Buffalo & Doozerie - The mild musings of two grumpy old men!

Lumen

buffalo wrote: »

Much love to the woman who decided to overtake the Luas over double continuous white lines on Mayor Street into oncoming traffic (me). She slowed down just enough to give me the finger (with some vehemence) before accelerating away to the red light about 100m up the road.

There's something wonderful about a woman flipping the bird. Context is important though...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/29/hail-to-the-chief-cyclist-gives-trump-the-middle-finger

buffalo

It's a wonder that people who park their car so it blocks most of the cycle lane and half the footpath are grand ordinary decent folk, but a person who points out such parking is a "****ing prick". :rolleyes:

crosstownk

robyntmorton wrote: »

Cue complaint that if it was an electric car he wouldn't have heard it

Just to point out that depending on speed, an electric vehicle is just as 'noisy' as a petrol/diesel car as most of the noise comes from the tyres. Obviously at very slow speeds the EV is eerily silent.

magicbastarder

bit of a funny one this morning - had a motorist shouting out his window at me for hitting his car. to be fair he instantly calmed down and apologised when i explained it was a road chipping my wheel pinged out, not me hitting his car.

odyssey06

magicbastarder wrote: »

bit of a funny one this morning - had a motorist shouting out his window at me for hitting his car. to be fair he instantly calmed down and apologised when i explained it was a road chipping my wheel pinged out, not me hitting his car.

But did you use advanced calculations to hit the chipping at the particular angle that would deflect it towards the car?

magicbastarder

it's more down to feel than actually trying to calculate it; practice makes perfect.

Weepsie

Change for an evening cycle. New tyre and tube on bike last night. Only pumped up this morning as I didn't last night. About to leave and it's flat.

It's as though all of my tyre changing ability has abandoned me as I keep messing them up when putting them on.

Grand way to annoy myself of a Friday

doozerie

buffalo wrote: »

Much love to the woman who decided to overtake the Luas over double continuous white lines on Mayor Street into oncoming traffic (me). She slowed down just enough to give me the finger (with some vehemence) before accelerating away to the red light about 100m up the road.

Ha, I think I met her sisters recently.

Sister1 was driving an SUV at the weekend. I'd just completed a race and rode past the finish point to cool down and let my legs finish crying with some privacy. As I was riding back again, a large group of oncoming riders came through the finish line and continued in my direction.

Sister1 was behind them, she pulled out to overtake. She seemed to struggle with the "overtake" aspect of an overtake and instead opted to just drive straight towards me in my lane. I threw a bemused hand in the air, her reaction was an angry scowl at me while gesticulating wildly at the cyclists who "made her do it" or something. She held her line, forcing me close to the kerb. Yup, cyclists are the problem there.


Sister2 was in my housing estate. I was cycling home from work along a straight stretch with cars parked outside houses in the lane to my right. Sister2 came careering around a blind bend ahead. As she straightened up and started to move back towards her lane she noticed the guy standing on the road beside one of the parked cars.

Not one for stopping she stayed in my lane and drove towards me as she sped up. Bemused hand in the air from me again (I spend much of my time bemused 'cos motorists are so often a fascinating failed science experiment of "how not to be a complete and utter arse"). She glared at me with what seemed like a self-righteous expression of "well it's you or the pedestrian that's gonna be hit here, and I choose you, you kitten strangler!". I clearly have charming neighbours.


Sister3 was this morning as I cycled to work. Approaching a crossroad where a bus on the left was waiting at a red light to join my lane, I just about registered movement near the back of the bus. I pulled out to the centre of my lane as I passed the front of the bus and sure enough, a woman cycled up the inside of the bus and swung into my lane without so much as a glance to her right.

As I passed her (yes, bemused hand in the air yet again), I said "wake up!", which was met with a withering glare. I stopped at a red pedestrian light further ahead, and a few moments later she skimmed past my elbow to break the light and cycle across the road to the pavement on the far side. As she passed the said "I was nowhere near you!".

