They don't even pay road tax Joe. **Off topic thread**

Qualitymark

Pinch Flat wrote: »

on the way back into work there's cars triple parked at St. Stephen's Green East. So one car in the parking bay, one in the cycle lane, and another in the traffic lane. About 12 - 15 cars in total breaking the law.

I've raised this with the particular school and the Gardai previously and got no-where. :mad:

Would the clampers http://www.dsps.ie (who I'm told get commission on clamping illegally parked cars, though that may be a makeyuppy) be better people to contact? 01 602 2500

OldBean

My rear mudguard has found itself slightly lose, even though I've tightened everything worth tightening. It's such a horrible noise

Plus side, I'm going on holidays in the morning. And might be test riding a bike that's not been released yet, and I definitely won't need mudguards...!

Wishbone Ash

Qualitymark wrote: »

Would the clampers http://www.dsps.ie (who I'm told get commission on clamping illegally parked cars, though that may be a makeyuppy) be better people to contact? 01 602 2500

I think he is referring to cars pulled up while doing drop offs or pick ups across the street from the college - i.e. the vehicle is attended. If the clampers arrived, they would simply move off and go around the block.

Lusk_Doyle

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I think he is referring to cars pulled up while doing drop offs or pick ups across the street from the college - i.e. the vehicle is attended. If the clampers arrived, they would simply move off and go around the block.

Why are some schools called colleges?

Pinch Flat

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I think he is referring to cars pulled up while doing drop offs or pick ups across the street from the college - i.e. the vehicle is attended. If the clampers arrived, they would simply move off and go around the block.

Actually the cars are abandoned usually - hazards on. That Irish way of when you're acting the tool - "hey look I have my hazards on, I'm exempt".

OldBean

As a young lad, I ACTUALLY thought that sticking the hazards on in any situation would mean you could stop the car and get out to do X, Y and Z. I learned.

Thanks Dad.

Pinch Flat

OldBean wrote: »

As a young lad, I ACTUALLY thought that sticking the hazards on in any situation would mean you could stop the car and get out to do X, Y and Z. I learned.

Thanks Dad.

Yeah at this stage they should just write it into the road traffic act and rules of the road and be done with it.

RainyDay

Pinch Flat wrote: »

What might go some way to getting the message home is that if 20 or so cyclists stop on this particular stretch of bike lane at around 8.20 am - just on time for the school drop off.

I'm up for it - any other takers?

Pinch Flat

Yup.

Qualitymark

8 (voice trembles) 20???

Pinch Flat

Ok with no buses the traffic tomorrow people going to have enough on their plate. Especially those with long school runs from far flung places like donnybrook, ballsbridge and mount merrion.

But have no problem chipping in if there's a decent mob, I mean group, of a similar persuasion.

Qualitymark

This problem - and its repeats around the city to a greater or lesser extent - show the urgent need for an American-style school bus system in Ireland.

If we had school buses that pick up kids, like in New York, say, at the end of their street and run them to school, I suspect that an awful lot of cars would be much, much less used. As evidence, I bring the way traffic seems to halve as soon as the school holidays start.

Of course, in New York and other American cities, the school buses wouldn't have to go to Mount Merrion to pick up a kid for Stephen's Green - you send your kid to your local school.

(Mind you, when I was a kid I just hopped on the Number 8 in Sandycove to get to school in Monkstown; a neighbour who was an executive working in the city centre kept an eye on me - and paid my fare nearly every day, if truth be told! Nowadays parents don't allow their kids to take buses for fear the maniacs known to infest them might sink their fangs into little Mikey's neck; and any executive would lift a contemptuous lip at the thought of taking a public bus.)

Harrybelafonte

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Actually the cars are abandoned usually - hazards on. That Irish way of when you're acting the tool - "hey look I have my hazards on, I'm exempt".

Never happens in any other country... ever

RainyDay

Qualitymark wrote: »

This problem - and its repeats around the city to a greater or lesser extent - show the urgent need for an American-style school bus system in Ireland.

If we had school buses that pick up kids, like in New York, say, at the end of their street and run them to school, I suspect that an awful lot of cars would be much, much less used. As evidence, I bring the way traffic seems to halve as soon as the school holidays start.

I disagree.

It shows the need for people to be comfortable to send their kids to their local school. It is madness to have kids who are too young to travel alone being shepherded into the city centre every day.

Pinch Flat

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Never happens in any other country... ever

Yeah I know we're not unique here - other countries would likely have a policeman move you on in the majority of situations you'd see here, particular in the center of capital city. You can get away with it handy enough here.

Harrybelafonte

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Yeah I know we're not unique here - other countries would likely have a policeman move you on in the majority of situations you'd see here, particular in the center of capital city. You can get away with it handy enough here.

