Rogue cyclists set to face on-the-spot fines MOD WARNING in first post

ThisRegard

And I loved how the judge implied he was a serial offender. The pompous oul bag.

buffalo

Jawgap wrote: »

Good man George :rolleyes:

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/george-youre-the-criminal-matt-cooper-slams-newstalks-george-hook-on-ireland-am-31349206.html

:D:D

The clip is hilarious. George makes out that he's entitled to break the law, because he gets punished, then gives out about cyclists' sense of entitlement to act legally in the interests of safety.

joey100

Seen a bit of that this morning, Hook said people should be allowed make a citizens arrest if cyclists break red lights and hold the cyclist there until the Garda arrived. If I could make a citizens arrest for every time a car broke the law my long spins would probably take a few days...

The tax man

Yet again Hook is made to look like the fool he is. 3 people having a debate and one crazy old man shouting crap.
Roll on Oct '16 so we'll never have this neanderthal gracing our screens and airwaves ever again.

Jawgap

joey100 wrote: »

Seen a bit of that this morning, Hook said people should be allowed make a citizens arrest if cyclists break red lights and hold the cyclist there until the Garda arrived. If I could make a citizens arrest for every time a car broke the law my long spins would probably take a few days...

They probably would.

Plus the Guards would get so annoyed it would only be a matter of time before one pepper-sprayed you!

what_traffic

buffalo wrote: »

It's in the paper every day, or just subtract 30mins from sunrise, add 30mins to sunset for here: http://www.irishtimes.com/weather

Lighting up time is the same across the country, afaik.

Aware of this alright. Just thinking for kid's - how to educate them and get them in the habit of putting on bike lights before it gets dark? Just wondering if any material like this is available from RSA - oh wait I guess their solution is to make everybody wear hi-viz the minute they step outside the door.

lennymc

what_traffic wrote: »

Aware of this alright. Just thinking for kid's - how to educate them and get them in the habit of putting on bike lights before it gets dark? Just wondering if any material like this is available from RSA - oh wait I guess their solution is to make everybody wear hi-viz the minute they step outside the door.

their advice on their webpage doesnt mention hi-viz for children.

http://www.rsa.ie/en/RSA/Pedestrians-and-Cyclists/Cycling-safety/

Alanstrainor

MyNameIsMethos wrote: »

Completely serious mate. If I'm in the city proper then I will cycle on the roads (footpaths are too congested for me to cycle with the pedestrians safety in mind), shop street&Eyre square being the exceptions. Otherwise, I'm on the foothpaths 24/7 unless there is a cycle lane. I've been nearly ran over too many times by lads just piss-acting on the roads to allow them to have sway over my safety anymore. Better for me to remove myself from the dangerous situation&ensure that I do not cause a seperate one myself.

The other solution would be of course to add cycle lanes to dangerous areas but, seeing as galways newest cycle lane is about200metres long on a 1.5+km dangerous road, I don't see that happening soon.

Might I suggest that you are the problem here, and not other road users. I cycle 23km daily from south Dublin, to North, through the city. I've covered thousands of km, and have little incidents to report. Get off the path before you hurt someone else. Mate.

CramCycle

joey100 wrote: »

Seen a bit of that this morning, Hook said people should be allowed make a citizens arrest if cyclists break red lights and hold the cyclist there until the Garda arrived. If I could make a citizens arrest for every time a car broke the law my long spins would probably take a few days...

+1, If I even took the time to send in a report of every road user who broke the law on my commute, I'd have no time for work.

If I narrowed it down, to a more realistic, anyone (in my opinion) whose actions could have put me or someone else in serious danger, it would probably only take up the first two hours of my day.

While I rant on here quite a bit, the truth is I like most people have become almost unresponsive to it at this point. Waiting at a red light last night (filter light for straight, red for right turn), I had a merc over take me and take the turn on the junction, narrowly missing the oncoming car who dropped anchors, nearly hitting three pedestrians, two were just out of range and one of them grabbed the third and pulled him back. The driver was on the phone and then proceeded to use the bus lane after the next junction. I waited for the green light, still caught up with him and over took him. About 5 minutes before that I seen a guy on a bike light into another cyclists because he had to use his brakes to stop (well he had to use his foot to lock his rear wheel, it appeared he had a single speed MTB with no brakes but it happened so fast I could be mistaken) as he attempted to overtake and hook across her, he nearly killed himself. Just before home I had a mini jump the lights and nearly take out myself, a motor cyclist and the car to its right, and then escape along the bus lane.