I could have responded with "Yeah, only 'cos I'd swerved out to avoid crashing into you!', or "How would you know, you never even looked!", or something else sensible and rational. But brain said no and just offered up a "Fcuk you!" option instead which my mouth dutifully passed on. She responded with two fingers and rode on her pedestrian-filled way.

People suck.

buffalo

doozerie wrote: »

gesticulating wildly at the cyclists who "made her do it" or something

I have someone else to blame for egregious error this morning. Approaching the Five Lamps with a green light, pootling up the cycle lane, reaching the head of the line of cars waiting to cross, still green.

The traffic is backed up on the far side, so the final driver on this side has stopped on the pedestrian crossing like this (that's right, my stories come with illustrations now!):



As satisfying as it might be scrape along the inside of the car, or push the wing mirror out of the way, I patiently make my way up the inside while throwing a WTF? hand in the air and pedal across the crossroads.

Which is the point at which I realised the lights have gone to yellow to red while I was otherwise focused. Thankfully the cross traffic waited for me to complete my journey, all while probably thinking 'bloody cyclists'.

So eh, she made me do it?

Weepsie

I was there only a few minutes later. A taxi coming from fairview direction, had done the same as that car, only rolled another few feet out essentially blocking the lane for traffic going towards Samuel Beckett Bridge.

I wonder if I ever feature in your videos.

doozerie

On my commute to work on Friday morning I encountered a guy riding a Harley Davidson and wearing a top with “legal not equals right” emblazoned in huge letters on the back.

Presumably he was expressing a view on the referendum that day. I’m firmly in the “Yes” camp, but even if I wasn’t I’d like to think I’d be appalled at a message that essentially declares loudly that abortion is wrong, full stop. Apparently no room for discussion, no room for consideration of circumstances, no room for sympathy towards someone that may be in a situation where they have an extremely difficult and potentially traumatising decision to make, just a declaration that people in such a situation are wrong.

I realised that I recognised him. I’m fairly sure he was the same guy I’d encountered several years ago, near to where I saw him on Friday actually. At the time all those years ago I ended up in conversation with him, I can’t recall why, but I assume I looked like a sinner in need of saving because he handed me a “Jesus luvs you bruv!” card (but in more god-bother-ey language). Clearly he has a thing for lost causes, if he noticed the scorch marks my heathen fingers left on the card he didn’t let on. It’s not often you encounter a biker rocking his leathers for Jesus, so it tends to stick in your mind.

So his was a view coming from a religious basis, I guess. Well, that explained the heavy emphasis on guilt, I guess. I was raised a catholic, I’m very familiar with the guilt angle. “Jesus luvs you bruv! …but you is still a filthy sinner!”, etc.

I briefly considered engaging him in a moral debate - after all how often do you encounter someone proudly wearing what amounts to a banner declaring “I’m a prejudiced arse! And I’m proud of it!”, it’s an opportunity not be missed. But unfortunately he rode through the red light before I got a chance (it’s okay, god told him it was fine to do so, god knows these things).

It then occurred to me that he had ridden his motorbike along the footpath (after riding it along the cycle track) to get round me at the red light I was stopped at. Then he broke the red light (with god’s blessing, amen). Then he broke the next light (god was playing a blinder that day, he was tracking all the traffic lights and keeping his flock fully informed). Clearly “legal not equals right” was his commentary on the rules of the road. He obviously feels strongly on the matter, bless him, and was acting out his sense of injustice on the hardships such rules unfairly impose on him and stuff. The rules of the road may be legal, but they’re not right because they gravely inconvenience him. God is on the case, and he has his most devout Heaven’s Angels channelling his views. Just ignore the rules of the road entirely, god says it’s fine. Unless you are a sinner, in which case, god says fcuk you!

Must remember to print some cards for the next time I see yer man, he has truly earned the “Jesus thinks yer a dick, bruv!” one.

Steoller

Well the corollary of "legal not equals right" is "illegal not equals wrong", so he is at least mathematically consistent.

buffalo

Poor lad on the ground at Seville Place this morning outside the school gates. ARU were shielding him with their car while a guy from the car place across the road was directing traffic. Every passing driver was slowing down for a good gawk.

