Garda crackdown on cyclists started today

hardCopy

intellectual dosser wrote: »

Then I guess I don't see the point in this. I think anyone would be able to tell you that cars cause more accidents at traffic lights without any surveys being done. It's down to volumes and it doesn't vindicate cyclists breaking the law.

I think useful information would be that a cyclist has x% chance of causing an accident at a junction compared to a car. For example 1,000 cyclists travelling through a junction will cause x number of accidents, compared to y number of accidents for 1,000 cars.

It doesn't matter until we have as many bikes on the road as cars.

It's not about 'justice' for the hard pressed motorists.

At the moment motorists kill more people than anyone else, so they are the best target for accident prevention.

Jawgap

intellectual dosser wrote: »

This sounds right, but as Lumen pointed out the statistics would need to be expanded out to assess what accidents cause harm. Any accident involving a cyclist is likely to cause harm to that cyclist at least. A significant portion of the accidents caused by cars are them simply bumping into the car ahead of them etc.

Therefore cyclists need to be scrutinized just as much, for their own safety. IMO any Garda who sees a car breaking a Red is going to see an easy chance to get his monthly stats up and will pounce and punish, whereas they might let the cyclist go.

.....and they say the nanny state is gone :rolleyes:

Rippy

petethedrummer wrote: »

very curious as to what this guy was doing..... swimming?

Sadly, that probably refers to the toddler who was killed by a car in Galway while being pushed by her dad in a buggy.

petethedrummer

Rippy wrote: »

Sadly, that probably refers to the toddler who was killed by a car in Galway while being pushed by her dad in a buggy.

Pedestrian surely.

Rippy

A system of penalty points and fines would be better. Accumulate enough and you are banned from cycling in the state. Simples.

Rippy

petethedrummer wrote: »

Pedestrian surely.

Depends how pedantic they are. She wasn't walking .

studiorat

DuckHook wrote: »

No offence but im never going to accept cycling through a red-light in ireland can be declared as something safe to do, comparing dutch roads to irish is like comparing apples to oranges.

Holland has a long tradition of cycling and the cities are designed with this in mind, ireland has admittedly very poor facilities for cyclists and lets be honest irish drivers are not exactly the most observant and safest bunch around.

None of you points have any relevance. Often it is more dangerous to remain at a junction than to move through it.

Planet X

See the auld hot weather is starting to affect people......:D

Jawgap

Rippy wrote: »

A system of penalty points and fines would be better. Accumulate enough and you are banned from cycling in the state. Simples.

'Simples' indeed and no doubt very easy to enforce..........

PauloConn

I was on the way into work today and just at the junction of George's Street and Dame Street, garda car sitting at the lights watching about a dozen cyclists go through pedestrians without a word..... sure if they got the finger out they would have give enough fines to pay their wages for the day.
So going to say that maybe OP you got the 1 garda who was listening at the daily meeting cause the rest of them don't seem to give a toss.

Diairist

petethedrummer wrote: »

"The 162 who died consisted of 29 pedestrians, 8 cyclists, 95 car occupants, 7 goods-van, 2 goods-HGV, 1 minibus, 19 bikers and 1 other."

http://www.rsa.ie/RSA/Road-Safety/Our-Research/Deaths-injuries-on-Irish-roads/

8 cycling deaths and all the other deaths probably caused by cyclists. I can think of no better deployment of resources.

Didn't this lad on bail have 75 convictions before killing the Polish lad?
" The father of defendant David Curran, who knew the young boy, intervened, saying: "He's only a young fella, leave him alone." Two young girls also became involved. A fight broke out and Pawel Kalite "got a bit of a beating". " Let's be honest - stopping a cyclist at a red light is not as .... challenging.

endacl

Rippy wrote: »

A system of penalty points and fines would be better. Accumulate enough and you are banned from cycling in the state. Simples.

Incredibly unsimples! What do you apply the points 'to'?

You haven't thought this through, have you...?

Diairist

Recently I was delayed getting off the bus. I thought the driver was acting the eejit. As I turned around to ask him to open the door a cyclist shot by on the foot path. THEN he opened the door.

No bus driver to protect me when I walk in front of Clery's window and the Garda pedals between my elbow and the glass. And thumps my elbow...

Fussgangerzone

I don't break lights on my bike, I think it's a bit of a dick move, but you see it quite a bit.
It doesn't usually annoy me that much, put if you get pulled for it, like the man says, you only have yourself to blame.

On the other hand, if you're one of the few who think it's perfectly ok to cycle straight through a bunch of pedestrians who have a green man, you're a thick fcuker and you should be off the roads.

That said, even people on motorbikes have to contend with thick fcukers of motorists who will pull out in front of anything smaller than a car, and they shouldn't be on the roads either.

