came off me bike today

jameverywhere

came off my bike today, which I bought YESTERDAY so I need to rant... is that okay here?

the bike is fine, chain came off and brake cable loose but I was close to a bike shop and they helped me tighten it. handlebars slightly scuffed, but I don't care so.

thing that bothers me is I came off in the wet trying to avoid hitting a CAR. which of course drove off without even lookin back. I had a green arrow coming off parnell street onto the street by rotunda hospital, and that ****er had a yellow blinkin arrow. so he's supposed to yield to us, yeah? well i guess he misjudged my speed and/or trajectory 'cause he went and when I jerked right to avoid hitting him I slid in the wet off the bike onto my (already injured! :mad:) knee and elbow.

I guess if you don't physically hit a car, then the car can just be like, "wasn't my fault"? I didn't get the reg but I'm pissed off. if my ****in knee, which was healing, gets worse, I'll cry.

the end. you can share your "I just crashed my new bike... TT_TT" stories here if you like?

smacl

Rant away, that's what the interweb is best for, and sorry for your woes. My attitude to other road users is to assume that they will always do the worst, and then get pleasantly surprised when they usually don't. In the city centre I don't get many pleasant surprises, so I try to avoid it.

C3PO

Glad to hear you're ok! I hate falling on the road .... it always hurts like ****!

Darkglasses

Sorry for your trouble Jam. It does completely sound like it was the car's fault, but it'll be hard to chase down the matter without a reg unless it was on camera too?

jameverywhere

I need to be more careful turning onto that street, because cars always try to beat me to the pass. I just misjudged it this time in the wet and slid on my stomach into a puddle ahaha. so far only injuries I have are scrapes. I won't know the status of the knee for another few hours but i have ice on it just in case.

don't have a camera on my bike if that's what you meant? I wouldn't want to press charges or anything anyway (unless I was seriously injured) just tell the guy, look, cyclists are vehicles too, yield to them dammit

funnights74

I feel your anger, i came scarily close to being hit by a truck which drove out in front of me yesterday in Cork.
At first i couldn't believe what he was doing, as it was clear he was going to come pretty close to hitting me, i was thinking to myself "your not seriously attempting to do this" but he was, and if i had not had both sets of brakes on full pelt i would have crashed into the side of him.
Major cloud of red mist descended and a mouthful of obscenities followed as he drove off into the distance, his number plates were covered in muck and dirt, so no hope of him being identified, and i was left a bit rattled for a bit.
I was definitely counting my blessings, especially after hearing the terrible news of the fatality later on in the day in Cork but i have no doubts that there are drivers out there that have no regards for the safety of cyclists on the roads of Ireland. I have heard about and witnessed too many accidents and incidents to come come to any other conclusion.

mel.b

Sorry to hear that jameverywhere...hope you are ok and it doesn't mess up your touring plans. I came off my bike just over a week ago - completely my own fault & not a car anywhere near me:o injuries suck:(

buffalo

That bloody junction! That one, and the one from Earlsfort Terrace onto Adelaide Road. A lot of motorists don't heed the yield when it's 'only' a bike coming through. I'm always ready to brake and yell coming into them. One of these days I'm going to be so angry I won't bother braking and just plough into the side of somebody for the sake of it. At least at Earlsfort Terrace they usually get stuck in traffic, so you can have a word with them. I find they stare straight ahead and pretend you're not there most of the time.

*sigh* That's my ranting done, hope you heal soon jam.

Cork24

Came off my bike once coming down forge hill

lennymc

bad luck! at least you are still able to rant about it (allways look on the brightside and all that)

Kintarō Hattori

Sorry to hear that OP and I hope you're well on the way to recovery.

A lot of car drivers just don't seem to see us cyclists. I was on my way to Tesco earlier and was turning off a major road onto a minor road and signaled as such. A 4x4 coming off the minor road and onto the road I was on didn't see me until almost the last moment and braked quite hard. Thankfully I had been paying close attention.

It doesn't help you now but just try to be aware that although you may have the right of way that's not always enough. As I said a lot of drivers just simply fail to see us. They expect a car or a lorry and somehow miss us in the moment.

johnl1734

I drive a car and i agree and dissagree with this post.
there's been so many times when cyclists dont stop at the red light, dont look back or side to side when crossing roads. so most times accidents happen. i see them all the time around harcourt st and they are always cycling in the middle of the rd when there is a cycling lane right beside them. i know some drivers have no tolerence like myself haha. the law is for cyclists too not just for us drivers, yeno lads? hope your ok though man

snubbleste

Based on experience, you also need to be extra cautious in the vicinity of hospitals. Motorists tend to have other things in their minds.