It looked a likely spot for someone to be overlooked by a driver pulling in/out, but I didn't even spot a bike (maybe bike/ped collision). He was conscious but sounded in pain, maybe a collarbone or something. Hope you recover quickly dude!

Alek

O, gracious rider on thy celeste horse
Thy dark deep hoops swoosh liketh the wint'r windeth
Thy posture sublime yet thy enemies
Certes trembleth in the shadeth of thy strength
Thy climbing not unlike a slend'r jumping goat
on a mountainside. Yet wherefore oh wherefore
Thy horse the red lighteth hast hath broken?

magicbastarder

heading northbound off the east link last thursday evening, was hanging back a little from a cyclist in front of me as i just didn't get a good vibe off him.
anyway, he took the same exit - onto east wall road - as a HGV in front of us, and simply zipped up the inside of the truck as it was swinging off the roundabout. truck driver stood on the brakes, and the cyclist casually lifted his bike onto the footpath and toddled off.

eeeee

magicbastarder wrote: »

heading northbound off the east link last thursday evening, was hanging back a little from a cyclist in front of me as i just didn't get a good vibe off him.
anyway, he took the same exit - onto east wall road - as a HGV in front of us, and simply zipped up the inside of the truck as it was swinging off the roundabout. truck driver stood on the brakes, and the cyclist casually lifted his bike onto the footpath and toddled off.

They're not much longer for this world bless them. :mad:

check_six

New giganto-sized tesco opened up in liffey valley this week. They have an enormous car park. Like really very big indeed. Hundreds of spaces (~400).

Any bike racks in this brand new facility?
Not really, just a small toaster rack/wheelbender style one that you can't lock your bike to.

They also have 50 yards of two way cycle track that run from and to precisely nowhere. So there is that concession, I suppose.

:mad:

Weepsie

It should really be a prerequisite that any store of a certain size provides x amount of Sheffield stands. I go the Omni, and local shops on my bike all the time and spend as much if not more than any of the people in their cars.

magicbastarder

omni actually has a bike shop in it, but i suspect that the main difference might be the number of houses within a mile or two mile cycle makes the difference?

magicbastarder

let a yell out at a bunch on the clontarf cycle path this morning. was on the section between the causeway and the kilbarrack end of the howth road - probably one of the narrower sections of shared pathway. despite me approaching, and several pedestrians on the pedestrian side, they made no effort to bunch up, taking up the entire width of the cycle path. there was no obvious club strip.

rollingscone

Was on my way into work on NCR this morning when a woman in casual clothes on a bike weaved around the right of a merging truck, rode around the turn with the truck before cutting in front of it and then whipping around the line of traffic to continue squeezing up the double yellow lines as hundreds of cars tried to create that car/kerb crossbreed that they're all so desperate for.

I really wish I'd said something to her.

Maybe the RSA will get through to her so she'll wear a yellow plastic jacket and a helmet next time so she'll be totally safe next time she does it.

Rogue-Trooper

magicbastarder wrote: »

let a yell out at a bunch on the clontarf cycle path this morning. was on the section between the causeway and the kilbarrack end of the howth road - probably one of the narrower sections of shared pathway. despite me approaching, and several pedestrians on the pedestrian side, they made no effort to bunch up, taking up the entire width of the cycle path. there was no obvious club strip.

I got run onto the grass at that spot last week for the same reason. Despite great visibility, they were so busy talking they didn't see me until I was diving onto the grass to avoid a collision. I tried shouting a warning but my throat was dry and all I managed was a croak!

rollingscone wrote: »

Maybe the RSA will get through to her

If they won't, Darwin will.

magicbastarder

coming into dunshaughlin earlier from the dunsany direction - i.e. on the drumree road, managed to be overtaken by a car (at least he overtook me with room to spare by passing fully into the oncoming lane), but about 20 or 30m from the set of traffic lights, necessitating him pulling back in, in *very* short order.
he maintained i was to blame, he had to overtake me because i indicated late apparently. at least our exchange was mutually polite.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.5142713,-6.5421668,237m/data=!3m1!1e3

