Journalism and cycling

AndrewJRenko

Deleted User wrote: »

Jesus wept , they feel the need to explain how DLRs work to people? People know how they work just fine, it's just their inattention and fecklessness thats the problem.

I generally see one or two each day in winter, either running on DRLs or with fog lights on, or (as I saw earlier this week) all three brake lights on the whole time when driving.


But I disagree that they know how to work them. I've tapped a few windows to tell them they've no back lights, and they're generally totally surprised and confused. These are all newish cars, 2 or 3 years old. So they've spent say €20k - €50k on a new machine, and they haven't spent the 30 minutes or so checking it out so that they actually know how to operate it.

CramCycle

Deleted User wrote: »

Jesus wept , they feel the need to explain how DLRs work to people? People know how they work just fine, it's just their inattention and fecklessness thats the problem.

Last few days alone I'd say I flashed 5 or 6 cars because they were running on DLRs or no lights at all.

Listening to Off the Ball the other night and 3 of the 4 presenters admitted if their lights didn't come on automatically, they would probably forget to turn them on. At least the other one shook his head at them but FFS, DRLs in most cases are not even the legal minimum for driving at night, they often don't turn on the rear lights and are either just the parking lights or the parking plus auxillary lights. How do people not notice the complete lack of light from their vehicle further than 3 meters away.

CramCycle

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I generally see one or two each day in winter, either running on DRLs or with fog lights on, or (as I saw earlier this week) all three brake lights on the whole time when driving.


But I disagree that they know how to work them. I've tapped a few windows to tell them they've no back lights, and they're generally totally surprised and confused. These are all newish cars, 2 or 3 years old. So they've spent say €20k - €50k on a new machine, and they haven't spent the 30 minutes or so checking it out so that they actually know how to operate it.

I pointed it out to one person while at a red light and they were so confused, and kept saying they are on. They had no idea what DRLs were and genuinely believed the lights at the front were all they needed.

Duckjob

CramCycle wrote: »

Holy sh1t, how did it take them that long to mention he is on the cycle track. They make Newstalk look fair and reasonable.

Mr Smooth on the left makes Ivan Yates look like Barney. Imagine feeling secure and comfortable enough in your cyclist hate to go on record on national TV declaring proudly that you roar foul mouthed abuse out your window at people on bikes on a regular basis :eek:

Duckjob

Something about the cyclist overtaking distance law coming up this morning on Pat Kenny show on NewsTalk

Melodeon

Pat Kenny will be doing an item on the Minimum Passing Distance law sometime during today's show, Newstalk 9.00-12.00.

magicbastarder

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/images-of-the-day-1.3775135

second photo.

Ray Bloody Purchase

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/images-of-the-day-1.3775135

second photo.

That just about says it fcuking all.

Eamonnator

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/images-of-the-day-1.3775135

second photo.

Is that a dedicated cycle track?

What Username Guidelines

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/bus-driver-who-crashed-into-inspectors-car-was-seven-times-over-limit-37768403.html

Wonder did the chief inspector have to fill out a webform

A Dublin Bus driver was seven-and-a-half times over the legal drink-driving limit when he crashed his bus into a car belonging to his chief inspector.

William Kane (52), who has since been suspended from his job, took the "reckless decision" to drink alcohol before his shift as he had attended the funeral of a friend, Swords District Court heard.

While pulling out of Strand Road in Portmarnock, Co Dublin, he crashed the bus into the front of a car belonging to a chief inspector for Dublin Bus, who had parked his car nearby.

There were no passengers on the bus at the time, the court heard.

Kane gave gardaí a breath sample which showed he had 68mg of alcohol in his system per 100ml of breath.

The legal limit for a bus driver is 9mg.

The defendant, of Woodbine Park in Edenmore, Dublin 5, pleaded guilty to drink driving on Strand Road, Portmarnock, on November 21, 2018.

He has no previous convictions and has worked for Dublin Bus for more than two decades.

Defence barrister Barbara Fleming told the court the defendant worked as a bus driver for 25 years and had an unblemished record.

"He did notice a deterioration in his mental health and alcohol use but he had been alcohol-free for the 18 months prior to this incident," said Ms Fleming.

"He had been to the funeral of a friend prior to his shift and took the reckless decision to consume alcohol," she explained, adding there were no excuses for his actions.

"He is very lucky it didn't result in injuries and the bus was empty at the time," said Ms Fleming.

