Hi vis discussion thread (read post #1)

5uspect

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118587982#Comment_118587982

I clearly didn’t see it.

07Lapierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118595079#Comment_118595079

That's the point about Hi-viz.. you can be lit up like a Christmas tree but its feck all use unless you actually look. (Sorry...couldn't resist! :) )

Grassey

https://www.thejournal.ie/new-garda-uniform-5667040-Feb2022/

Will they be a less visible presence on the streets now 🤣

5uspect

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118595980#Comment_118595980

That was the joke. I'll get my high-vis coat.

Paddigol

The amount of schoolkids I see every morning sent out the door by their parents to cycle to school, with no lights, but the old reliable hi viz vest... excellently hidden under their backpacks/ schoolbags. It's shocking.

Just. Buy. A decent. Set. Of Lights!!!

There's really no excuse anymore - we don't even need to stock boxes of batteries - you can get cheap as chips USB rechargeable lights everywhere these days.

I cycle-commute through the city centre and out the N11 regularly and the belief that throwing some piece of c**p 'hi viz' cloth over your back is the best way to be seen is obvious. This has been perpetuated by the RSA/ AA/ AGS and general media commentary. It's just dangerous. By all means wear something bright yellow with bits of reflective strips if you like, but that should be very much secondary to have a fully charged set of lights on your bike.

IMHO, anyone banging the hi viz drum on here clearly doesn't cycle and is motivated by a disdain for cyclists using the road rather than any concern for road safety.

spaceHopper

Please don’t thank this as dig at cyclists, when I’m leaving work there is often a queue of cars that I have to join by turning left. To my right is a hill where I’m at the top and you get cyclists coming up the hill alongside cars. Your vision is affected by looking down into lots of dipped car lights. The ones that stand out are the ones with a bright flashing front light. Anything else is next to useless. If it was me I’d say two bright flashing lights or one constant and one flashing. Nearly hit a guy, wet night, no lights or high vis instead he was dressed like a ninja in black. 

magicbastarder

you won't find anyone on here who will dispute the need to use lights.

Macy0161

I would say the main response by cyclists on this thread is the need for lights! fwiw, I met 2 (older cars) with no lights this morning, and another handful on DLR. Hi Viz/ Reflective strips useless then.

buffalo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118606001#Comment_118606001

I nearly pulled out in front of a dark grey van who was approaching from under a large bridge with nothing but DRLs on at 07:00 this morning. Didn't see him when I did a quick scan, only the second look copped him.

07Lapierre

Their are two cyclists in this video. One has lights and hi viz, the other has a hi viz which is flapping in the wind as he cycles towards me.

https://youtu.be/Kamklf8doLc

zell12

Another garda inspector says

Parents are being urged to dress their children in high-visibility gear for the daily walk to school or the bus stop, especially on darker mornings... and appealing to parents whose children cycle to school to ensure they are wearing high viz vests and can be clearly seen by drivers. Inspector Conor Madden of Galway RPU says visibility is key to ensure vulnerable road users stay safe. https://connachttribune.ie/galway-gardai-appeal-to-parents-to-ensure-children-are-safe-and-can-be-seen-on-school-commute/

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118609667#Comment_118609667

Idiot. Where does he think the schoolbag goes? And where's his messaging on lights?

I was stopped by a Garda manning a checkpoint last year who proceeded to tell me, as I was sitting on my bike with 600lumen front light and two rear lights, one flashing, that I needed to get a vi viz vest. I pointed out my lights. Not good enough he says. I couldn't be arsed arguing the point with him as he was probably just repeating the mantra passed down from above.

All the hi viz in the world will make no difference if Steve in his VW Golf or Mary in her Hyundi Santa Fe decide that them getting to where they're going as fast as possible is the most important thing in the world. "Ooops... didn't see ya."

Messaging like the above is pure tokenism/ victim blaming... pretend we care about road safety by making people go to unnecessary lengths before we'll guarantee their safety. "Oh... you weren't wearing hi viz??"

tomasrojo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118609768#Comment_118609768

Yeah, it has gotten to the point that someone with feeble or possibly no lights but a €1 waistcoast probably gets fewer "concerned" interventions than someone with powerful lights but no green/yellow apparel.

I still come back to the fact that this stuff is cheap, easy to give out, and easy to record wearing rates of. That nobody can come up with evidence that it is particularly effective, or any consideration given to how its endless promotion (which is not shared to the same extent in many other jurisdictions) is affecting perceptions of walking and cycling is down to complex reasons, as all road safety culture issues tend to.

ARX

My hi vis jacket, orange helmet and flashing Bontrager Ion 200 RT front light didn't attract the attention of the woman who pushed a buggy into the road in front of me while looking to her left yesterday, or the man carrying a baby who crossed the Dun Laoghaire bike lane in front of me while looking to his left against the red pedestrian light at the east pier a couple of weeks ago. Or the man who pushed his partner into the bike track in front of me while they were walking with their backs to me on St Raphaela's Road in December. Or indeed the man who turned left across my path while gazing into his phone on Goatstown Road.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118608439#Comment_118608439

Correction, there is one cyclist in that video (I am not rewatching it to find the other one)

Eamonnator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118610059#Comment_118610059

Thanks, I thought it was just me.

