Dublin Bus video shows danger to cyclists

Qualitymark

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/video-footage-shows-cyclists-narrowly-escaping-death-in-dublin-29625435.html

THESE are the shocking images which show just how close some cyclists came to losing their lives in Dublin over recent months.
And in a second example, a cyclist nearly falls underneath the wheels of a moving bus after falling off their bike on O’Connell Street.
The video footage was taken from cameras installed on buses…

Illustrates pretty well why cycle lanes separate from motorised traffic are needed.

GT_TDI_150

Am i wrong here but that is not exactly a cyclist just 'falling of thei bike'?!

He got crashed into by another cyclist no?!

Qualitymark

Yes, that's what the first video shows - very dangerous cycling. A stupid man passed me in a similar way the other day, and when I caught up with him at the lights a few yards later and said mildly that that was a dangerous overtake for us both, snarled at me that he'd be thankful for my cycling advice.

The second video shows a cyclist in Christmas-tree-style hi-viz sideswiped off the bike by the back of a bus.

davidsatelle100

Second video shows a cyclist entering the road without looking, both dangerous cycling. Luckily noone was killed in either video

Qualitymark

davidsatelle100 wrote: »

Second video shows a cyclist entering the road without looking, both dangerous cycling. Luckily noone was killed in either video

Indeed, he seems to be sleepcycling along the pavement, then onto the road.

Guill

I can't see why cyclist being stupid means we need cycle lanes. These guys were at fault themselves, they'd probably just be stupid in cycle lanes too.

Qualitymark

Good point, but if they were being stupid in (separated) cycle lanes they'd be less likely to get themselves killed.

Dermot Illogical

Qualitymark wrote: »

Good point, but if they were being stupid in (separated) cycle lanes they'd be less likely to get themselves killed.

And just cause mayhem among other cyclists? No thanks.
I don't mind the paint-defined cycle lanes as I can avoid dangerous cyclists by overtaking using the next lane out, but in your utopian dream I'd be unable to do that.

irish_goat

I've zero sympathy for either of those cyclists. Exactly the type that give cyclists a bad name.

Skrynesaver

I cycle daily in Dublin and those 2 are far and away worse than anything I've seen live, deserving of Darwin awards, but sadly they seem to have failed to qualify by fortune rather than skill.

cython

Qualitymark wrote: »

Good point, but if they were being stupid in (separated) cycle lanes they'd be less likely to get themselves killed.

The first video demonstrates, if anything, a reason not to have segregated cycle lanes - if someone is going to carry on in the manner of the cyclist that pulled out dangerously, then they will probably feel even more entitled to do it on purpose built facilities.

The second video only demonstrates that people can be incredibly dumb, as has already been mentioned. First off he should never have been on the footpath, second it's rarely a good idea to try to join traffic like that by just dropping off a kerb into the flow, and thirdly, he should have opened his bloody eyes and used them properly!! Once again with segregated cycle lanes, this gombeen will just do similar in front of a cyclist, so while he's less likely to get killed himself, his odds of killing of maiming someone else are vastly increased.

johnk123

Qualitymark wrote: »

Good point, but if they were being stupid in (separated) cycle lanes they'd be less likely to get themselves killed.

Nanny state argument perhaps????.


I think if they saw those videos they'd be embarassed by how stupid they look, and how they were entirely at fault. The guy coming off the path was lucky not to have gone under the bus.

Jawgap

Guill wrote: »

I can't see why cyclist being stupid means we need cycle lanes. These guys were at fault themselves, they'd probably just be stupid in cycle lanes too.

That about sums it up - they were there own worst enemies and hopefully the Guards have held the footage because they were prosecuted.

bambergbike

Qualitymark wrote: »

Illustrates pretty well why cycle lanes separate from motorised traffic are needed.

Are you planing to use these cycle lanes yourself? How wide would they need to be for you to be able to share them safely with these morons on bikes? Three metres? Four metres?

Also, do you think these morons would be
a) more careful
or
b) considerably less careful

if they were "only" sharing space with other cyclists?

rp

In the interest of balance, I wonder if they'd share the Dublin Bus videos where the bus driver passes dangerously close, swerves across a cyclist's path, acts aggressively?

Qualitymark

Dermot Illogical wrote: »

And just cause mayhem among other cyclists? No thanks.

Er, they're doing that anyway?

In answer to a couple of posters, I'd like the kind of separated cycle lanes they have in the Netherlands. I feel a lot safer in those than I do cycling in Dublin. Sure, you may be sharing the cycle lane with cycling idiots like these, but you're free from the danger of the driving idiots in cars, vans, buses and trucks.

tomasrojo

What point is the Independent trying to make here? They could do something very similar with footage of pedestrians or cars.

Too many cyclists these days for them maybe.