"He was shaken to the core and checked into St Pat's for five weeks and completed a residential treatment programme."

She said the married man's family were furious with him and said that he had been suspended from Dublin Bus pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

"He will never work as a bus driver again and has difficult times ahead as he was the main breadwinner of the family," she said.

The barrister added that the court was "not likely to see him again".

Judge Miriam Walsh commended the defendant for his early guilty plea and noted his family was standing by him and that he had attended rehabilitation.

She imposed a three-year driving ban, and convicted and fined him €450 for the offence.

De Bhál

What Username Guidelines wrote: »

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/bus-driver-who-crashed-into-inspectors-car-was-seven-times-over-limit-37768403.html

Wonder did the chief inspector have to fill out a webform

so a bus driver has a legal limit (of alcohol in the system)?? I assumed that would be zero.

magicbastarder

Eamonnator wrote: »

Is that a dedicated cycle track?

looks like the one along the grand canal?

Tombo2001

What Username Guidelines wrote: »

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/bus-driver-who-crashed-into-inspectors-car-was-seven-times-over-limit-37768403.html

Wonder did the chief inspector have to fill out a webform

It is absolutely shocking that someone who worked as a driver at Dublin Bus could possibly think it was ok to show up for work that much over the limit.....

In my view, that goes beyond the individual; it is up to the organisation to ensure that its staff ALL know that this type of event could simply just not happen.......

(Having said that, I've heard of pilots doing same....).

amcalester

De Bhál wrote: »

so a bus driver has a legal limit?? I assumed that would be zero.

Its as close to zero that it may as well be, doesn't really allow for any alcohol to be taken.

check_six

Also, it should be mentioned that he hit a parked car. He wasn't menacing a human with a close pass or a brake check. He. Hit. A. Car! A pure sweet innocent car that never did anyone much wrong. Not some degenerate rolling around on two sleazy wheels. It all makes sense, see?
(Also, the boozing. Can't be doing that.)

Tombo2001

check_six wrote: »

Also, it should be mentioned that he hit a parked car. He wasn't menacing a human with a close pass or a brake check. He. Hit. A. Car! A pure sweet innocent car that never did anyone much wrong. Not some degenerate rolling around on two sleazy wheels. It all makes sense, see?
(Also, the boozing. Can't be doing that.)

Funny enough, it never said the car collided with him.....

or that 'the driver of the bus was uninjured in the incident'.

Tombo2001

(The car was not wearing a helmet at the time. Or Hi-Viz).

hans aus dtschl

CramCycle wrote: »

I watched the news today to see a load of people standing by the side of a road in cork giving out no one had come to help them yet after crashing. The worst bit was several of them had clearly only travelled a small distance from their house and were surprised the road was not usable, whereas I was surprised none of them had just walked out and checked.

I'm not sure if I should mention this but here goes....

There's a salt bin (provided by the council) in our estate, on its steep entrance.
For years I was the only one who would salt the entrance, and my neighbours would stop and ask "are you from the council?" to which I'd say "no, I just live here and want to drive to work". I'd frequently get the reply "ah sher you're very good" as if I'm some kind of simpleton. I never got any help. This year I wasn't arsed and instead I parked my car outside the estate (a big public car park, 5 mins walk). A number of cars were written off at the estate entrance yesterday morning.

On the local area's facebook page, a neighbour put up a post, wanting to thank the man who "stopped traffic on the main road, so that she could slide the car out sideways, because she couldn't stop". She also wanted to know "if he would be available to do the same tomorrow", because she planned to do the same thing again.

Darwin awards, the lot of them.

CramCycle

De Bh109293210 wrote:

so a bus driver has a legal limit (of alcohol in the system)?? I assumed that would be zero.

Unfortunately you cannot have zero as the limit for a variety of reasons but this is so low that as said above, for most people you'd fail the test with a mere taste to the lips.

hans aus dtschl

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/images-of-the-day-1.3775135

second photo.

Send it to Garda Traffic watch and ask them about GDPR.

amcalester

hans aus dtschl wrote: »

On the local area's facebook page, a neighbour put up a post, wanting to thank the man who "stopped traffic on the main road, so that she could slide the car out sideways, because she couldn't stop". She also wanted to know "if he would be available to do the same tomorrow", because she planned to do the same thing again.

Darwin awards, the lot of them.

I think you have to go and record this, it's bound to end in tears.

