin ect.

For me it was just as easy to drive in to college BUT since I needed the car for the everyday stuff back home it was much cheaper to just drive yourself.
Even being in bigger towns that arent under the Dublin Bus umbrella means you cant get to the other local places unless it happens to be on the main bus route to Dublin ect.

One has to wonder how a student aged under 25 who has no regular work(some may have part time) can afford to splash out at least 2k on car insurance alone.

I'd had thought that earning money (which a student wouldn't have much of) for your education was top priority. Those who live in the middle of nowhere usually move house, student digs comes to mind.

In yours and OP case, I guess it depends on how far you are from the college and how far you are from the nearest public transport route.

Voodoomelon

gurramok wrote: »

Yeh, bag on my back with lunch, puncture repair kit, bicycle pump & raingear at the ready for when that rain comes.

I cycled to college for 6 years. Its funny, people always say "theres no chance in hell you'd catch me cycling, sure it never stops raining", when in fact i'd very, very rarely get caught in the rain, maybe less than 10 times a year. Sure its often wet, but not raining.

Heroditas

mp3kid wrote: »

and brought your own packed lunch aswell ?

It was either that or eat the muck served in the UCD restaurant.
Urgh, I still shudder at the thought of what they used to serve there back in the 90s

Absurdum

gurramok wrote: »

One has to wonder how a student aged under 25 who has no regular work(some may have part time) can afford to splash out at least 2k on car insurance alone.

I'd had thought that earning money (which a student wouldn't have much of) for your education was top priority. Those who live in the middle of nowhere usually move house, student digs comes to mind.

One really has no business wondering about someone else's finances to be honest. Maybe he/she is a mature student, maybe they won the Lotto, maybe they have wealthy parents.

ottostreet

Absurdum wrote: »

One really has no business wondering about someone else's finances to be honest. Maybe he/she is a mature student, maybe they won the Lotto, maybe they have wealthy parents.

Exactly, not really any of your business, or anyones.

gurramok

Absurdum wrote: »

One really has no business wondering about someone else's finances to be honest. Maybe he/she is a mature student, maybe they won the Lotto, maybe they have wealthy parents.

That was a general comment as to students driving to college as wealthy students like mature students are a minority rather than the rule.

T-Maxx

IMO the majority of Irish drivers have very little to none mechanical aptitude. They always drive in a fixed way, oblivious to road conditions, resulting in the typical lame-ass excuses.

gurramok

T-Maxx wrote: »

IMO the majority of Irish drivers have very little to none mechanical aptitude. They always drive in a fixed way, oblivious to road conditions, resulting in the typical lame-ass excuses.

Most I find drive with their lights on in rainy weather which is a good thing, total opposite to what it was like even 5 yrs ago.

Do they judge the stopping distances in the wet? No

Do they slow down and be that extra careful? No

We're progressing in baby steps in wet road safety

GTE

gurramok wrote: »

One has to wonder how a student aged under 25 who has no regular work(some may have part time) can afford to splash out at least 2k on car insurance alone.

I'd had thought that earning money (which a student wouldn't have much of) for your education was top priority. Those who live in the middle of nowhere usually move house, student digs comes to mind.

In yours and OP case, I guess it depends on how far you are from the college and how far you are from the nearest public transport route.

To be honest it is pushing the boundarys of common sense to think that it is significant. What does my or the OP's financial situation have to do with the thread subject anyway?

The very simple answer to your original comment which I will repeat to you is fundementally:
- Public transport in many areas in Leinster isn't suited for outside the DB network.
- A car can be a necessity in these areas
- The cost of public transport + the largely necessary car isn't worth it when you can just use the car for the lot. Using your student income argument how in the name of God can you expect a student to sustain running a car as well as public transportation costs?

This can be effected by cost of parking but in my experience student parking can be very very cheap or in some cases free.

So its very clear why students or anyone would prefer to use a car to commute into a city.

Back to the thread.