Cyclists should do a theory test!

Turtyturd

Why is 'But I've seen motorists do...' the best defence cyclists can offer?

SpaceTime

Theory test should be part of the school curriculum and everyone should take it. We're all road users.

endacl

I saw a cyclist kicking a puppy up the arse today. Won't somebody think of the puppies?!?

SHOVELLER

Cyclists stay off the footpath.

Footpath. The key is in the name.

glynf

dxhound2005 wrote: »

I think you should bring your very erudite opinions to the Cycling Forum, where no doubt they will be welcomed.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=410

Why bother? Some of them are struggling with the basics, as in what side of the road to cycle on ffs..

Tombi!

Mod: dxhound2005 and glynf, drop the discussion of other forums and don't bring arguments to this one.

mikemac1

tipparetops wrote: »

They should have a licence, insurance and tax. If they want to use the roads, they should pay for them.

Since tax is based on emissions the correct rate is zero

Spook_ie

mikemac1 wrote: »

Since tax is based on emissions the correct rate is zero

Actually 0g CO2 emissions motor tax is Group A0 which is €120 per year

tritium

Ah yes, the eternal debate where motorists, cyclists and pedestrians all swear its only the other two groups who are full of idiots who break the law, when the reality is all three groups have their share of morons.

Its actually informative to see how many motorists swear its OK to break the speed limit or run red lights, how many cyclists think its OK to run red lights. Each group of road users should probably be mindful of the glass house they're in before throwing stones.

tritium

dubscottie wrote: »

I agree. They go on about cars breaking red lights (in most cases legal) but they are the ones that I see every morning and night breaking red lights the minute the green man comes on..

Well that's a new one, legally breaking a red! What are you the presidential motorcade

Grandpa Hassan

Insurance, licences, theory tests.....it's never going to happen. Get used to it. It would run counter to the governments, every governments, aim of increasing cycling and discouraging driving. And the Dublin bike thing would have to go as well. Cycling proficiency should be mandatory in schools....and that's about as far as you can go.

All the laws are there already. They just need to be enforced, if the gardai can be bothered.

Cyclist numbers are only going to increase

jjpep

SpaceTime wrote: »

Theory test should be part of the school curriculum and everyone should take it. We're all road users.

Possibily only sensible thing in this whole thread

Lord PuppyMcSnuggle of Cuddleshire

Walking should also be subject to license. You can't leave the house until you pass the pedestrian theory test and pay your pavement tax.
Children who don't cross at a crossing should pay heavy fines and possible imprisonment for the parents.

Grayson

I can see little jimmy on his 6th birthday opening his present. It's a bike. Then his dad sits down with him and helps him study for the theory test.

beauf

SHOVELLER wrote: »

Cyclists stay off the footpath.

Footpath. The key is in the name.

http://dublinobserver.com/2010/10/cycle-lane-highlights-in-dublin/
http://irishcycle.com/2012/08/24/cycling-against-traffic-legally/

No excuse for cycling dangerously.

Often to get around the one way system, or to get on off cycle paths, you have to cross footpaths, due to the poor design and layout.

mojesius

I frequently get 'tutted' at by other cyclists behind me for stopping at a red light. No, the green man doesn't include you. Your light is still red.

Also, wearing headphones while cycling should be banned.

Please don't pull in front of me at the lights when I recently overtook you. You're clearly cycling at a slower pace than I am.

I should have gone to to ranting and raving forum but fcuk it

Bog Standard User

Ruu wrote: »

They should pay road tax too!

its not road tax... its called "Motor tax"

rubadub

Grayson wrote: »

I can see little jimmy on his 6th birthday opening his present. It's a bike. Then his dad sits down with him and helps him study for the theory test.

Currently dad instructs him to cycle on the footpath which is against the law, then dad rants about cyclists breaking the law...

What is most worrying about threads like this is that it reminds me that the roads are full of people who are so fucking stupid they cannot figure out why the gardai do not enforce the laws as much to law breaking pedestrians and cyclists. These morons are behind the wheels of lethal weapons, watch out folks...

RainyDay

dubscottie wrote: »

I agree. They go on about cars breaking red lights (in most cases legal) but they are the ones that I see every morning and night breaking red lights the minute the green man comes on..

Yes, it's a good job that cars, vans, trucks and buses don't break red lights routinely, unlike out two-wheeled friends;

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=92964191&postcount=597

dubscottie wrote: »

There is a video on the cycling forum of cars "breaking lights". In that video, Had the cars stopped, There would have been a pile up behind them.

You can go through a amber turning to red light if it would be unsafe to stop.. Ie slamming on the anchors.

I see, so you're confirming that most drivers are driving way too fast for the traffic conditions if they are unable to stop safely for an amber light going red?

Turtyturd wrote: »

Why is 'But I've seen motorists do...' the best defence cyclists can offer?

No, that's just the first round of defence, which points out that cyclists are really no different from other road user groups who routinely break traffic law.

The best defence is to point out that motorists kill 200+ people each year on our roads and maim thousands of others. Cyclists don't.

SpaceTime wrote: »

Theory test should be part of the school curriculum and everyone should take it. We're all road users.

It is already covered in many local authority areas;
http://www.dlrcoco.ie/aboutus/councildepartments/transportation/findit/newroadsafetysection/cyclists/cyclingtrainingscheme/

And the scheme is being expanded nationwide;
http://irishcycle.com/2015/01/23/cycling-training-for-children-to-be-rolled-out-to-school-across-ireland-in-2016/

But here's the big shocker - most cyclists have already done their driving theory and practical tests. Most cyclists are qualified drivers - not that the driver tests does anything much for driver behaviour on the road, as a quick observation of driving style in any Irish city will tell you.