Empirical data, as it's the only data I have, would suggest otherwise, have witnessed similar occur in New York, Stockholm, Oslo, Rome, Naples, Paris, Barcelona. You wanna know why I bother picking up on it, because it's a trait I have listened to many Irish people complaining about and attributing to some sort of Irish psychology, along with another load of bull**** that Irish people alone seem to perpetrate.

As well as that, I'll point out that schools in general do not have the facilities for en mass parking as occurs at the beginning and end of school. My son's school has nowhere to park outside, so we all park half on pavement, half on cyclelane. There are three schools in total in the vicinity so it's mayhem and the cops have been called on before to stop people blocking drives etc.

Before you start about walking to school etc, the majority of students in all three schools walk or cycle, especially in warmer weather. Parents in the school, whom I know and use a car, do so as they have a considerable distance to travel (you want to get a child up at 6am so that you can get the two buses to school, then back later?) to get to the school and have to continue on then to work on the other side of the city or simply need to be somewhere within minutes of dropping children to school. So... you park where you can and get on with it. It's for about 25 minutes max each end of the school day. Unless you want more tracts of land taken up by car parks and greater expensive I suggest you get over it. Why not have a go at chursches too btw, where by cars are parked on double yellows, cycle lanes, in front of driveways, in others driveways and on the pavement for up to an hour or more? The N11 in Donnybrook would be an example.

tomasrojo

RainyDay wrote: »

I disagree.

It shows the need for people to be comfortable to send their kids to their local school. It is madness to have kids who are too young to travel alone being shepherded into the city centre every day.

I'm probably going to end up doing a longish commute, as we moved house after our kids were born, and so got their names down for local schools very late, and the one school that did accept us was one we applied to before we moved. (Rather limited in choice anyway, as after my schooling I'm trying to avoid schools with a Catholic ethos -- apologies to the RC devout among us.)

Might finally be getting that cargo bike.

buffalo

From http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0501/698061-rsa-warning/

Story: "Gardaí and the Road Safety Authority are urging motorists to take care over the bank holiday weekend, and to keep a particular look out for motorcyclists."

Headline: "Motorcyclists urged to take care"

Victim blaming by RTE editors?

Pinch Flat

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Empirical data, as it's the only data I have, would suggest otherwise, have witnessed similar occur in New York, Stockholm, Oslo, Rome, Naples, Paris, Barcelona. You wanna know why I bother picking up on it, because it's a trait I have listened to many Irish people complaining about and attributing to some sort of Irish psychology, along with another load of bull**** that Irish people alone seem to perpetrate.

I’ve lived in Germany and the UK (both rural and urban) and never witnessed the ‘hazards on’ to the extent you see here. Go to any Irish town on a given day and observe the amount of abandoned cars with hazards on. Usually someone who’s too lazy to park their car responsibly and would prefer to abandon it outside the local spar for a liter of milk.

Baggot Street close to where I work is gas for this – there’s not a day goes by that there’s 2 or 3 cars parked, usually a taxi outside the bookies and one outside the pharmacy. You’ll get the odd one who pulls in to use the ATM at Doheny and Nesbitts. Sure the hazards are on, so all is grand.

I lived in London for years and I can guarantee if you abandoned your car in this manner in a similar situation you wouldn't get away with it.

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

As well as that, I'll point out that schools in general do not have the facilities for en mass parking as occurs at the beginning and end of school. My son's school has nowhere to park outside, so we all park half on pavement, half on cycle lane. There are three schools in total in the vicinity so it's mayhem and the cops have been called on before to stop people blocking drives etc.

We too have chronic problems in our local primary school, there’s no car park for the public and the gardai have been called to both police this and resolve altercations between parents of school going children and local resident. Parents are actively encouraged not to drive to the school - there is a very small drop down area. There’s a small shopping center about 100 yards away with ample parking if everyone in the school was to drive. But there’s still a strong mentality out there that people need to get right to where they need to be in a car – the thoughts of a 100m walk from a parked car is obviously less attractive than parking it in the bike lane / ruining the grass verge / blocking in a neighbours driveway.

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Before you start about walking to school etc, the majority of students in all three schools walk or cycle, especially in warmer weather. Parents in the school, whom I know and use a car, do so as they have a considerable distance to travel (you want to get a child up at 6am so that you can get the two buses to school, then back later?) to get to the school and have to continue on then to work on the other side of the city or simply need to be somewhere within minutes of dropping children to school. So... you park where you can and get on with it. It's for about 25 minutes max each end of the school day. Unless you want more tracts of land taken up by car parks and greater expensive I suggest you get over it. Why not have a go at churches too btw, where by cars are parked on double yellows, cycle lanes, in front of driveways, in others driveways and on the pavement for up to an hour or more? The N11 in Donnybrook would be an example.

