Tall Ships - Safety Madness

buffalo

Let me preface thus by saying that I am a motorist with a full driving licence and have driven a car a number of times. I also have brought passengers on the road when it is SAFE.

Tailbacks were as far back as Summerhill on the North Circular when I was on my way in. That junction was just madness, everything was bumper to bumper, and a white van man decided to start doing a U-turn in the middle, nearly clocking me with the bumper.

Taking the biscuit was the woman in the SUV westbound on Seville Place. I was eastbound, with a mostly clear lane (just 5/6 cyclists, but sure they don't count). Her lane was gridlocked, both of us were heading for Oriel Street to get to the IFSC via the back way. I guess her being late was an emergency, because she pulled out of traffic from at least 4/5 cars back (including one HGV), and drove down the wrong side of the road and then cutting back across the line of cars to take the left-hand turn. Granted she got there before me, but it was close enough that I overtook her in less than 200m, and me on the beater. Sitting in the backseat was a 4/5 year old girl, who probably thinks this is normal driving behaviour.

Two turns later, and she was trying to overtake a car on a corner, while throwing up her hands in despair (yep, off the steering wheel). I was roaring so loud that the male passenger in the car in front was turning around to look at me. I wish I'd been in front of her when she passed the Garda at the bottom of the street, could've reported her - would've loved to hear her excuse.

Now, I have a few questions:
1. Who gives permission for the Tall Ships to be held during rush hour at peak cycling/driving time of the year? (Actually, it's probably off-peak, with no school run.)
2. Is there a restriction on the number of motorists that participate in rush hour?
3. Why is there not more Garda presence?
4. Why not have some information up in tourist offices so that people could try and avoid them. We would have avoided it and some others could have.
5. Why not do it at the weekend in, say November or December, with lots of publicity and also a restricted number of participants?

I see online that it is continuing today... I do hope that all goes well and it is completed safely.

listermint

buffalo wrote: »

Let me preface thus by saying that I am a motorist with a full driving licence and have driven a car a number of times. I also have brought passengers on the road when it is SAFE.

Tailbacks were as far back as Summerhill on the North Circular when I was on my way in. That junction was just madness, everything was bumper to bumper, and a white van man decided to start doing a U-turn in the middle, nearly clocking me with the bumper.

Taking the biscuit was the woman in the SUV westbound on Seville Place. I was eastbound, with a mostly clear lane. Her lane was gridlocked, both of us were heading for Oriel Street to get to the IFSC via the back way. I guess her being late was an emergency, because she pulled out of traffic from at least 4/5 cars back (including one HGV), and drove down the wrong side of the road and then cutting back across the line of cars to take the left-hand turn. Granted she got there before me, but it was close enough that I overtook her in less than 200m, and me on the beater. Sitting in the backseat was a 4/5 year old girl, who probably thinks this is normal driving behaviour.

Two turns later, and she was trying to overtake a car on a corner, while throwing up her hands in despair (yep, off the steering wheel). I was roaring so loud that the male passenger in the car in front was turning around to look at me. I wish I'd been in front of her when she passed the Garda at the bottom of the street, would've loved to hear her excuse.

Now, I have a few questions:
1. Who gives permission for the Tall Ships to be held during rush hour at peak cycling/driving time of the year? (Actually, it's probably off-peak, with no school run.)
2. Is there a restriction on the number of motorists that participate in rush hour?
3. Why is there not more Garda presence?
4. Why not have some information up in tourist offices so that people could try and avoid them. We would have avoided it and some others could have.
5. Why not do it at the weekend in, say November or December, with lots of publicity and also a restricted number of participants?

I see online that it is continuing today... I do hope that all goes well and it is completed safely.

Well for question one - There is no permission for the tall ships to be held as such. Because you cant 'disappear' a tall ship. People will head down to see them regardless.

StaggerLee

The traffic is going to be a nightmare today and tomorrow.

On the upside, the ships looked nice as I cycled across the empty Samuel Beckett bridge.

RobertFoster

Idleater

Motorbiked it in today and found the general populous seemed to only have noticed the road closed signs that have been about for a while now for the first time.
Not too much hassle but I wouldn't like to have been in a car.

kenmc

listermint wrote: »

Well for question one - There is no permission for the tall ships to be held as such. Because you cant 'disappear' a tall ship. People will head down to see them regardless.

David Copperfield could. Derren Brown maybe also too.

who the fug

listermint wrote: »

Well for question one - There is no permission for the tall ships to be held as such. Because you cant 'disappear' a tall ship. People will head down to see them regardless.

But you can disappear the crew off a Tall Ship


Mary Celeste anyone


Am well annoyed, London gets the Olympics and Dublin gets The Tall Ships

Off to update my daily whinge to Boris

Beasty

Yeah, I was in London when the Olympics were on. Bleedin' madness trying to get to Stratford in the rush hour.