Not long ago I would have gotten on my high horse and had a word, now, I simply don't have the will to care.

I remember getting home and thinking that was one of the nicer commutes home.

Darkglasses

Picked up cycling about 5 years ago, lived in 4 different towns and cities and have never needed to cycle on the footpath once.

rubadub

[QUOTE=joey100;96107014 Hook said people should be allowed make a citizens arrest if cyclists break red lights and hold the cyclist there until the Garda arrived..[/QUOTE]
I wonder what Hook and the other "letter of the law" idiots think of the ministers comments about not stopping people cycling on footpaths, in effect saying it is OK to break the law in some cases. The misguided stress must be taking years off their life, they must be fuming.

Imagine trying to hang onto the 30 pedestrians you would see jaywalking through a single red light! or does he only care about people who use roads in ways he doesn't

Majority of people want fines imposed for jaywalking

Jaywalkers targeted as Sydney police fine 495 pedestrians

Deedsie

what_traffic wrote: »

Aware of this alright. Just thinking for kid's - how to educate them and get them in the habit of putting on bike lights before it gets dark? Just wondering if any material like this is available from RSA - oh wait I guess their solution is to make everybody wear hi-viz the minute they step outside the door.

There is a such thing as personal responsibility, cop on & common sense. If the RSA did release such unnecessary information people would whinge about the nanny state interfering. Surely people know when lights should be on? It's not rocket science.

monument

Deedsie wrote: »

There is a such thing as personal responsibility, cop on & common sense. If the RSA did release such unnecessary information people would whinge about the nanny state interfering. Surely people know when lights should be on? It's not rocket science.

Is that a joke?

He was comparing how the RSA promote high-vis to the extreme to how they hardly ever mention lights.

Just about everything which which the RSA talks about is down to personal responsibility, "cop on & common sense"... How is lights any different than anything else?

At least they would have a firmer legal backing for promoting lights.

rubadub

Deedsie wrote: »

Surely people know when lights should be on? It's not rocket science.

Having times in law means there is no argument. If some cyclist hating garda nabs you it would be nice to have the law to back you up, if he decides its too dark, and not a single passing car has lights on, except his to back up his point.

ted1

what_traffic wrote: »

Aware of this alright. Just thinking for kid's - how to educate them and get them in the habit of putting on bike lights before it gets dark? Just wondering if any material like this is available from RSA - oh wait I guess their solution is to make everybody wear hi-viz the minute they step outside the door.

you can order lights and hi viz for free from the RSA website.

Buchaill_Mor

buffalo wrote:

The clip is hilarious. George makes out that he's entitled to break the law, because he gets punished, then gives out about cyclists' sense of entitlement to act legally in the interests of safety.

I had an identical conversation with the parents in law last night. They were playing the role of George, and were insisting that cyclists should be banned from using the road until proper infrastructure was in place and cyclists should pay for that. I tried to start shooting their arguments down but they were not having it. I give you ladies and gentlemen the kind of people politicians will listen to because they vote en mass.

Deedsie

rubadub wrote: »

Having times in law means there is no argument. If some cyclist hating garda nabs you it would be nice to have the law to back you up, if he decides its too dark, and not a single passing car has lights on, except his to back up his point.

The time will be on the ticket/fine he gives you? Compare to sunset/sunrise time that day? If there is an argument to be made use that to appeal the fine?

CramCycle

Darkglasses wrote: »

Picked up cycling about 5 years ago, lived in 4 different towns and cities and have never needed to cycle on the footpath once.

Same here, in Ireland anyway, there may be excuses but there are no justifiable reasons.

ted1 wrote: »

you can order lights and hi viz for free from the RSA website.

Those "lights" on the RSA website are not fit for purpose, and if I recall correctly they had to recall thousands of hi vis vests last year because the reflective strips were not reflective.

traprunner

Am I the only one that has lights on day and night? Anything to make motor vehicles aware of my presence.

shansey

traprunner wrote: »

Am I the only one that has lights on day and night? Anything to make motor vehicles aware of my presence.

yep!

tomasrojo

ted1 wrote: »

you can order lights and hi viz for free from the RSA website.

