Garda crackdown on cyclists started today

Tony EH

petethedrummer wrote: »

If the point of this garda excercise is to curb illegal behaviour by cyclists then it's a good initiative.

If the point is to lower deaths and make the roads safer then they are barking up the wrong tree.

Illegal behaviour and unsafe behaviour should not be conflated.

I think your humourous remarks about cyclists being the cause of all road deaths was lost on some people.

Cyclists, of course, account for a minute amount of road death and accidents year by year. Far and away, the most death on Irish roads are caused by motorists.

When a cyclist breaks a rule of the road, by and large they are taking their own lives in their hands and most don't take that risk. That certainly doesn't mean that they should do it.

If a motorist is reckless and an accident occurs, the chances of serious injury or death is increased by a huge amount and even with "crackdowns" on motorists, a lot of them do not seem to give a toss.

Only this moring I saw, on the Sandford road, someone pull out, into oncoming traffic, around a bus that was picking up passengers and he was going an easy 20+ mph.

I had a car overtake me and do a left turn coming towards Ranelagh, forcing me to brake hard.

Likewise, at Dolphin's Barn, I saw several motorists ignore red lights. One was a van turning down towards Rialto and another was a car that sped through a red light on her way towards the Combe.

That junction is a regular spot where motorists simply don't give a damn what shade of red is on the lights, never mind amber.

Tony EH

martingriff wrote: »

How about if a car is at 30 or 40 KPH and they have to jam on the breaks to avoid hitting you and get rearended. Or worse still they don't/can't break in time and injure you. A law is there for your safety not just third party.

There are very few cyclists dumb enough to risk cycling in front of a car that is flying down the road at 40 KPH. They know they'll be the one's worse off, if an accident was to occur. I've seen it done, but it certainly wouldn't be a regular thing by any yardstick.

Most red light jumping by cyclists is done when the road is clear. It's illegal and it shouldn't be done...but it's an annoying thing for motorists in the main and not the "major" criminal enterprise that some like to make it out to be.

Tony EH

Bray Header wrote: »

Well I'll be. Just cycled home from work via dame st, saw a Garda pulling in a guy on a corporation bike. The cyclist had taken a right at the end of George's st into Dame st.

Decided to ask the Garda what was the Craic and he confirmed they're clamping down. Fair enough I thought, but didn't seem too impressed when I asked him what date they're gonna be clamping down on beggars and junkies banging up in broad daylight!

Maybe you should have asked him how many cars he pulled over on Dame St that day. That area is notorious for motorists ignoring the red light on the way toward Trinity.

cdaly_

aloyisious wrote: »

I don't think there is need for a new law to do this.

It's not a new law. It's simply streamlining the sanctions to be applied to breaking of existing laws. Instead of having to go to court, you get hit with an on-the-spot fine.

aloyisious

Jawgap wrote: »

I cycle on O'Connell Street most mornings and yes there are plonkers on bikes on the path, but there's also the bread delivery van that delivers to the kylemore who drives across the path rather than go around the block; there's window cleaners' vans outside Clery's, usually there's a security van or two parked up outside the shops (the big that goes to Dr Quirkey's is impressive).........but no doubt you're too busy doging the swarm of cyclists on the path to notice them.

Naw, not really. I only get pissed-off at them as I'm a cyclist who has had lanes put out for my/their benefit, like on D'olier St and O'Connell St

petethedrummer

cdaly_ wrote: »

It's not a new law. It's simply streamlining the sanctions to be applied to breaking of existing laws. Instead of having to go to court, you get hit with an on-the-spot fine.

I imagine John Murphy of No. 10 Dublin Road, County wherever is going to be getting a lot of on the spot fines.

aloyisious

cdaly_ wrote: »

It's not a new law. It's simply streamlining the sanctions to be applied to breaking of existing laws. Instead of having to go to court, you get hit with an on-the-spot fine.

I can see "do you take Visa" being said. Seriously though, enforcement is needed.

Personally, I'd take the bike off the offender and lock it up/keep it for collection the following day. Make the offender walk or bus it home. It'd save on the hassle of fines non-payment and wasted court-time (Garda having to be present to give evidence of issuing fine).

buffalo

aloyisious wrote: »

I can see "do you take Visa" being said. Seriously though, enforcement is needed.