Sorry lads, but I don't think we can have it both ways. We criticise impatient motorists who we delay on the roads, perhaps when there is a race on, yet when there is another event on we complain about the delays.

It is school holidays, exactly the time such events should be on. In terms of publicity, my satellite dish fell off the side of the house 3 weeks ago and I've not had much chance to catch up on local news, but I still knew this was on

fletch

Absolute pleasure cycling in this morning laughing at all the idiots in total gridlock

oflahero

RobertFoster wrote: »

I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE

Dammit - beat me to it - was going to use the pelican one...

buffalo

Beasty wrote: »

Sorry lads, but I don't think we can have it both ways.

I apologise that my tongue-in-cheek satire wasn't more blatant. My commute took the exact same amount of time, probably slightly shorter due to adrenaline boost.

CiaranMcDCFC

I live on the docks and left at half seven this morning, went my normal route down the quays and cross over at the bridge at ther customer house and continue on the south quays towards Pearse Street. There were no cars at all and made it in to work in 15 minutes in stead of the usual 25.

QueensGael

And not a scrap of hi-viz to be seen on any of those tall sails. Don't they know they can save lives? Is no-one thinking about the children? I'll be on to Joe about this!

Hungrycol

buffalo wrote: »

Now, I have a few questions:
1. Who gives permission for the Tall Ships to be held during rush hour at peak cycling/driving time of the year? (Actually, it's probably off-peak, with no school run.)
A. I do. I stop them on the Liffy give them a steely stare then let them through once I'm happy they haven't been drinking too much.
2. Is there a restriction on the number of motorists that participate in rush hour?
A. Yes, I restrict this to 4263 cars a day.
3. Why is there not more Garda presence?
A. Gardai are not allowed to accept them for fear of bribery.
4. Why not have some information up in tourist offices so that people could try and avoid them. We would have avoided it and some others could have.
A. Because tourists offices are for erm... tourists. You'll have to go to the Commuters Offices for further information.
5. Why not do it at the weekend in, say November or December, with lots of publicity and also a restricted number of participants?
A. Cos it's dark by 3pm and Tall ships kinda lose their wow factor in the dark!

Answers in red.

ednwireland

A. Cos it's dark by 3pm and Tall ships kinda lose their wow factor in the dark!

no they dont, saw a norwegian one on a foggy night in kirkwall harbour - amazing

rp

buffalo wrote: »

4. Why not have some information up in tourist offices so that people could try and avoid them. We would have avoided it and some others could have.

I dunno about elsewhere, but there has been one of the lighty-uppy signs all week on the N4 just before the M50 junction (inbound), saying something like: "Tall Ships Event: use public transport"; I ignored the advice and cycled on regardless.

doozerie

My woes are even woe-ier. I live near Marley Park so I'll also have to contend with the middle-aged hippies this evening, the drugged up stab-ey teenagers tomorrow evening, and the denim-clad aged hippies on Saturday (many of them having divested themselves of their underwear for the benefit of Tom Jones ...ewww!).

A year or two ago I was coming back from a bike ride on a sunny Saturday afternoon while lots of teenagers (and a bit older), many of them utterly rat-arsed, were walking/wobbling to the back entrance of Marley for some gig or other. A very unfriendly looking yob decided that I should benefit from his attentions and as I cycled past he threw himself towards/at me. Thankfully his flying "hug" was inadvertently impended mid-flight by the presence of an equally unfriendly looking yob who was right there in front of him (note to the git: "the guy was *right* there, ya feckin' plank, in front of yer face, and ye didn't even notice him, so intent were you on getting to me. Jaysus, scumbag school was wasted on you, your poor parents must be so disappointed!"). I didn't look back but it sounded like they both went down with a clash and clank of plastic-bag encased cans and bottles. I let out a little cheer internally, and all was well with the world.

Diarmuid

Nice one buffalo, now to cross post to Motoring!

ThisRegard

fletch wrote: »

Absolute pleasure cycling in this morning laughing at all the idiots in total gridlock

I was one of those idiots.

It was awful this morning. I was on the creche run by car so dropped her off at around 8:40, was outside Mountjoy Prison (not where I dropped her off!) before 9 and I didn't get to near Grand Canal Dock until 10. That was going via the eastlink and most of the delay was crossing over Amiens Street, where there was a motorbike garda stationed, not a whole lot she could do really. Traffic from Gardiner Street almost reaching back to the North Circular Road.

Ah well, it only happens every couple of year so I can live with it a day or two, but they do really need to rethink when they implement the bridge and road closures, 10am would have been fine and the majority would have been across the city by then.

GlennaMaddy

I don't remember the city going into complete shutdown the last time the ships came in. Seems like they've closed off way more streets this time.

Hungrycol

ednwireland wrote: »

A. Cos it's dark by 3pm and Tall ships kinda lose their wow factor in the dark!

no they dont, saw a norwegian one on a foggy night in kirkwall harbour - amazing

Tall ship at night in Dublin.