Ranchu

Would a theory test really help though? Look at the state of car drivers on roundabouts. No one has a jot what they're supposed to be doing and these gimps have passed a test.

Colser

Ranchu wrote: »

Would a theory test really help though? Look at the state of car drivers on roundabouts. No one has a jot what they're supposed to be doing and these gimps have passed a test.

To be fair roundabouts can be a little more difficult to negotiate than a basic red traffic light than cyclists seem to have difficulty with...

Cork Lass

Grayson wrote: »

I can see little jimmy on his 6th birthday opening his present. It's a bike. Then his dad sits down with him and helps him study for the theory test.

Actually, why not? We teach our kids to be safe in every other aspect of their lives so why not this?

machiavellianme

Spook_ie wrote: »

Actually 0g CO2 emissions motor tax is Group A0 which is €120 per year

Nicely pointed out.
But where is the motor on a bike?

RainyDay

Colser wrote: »

To be fair roundabouts can be a little more difficult to negotiate than a basic red traffic light than cyclists seem to have difficulty with...

OK then, let's focus on how drivers routinely blow through red lights:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=92964191&postcount=597

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

The trouble for me is, while you're right about a car collision damaging a pedestrian more than a bicycle collision, the latter is far, far more likely to happen to pedestrians who obey the rules because of (a) cyclists on the footpath and (b) cyclists who break red lights.

I've had many more near misses with cyclists over the last few years than with cars, generally because when I'm walking on the footpath a car is highly unlikely to mount the pavement with no warning (at the very least, you can hear it coming) and secondly, because in four years of college I've never seen a car sail through a light which has been red for a long time with a green man, but I see cyclists do it every day. Cars do sometimes speed up to get a light which has just turned red, but I'm talking about a light which is about to go green again having been a green man for the last minute or so. Many cyclists just ignore red lights full stop - and worse than that, not just red lights but crowds of people.

DareGod wrote: »

Cyclists breaking red lights is an epidemic at this stage. I see cyclists do it ten times more than I see cars do it, and as a pedestrian they've almost mowed me down a number of times. Who do they think they are, exactly? And I speak as a pedestrian, a cyclist and a driver.

In fairness, this is probably correct. A higher percentage of cyclists break red lights a higher percentage of time than motorists. But if you want to look at law-breaking on the roads, lets look at the big picture.

What percentage of motorists routinely break the speed limits? [Hint: Just about every single motorist]. What percentage of motorists routinely use the phone to make call or to text or to FB or tweet? [About one in five, based on my own observations in Dublin]. What percentage of motorists routinely drive with a missing brake light or rear light? [About one in twenty, based on my own observations]. What percentage of motorists routinely fail to indicate when turning? [About one in three, based on yada yada yada].

So if you want to look at which group of road users breaks the law most frequently, I don't think you should be focusing on cyclists.

And then if you want to be strategic, let's take a look at who causes injury on the roads. Motorists kill 200+ each year, and maim thousands of others. Cyclists don't.

rubadub

Colser wrote: »

a basic red traffic light than cyclists seem to have difficulty with...

And do you think a theory test will help that?

Maybe burglars should be made do a theory test to tell them what they are doing is illegal, maybe they are unaware what they are doing is illegal.

I expect 99.9% of cyclists are fully aware they are breaking the law, as do the gardai who do not enforce the law in many cases.

Conversely it seems many pedestrians are unaware about the laws they break. In many threads where I mention "jaywalking" type laws you often get a few posters saying there are not "jaywalking" type laws in Ireland at all -which just shows how rife it is, and how unenforced. A few months ago I saw people dangerously illegally crossing the road in Dame street in front of about 4 gardai, who did nothing.

micar

mojesius wrote: »

I frequently get 'tutted' at by other cyclists behind me for stopping at a red light. No, the green man doesn't include you. Your light is still red.

Also, wearing headphones while cycling should be banned.

Please don't pull in front of me at the lights when I recently overtook you. You're clearly cycling at a slower pace than I am.

I should have gone to to ranting and raving forum but fcuk it

I could have written this. Points 2 and 3 seriously wreak my head.

tipparetops

Cyclists have no business on roads where the speed limit is over 50kph.
And any parent who let's their child cycle on their own, should have social services at the door.

Captain Chaos

tipparetops wrote: »

Cyclists have no business on roads where the speed limit is over 50kph.

Then why are there cycle lanes on such roads all over Dublin. Right beside me is a road with a 60kps limit with a cycle lane wide enough for a bus, it's as wide as the driving lane, and they pay no road tax.

Capt'n Midnight

RayM wrote: »

The very same applies to car drivers. Most don't even know how to indicate properly on roundabouts. Failure to indicate correctly should be a penalty points offence.

It is.

Driving without reasonable consideration 2 points

But enforcement here is abysmal. Have you ever seen anyone avoid driving on hatched lines when queuing to turn right ? That's one penalty point.



Also

Contravention of rules for use of mini roundabouts

Failure to turn left when entering a roundabout

Failure to obey requirements at junctions,
e.g. Not being in the correct lane when turning onto another road

machiavellianme

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Then why are there cycle lanes on such roads all over Dublin. Right beside me is a road with a 60kps limit with a cycle lane wide enough for a bus, it's as wide as the driving lane, and they pay no road tax.

Nor do you, or anyone else in Ireland. There's no such thing.
Plus there's a mandate to reduce carbon emissions by 2020. The provision of cycle lanes helps meet that.