-PornStar-

johnl1734 wrote: »

I drive a car and i agree and dissagree with this post.
there's been so many times when cyclists dont stop at the red light, dont look back or side to side when crossing roads. so most times accidents happen. i see them all the time around harcourt st and they are always cycling in the middle of the rd when there is a cycling lane right beside them. i know some drivers have no tolerence like myself haha. the law is for cyclists too not just for us drivers, yeno lads? hope your ok though man

You need to understand, that this is perfectly legal. Cyclists have every right to be in the center of the lane. Very few cycle lanes are mandatory. And fewer still are safer than cycling on the road. Even if a cycle lane is mandatory, as long as you have a valid reason why it is unsafe for you to cycle on it. Then it is perfectly fine for you to cycle on the road. It really is not difficult to point out a valid reason not to be on them.

I too came off the bike over a year ago. A 4x4 tried to overtake me on a main road in the countryside. They were following me for a while, and tailgating in order to force me to the side of the road. Which I stupidly gave in to. They decided to make their pass on a blind right hand corner. And I mean blind, on both sides of the road were walls of briers and trees. Just as they were beside me, a string of cars and HGV came from the other direction at speed. The 4x4 was left with two choices. Hit the oncoming cars, or force me into the ditch. So into the ditch I went. I was left with cuts all over my body. Luckily there was no damage to the bike. The driver didn't even stop to see if i was OK.

I lost my confidence on the bike since then. But I am regaining it now. Needless to say, I will always assert my rightful position on the road because of this incident. Right bang in the middle of the lane! Only moving to the side, when I deem it safe.

Canis Lupus

-PornStar- wrote: »

Very few cycle lanes are mandatory.

Bar other reasons for not being in one like turning/obstruction etc I thought in Ireland all cycling lanes are mandatory?

RacoonQueen

jameverywhere wrote: »

thing that bothers me is I came off in the wet trying to avoid hitting a CAR. which of course drove off without even lookin back.

Similar happened to me a few weeks ago. Cycling along the Walkinstown road at a decent clip, two cars up ahead and one was turning right, the second car decides it was going to go around the right turning car just as I was cycling alongside them. Just pulled around, didn't even look and smashed into me. Completely lost control of the bike, chain came off and my pedal scraped the passenger door. About 20 metres up the road I got the bike to a stop and was up on the path fixing it, car drives by doesn't even stop or slow down to check if I'm alright. :mad: So angry and in shock that I didn't even get their reg, essentially a hit and run.

Was lucky to stay on the bike. Moron didn't use his mirrors. It's not like I came from nowhere, he drove past me a few seconds earlier.

Just as well they didn't pull around a second earlier, would have been into the back of them and over the handlebars if they had.

Edit: Hope you're alright.

Chinasea

Cyclists are as popular as Bertie Ahern

Beasty

johnl1734 wrote: »

I drive a car and i agree and dissagree with this post.
there's been so many times when cyclists dont stop at the red light, dont look back or side to side when crossing roads. so most times accidents happen. i see them all the time around harcourt st and they are always cycling in the middle of the rd when there is a cycling lane right beside them. i know some drivers have no tolerence like myself haha. the law is for cyclists too not just for us drivers, yeno lads? hope your ok though man

This thread is absolutely nothing to do with not stopping at red lights, and there is nothing to suggest the OP failed to follow the law or RoTR, so don't come into it ranting about such matters

Thanks

Beasty

-PornStar-

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Bar other reasons for not being in one like turning/obstruction etc I thought in Ireland all cycling lanes are mandatory?

Yes you are correct. My understanding of mandatory vs non mandatory was not the correct understanding. Poor choice of words on behalf of the RSA perhaps.

http://www.rotr.ie/rules-for-pedestrians-cyclists-motorcyclists/cyclists/cyclists_cycling-safely.html

Though I did see a news post saying that they intend on making the use of cycle lanes completely optional. Due to safety reasons. I will try find the article.

Cork24

johnl1734 wrote: »

I drive a car and i agree and dissagree with this post.
there's been so many times when cyclists dont stop at the red light, dont look back or side to side when crossing roads. so most times accidents happen. i see them all the time around harcourt st and they are always cycling in the middle of the rd when there is a cycling lane right beside them. i know some drivers have no tolerence like myself haha. the law is for cyclists too not just for us drivers, yeno lads? hope your ok though man

have you every cycled a bike in a cycling lane ? the amount of pot holes in some back road ones are unreal.

Macroom Road is one full of stones, pot holes etc. etc. it is safer one would think about 3cm out from the cycling lane,

But then again, even when people cycle down in Kinsale car will come up as close as they can without hitting u..