It's either really dark or nicked.

kenmc

Hungrycol wrote: »

Tall ship at night in Dublin.

It's either really dark or nicked.

Well that's bound to happen when you leave them just lying around there and dress up in all the fancy sailors kit and head off to coppers..

Capt'n Midnight

listermint wrote: »

Well for question one - There is no permission for the tall ships to be held as such. Because you cant 'disappear' a tall ship. People will head down to see them regardless.

Actually storm conditions on the way up from Spain meant that a lot of the ships got here early.

hmm on the basis that pedestrians have right of way over cyclists and cyclists have right of way over motorists because they were earlier road users, then ships probably would have right of way over bikes and motorists :pac:

DirkVoodoo

I don't think Buffalo was asking for cyclists to have it both ways (yes, I got the joke).

However, it is ALL too common for motorists to take the law into their own hands like that SUV driver when traffic gets busy. I'm trying to remember where I used to see it, I think it might have been while I was at school, but the tailback on a single lane road used to drive people so mental, that they would just mount the "footpad" with one half of the car and drive down the inside of the stationary traffic to the left turn up ahead.

Yeah, it's ok because I'm late and in a rush...

Kav0777

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

... ships probably would have right of way over bikes and motorists :pac:

Did they pay their road tax?

Bunnyhopper

What maddens me is that they have the whole perfectly good river there and they hardly ever use it. When did you last see any kind of boat on it? There's the odd one, fair enough, but they're usually some sort of floating Famine museum or students racing and pretending they're Oxbridge Boat Club.

The boats should just be all up in the docks where the ferries go and the river in the city should be covered over for roads or parking.

bigar

I have been saying the same thing for while about covering the Liffey. Give the quays to pedestrians and let cars go on the Liffey.
I am loving the car free quays for the Tall Ships. Shame it only lasts 4 days.

buffalo

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2012/0824/1224322863027.html

Sir, – I’m appalled and outraged at the fiasco surrounding the traffic “arrangements” for the tall ships. Closing off roads and streets at the height of the rush hour on Thursday morning is simply not acceptable.

...And how many deliveries – some of vital supplies – were considerably delayed because of someone’s decision to shut off roads and streets at the height of the morning rush hour?

Love the sensationalism of that second part - won't somebody think of the children?!

ThisRegard

ThisRegard wrote: »

but they do really need to rethink when they implement the bridge and road closures, 10am would have been fine and the majority would have been across the city by then.

Well they did this for this morning anyway.

rp

bigar wrote: »

I have been saying the same thing for while about covering the Liffey. Give the quays to pedestrians and let cars go on the Liffey.
I am loving the car free quays for the Tall Ships. Shame it only lasts 4 days.

More and more European cities are banning cars from city centres, I'm sure we'll get there eventually, too.

buffalo

rp wrote: »

More and more European cities are banning cars from city centres, I'm sure we'll get there eventually, too.

I am looking forward to the eventual pedestrianisation of the College Green area in front of Trinity and the old Parliament buildings. It's going to be interesting seeing the effect the Luas tracks going through will have.

hardCopy

buffalo wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2012/0824/1224322863027.html



Love the sensationalism of that second part - won't somebody think of the children?!

One solution:

buffalo

Smug letter in the Irish Times today, result!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2012/0827/1224323032092.html

coolbeans

buffalo wrote: »

Smug letter in the Irish Times today, result!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2012/0827/1224323032092.html

Lashings of smug there, great work.
I am still struggling to process the OTT irony of the opening post though. It's just too much.

BostonB

buffalo wrote: »

....
Now, I have a few questions:
...

1. should be

why are you complaining about it being held off peak and suggesting its held instead at a much worst time of year for traffic and crazy driving.

monkeypants

ThisRegard wrote: »

It was awful this morning. I was on the creche run by car so dropped her off at around 8:40, was outside Mountjoy Prison

Are you one of the Quinn family?

oflahero

buffalo wrote: »

Smug letter in the Irish Times today, result!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2012/0827/1224323032092.html

Deft. Impressive. Though you really should've finished off with a shoehorned bad pun in quotes, as per the usual IT letterwriter's modus operandi:

'Could it be that all those drivers' enjoyment of the day was "Punctured"?!!! Is mise le meas'

ThisRegard

monkeypants wrote: »

Are you one of the Quinn family?

If only I had that money squirrelled away somewhere.

rameire

buffalo wrote: »

Now, I have a few questions:
1. Who gives permission for the Tall Ships to be held during rush hour at peak cycling/driving time of the year? (Actually, it's probably off-peak, with no school run.)

im not sure if you know but the line above was used in partial by today fm on a gift grub sketch yesterday morning.

buffalo

rameire wrote: »

im not sure if you know but the line above was used in partial by today fm on a gift grub sketch yesterday morning.

o rly? When do my royalties start pouring in?

edit: had a listen at http://media.todayfm.com/podcast/66203/?uniqueID=19626 My username is apparently 'skidmark'. Great.