Dermot Illogical

Qualitymark wrote: »

Er, they're doing that anyway?

But not in a restricted/confined area (other than Grand Canal). They can be avoided on normal roads if you're switched on.
Segregation, usually defined by a kerb, locks you in with idiots like that.

Qualitymark

tomasrojo wrote: »

What point is the Independent trying to make here? They could do something very similar with footage of pedestrians or cars.

Too many cyclists these days for them maybe.

The Indo will always go with the prejudices current to the taxi-driver mentality. It seems that immigrants have been replaced by cyclists as the hate-target du jour.

Cookie_Monster

the first video is a bit of a strange one, guy on the right hand side of the lane decides to just stop for no reason forcing the guy behind him to try squeeze between him and the bus. WTF was he doing?
The guy who went down is not to blame in that case IMO.

seamus

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

the first video is a bit of a strange one, guy on the right hand side of the lane decides to just stop for no reason forcing the guy behind him to try squeeze between him and the bus. WTF was he doing?
The guy who went down is not to blame in that case IMO.

It looks like he was slowing down to move in behind the bus. The guy behind him shouldn't have tried to overtake on the left until he was sure what the guy in front of him was doing. You don't overtake on the left of a vehicle, except in the three circumstances. This applies to bicycles too.
Rookie mistake, looking at the body language of the slowing cyclist you could easily tell what he was about to do, but if someone is impatient and careless, they won't spot it.

AIR-AUSSIE

Despite being equipped with a helmet and high-visibility jacket, one unfortunate commuter narrowly escaped being hit by a bus after failing to spot the vehicle before they entered a busy road in Dublin 4.

I like how they almost imply that a helmet and High-vis should give a cyclist eyes on the back of their head..

davidsatelle100

rp wrote: »

In the interest of balance, I wonder if they'd share the Dublin Bus videos where the bus driver passes dangerously close, swerves across a cyclist's path, acts aggressively?

At a guess NO.

mitosis

AIR-AUSSIE wrote: »

I like how they almost imply that a helmet and High-vis should give a cyclist eyes on the back of their head..

Maybe it would be a good idea, he/she certainly doesn't use their front eyes.

nerraw1111

rp wrote: »

In the interest of balance, I wonder if they'd share the Dublin Bus videos where the bus driver passes dangerously close, swerves across a cyclist's path, acts aggressively?

There's no balance to be had. It's one video of a cyclist been an idiot.

The biggest problem when these videos appear is the whataboutery that goes on. It's a disservice to cyclists who don't act like idiots.

It's a video of one cyclist taking out another and almost getting themselves killed. No need to ask for examples of drivers been idiots. We know they are out there.

doozerie

Qualitymark wrote:

Illustrates pretty well why cycle lanes separate from motorised traffic are needed.

No, it illustrates why people need to apply common sense when using the roads.

Segregation from motorised traffic does nothing to tackle a lack of common sense, in fact it could be argued that it encourages people to be less aware and therefore less wary of other road users. And as soon as a cycle lane intersects with the road again (which is inevitable unless segregated cycle lanes are installed along every length of road throughout the country that any cyclist may use) the same dangers that you hope to solve with segregation reappear again but this time they are likely increased as cyclists and motorists are even less used to sharing the same space. The videos above indicate to me that more education is needed (to promote maturity and a sense of personal responsibility in road users), not more misguided attempts to essentially wrap every cyclist in cotton wool.

Qualitymark

Well, cyclists in the Netherlands are quite willing to educate each other! I've been shouted at for stopping in a stupid place (he was right).

Here's a video, actually about how different groups can use the cycle tracks well, but it shows how they work in a good way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSGx3HSjKDo

(Sorry, I've forgotten again how to embed video here, don't do it often enough for it to remain on my Teflon mind.)

check_six

doozerie wrote: »

No, it illustrates why people need to apply common sense when using the roads.

I think the second video illustrates the dangers of hi-vis jackets, hi-vis helmets, and handlebar mirrors! I mean the guy is just doing what many RSA campaigns have told him to do in the past, and look where it got him, nearly under a bus.

Yesterday, I saw two student looking types jump out of a car in the middle of the right lane on Dawson St. They got out on the left hand side of the car and kind of started to wander backwards towards the left lane, where a bus was bearing down on them. The bus driver reacted quickly jamming on the brakes and blasting the horn. Disaster averted, it would seem, until one of the dingdongs takes a further step backwards and spins around as the bus is moving forward again. I'm starting to look away as this is looking like it's going to get horror movie gruesome. Once again the bus driver jams on the brakes and beeps. The bus stops moving just in time with the guy's face pressed against the windscreen.

Still almost oblivious, he pottered off with his friend, none the worse for wear. They didn't even seem to make any fuss of the fact they had nearly got run over due to their own stupidity. The bus driver meanwhile, after taking a moment to recover from the shock, had fixed the guy with an icy glare. The daft student didn't even look back at the bus or acknowledge the driver at all (at any point, in fact).

