Dangerous Cyclists on Pavements

ceannair06

Whilst it is gratifying that fines are being brought it for cyclists who disobey the rules of the road - without monitoring their "hot spots" - how exactly are these menaces to be caught ??

This week alone I have had five cyclists coming at me when I am on the pavement (and clearly they should NOT be), one of which was speeding down the pavement outside St Stephen's Green at 7am, with no lights on.

Incidentally, the other sites where this happened just this week were:

Fade Street (cyclist went past "no entry" sign, went past "no right turn" sign and then mounted the pavement).

Dame Street (going into Temple Bar)

Stephen Street Lower (going way too fast towards the Gaiety).

I know there are people on here that would defend cyclists by claiming lack of investment in cycle paths, inconsiderate drivers blah blah blah - but how exactly is becoming a danger to pedestrians going to help ?

MadDog76

I can't see this thread getting much replies ............

Pinch Flat

How are they to be caught? like all other road traffic offences - monitoring and enforcement. There's on the spot fines for cycling offences. BTW what's way to fast for a cycling? I'm regularly passed in a 30kph on the quays by motorists doing at least twice that limit.

I'm a regular cyclist myself and cycling on pavements is inexcusable, although I can see some circumstances where it is required - for example, school children or elderly people who are reluctant to use the roads due to speeding /aggressive drivers. I would much prefer to see children cycling on the path, rather than being ferried in the back of a car. But that's my own opinion.

In saying that, I see this happen regularly around where I work (Merrion Square). Most of the culprits (from my own experience) are Dublin Bikes, who will cycle on paths up one way streets to return a bike. Nassau Street is particularly bad - had a cyclist come flying past me there yesterday evening. Solution? Perhaps more contra-flows -central Dublin has facilitated to cater for the private car, so many of the one-way streets bring cyclists on a convoluted route to get from A to B.

I pretty much do all the things you mention. I don't see what the big deal is tbh

ceannair06

Deleted User wrote: »

I pretty much do all the things you mention. I don't see what the big deal is tbh

Well you wouldn't would you ?

ceannair06

ceannair06 wrote: »

Whilst it is gratifying that fines are being brought it for cyclists who disobey the rules of the road - without monitoring their "hot spots" - how exactly are these menaces to be caught ??

This week alone I have had five cyclists coming at me when I am on the pavement (and clearly they should NOT be), one of which was speeding down the pavement outside St Stephen's Green at 7am, with no lights on.

Incidentally, the other sites where this happened just this week were:

Fade Street (cyclist went past "no entry" sign, went past "no right turn" sign and then mounted the pavement).

Dame Street (going into Temple Bar)

Stephen Street Lower (going way too fast towards the Gaiety).

I know there are people on here that would defend cyclists by claiming lack of investment in cycle paths, inconsiderate drivers blah blah blah - but how exactly is becoming a danger to pedestrians going to help ?

You do seem to be extraordinarily unlucky.

As government policy and garda resources aren't usually informed by anonymous online anecdotes, you have no choice but to make a citizens arrest.

Firmly grab the handlebars and call the guards.

Let us know how you get on.

Rakish Paddy

ceannair06 wrote: »

This week alone I have had five cyclists coming at me when I am on the pavement (and clearly they should NOT be), one of which was speeding down the pavement outside St Stephen's Green at 7am, with no lights on.

This is a constant problem anywhere close to the city centre. You should see Henry St. - most evenings there are gangs of teenage scumbags racing down the pedestrian street, weaving between pedestrians, doing wheelies and roaring at passers-by. There are definitely a few major trouble spots around town for cycling on footpaths/pedestrian streets - a couple of Gardaí stationed around these spots would make a huge haul in fines every day. Maybe an issue to bring up with the canvassers doing the rounds for the next election.

seamus

Rakish Paddy wrote: »

Maybe an issue to bring up with the canvassers doing the rounds for the next election.

Oh dear jeebus.

Yes, because focussing Garda resources on people being a little bit irritating is clearly far more worthwhile than detecting on-street crime and dangerous driving.

Some people lose all sense of reason and proportion about this.

Raggaroo

Always carry a large strong umbrella, you may 'accidently' slip and inadvertently shove it through the spokes of the front wheel as they pass "That'll put a stop to their gallop"

Pinch Flat

seamus wrote: »

Oh dear jeebus.

Yes, because focussing Garda resources on people being a little bit irritating is clearly far more worthwhile than detecting on-street crime and dangerous driving.

Some people lose all sense of reason and proportion about this.

My own observation in what I would call more 'socially mature' EU nations is that mixing cycling and pedestrians is not a problem. Spent a few weeks in Germany and Austria over the summer - bikes and pedestrians happily co-existed in towns. But neither party was generally acting the d!ck and did so responsibly, so it worked.

