"Think about replacing that helmet with a brain" and other random rants

monument

"Think about replacing that helmet with a brain"... So, apparently my new saying to helmeted misbehaving cyclists is like a red rag to a bull.

First, I'm crossing the Blessington Street junction with Dorset Street, heading towards Parnell Square. A helmeted cyclist cycling along Dorset Street breaks the light but stops before he knocks into me / gets hit by the bus etc behind me, I say the saying to him and he says "**** off" or something mature like that.

Then on the way home, around midnight or so, I was northbound on Parnell Square. A salmon cyclist* with high-vis and helmet comes towards me. Just after he passes I say the saying to him.

He cycles down the hill a bit while muttering something about "killing" me. I stop for a moment but continue on my way, and then he turns his bike towards me as if he was going to cycle after me (he's a few 100 meters away at this point). I turned my back on him and look behind and he had already given up. I'm still not sure was this more so hilariously funny or insane. I'm in a very, very good mood today** so I'm thinking absolutely hilariously funny. Just picture it: Real road warrior: high-vis and helmet, cycling towards me against the flow, and he gets sociopathly angry when I mention his helmet and getting a brain.

If he was actually crazy enough to follow me for any length I was planning on leading him towards the nearest Garda Station or around the block while I rang the local station. It just goes to show cycling and opening your big mouth is cyclists are dangerous. Maybe it's time to move to the Southside?

On a separate topic, another rant:

Also today, heading around Parnell Square, from the south end up towards the Rotunda's main entrance, I slow down a bit approaching the pedestrians crossing and do a good job at avoiding a young woman and man j-walking. I don't say anything and make nothing of it really, only for the woman to call me something like a "psychopath cyclist" or some pun on it like "cyclepathict". She broke the red light at the crossing, I avoided her and she abuses me!

Again, hilariously, if not a bit sad. Cyclists are the crazes ones even when pedestrians go around breaking lights on a far grander scale. BTW I've only ever hit one pedestrian, I tried to avoid them by breaking and going around, but he walked back -- as I've said before, he got an ASBO from a garda who watched it happening.

So, what have I learned today? Cyclists are dangerous. Cyclists are in the right when they are in the wrong. Cyclists are in the wrong when in the right. Pedestrians are saints.

* Given the confusion when others used it in another thread: A "salmon cyclist" is one who goes against the flow of traffic, on a one-way street or just on the wrong side of the road.

** I was in the Rotunda for a reason. I hope my son is going to grow up in a world which is getting a less, not more, crazy. Or at least that he'll view the world as hilariously as I have today.

kona

Firstly congrats on being a Daddy

Secondly, there are soooo many hardman cyclists its funny, too bad they look like cocks with a hi vis condoms on, Honestly what was he going to do when he caught you? Not only was the guy a fecking mongo, he was a spoofer too.

Whats gas is in his pea brain he thought, "ill turn around, my machoness with my hi vis and blatant reckless disregard for ROTR will ensure that guy feels scared and will need a change of underwear.

Most spanners like that gick themsleves when you call their bluff (altho some aint bluffing but thats another story hahaha)

SomeFool

monument wrote: »

** I was in the Rotunda for a reason. I hope my son is going to grow up in a world which is getting a less, not more, crazy. Or at least that he'll view the world as hilariously as I have today.

Congrats!

The rest of it will keep until it's properly Friday.

Lumen

Winding up crazy people. What could possibly go wrong? :pac:

tomasrojo

Congratulations, monument!

mcmoustache

monument wrote: »

"Think about replacing that helmet with a brain"

I like it. It's a bit long though when you're whizzing by a salmon cyclist.
I generally go "Wrong side, Idiot" but they generally don't get to hear the third word.

tomasrojo

My wife has it in for hi-viz/helmeteers who cycle on the footpath, deliberately cycling straight at her. Bizarre carry-on: too scared to cycle on the road, but too macho to give way to a pedestrian.

studiorat

I have a theory, just a theory mind, my Friday theory if you will.

Does the average cycler become more aggressive on their bike? Perhaps due to low blood sugar levels, increased adrenaline levels or euro anxiety.

Causing them perhaps to become less tolerant of other road users and causing them to feel the need to police their misdemeanors.

Myself included, I'd be interested to see if there actually was a real difference.

And congrats too Monument.

TinyExplosions

studiorat wrote: »

I have a theory, just a theory mind, my Friday theory if you will.

Does the average cycler become more aggressive on their bike? Perhaps due to low blood sugar levels, increased adrenaline levels or euro anxiety.

Causing them perhaps to become less tolerant of other road users and causing them to feel the need to police their misdemeanors.

Myself included, I'd be interested to see if there actually was a real difference.

And congrats too Monument.

No, I'm as aggressive off bike as I am on it

Ryder

the thing I miss least about dublin cycling is the salmon rush every evening. V annoying and always defensive when I pointed out that they were going against the flow. The thing that pissed me off the most though was that they always hogged the kerb when passing so that I was the one forced to leave the cycling track and join the traffic.

LD

I'm all about cycling the right direction down roads and all that but like, what's the problem with the old hi-vis/helmet combo? Be safe, be seen...but also go with the flow of traffic and stop at lights, that's my motto.

studiorat

Look down at the pedals or look at other way as you approach them. That always gives them a fright.

what's the problem with the old hi-vis/helmet combo?

Personally, I'd rather be run over.

tomasrojo

Ryder wrote: »

the thing I miss least about dublin cycling is the salmon rush every evening. V annoying and always defensive when I pointed out that they were going against the flow. The thing that pissed me off the most though was that they always hogged the kerb when passing so that I was the one forced to leave the cycling track and join the traffic.