I suppose the point of this rambling tale is that it would seem that 80% of us are working very hard to keep the other 20% of us alive, and the 20% don't even realise it is happening!
(Also I would guess the video of this event is pretty dramatic)

RayCun

check_six wrote: »

I mean the guy is just doing what many RSA campaigns have told him to do in the past, and look where it got him, nearly under a bus.

I missed the campaign advising people to cycle on and off the paths with their eyes closed

check_six

RayCun wrote: »

I missed the campaign advising people to cycle on and off the paths with their eyes closed

As long as you've got that yellow jumper, it's all good!

Jawgap

check_six wrote: »

As long as you've got that yellow jumper, it's all good!

Not unless you got one of the RSA's special limited edition low-vis hi-vis vests.......

check_six

Jawgap wrote: »

Not unless you got one of the RSA's special limited edition low-vis hi-vis vests.......

I knew there was something off about that guy's gear. The bus would have bounced right off him had he been wearing the correct kit!

doozerie

check_six wrote:

I suppose the point of this rambling tale is that it would seem that 80% of us are working very hard to keep the other 20% of us alive, and the 20% don't even realise it is happening!

I agree, there are far too many people who essentially place their own safety (not to mention the safety of those around them) entirely in the hands of others through their own actions. They appear to have no sense of personal responsibility, they seem to abdicate responsibility entirely, and seem oblivious to the stress and/or dangers they pose to others. The two videos above demonstrate a fairly mild version of what can happen when such people push their luck too far - it is for people like those that the phrase "accidents don't happen, they are caused!" was probably originally intended.

learn

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/cyclist-level-crossing-near-miss-092710757.html?vp=1#p4E7s5s

seamus

I actually don't get this. I am sh1t scared going across level crossing when the lights are green (I have visions of a train coming ploughing through and just wiping me out). I don't get what goes (or doesn't go) through people's heads when they casually go around the barriers.

Chips Lovell

seamus wrote: »

I don't get what goes (or doesn't go) through people's heads when they casually go around the barriers.

"I'll just nip through here now..."

Jawgap

I saw this happen at the crossing at Sutton once. I stopped as the lights went red, but a chap behind me accelerated, got around one barrier but caught by the far one.

Trapped like a rat, but thankfully the DART does not come through there at any speed.

The best part was the motorbike cop who came along, saw what was happening and called him back towards the barrier away from the track - the last I saw was the copper taking his details!

ThisRegard

seamus wrote: »

I actually don't get this. I am sh1t scared going across level crossing when the lights are green (I have visions of a train coming ploughing through and just wiping me out). I don't get what goes (or doesn't go) through people's heads when they casually go around the barriers.

Yeah, there's one of those small ones on the way to my wifes family home, I still slow down and see if I can see a rogue train coming either way when the gates are open.

Spook_ie

Just for those of you who watched the videos and skipped the reading bit

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/video-footage-shows-cyclists-narrowly-escaping-death-in-dublin-29625435.html

From today, gardai have begun mounting a crackdown on dangerous driving in its annual October/November Casualty Reduction Implementation Plan. Plainclothes officers will assist in identifying motorists and cyclists who break red lights, while speeding motorists will also be hit with penalty points.

Zyzz

Spook_ie wrote: »

Just for those of you who watched the videos and skipped the reading bit

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/video-footage-shows-cyclists-narrowly-escaping-death-in-dublin-29625435.html

Identifying cyclists how?

"Yes he was wearing a helmet and his bicycle had two wheels.."

CramCycle

Zyzz wrote: »

Identifying cyclists how?

"Yes he was wearing a helmet and his bicycle had two wheels.."

They take the time and date and search strava :pac:

Jawgap

Zyzz wrote: »

Identifying cyclists how?

"Yes he was wearing a helmet and his bicycle had two wheels.."

......and by your awesomeness

Hunterbiker

seamus wrote: »

I don't get what goes (or doesn't go) through people's heads when they casually go around the barriers.

Probably something like 'oh wow my favourite on my i-phone...love this lobg la la la...ohhhhh pretty flashing lights ...'

Jawgap

seamus wrote: »

...... I don't get what goes (or doesn't go) through people's heads when they casually go around the barriers.

Moving up a few places on the Strava segment.......

NeedMoreGears

seamus wrote: »

I don't get what goes (or doesn't go) through people's heads when they casually go around the barriers.

The train if they're unlucky

Spook_ie

Zyzz wrote: »

Identifying cyclists how?

"Yes he was wearing a helmet and his bicycle had two wheels.."

I would imagine by IDing them to a uniformed Garda 25/50 meters away, who would stop them and issue them with a caution/summons or whatever