Want my whole out look on Cycling in Ireland ? its Nuts! the roads are not big enough good enough, just look at our European friends when it comes to roads.

Its getting to high risk for people who cycle on their own to those who cycle in a group.

Beasty

I have already dealt with john1734's post

Please leave it there

Chinasea wrote: »

Cyclists are as popular as Bertie Ahern

Quit the trolling

Beasty

Ole Rodrigo

That junction is dangerous for cyclists. The traffic turning left has to yield to the traffic turning right, so the best approach is to keep going around as assertively as you can. If you hesitate, it might look like you are yielding from the opposite sides point of view. On top of that, there are the busses cutting across to the bus stops to contend with. Hope you're ok.

jameverywhere

johnl1734 wrote: »

there's been so many times when cyclists dont stop at the red light, dont look back or side to side when crossing roads. [...] hope your ok though man

thanks. But keep in mind, I had a green light in this case and I did look but I thought this guy was gonna yield and he didn't.

Also, I try to always stop at red lights. I admit that sometimes I go slowly through pedestrian-only lights if there isn't a sign of a pedestrian anywhere close by, but if there are potential pedestrians I always stop, and if the light is for car traffic I always stop as well.

-PornStar- wrote: »

I too came off the bike over a year ago. A 4x4 tried to overtake me on a main road in the countryside. They were following me for a while, and tailgating in order to force me to the side of the road. Which I stupidly gave in to. They decided to make their pass on a blind right hand corner. And I mean blind, on both sides of the road were walls of briers and trees. Just as they were beside me, a string of cars and HGV came from the other direction at speed. The 4x4 was left with two choices. Hit the oncoming cars, or force me into the ditch. So into the ditch I went. I was left with cuts all over my body. Luckily there was no damage to the bike. The driver didn't even stop to see if i was OK.

I lost my confidence on the bike since then. But I am regaining it now. Needless to say, I will always assert my rightful position on the road because of this incident. Right bang in the middle of the lane! Only moving to the side, when I deem it safe.

Yeah man, they can just wait 'cause your safety is more important than the ten seconds or whatever they'll save by passing you. The unfortunate thing is, if the car DID hit the oncoming cars in this case, you probably still would have ended up in the ditch. Passing on blind corners is the stupidest thing. Don't they have markings on the road saying where it is and isn't safe to pass?!



anyway, I was gonna cycle about 20 km this afternoon, have a pint, and cycle home, but since I now have bruises on both knees for some reason (which hurt when knee is bent), I'll save the trip for next weekend I guess. I'm lucky it's only bruises... I don't feel any pulled muscles or serious pain. Just an ache that I'm sure will be gone by tomorrow.

I do want to shout out to the kind lady who offered to call me an ambulance if I needed one and made sure not to leave me until I wasn't shaking anymore (you know what adrenaline does to ya in those first few minutes) and proved I could walk and all. Every time I've fallen off the bike, even when it was just because I forgot to unclip and slow-mo'ed into the ground, someone's expressed concern and made sure I was all right. So yay for kind pedestrians!

endacl

Nope. Most are available to be used. By cyclist when they're not full of debris or covered in potholes. Mostly used as temporary loading bays around the city centre.

Dexif

I know op was too busy trying not to die to get the plates but if you do then you can report it to garda traffic watch on 1890205805. I nearly got rear ended by a driver txting and then she under-took me going around the next corner so I reported her.
Woman on phone took all details and said it wud be reported to closest garda station. Dont know how seriously they take reports or what they cud do but it gave me some degree of satisfaction!

Ps hope knee is ok!

Mycroft H

OP, did you have a front light?

Since I've started cyling in the city, I've found that a front light really cuts through the gloom of a dull afternoon, especially a high intensity strobe LED one. People tend to notice me a good lot more when I'm approaching them at junctions since I've fitted the front light so much so, that its rarely off when cycling through town.

I know there not mandatory during the day, but anything that increases our presence on the road is not a bad thing.

jameverywhere

I have one that clips on and can strobe. I should start bringing it with me. But I had one nicked once so I always take them off the bike ... and forget to put 'em back on.

ootbitb

reminds me of when I was a kid about 16 years old.


stopped in traffic alongside an artic on the left.

traffic moves off and artic turns left and crumples me bike.

left bike there. got bus home.

hard lesson learnt.:D

-PornStar-

@Canis Lupus

Here is the Oireachtas debate on the subject of removing the mandatory usage of cycle lanes. Sorry it took so long, took me ages to find the link.

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/2011/04/20/00017.asp

As you can see, it has been a year, and still nothing done. But at least the minister has acknowledged there are issues there.