Rakish Paddy

seamus wrote: »

Oh dear jeebus.

Yes, because focussing Garda resources on people being a little bit irritating is clearly far more worthwhile than detecting on-street crime and dangerous driving.

Some people lose all sense of reason and proportion about this.

It's true there are bigger issues that need to be dealt with in the city centre (open drug dealing and drug use, aggressive begging, street violence and so forth), but it doesn't mean the Gardaí should totally ignore any lesser problems, and as a pedestrian who commutes a few miles per day on foot I can tell you that bad cyclists are a pretty major annoyance and a potential danger to pedestrians all around the city centre.

Pinch Flat

Rakish Paddy wrote: »

It's true there are bigger issues that need to be dealt with in the city centre (open drug dealing and drug use, aggressive begging, street violence and so forth), but it doesn't mean the Gardaí should totally ignore any lesser problems, and as a pedestrian who commutes a few miles per day on foot I can tell you that bad cyclists are a pretty major annoyance and a potential danger to pedestrians all around the city centre.

Fair enough. I had a 'lady' in a micra almost rear end me in her hurry to break a red light at Hume Street /St. Stephen's Green earlier, then proceeded right to Merrion Row through another red light. She drove up the bus lane to turn left onto Merrion Street Upper, then swerved right to avoid a bus, which was also turning left, almost hitting me. A 'watch where your going' from me was met with verbal abuse from her and we all went on our merry way. Both drivers and cyclists can be d!cks. Only enforcement will stamp out this behaviour.

ArmaniJeanss

You have a serious chip on your shoulder OP, looking through your posting history of how cyclists are 'hated' and 'morons'.

Any chance you are getting fixated on this and seeing issues where there aren't any? Because I've been doing a walking commute through roughly the same areas of Dublin as you for the last 20 years and have had less issues with cyclists in that time than you appear to have in the average week.

dr.fuzzenstein

Pinch Flat wrote: »

My own observation in what I would call more 'socially mature' EU nations is that mixing cycling and pedestrians is not a problem. Spent a few weeks in Germany and Austria over the summer - bikes and pedestrians happily co-existed in towns. But neither party was generally acted the d!ck and did so responsibly, so it worked.

I totally agree with that. Here the motto is (in general, not just on the bike), do what you want as long as it gets you an advantage, or at least a good giggle. Other people are just decoration. The world is your playground, cash machine and toilet. If someone challenges you, you have three options. 1: laugh it off, 2: act thick and 3: get aggressive.
If you do get done for something, it was unfair, you are being singled out, what about everyone else, moan to everyone who would listen, call Joe and go to your grave thinking you were hard done by and singled out.
The general attitude is, the rules are only there out of spite and malice and that is what they have to be treated with. Other people are obstacles in your way to be overcome. Get to the top, kick the ladder out and stick your snout in. YOU deserve this and nobody else.

In other countries the approach is, the rules are there to make living with each other easier, they have been designed to regulate our interactions, they are there for the good of everyone. If I and everyone else abide by them, life will be easier, less hassle and stress. Rules are not the enemy.
If I don't like a rule, I will not spitefully break it at every opportunity, i will seek out like-minded people so we can get together and make constructive suggestions on how to change them. But as long as a rule is in place, like it or not, I will abide by it.

I blame the English occupation. In an occupied country it is essential to confuse, frustrate and undermine the enemy. Be obstinate, obey rules in such a way as to pervert them or subversively or openly defy them. Do everything to bring about chaos and damage the workings of public administration. Ireland will always be like that or at least for another hundred years. It will always be a bit rougher here, a bit more obstinate, a bit more annoying. Been here for 20 years and I am almost used to it.

I definitely cycle up Nassau Street to spite the English

Pinch Flat

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

I totally agree with that. Here the motto is (in general, not just on the bike), do what you want as long as it gets you an advantage, or at least a good giggle. Other people are just decoration. The world is your playground, cash machine and toilet. If someone challenges you, you have three options. 1: laugh it off, 2: act thick and 3: get aggressive.
If you do get done for something, it was unfair, you are being singled out, what about everyone else, moan to everyone who would listen, call Joe and go to your grave thinking you were hard done by and singled out.
The general attitude is, the rules are only there out of spite and malice and that is what they have to be treated with. Other people are obstacles in your way to be overcome. Get to the top, kick the ladder out and stick your snout in. YOU deserve this and nobody else.

In other countries the approach is, the rules are there to make living with each other easier, they have been designed to regulate our interactions, they are there for the good of everyone. If I and everyone else abide by them, life will be easier, less hassle and stress. Rules are not the enemy.
If I don't like a rule, I will not spitefully break it at every opportunity, i will seek out like-minded people so we can get together and make constructive suggestions on how to change them. But as long as a rule is in place, like it or not, I will abide by it.