Eamonnator

magicbastarder wrote: »

coming into dunshaughlin earlier from the dunsany direction - i.e. on the drumree road, managed to be overtaken by a car (at least he overtook me with room to spare by passing fully into the oncoming lane), but about 20 or 30m from the set of traffic lights, necessitating him pulling back in, in *very* short order.
he maintained i was to blame, he had to overtake me because i indicated late apparently. at least our exchange was mutually polite.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.5142713,-6.5421668,237m/data=!3m1!1e3

9 of us were on that road this morning at about 10.00am or a little after, heading for Dunsany.
Did we meet you?

magicbastarder

you'd have been there before me; looks like i was turning off the trim road towards dunsany at about 10:40am. reached dunshaughlin at about 11am.

doozerie

During my cycle commute home yesterday I had the audacity to use a right-turning lane to, well, turn right. The motorist behind me drove within inches of my rear wheel as he made the same turn. “You were in the MIDDLE OF THE FCUKING ROAD!”, he told me immediately afterwards. I pointed out that I was in the middle of the appropriate *lane* but he’d committed himself enthusiastically to his self-chosen role of being an utter arsehole and he wasn’t turning back now. We didn’t part as friends.

I was reminded of him as I ate my lunch today. If life is like a box of chocolates, then road users are like spinach leaves. Some of them are very nice altogether and enrich your life (or just your lunch, though probably best not to eat road users). Some of them are tasteless at best and just a chore to be endured.

And occasionally you’ll encounter one, sneakily hidden away amongst the others, a rotten one that can only be described as PURE FUKKIN’ SILAGE! If you don’t spot them in time they’ll ruin your lunch at a minimum, but more likely your day.

So here is plea to those I’ll be sharing the roads with this evening: You get to choose, please don’t choose to be silage, I have a family to get home to too you know. (PS You smell!)

magicbastarder

first time in a good while i've been blown at on leopardstown road for not using the cycle path. a good aggressive telling off i got, and when i caught up with the motorist at the red lights at the junction with torquay road, i gave her a friendly wave. she was so incensed she spun her wheels for a second or two pulling away from the lights.

Weepsie

I was beeped yesterday for the first time in ages too. Downhill on Mobhi road. Beeped by a taxi despite him having an entire lane empty beside us, and him straddling 2 lanes.

Flew by him seconds later as he hit traffic. gave him a wave of sorts

magicbastarder

cycling home this evening, inbound on the rock road just before i reached the bottom of carysfort avenue - a woman standing in the footpath in front of me hailed a taxi, who proceeded to drive up onto the cycle path to pick her up - after having passed me seconds earlier. he genuinely did not know i was there, i think - didn't clock me while passing, and didn't check the rearview mirror before pulling in because my 'hello hello HELLO HELLO HELLO' warning seemed to genuinely startle him.
to be fair, it was such an odd place to encounter a cyclist...

doozerie

I drove to Trim today to collect NamelessPhil and her bikes. The drive to get there was largely uneventful, just the all too common overtakes of me by other motorists as I "pottered along" (likely their description of me) at the speed limit, but they are so common they hardly register really.

More notable was the stereotypical middle-aged man in a suit, driving what I'm guessing was a company car, who seemed to want to shove my car off the road, he drove so close behind us for a few kilometres. When we hit an 80kph-limit road he tore past, skimming past the wheels of the bikes on the rear rack and disappeared from view in short order, all as if this was perfectly reasonable behaviour.

On the slip road to the M50, where the speed limit drops from 80kph to 30kph, another guy did the same thing, glued to the back of my car, one hand resting on his dash when it wasn't waving at me to get out of the way.

Once on the M50 there was the usual motley crew of people for whom the left most lane is a valid undertaking lane when the other lanes are full of cars being driven at a speed limit they themselves refuse to acknowledge. They even used the lanes which became slip roads, swinging left across multiple lanes to get into them, belting past traffic to their right at stupid speeds, and swinging back out across multiple lanes again just before the lane left the motorway.

I often wonder why so many "accidents" occur on the M50 (in particular) each week, as reported on the news in the mornings, and then I drive on it and I'm reminded of the shocking disregard that so many motorists so casually show for those around them.