From my own experience, a lot of parents could cut out the hassle of a car in Dublin by cycling. Kids can be dropped easily and then the journey continued on bike – I did this for a 20km commute in a previous job, commuting by bike to the other side of the city. I don’t see the sense in my local school, whereby cars clog up the infrastructure for a huge radius around the school to get little Johnny or Mary to their desk in the school – then rejoin what is in effect a traffic jam to the city center. People need to rethink their travel options, a lot of which would alleviate a lot of this hassle.

Local church goers are the worst offenders – Church is built on the periphery of a large estate of 500 plus houses. The majority of people can walk to it – perhaps a 15 minute walk tops for most people. Instead, they choose to drive where the car park just about manages to accommodate them – others that are late are happy to abandon the cars on double yellow lines or the cycle lane.

H.E. Pennypacker

First Cadburys start reducing the size of their chocolate bars, now Camelbak seem to be at it. My new 710ml/24oz Podium bottle holds less than my old one. Maybe its their way of moving towards an enforcement of Rule 52?

Harrybelafonte

You live in a different world to I. These are not my experiences. So no point in saying anymore

AstraMonti

You guys should visit Athens, Greece.. Dublin will look nothing sort of a magical place for all the above haha

Lusk_Doyle

tomasrojo wrote: »

I'm probably going to end up doing a longish commute, as we moved house after our kids were born, and so got their names down for local schools very late, and the one school that did accept us was one we applied to before we moved. (Rather limited in choice anyway, as after my schooling I'm trying to avoid schools with a Catholic ethos -- apologies to the RC devout among us.)

Might finally be getting that cargo bike.

Why on earth did you feel the need to apologise to nobody in particular for something that has nothing to do with them?

Lusk_Doyle

AstraMonti wrote: »

You guys should visit Athens, Greece.. Dublin will look nothing sort of a magical place for all the above haha

Which Dublin? Dublin, Ohio?

tomasrojo

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Why on earth did you feel the need to apologise to nobody in particular for something that has nothing to do with them?

I suppose it's my version of "Not that there's anything wrong with that".

RainyDay

tomasrojo wrote: »

I'm probably going to end up doing a longish commute, as we moved house after our kids were born, and so got their names down for local schools very late, and the one school that did accept us was one we applied to before we moved. (Rather limited in choice anyway, as after my schooling I'm trying to avoid schools with a Catholic ethos -- apologies to the RC devout among us.)

Might finally be getting that cargo bike.

Yes, I was going to bring the ethos issue into it, but I didn't want to go off topic. Really, all schools should have the same ethos. If someone wants to do religion, that should be an after-school activity. No-one should have to endure extra commutes because state-funded schools are into religion.

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

As well as that, I'll point out that schools in general do not have the facilities for en mass parking as occurs at the beginning and end of school. My son's school has nowhere to park outside, so we all park half on pavement, half on cyclelane. There are three schools in total in the vicinity so it's mayhem and the cops have been called on before to stop people blocking drives etc.

Part of the reason why more people don't cycle to school more of the time is because you block the cycle lanes when you park.

Harrybelafonte

RainyDay wrote: »

Part of the reason why more people don't cycle to school more of the time is because you block the cycle lanes when you park.

Yeah? Awesome. More guilt-free parking for me the two times year I drive to the school... Funny, people parking in cycle lanes doesn't stop us cycling to school. Maybe those it puts off cycling are... bam bam baaaaaaam... using it as a ****ing excuse.

Qualitymark

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Yeah? Awesome. More guilt-free parking for me the two times year I drive to the school... Funny, people parking in cycle lanes doesn't stop us cycling to school. Maybe those it puts off cycling are... bam bam baaaaaaam... using it as a ****ing excuse.

Mmmaybe not, Harrybelafonte. Adults, yes, but this is kids we're talking about. Being afraid your kids will be doored or pulled out on by the selfish people who park illegally is an adequate reason not to encourage them to cycle to school.

RainyDay, I completely agree; State schools should be lay schools. If people have a religion they're welcome to teach it to their children at home and at Sunday School. I find the idea of schools with crucifixes grotesque.

Lumen

Qualitymark wrote: »

If people have a religion they're welcome to teach it to their children at home and at Sunday School.

My parents sent my sister and me to Sunday school. They were completely agnostic/ambivalent about religion but quite devout in their desire to have some "quiet" time on a Sunday morning. :pac:

(where's the vomit emoticon?)

CramCycle

Lumen wrote: »

My parents sent my sister and me to Sunday school. They were completely agnostic/ambivalent about religion but quite devout in their desire to have some "quiet" time on a Sunday morning. :pac:

(where's the vomit emoticon?)

As a non believer in anything, I finally see the benefits to getting my kids involved in brainwashing religion.