Tombo2001

hans aus dtschl wrote: »

I'm not sure if I should mention this but here goes....

There's a salt bin (provided by the council) in our estate, on its steep entrance.
For years I was the only one who would salt the entrance, and my neighbours would stop and ask "are you from the council?" to which I'd say "no, I just live here and want to drive to work". I'd frequently get the reply "ah sher you're very good" as if I'm some kind of simpleton. I never got any help. This year I wasn't arsed and instead I parked my car outside the estate (a big public car park, 5 mins walk). A number of cars were written off at the estate entrance yesterday morning.

On the local area's facebook page, a neighbour put up a post, wanting to thank the man who "stopped traffic on the main road, so that she could slide the car out sideways, because she couldn't stop". She also wanted to know "if he would be available to do the same tomorrow", because she planned to do the same thing again.

Darwin awards, the lot of them.

Funny that, I had a similar experience a few years back. Some 'louts' had left a bunch of beer bottles on the road outside our house and there was broken glass everywhere. I went out and spent half an hour tidying it up, but what un-nerved me a bit was that two of the more longstanding local residents (I'd have been considered a blow in); came out and stood together watching me; and then started telling me that it was the councils job to do that, and that I needn't be doing it - as if I was doing something wrong. Weird.

Eamonnator

magicbastarder wrote: »

looks like the one along the grand canal?

I'm not familiar with the area, but wonder at the necessity for the truck to use the cycle track.

Apart from that, it's a good photograph, well captured.

hans aus dtschl

amcalester wrote: »

I think you have to go and record this, it's bound to end in tears.

There was no ice left on the hill today.
And the lessons were only learned by a few yesterday: the car park at the end of the hill only had a handfull of cars in it.

CramCycle

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Funny that, I had a similar experience a few years back. Some 'louts' had left a bunch of beer bottles on the road outside our house and there was broken glass everywhere. I went out and spent half an hour tidying it up, but what un-nerved me a bit was that two of the more longstanding local residents (I'd have been considered a blow in); came out and stood together watching me; and then started telling me that it was the councils job to do that, and that I needn't be doing it - as if I was doing something wrong. Weird.

Some people are weird and like the, its someone elses job to excuse their lack of civic mindedness. Personally I would have went over to you and given out to you for guilt tripping me into helping :pac:

Tombo2001

On a genuine note - the Garda GDPR thing - it could be turned on its head.

If say 30 cyclists all got together - identified 'blackspots' for people parking in bike lanes - everybody go an photograph it the same day - make 30 separate reports to gardai about it......they'd probably respond to it.

Best example for me would be Westland Row - the bike lane is almost too good; its wide enough to be a de facto Taxi Rank, which its sort of becoming.

check_six

Tombo2001 wrote: »

On a genuine note - the Garda GDPR thing - it could be turned on its head.

If say 30 cyclists all got together - identified 'blackspots' for people parking in bike lanes - everybody go an photograph it the same day - make 30 separate reports to gardai about it......they'd probably respond to it.

Best example for me would be Westland Row - the bike lane is almost too good; its wide enough to be a de facto Taxi Rank, which its sort of becoming.

The bike lane opposite the Shelbourne Hotel has the same taxi rank style thing going on.

Hurrache

hans aus dtschl wrote: »

On the local area's facebook page, a neighbour put up a post, wanting to thank the man who "stopped traffic on the main road, so that she could slide the car out sideways, because she couldn't stop". She also wanted to know "if he would be available to do the same tomorrow", because she planned to do the same thing again.

Is that the one I think in Cork in which one car slid out the exit and across the road, and a minute later another car coming from the estate slid right into the back of the first one?

amcalester wrote: »

I think you have to go and record this, it's bound to end in tears.

If it's the one I'm thinking of, then it already has been!

Macy0161

Tombo2001 wrote: »

On a genuine note - the Garda GDPR thing - it could be turned on its head.

I was having this debate in real life - I had thought (and argued) that it had been debunked in the media by a legal expert, with the logic that without access to the vehicle registration database, you couldn't identify an individual. But, I can't find a link to that. I've a feeling it may have been radio - can anyone point me in the right direction?

randomname2005

Melodeon wrote: »

Pat Kenny will be doing an item on the Minimum Passing Distance law sometime during today's show, Newstalk 9.00-12.00.

Can't listen to it, but was there anything sensible said?