What we need is a "thick fcuker test". You only have to pass a driving test once, and never ahve to pass a cycling test, but you can be a thick fcuker all your life.

Bray Header

I don't believe that there's an operation, and I'll tell you why! I was cycling to my office in Eastpoint from the city centre this morning. Broke a red light coming up strand, crossed the road towards oncoming traffic, and mounted the path to get to the junction, all in sight of a Gardai car. They gave me a dirty look, bu there's no way they are bothered with these offences IMO, coming from somebody who cycles in the city centre every day of the week.

And please, keep your faux outrage to yourself, just communicating my experience.

DirkVoodoo

It's not faux outrage when you cycle like a tool, it's just stating the obvious.

Don't cycle like a tool.

Bray Header

petethedrummer wrote: »

"The 162 who died consisted of 29 pedestrians, 8 cyclists, 95 car occupants, 7 goods-van, 2 goods-HGV, 1 minibus, 19 bikers and 1 other."

http://www.rsa.ie/RSA/Road-Safety/Our-Research/Deaths-injuries-on-Irish-roads/

8 cycling deaths and all the other deaths probably caused by cyclists. I can think of no better deployment of resources.

Seriously? You really think that's true? All road deaths caused by cyclists?

Bray Header

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

It's not faux outrage when you cycle like a tool, it's just stating the obvious.

Don't cycle like a tool.

I broke a red light on north strand @ 6.30 am. There were no cars waiting in either direction, or from either junction. It was an empty bit of road with a red light. No big deal, no harm done.

NeedMoreGears

There are a few occasions when, in my view, it is prudent to go through a red light such as (i) to ensure you can be seen as in the example given by jawgap; (ii) to avoid pinch points - at one location on my commute the road goes over a hump back bridge which is only wide enough for one vehicle. I find it safer to move on the red (when there is no traffic coming the other way) and clear the bridge before the traffic. I also find it safer to move on the red on that mad roundabout/spaghetti junction thing just north of swords. (iii) if you are concerned the car behind isn't going to brake in time etc etc.


Having said that, in the vast bulk of instances there's no "need" to break a red light - in my experience it's far more often a case of convenience for the cyclist involved ; as in it would be inconvenient to actually stop and wait for the light to go green. I've been clipped by these geniuses more than once while waiting for the light to go green (how come they are always going left and I'm going straight on? How come they never fall off?)

Fixed penalties would probably be the simplest, quickest deterrant in my view

SolarFlash

about time too.

Darkglasses

Bray Header wrote: »

Seriously? You really think that's true? All road deaths caused by cyclists?

Yeah he's deadly serious. Come on... :rolleyes:

buttercups88

redzerredzer wrote: »

Are you serious. Of course they will stop people as they see fit while driving/cycling any way they want.


I have seen several Garda on mobile phone while driving and been stopped for that too.

Gardai are one of a few occupations that are exempt from the ban on using a phone while driving.

Bray Header

Darkglasses wrote: »

Yeah he's deadly serious. Come on... :rolleyes:

Sorry the sarcasm detector must be off today

petethedrummer

Bray Header wrote: »

Seriously? You really think that's true? All road deaths caused by cyclists?

yes and probably all murders. They melt the ice caps and put the plastic things from cans on dolphins noses so they can't open their mouths and they die of hunger.

CramCycle

Lumen wrote: »

On a related topic, I don't really understand why Ireland doesn't have red light cameras. Cost? Privacy? Effectiveness? Inertia?

There are definitely some, the one outside ITT at the junction closest to the square does. I rang the station to say the lights were out and someone was going to have an accident as it turned into a Mad Max movie with the driving skills on show. He told me he knew as he could see them on the traffic light camera. There was another at a LUAS crossing near Black Horse.

Rippy

endacl wrote: »

Incredibly unsimples! What do you apply the points 'to'?

You haven't thought this through, have you...?

They don't need to be applied to anything. Just held on record utilizing the same database used for recording driving penalties. These aren't actually applied to the driving licence, hence a driver holding a foreign licence can still acquire enough points to be banned in Ireland.
Having said that maybe a cycling licence wouldn't be a bad idea!

tunney

martingriff wrote: »

Safer for you WTF? Breaking a red light is never safe you never know what can happen.

I got hit by a car when I stopped at a red light. The motorist had planned on stopping.

DuckHook

studiorat wrote: »

None of you points have any relevance. Often it is more dangerous to remain at a junction than to move through it.

Suuurre.

petethedrummer

If we had fewer red lights there would be less red light breaking.

DuckHook

petethedrummer wrote: »

If we had fewer red lights there would be less red light breaking.

If your granny had balls she would be your granda