Fed up as cyclists as public enemy #1

tomasrojo

Turn right on red, no?

Stark

Sorry, right on red. Translating back and forth between Irish and German systems in my head.

Jawgap

JohnMarston wrote: »

Cyclists (plural) have clipped me cycling full speed down the footpath instead of using the road.I called one out on not using the road and all he did was flip me off and keep cycling.
Cyclists have cut out in front of me in the city, swinging to one side of the road and back and slowing up a line of traffic, only to keep to their side once the guards have passed the opposite way.
I have almost caused accident from cyclists not having any high vis equipment on their bike or their person at night, rendering them almost invisible.

Other than that, a great bunch of lads

Thanks, on behalf of the bunch (including the female, junior and vets divisions) I'd like to commend you for taking the time to write in. Your post is important and will be passed to the head of our PR Department who will provide a more formal reply in due course.:rolleyes:

seamus

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

I have a question, as a motorist one is expected to be able to stop and if you hit somebody you're pretty much always in the wrong.

You see, strictly speaking that's not the case. The problem is that when a pedestrian rocks up into a courthouse in a wheelchair detailing how he's in constant pain, likely to require medication and physio for the rest of his life, has lost his job and suffers flashbacks, then it doesn't matter that he jumped off a bridge and landed in front of the car. All the judge sees is crippled man versus uninjured driver with insurance and he decides that the "right" thing to do is to have the injured party cared for, ignoring what this will do to the motorists premium and freedom of travel.

It's a common ruling that I don't agree with.

But -Chris- is also right - there is a higher burden of care placed on the motorist than on the pedestrian, primarily because they have far more potential to cause damage. 99% of the time in a collision between a motorist and a ped, it can be shown in one way or another, that there was a failing on the motorist's part to drive with adequate care and speed for the conditions.

Also as someone interestingly pointed out on another thread, motorists may only use roads under licence, pedestrians can use roads by right, so the right of way is implicitly shifted onto the pedestrian in all cases.

The same nuances don't apply for cyclists, because they can use the roads by right rather than by licence, and are generally not insured. So a collision between a pedestrian and a cyclist is typically treated as a standard injury under tort, where either party needs to prove negligence of the other in order to secure compensation.

jester77

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Quick question do the traffic lights work like other German cities, eg they go green for everyone in a particular direction - cars, cyclists, pedestrians. And do turning motorists, who also have a green, then wait for cyclists and pedestrians on coming through on the inside?

That's standard all over Germany. Motorists have to give way to the cycle lanes when turning on green.

ED E

Cheers Seamus.

Also, I was never suggesting I'd intentionally collide with a pedestrian Stark.

monument

tomasrojo wrote: »

In answer to my own question, it seems the Rathmines-Fairview route will open in September.

Delayed again.

smeedyova

In Germany the lights go green for all road users travelling in the same direction but not quite at the same time...the cyclists get a head start. Motorists turning right must wait for all cyclists/pedestrians to cross the road before completing their turn. However, if there is no cyclist/pedestrian the motorist may proceed through the green bicycle light.

galwaycyclist

smeedyova wrote: »

In Germany the lights go green for all road users travelling in the same direction but not quite at the same time...the cyclists get a head start. Motorists turning right must wait for all cyclists/pedestrians to cross the road before completing their turn. However, if there is no cyclist/pedestrian the motorist may proceed through the green bicycle light.

This is where suggestions for us to copy German roads infrastructure, however well meant, break down.

At German traffic lights, the pedestrians and cyclists get roughly equivalent amounts of time as the motorised traffic. Irish practice is to manage pedestrians for the benefit of motorised traffic. If you want to cross the road you might get 6-10 second in every signal-cycle if you are lucky. It is one of the reasons why Irish pedestrians are morally, although not legally, entitled to treat traffic signals with contempt.

Given the chance, it is a fair assumption that Irish traffic engineers would use bicycle traffic-signals to treat cyclists the same way. Implying the sytematic removal of capacity eg "time" from the cyclists at every set of lights.

Jawgap

German infrastructure would never work here. we're not German.

Seriously, look at the UK and their traffic light sequence......



Try that here and there'd be carnage - everyone would go on the red/amber rather than waiting for the green.

As a nation we're crap at observing laws (they're for the other fellah) and pretty rubbish road users.

tomasrojo

It's scandalous how little green time pedestrians get. Especially in Dublin, where the comprise the largest transport mode.

smeedyova

The main problems that I see in Ireland (being used to the German way) are:

1. The correct (by that I mean German) traffic laws are not in place,
2. Any laws that are in place are ignored by the vast majority of road users,
3. The Gardai do not generally enforce laws leading to an increase in above point,
4. Irish society is geared around motorists.

It's quite simple: you can't have a successful society unless there are (sensible and useful) rules and those rules are obeyed and enforced. That is why it is so chaotic here. I suggest you look at Grafton Street, just outside Trinity College. There you will see taxis parked along double yellow lines and often ON the pedestrian crossing. Pedestrians cross even when their light is red. The Gardai ignore all of these things. Result: chaos.