@jameverywhere

Sorry for derailing your thread.

hans aus dtschl

I'm getting tired for getting beeped at for simply being on the road.
I'm not talking about primary routes or anything, just typical countryside roads.
Some motorists seem to thing standard procedure is to beep when right behind, to "let the cyclist know you're there".

I'd love if there were an ad campaign along the lines of the recent "how to drive on a roundabout" ones, with the message: "cyclists are to be expected on the roads, treat them as you would any other vehicle".

seamus

For cycle tracks as best I understand it, there is only one legal sign - the one with a bicycle and the words "cycle track" underneath. Most off-road tracks are signed for shared ped/bike usage and are a blue sign with a picture of a pedestrian and a bike.
As I understand it, this is not a legal sign and 90% of the cycle tracks in the country are marked with this sign.

On the harcourt street issue, 9 times out of ten the cycle lane is used for parking and traffic seems to insist on driving at 25km/h on that road anyway. As I have to turn right off harcourt street over LUAS tracks, I need to turn widely so I cross them at ninety degrees. So it simply makes more sense for me to ride in the middle of the road and make traffic wait behind me. Even moreso now that there are bollards down the centre, cars are afraid to overtake.

@jameverywhere sorry to hear about your spill. Everyone who spends time in traffic comes off at some point unfortunately, usually just after you've bought a new bike or a new part
It stings twice as bad when the oblivious cvnt just drives off without having even seen you. I had the same experience on a motorbike many years back.

The only positive you can gather from this is that this incident will probably never happen to you again at that junction or any other similar junction.

Chips Lovell

seamus wrote: »

On the harcourt street issue, 9 times out of ten the cycle lane is used for parking and traffic seems to insist on driving at 25km/h on that road anyway. As I have to turn right off harcourt street over LUAS tracks, I need to turn widely so I cross them at ninety degrees. So it simply makes more sense for me to ride in the middle of the road and make traffic wait behind me. Even moreso now that there are bollards down the centre, cars are afraid to overtake.

I suspect we may work on the same street or even building.

One of the issues about the lane on Harcourt street is the massive amount of broken glass on it due to the presence of Coppers etc.

Dermot Illogical

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

One of the issues about the lane on Harcourt street is the massive amount of broken glass on it due to the presence of Coppers etc.

The feckers are always double parking as well.

sherlok

hans aus dtschl wrote: »

I'm getting tired for getting beeped at for simply being on the road.
I'm not talking about primary routes or anything, just typical countryside roads.
Some motorists seem to thing standard procedure is to beep when right behind, to "let the cyclist know you're there".


It's funny, but that's one of the things i miss here in NZ. No beeps to let you know they're coming, just a stealthy car appearing at your elbow!

i always view a beep on the horn as a positive thing - though it depends how close the car is when the beeping starts and and whether its a beep or a beeeeep.

jameverywhere

naw, beeps startle me. one of these days I'm gonna go like a horse and startle into danger. Actually once when I was getting used to clipping in a taxi beeped me on accident at a light and I fell over like a fainting goat


Yesterday on O'Connell St. I got harrassed by a taximan for cycling outside of the cycle lane (which is ... always filled with buses, taxis, parked cars, pedestrians)... he yelled at me that I was in the middle of the road and basically leaned on his horn for a while. I shouted responses but sounded kinda dumb 'cause I was mad and tired. I outran him for a while, then when he caught up, surprise, he stayed behind me and beeped and beeped.

Didn't get the reg 'cause he was always behind me and eventually took a turn where I went straight.

in short, that's why I don't like it when cars beep, even if it's just to "let you know they're there"

check_six

jameverywhere wrote: »

Yesterday on O'Connell St. I got harrassed by a taximan for cycling outside of the cycle lane (which is ... always filled with buses, taxis, parked cars, pedestrians)... he yelled at me that I was in the middle of the road and basically leaned on his horn for a while. I shouted responses but sounded kinda dumb 'cause I was mad and tired. I outran him for a while, then when he caught up, surprise, he stayed behind me and beeped and beeped.

Didn't get the reg 'cause he was always behind me and eventually took a turn where I went straight.

You're not having a good week at all! Have you considered hiding in a well stocked underground bunker till all this bad luck blows over? Also, please let us know if you are planning on going anywhere by plane soon just so the rest of us can avoid your current duel with the fates.