The RSA lights are no use as primary lights, though. Unfortunate that so many people now think that a combination of two reflective strips on your back at night and a light sufficient to illuminate the interior of a shoe are a satisfactory arrangement.

cdaly_

traprunner wrote: »

Am I the only one that has lights on day and night? Anything to make motor vehicles aware of my presence.

Nope.

Current bike has a hub dynamo and always on front and rear lights. Previous has always-on Reelights.

roverrules

Seaswimmer wrote: »

Saw 2 lads pulled over by uniformed guard in unmarked car on Blackrock bypass yesterday evening after they rolled through red light just after the park.

Guard had his notebook out. However his car was illegally parked on the cycle lane with continuous white line forcing me into the traffic..

I didn't point this out but went on my merry way..

Don't think they were illegally parked if they were actively ticketing someone

pillphil

roverrules wrote: »

Don't think they were illegally parked if they were actively ticketing someone

Not illegally parked if on duty, I believe.

Wishbone Ash

Seaswimmer wrote: »

...Guard had his notebook out. However his car was illegally parked on the cycle lane with continuous white line forcing me into the traffic..

I didn't point this out but went on my merry way..

The Gardai are exempt from almost every part of road traffic regulations while in the course of their duties. As far as I can recall, it is only section 49 and/or section 50 that they are not exempt from. Otherwise it would be impossible for them to carry out their work.

Wishbone Ash

I noticed a higher level of compliance than usual among cyclists in Dublin city centre today. At one stage there must have been 20 of us at the lights on D'Olier Street/Fleet Street. If this level of compliance continues we will have complaints from motorists about cyclists causing congestion at the lights!

LpPepper

As for lights and beeing seen, I always have my front lights (2 on my Hybrid - both on bars, 3 on my road bike- one on bars, 2 on either front fork) on flashing during the day and when it's dark I have one as a main light and the other(s) flashing. Always have my rear light on at night also.

I went on a late evening spin a few weeks ago (left about 9.30pm) throughout South Dublin, into the city center and back home for a change and must have seen about 20 cyclists with either no lights or reflective gear or just one of those RSA reflective jersey things. To me it's absolutely insane to cycle in the dark without a combination of lights, as well as hi vis stuff is needed. The fines for no lights are a good idea, as one poster said it might deter idiots using lights which wouldn't even light up the inside of a shoe :P or using no lights at all...

At the end of the day though, idiot drivers still pull out in front of me, cut me off and left hook me regardless of how many lights I use.

RainyDay

zurbfoundation wrote: »

i have seen paschal o'donoghue with a silhouette of a cyclist using a mobile phone whilst riding a bike - is this now an offence? i didn't see it listed in the list of 7 items

It would a bit strange for the new legislation to specifically outlaw poor Pascal for holding up silhouettes, but who knows.

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The Gardai are exempt from almost every part of road traffic regulations while in the course of their duties. As far as I can recall, it is only section 49 and/or section 50 that they are not exempt from. Otherwise it would be impossible for them to carry out their work.

Yes, true - but that doesn't make it right that they routinely block cycle lanes.

Jawgap wrote: »

Good man George :rolleyes:

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/george-youre-the-criminal-matt-cooper-slams-newstalks-george-hook-on-ireland-am-31349206.html

:D:D

How about a cycling flashmob to meet George at his office after his show, and 'escort' him back home? With perhaps a few cameras to check his respect for lights, stop lines, indicators, etc.

Buchaill_Mor

RainyDay wrote:

How about a cycling flashmob to meet George at his office after his show, and 'escort' him back home? With perhaps a few cameras to check his respect for lights, stop lines, indicators, etc.

Good idea.

CramCycle

[QUOTE=RainyDay;96112640
Yes, true - but that doesn't make it right that they routinely block cycle lanes.[/QUOTE]
I have no problem with them blocking cycle lanes or any other traffic lane while on duty or in pursuit of their duties. Seen it plenty of times on the N11. Oddly enough motorists are alot more accommodating of you merging over when their are blue lights in front.

How about a cycling flashmob to meet George at his office after his show, and 'escort' him back home? With perhaps a few cameras to check his respect for lights, stop lines, indicators, etc.

I have to say it would be funny to see his reaction to what it was like to having to obey the RTA. Although I think a far more effective act would be a bunch of helmet cams on his commute with videos straight to newstalk and the AGS of his behaviour if warranted.