Grassey

The nipper came home with this today...

A) what on earth is a 'Beep Beep Day'? Is it to do with leaning on the horn so kids learn their place on the road?

B) I'm being lectured on why I need to wear a dayglo vest, an armband and and a bag cover at all times leaving the house so that cars can see me...

Is it any wonder that the high-vis fetish is so prevalent when it's being pushed at young kids so 'they are safe' on the paths

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118769380#Comment_118769380

It's high time the RSA were disbanded.

Portwest are still main supplier of the Hi Viz stuff?

They are based in Westport, Mayo and RSA are based in Ballina Mayo.

magicbastarder

christ.

"Beep Beep Day is a national road safety awareness day for young children. It takes place in crèches and Montessori schools around the country during Road Safety Week in October, but can also take place at any other time during the year.

On Beep Beep Day, children aged five and under will practice basic road safety skills with the Simon and Friends road safety storybooks, songs, games and activities."

https://www.rsa.ie/road-safety/education/pre-primary

we've outsourced the safety of under 5s to under 5s.

Grassey

It gets better...

https://www.rsa.ie/docs/default-source/road-safety/r3-education/rsa-going-to-school-guide.pdf?sfvrsn=3aa1845c_2

Walking to School:

• Children should wear high visibility clothing when out walking.

Cycling to school...

• Ue cyclelanes, and conflate contra flow 'by laws' in there
• Wear a helmet 'in your own interest'
• lights and stop signs apply to cycists too you know
• check lights are in working order - but not reference the 'by law' apsect

Driving to school

Co-operate with school wardens....

• How about 'Follow direction of a School Warden' instruction as under the RTA they have the authority to stop traffic - it's not a suggestion to stop....

The RSA are a shambles

AndrewJRenko

Seems like a good idea - drinking hi-vis jackets

https://twitter.com/TheDublinJenn/status/1505571429772931077?s=20&t=HTICyS8gzPWuH7rn2AtG8g

Should probably wear drinking helmets too.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118813666#Comment_118813666

Think I said it here before, when my daughter was in school they had pink bumbags and baseball caps for trips as every other school wore Hi Vis and it became like the opening of Home Alone when and you think you have more kids than you do, whereas this made them stand out from the crowd.

Seth Brundle

https://twitter.com/DurhamRPU/status/1514170915512274944

magicbastarder

that surrey RPU tweet gets a mention in the replies here, but my favourite response so far is the chap who has pointed out that the hi-vis the kid is wearing seems to have been sponsored by a car-related organisation (ESB e-cars)

https://twitter.com/RSAIreland/status/1516433697867714562

Tenzor07

All the comments regarding what people who want to cycle have to go wear as standard is is just pure crazy, you're essentially dressing for battle... Full secure cycle helmet, front and rear bright flashing lights in daytime also, fluro socks/jacket/trousers/backpack cover/helmet cover, reflective padded gloves...And a tag attached to you with your name/address/ICE phone number and blood group! I'd almost go so far as to say anyone cycling on Irish roads should have to wear a full face MTB helmet! Even with all that there's no guarantee you won't be knocked off your bike!

So 10 separate items before you can even cycle to work.... It's no wonder our roads are packed full of single driver cars when going to work or the shops is a such a hazardous activity..

Until we have well designed cycle lanes separated from motor traffic, as well as driver training and more Gards who prosecute close passing etc. then anyone wishing to cycle on the roads better suit up for the ordeal.

Macy0161

Camera* Portal and willingness to prosecute would sort the standard of driving far quicker than infrastructure imo (for dashcam too - any camera, including for illegal parking).

Tenzor07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118951141#Comment_118951141

True though having separated cycle lanes and traffic signals would save more incidents with motor vehicles too...

what_traffic

The Irish motoring ""safety" organisation the "RSA" still on the go, well past the Sell by Date now.

Grassey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118951185#Comment_118951185

But separated infrastructure (paralleling a road) is often less convenient that using the road.

There is plenty of 'good standard'* cycle lanes around me. I wouldn't use them though as I'd be having to stop every 250m when a minor road/estate joins the road, or merge on/off the road every 500m at sharp angles when you need to go around bus stops recessed off the road, or they end at roundabouts with no thought for how you are to cross to the other side.

If I've to start stop every few meters it defeats (part of) the purpose in biking, I'm as well off in the car.

*wide, surfaced properly, cleaned of leaves etc

Tenzor07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118952049#Comment_118952049

Has to be well designed of course, and that's not something done in Ireland...more cycle paths are designed to move bicycle users out of the way of motor vehicles so as not to inconvenience a driver.

On the debate in the commuting forum, someone suggested cyclists should go on a merry ramble around the park to avoid the roads around Fairview... hardly convenient, quicker in the car then...