Personally, I'd take the bike off the offender and lock it up/keep it for collection the following day. Make the offender walk or bus it home. It'd save on the hassle of fines non-payment and wasted court-time (Garda having to be present to give evidence of issuing fine).

Except now you've to transport a bike back to the station, and need to call out a van for that instead. Or meet the guy to unlock the bike wherever you've locked it.

seamus

buffalo wrote: »

Except now you've to transport a bike back to the station, and need to call out a van for that instead. Or meet the guy to unlock the bike wherever you've locked it.

Random checkpoints with two vans around the corner ready to take the bikes.

Do it at peak times in places just outside the city. Someone will get their bike taken off them in Dolphin's Barn, have to explain to their boss whey they're an hour late for work after they had to walk in. They won't risk that again.

Should Have Done Arts

what about children?

Kids are safer on the paths and you cant fine a youth €50

bambergbike

Saw something in the paper the other day about the local police having let the air out of a cyclist's tyres because she was too drunk to cycle home and they didn't want to create unnecessary work for themselves by impounding the bike.

The legal blood alcohol content for cyclists here in Germany is 0.16 per cent, as opposed to 0.05 per cent for car and motorcycle users, although there are plans to adjust it down a bit. If I was that drunk, I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference between cycling on fully inflated tyres and cycling with no tyres at all.

wil

check_six wrote: »

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."

[/QUOTE]



My guess is hang-gliding with a pinch of overhead electricity pylon, and a dash of landing on the road afterwards.

or
Potholing?

wil

seamus wrote: »

Random checkpoints with two vans around the corner ready to take the bikes.

Do it at peak times in places just outside the city. Someone will get their bike taken off them in Dolphin's Barn, have to explain to their boss whey they're an hour late for work after they had to walk in. They won't risk that again.

Alternative
Bike clamping
bright yellow kryptonite (combination type?) locks to lamppost etc and 50 release fee.
Name, lock number, pay fine, get bike back (minus bits if you wait too long)
Self unlocking option for deposit and return of lock/key.
Bikes unclaimed can be collected for auction after 2 weeks

Tony EH

seamus wrote: »

Random checkpoints with two vans around the corner ready to take the bikes.

Do it at peak times in places just outside the city. Someone will get their bike taken off them in Dolphin's Barn, have to explain to their boss whey they're an hour late for work after they had to walk in. They won't risk that again.

The Gardai would be better off putting that energy into minimising the amount of bycycle theft that goes on in the likes of Dublin, Galway, Cork etc.

I know a guy that's had at least 5 bikes knicked. One of them in front of Pearse St Garda station. :rolleyes:

petethedrummer

wil wrote: »

or
Potholing?

You could fish for whale in that pothole. The whale of your bike.

aloyisious

Tony EH wrote: »

The Gardai would be better off putting that energy into minimising the amount of bycycle theft that goes on in the likes of Dublin, Galway, Cork etc.

I know a guy that's had at least 5 bikes knicked. One of them in front of Pearse St Garda station. :rolleyes:

Aargh, and there I was thinking that would be a safe area

endacl

petethedrummer wrote: »

I imagine John Murphy of No. 10 Dublin Road, County wherever is going to be getting a lot of on the spot fines.

Prawo Jazdy all over again! Did they ever catch that fecker?

aloyisious

petethedrummer wrote: »

You could fish for whale in that pothole. The whale of your bike.

Jazus, dem's not potholes, dem's craters

aloyisious

endacl wrote: »

Prawo Jazdy all over again! Did they ever catch that fecker?

Yeah, he's out on licence

wil

mitosis wrote: »

They have always targeted all other road users than cyclists. Now by including cyclists you are getting more of a blanket treatment. The Gardai cannot catch all the law breakers logistically given that nationally there is about 1 Garda on duty at any time per 2000 citizens

Not true. Cyclists breaking lights etc have been stopped and fined for as long as I remember.
The number of cyclists on the roads is far less than in the past as perception is it has become more dangerous due to increase in motorists.

I have often seen (pleads the fifth) people stopped and summoned years before now.
And at about the same rate as I've seen gardai ignore deprioritise very serious transgressions by motorists.

Unfortunately gardai seem to be instructed to enforce rules in campaign fashion rather than day to day and the Irish attitude seems to warrant this approach.
We are not very good at self policing and it doesn't help that common sense is often unusual.