Dublin Bus driver just threw a punch at a cyclist in Rathgar

Tickityboo

bk wrote: »

Today I witnessed five acts of law breaking by motorists:

- Two cars drive through a red light
- One car clearly speeding in a 30km/h street
- Two cars stopped too forward of the traffic lights in the cycle section.

So what exactly is your point?

My point is as a city bus driver if I didn't drive defenceivly every second I'm out there.
I could easily kill at least ten cyclists a day because of their ignorance and blatent disregard for the law and rules of the road.

Cookie_Monster

Tickityboo wrote: »

My point is as a city bus driver if I didn't drive defenceivly every second I'm out there.
I could easily kill at least ten cyclists a day because of their ignorance and blatent disregard for the law and rules of the road.

And I on a bike could equally be killed 5-10 times a day by stupid inatentive motorists doing illegal things. Maybe the tarring brush would cushion the blow though...

Tickityboo

@firstinlastout and bk

But did they hit a pedestrian at a crossing and then just carry on with a nod and a halfhearted sorry?
Guess not because if they did they would get a nice fine and a ban and if driving for a living lose their job.

(These cyclists actually hit people and defencless animals.)

Tickityboo

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

And I on a bike could equally be killed 5-10 times a day by stupid inatentive motorists doing illegal things. Maybe the tarring brush would cushion the blow though...

Not if you're cycling defensively and thinking ahead!!

M.T. Cranium

Thus endeth the red-green alliance.

Cookie_Monster

Tickityboo wrote: »

Not if you're cycling defensively and thinking ahead!!

same reason you don't run over so many cyclists...

Jawgap

Tickityboo wrote: »

Not if you're cycling defensively and thinking ahead!!

That assumes that all the road users you can see are going to behave rationally and predictably - in my experience it's the road users (including drivers, cyclists and pedestrians) who behave irrationally and selfishly who are the most unpredictable and dangerous.

To deal with those you need to be clairvoyant rather than simply thinking ahead.

To wobble back towards the topic, the original incident should be reported to DB and the Guards, if it happened.

Dravokivich

the boss of me wrote: »

Calling bull**** on this thread... Anyone who has sat behind the wheel of a Dublin Bus can tell you its almost physically impossible to throw a punch outthe window.. given this.is the op's.first post and he claims to have witnessed this incident but was unable to see the number on the bus, it all seems a bit fishy to me.

There is a side of the bus where the route number isn't visible from.

hardCopy

coylemj wrote: »

Is this a new trend of lawlessness among cyclists?

I recently drove in on the N11 from Foxrock Church to to White's Cross only to find a cyclist in the righthand (outer) lane and cycling on the right side of the lane i.e. hugging the median. Considering that there is a cycle lane on the N11 which would take him all the way to Donnybrook and beyond, it was a pretty silly part of the road to be cycling on.

It's about time there was some 'zero tolerance' shown to cyclists who behave with impunity on the roads by barging through red lights and pedestrian crossing, in some cases by aping bicycle couriers and physically pushing pedestrians out of the way while they ignore basic traffic regulations..

There is nothing lawless about choosing not to use a cycle lane.

smackyB

hardCopy wrote: »

There is nothing lawless about choosing not to use a cycle lane.

Actually it's entirely legal for a cyclist to use the road rather than a cycle lane - the law that covered this was altered last October.

papu

smackyB wrote: »

Actually it's entirely legal for a cyclist to use the road rather than a cycle lane - the law that covered this was altered last October.

Been Beeped at, Shouted at and dangerously tailgated for cycling in the right hand side of the left lane when I want to make a right turn and not cut across 2 lanes of traffic to do so. Coming out of junctions can also force the cyclist to be stuck in the right hand side of the left lane if traffic is heavy. Some drivers are just bullys & some cyclists are eejits. But from what the OP has said it sounds the bus driver lost the plot.

seamus

Having to share half of the 15's route on my commute, there are one or two drivers on that route who are exceptionally inconsiderate and dangerous, usually tailgating and overtaking too close.

They seem to be assholes on the road in general though, it's not restricted to their attitude towards cyclists.

There are other drivers on the route who are exceptionally decent.

It's a long route, maybe the assholes are old-school union heads who resent having longer periods between breaks and so are always in a foul mood.

mitosis

hardCopy wrote: »

There is nothing lawless about choosing not to use a cycle lane.

No, but ironically I witnessed a motorist getting abuse from a cyclist yesterday for being too close to the kerb, while a cycle track ran alongside unused.

mitosis

papu wrote: »

Been Beeped at, Shouted at and dangerously tailgated for cycling in the right hand side of the left lane when I want to make a right turn and not cut across 2 lanes of traffic to do so. Coming out of junctions can also force the cyclist to be stuck in the right hand side of the left lane if traffic is heavy. Some drivers are just bullys & some cyclists are eejits. But from what the OP has said it sounds the bus driver lost the plot.

Some form of hand signal would eliminate a lot of this

cython

Fiskar wrote: »

As a witness, did you get the bus registration and route number?

As you say, the cyclist was clearly on the wrong side of the road.

Were any words expressed between both parties prior to the alleged punch?

The bus driver may have been antagonised previously and prior to the incident in question. He would have CCTV on board to prove his case.

Short of the cyclist boarding the bus, decking the driver, and then being in the process of escaping on his bike (or similar far-fetched circumstances), having been "antagonised" is no excuse for the driver of one of the largest types of vehicle on the road to intimidate and even attempt to assault one of the most vulnerable road users. Sure you might as well suggest they clip passengers who may have caused trouble on their bus with the wingmirror after they disembark while you're at it!

Spook_ie

papu wrote: »

Been Beeped at, Shouted at and dangerously tailgated for cycling in the right hand side of the left lane when I want to make a right turn and not cut across 2 lanes of traffic to do so. Coming out of junctions can also force the cyclist to be stuck in the right hand side of the left lane if traffic is heavy. Some drivers are just bullys & some cyclists are eejits. But from what the OP has said it sounds the bus driver lost the plot.

Unless the lane you are in is for right turning traffic then you are in the wrong lane, if it is for right turning traffic then the use of correct hand signals would probably alleviate the situation

Zebra3

Tickityboo wrote: »

(These cyclists actually hit people and defencless animals.)

A new low on here for the war on cyclists. :rolleyes:

I see plenty of roadkill when I'm out cycling and it sure as hell isn't cyclists that are doing the damage.

cbl593h

As happened here there was probably a pair of them in it............:eek:

Tickityboo

Zebra3 wrote: »

A new low on here for the war on cyclists. :rolleyes:

I see plenty of roadkill when I'm out cycling and it sure as hell isn't cyclists that are doing the damage.

There's a major difference to being hit while crossig a pedestrian crossing and an animal running out on the road in front of a vehicle.
Stop talking nonsense!!

Spook_ie

Just as a point of interest, anyone able to find an image of a cyclist by the side of a bus, I'm finding it difficult to decide if a driver of a bus would be at the right height to whack a cyclist anyway?

BuffyBot

OP, your point (more suited really for a blog or Facebook IMHO) has been made. If someone wishes to reach out to you on the off-chance they see this, well and good.

Otherwise, this thread serves little purpose. Too few facts (and those we have are more "internet fact" than real ones) and way too much speculation.

As an aside, some of the terms being thrown around in posts sail dangerously close to the wind. Now, is as good a time as any, to re-read the charter and keep in mind the level of civility expected when posting on this forum.