I blame the English occupation. In an occupied country it is essential to confuse, frustrate and undermine the enemy. Be obstinate, obey rules in such a way as to pervert them or subversively or openly defy them. Do everything to bring about chaos and damage the workings of public administration. Ireland will always be like that or at least for another hundred years. It will always be a bit rougher here, a bit more obstinate, a bit more annoying. Been here for 20 years and I am almost used to it.

Agree with this. Not to stray too much off thread, but we have many social issues that only come to the fore when more civilized EU countries are visited. This goes to our use of the roads - so cyclists and motorists acting the d!ck, breaking red lights, parking inconsiderately, abusing others. All done to death on many Boards threads.

In Ireland, we have a very self-centered mentality - so that lady this morning thought it was okay to verbally abuse me, after breaking two sets of red lights and almost hitting me when swerving unannounced out of the lane she was (illegally) driving in. I mean, who am I to question her? She's 'entitled' (another uniquely Irish word for many Irish contexts that should at this stage be written into our Constitution) to use the road as she sees fit.

I spent an Erasmus year in south west Germany in the early 90's and a few summers before and after - what we consider normal here is just not accepted.

It goes back to the OP's point. In a lot of other Eu countries, cyclists will mingle in with pedestrians on paths and pedestrian squares and plazas. Generally, it works out and mass injuries and death does not come from it. But this is approached with maturity,respect and a social understanding that is rarely found here.

looksee

I don't understand why the response to suggestions that cyclists behave poorly is to give examples of how badly motorists behave. Its a very weak argument. Deal with motorists certainly, but leave them out of the discussion about cyclists!

cdebru

I don't know I walk through the city centre everyday and I have never had a near miss with a cyclist, the OP is having 5 a day, maybe you're not paranoid maybe they are out to get you.

Pinch Flat

looksee wrote: »

I don't understand why the response to suggestions that cyclists behave poorly is to give examples of how badly motorists behave. Its a very weak argument. Deal with motorists certainly, but leave them out of the discussion about cyclists!

Well both are road users and vehicles. If one group used the roads impeccably and the other stood out like a sore thumb perhaps. The example I used to illustrate my earlier point was where a motorist used a road in a potentially more dangerous fashion, and I also suggested some ways of dealing with cyclists on pavements - more contra-flows being a possible solution, as it's obvious cyclists use pavements to access areas that are otherwise inaccessible by bike or involve a long detour more suited to a car.

A lot of cyclists (around 80%) are also motorists, so perhaps there's a correlation between acting the d!ck when a cyclist is also a motorist and vice versa.

jackofalltrades

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

I totally agree with that......It will always be a bit rougher here, a bit more obstinate, a bit more annoying. Been here for 20 years and I am almost used to it.

Brilliant post BTW.

looksee wrote: »

I don't understand why the response to suggestions that cyclists behave poorly is to give examples of how badly motorists behave.
Its a very weak argument. Deal with motorists certainly, but leave them out of the discussion about cyclists!

It's whataboutery, plain and simple.
And it seems to happen every time there's a thread about cyclists.
And it's not like there's a shortage of threads to bitch about motorists on this site.
Some people just can't accept the idea that some members of their group deserve criticism.

Pinch Flat

jackofalltrades wrote: »

It's whataboutery, plain and simple.
And it seems to happen every time there's a thread about cyclists.
And it's not like there's a shortage of threads to bitch about motorists on this site.
Some people just can't accept the idea that some members of their group deserve criticism.

Perhaps. I opened up the reply to the OP by suggesting contra-flows might help alleviate the situation of cyclists using footpaths - I've rarely observed one on a path where there's a wide road or cycling lane running bedside it. It's usually done by a cyclist to overcome a distinct gap in the road available.

This is where I see (in my own experience) many of the issues lie - inaccessible roads or Dublin Bike stations. Also the fact that the city center has facilitated to prevent motorists (who up to recently were almost solely catered for) using some roads as rat runs.

The example of the motorists was given in reply to Dr. Fuzzenstein's excellent social observations on Irish people, where breaking the rule becomes the norm and accepted and anyone who challenges such rule breaking (as in my experience this morning) is told in no uncertain terms to f-off.

People who drive responsibly also cycle responsibly in my own experience.

BuffyBot

Seems to be nothing but a re-hash of your previous thread. While actual axes occasionally need sharpening, you're internet ones don't get the same privileges

the groutch

Deleted User wrote: »

I pretty much do all the things you mention. I don't see what the big deal is tbh

unlike other major cities, our footpaths aren't designed to safely accommodate both pedestrians and cyclists.
cyclists had the roads/cycle lanes being designated to them to use, if they don't like that, they should find another mode of transport.