I had an interesting variation on that the other day. Cyclists going with traffic on the two-way cycling facility on Inchicore Road end up on the high side of traffic -- that is, to the right -- so for a feeling of safety many hug the kerb on the right side of the road, which means they are cycling in the contraflow cycle lane. I met on such kerb-hugger when I was going down the contraflow, and he refused to move into the correct, left-hand lane and played chicken with me instead.

Harrybelafonte

studiorat wrote: »

I have a theory, just a theory mind, my Friday theory if you will.

Does the average cycler become more aggressive on their bike? Perhaps due to low blood sugar levels, increased adrenaline levels or euro anxiety.

Causing them perhaps to become less tolerant of other road users and causing them to feel the need to police their misdemeanors.

Myself included, I'd be interested to see if there actually was a real difference.

More aggressive off it. I'm probably at my worst on a bus.

buffalo

studiorat wrote: »

I have a theory, just a theory mind, my Friday theory if you will.

Does the average cycler become more aggressive on their bike? Perhaps due to low blood sugar levels, increased adrenaline levels or euro anxiety.

Causing them perhaps to become less tolerant of other road users and causing them to feel the need to police their misdemeanors.

Myself included, I'd be interested to see if there actually was a real difference.

I do recall a study from my first year psychology that confirmed this. If you were involved in a potential road rage incident, the response from people coming from the gym (increased adrenaline, HR, etc) was far increased in proportion to coming home from work, etc.

Don't ask me for references though, that's thomasrojo and monument's department.

And congrats monument!

tomasrojo

LD wrote: »

I'm all about cycling the right direction down roads and all that but like, what's the problem with the old hi-vis/helmet combo? Be safe, be seen...but also go with the flow of traffic and stop at lights, that's my motto.

My wife's objection to the footpath-using hiviz/helmet-wearing cyclists is the strange mixture of great concern for their own safety, mixed with blithe disregard for anyone else's safety.

moomooman

I think thats just generally Irish behaviour....

Seriously though I think that type of aggresion/threatening violence is seen as normal here, indeed its many peoples default response to any situation. Its not in other countries where I've been a regular cyclist and which have something called "law enforcement". People generally get away with all kinds of law breaking here and when caught face little or no penalty.

I wear the whole high vis/helmet/shades/clips and accept that I look like a tool but dont care, I figure its worth it if it saves my life or helps me out in a court case when I do eventually run out of luck and get knocked off because "I didnt see you".

I have had people shouting at me to "get in the bike lane" while I was in a bike lane, or waiting to turn right or countless other things. You can be doing the right thing and still be a target for abuse. I had a personal nemesis, a salmon cyclist who only used the wrong side of the road and regualrly played chicken with me on my morning commute. Havent seen him in a while, I assume he is in a cast/dead... Also shared footpath-bike lanes are a recipe for disaster imo.

I do my best to be responsible and ride defensively and observe the rules but still run into road ragers now and then which is why I like the added anonymity of high vis/shades/helmet, or people attempting to kill me through failure to check their mirrors.

I think it feels very personal and gets my back up when I'm on a bike and someone almost hits me because they couldnt wait to pull out or the myriad other hazards that occur on my daily commute.

My trick to coping with it now and being passive is to have a small HD video camera on my handlebars so I'm simply observing these phonomena with a view to put together a video of my adventures on Irelands roads. :pac:

petethedrummer

@TRojo: Tell your wife to watch this.

"The cat was on my turf. I had to chop the mother down" - Keith Richards

tomasrojo

petethedrummer wrote: »

@TRojo: Tell your wife to watch this.

"The cat was on my turf. I had to chop the mother down" - Keith Richards

She wears a backpack for just that purpose!

doozerie

Congratulations monument!

I've had a few encounters with idiots on bikes that chose to respond to my pointing their stupidity out to them with threats of violence towards me. And from some drivers too, actually, but the prospect of climbing out of their car tends to phase most of them. The last extremely aggressive cyclist I encountered was a while ago now but yes there certainly are people filled with rage out there who consider it perfectly acceptable to consider working out their issues on someone at will.

There are lots of passive aggressive people out there too, who would be shocked at the antics of more openly aggressive people even as they break red lights and wade calmly through crossing pedestrians, etc. What I find so strange about the whole thing is the number of people that just turn a blind eye and pass on by without so much as a second glance - I certainly would not expect a random passerby to put themselves in the middle of an aggressive situation, but a complete lack of even a reaction on the part of many people leaves me wondering whether as a society we effectively condone such behaviour (or simply accept it as "how things are" which amounts to the same thing). The poor sap that ends up taking issue with the idiotic behaviour of someone then bears the brunt of the response with no obvious support from those around them, which is a sad reflection on our society.

Harrybelafonte

Just watched someone RLJ in Donnybrook and block a whole line of cars trying to get out of Belmont Ave. He was hugely insulted and very angry cos one of them dared beep at him.

LD

studiorat wrote: »

Personally, I'd rather be run over.

Hmm. I doubt it.

studiorat

LD wrote: »

Hmm. I doubt it.

Than wear a hi-viz jacket? Believe it...

mcmoustache

LD wrote: »

Hmm. I doubt it.

Look at his other posts in other threads regarding vizivests. I think that there's a lot that he would rather do than wear one.

I do wear one with proper reflective strips. But that's because I look so cool in it. To add to the cool, I wear a helmet and I have streamers and wing-mirrors on the handlebars.*









*only one sentense in that paragraph is true.

studiorat

mcmoustache wrote: »

*only one sentense in that paragraph is true.

* lemme guess " to add to the cool" ?