I've also had a taxi vroom right up to my rear wheel in an aggressive manner in traffic before. It's no fun, and you'd really wonder where these loolahs think they are going to get to seeing as typically there will be a set of traffic lights nearby. In fact, in a car, you would have to break red lights if you want to get anywhere faster in town because even in the lightest traffic you are not going to go faster than about 20-25kph on average.

jameverywhere

check_six wrote: »

You're not having a good week at all! Have you considered hiding in a well stocked underground bunker till all this bad luck blows over? Also, please let us know if you are planning on going anywhere by plane soon just so the rest of us can avoid your current duel with the fates.

:rolleyes:

Seriously, O'Connell street is brutal with taxis. I never use the cycle lanes on O'Connell st because they're useless due to the buses, and also when I'm going North I want to turn onto Parnell st and take the next right, so I don't want to be forced left on the turn (which I would be in the cycle lane). But if you stray an inch out of the cycle lane, much less ride fully outside of it, every taxi on that stretch of road goes ape****.

I usually just ignore them and keep safe in a straight line, if they beep. If they shout at me, I'll shout back tho.

I am seriously considering skipping O'Connell st on the daily commute though, maybe making it longer for training purposes. Up constitution hill onto Phibsborough road? I don't know if the taxis there will be as impatient at 5/6-ish when I'm comin home...

Lumen

The accepted protocol for all types of road user is to keep left except when overtaking or turning right.

jameverywhere

Lumen wrote: »

The accepted protocol for all types of road user is to keep left except when overtaking or turning right.

I stay in the left lane on O'Connell st until I'm coming up on my right turn.

I usually ride on the right edge of the cycle lane, then take the centre or right side of the lane to pass stopped busses.

Lumen

jameverywhere wrote: »

I usually ride on the right edge of the cycle lane, then take the centre or right side of the lane to pass stopped busses.

On O'Connell St I cycle in the cycle lane and overtake traffic when necessary, and haven't been beeped at or killed.

You may be doing what you think is safest, but the amount of beeping suggests lots of other people think you're unnecessarily inconveniencing them.

They may of course be wrong. Or not.

jameverywhere

I don't see what the problem is if I'm in the left-hand side of the left lane. There is an overtaking lane on the right, so they can overtake me if they want. Whether or not I'm in the cycle lane is immaterial, imho.

Especially since I've also gotten beeped at by these taxis when there is no cycle lane, and when I'm going to turn right so need to be in the right lane, etc. They don't like cyclists is the problem.

Lumen

jameverywhere wrote: »

They don't like cyclists is the problem.

Plenty of cyclists never get beeped at by taxis. Why are you getting beeped at regularly and they are not?

seamus

Lumen wrote: »

Plenty of cyclists never get beeped at by taxis. Why are you getting beeped at regularly and they are not?

jameverywhere is female.

So as far as your common-or-garden taxi driver is concerned, there are two reasons why she shouldn't be on the road.

I should clarify of course that I'm actually not making a joke there. I have absolutely no doubt that female cyclists will find themselves on the receiving end of abuse more often than male cyclists, for no good reason other than people in general are sexist morons and taxi drivers would be less afraid of getting punched in the mouth by an angry woman.

Lumen

seamus wrote: »

jameverywhere is female.

So as far as your common-or-garden taxi driver is concerned, there are two reasons why she shouldn't be on the road.

I should clarify of course that I'm actually not making a joke there. I have absolutely no doubt that female cyclists will find themselves on the receiving end of abuse more often than male cyclists, for no good reason other than people in general are sexist morons and taxi drivers would be less afraid of getting punched in the mouth by an angry woman.

It's a theory alright.

I know (personally, in real life) loads of female cyclists, and none of them have complained of getting beeped at.

On the other hand I only know one taxi driver. He is a cyclist and a boardsie. Probably a poor data point for the purposes of crass generalisations. :pac:

jameverywhere

Where you ride & the time of day matters as well, perhaps?

I always seem to get beeped at around half five on O'Connell st. ("always" being... twice.) Never at any other time there. The other time I got beeped at was around five fifteen coming around toward St. Stephen's green (that was the guy who was like, "you're not a car, you know" when I was in the right turn lane), and then once a taximan beeped at me on accident and I fell over (he apologised and said he was holding something and hit the horn with it).

And once I got beeped at, around six or so, for riding in a bus lane rather than an illegal footpath "cycle lane". I was left in the lane, then got passed dangerously multiple times, so I took the lane.

Sure if you're not cycling in rush hour, or in the busy city centre, people may be more generous?

EDIT

also want to add that I never got beeped at when I rode in gutters and crap cycle lanes and yielded even when I had the right of way... now that I ride assertively, take lanes in dangerous spots, stay out of the gutter, make eye contact and go if I have the right of way, etc., I get beeped at for what I think is not being in the gutter/on footpath cylelanes or useless cycle lanes...