Journalism and cycling

jjpep

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Said it before, but Conor faughnan is a keen cycling commuter “couldn’t pay me to drive in Dublin” I believe he told me once

This is the thing. I like driving. I love the idea of hopping in the car and driving for a few hours and going somewhere nice. But I would never commute by car. Cycling is a way better option for commuting. It's interesting to see the AA almost push that message as well. How much commication is there between the various cycle campaign groups and the AA? There might be a surprising amount of common ground.

Pinch Flat

jjpep wrote: »

This is the thing. I like driving. I love the idea of hopping in the car and driving for a few hours and going somewhere nice. But I would never commute by car. Cycling is a way better option for commuting. It's interesting to see the AA almost push that message as well. How much commication is there between the various cycle campaign groups and the AA? There might be a surprising amount of common ground.

Same here. Just back from driving the north and South Island in New Zealand - covered the guts of 3,000 by car. Driven the garden route in South Africa and nothing excites me more than a drive from north France to the med. Route 66 is on my bucket list.

But I still wouldn’t commute by car, even if it was given to me for free.

Cetyl Palmitate

Pinch Flat wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/dublin-one-of-worst-cities-in-world-for-traffic-congestion-1.3791651?mode=amp

If only there was a two wheeled personal transport vehicle that’s human powered and keeps people fit and healthy as well...

"Drivers in the capital travelled at the slowest city centre speeds with the average speed travelled put at just 9.6 kilometres per hour at peak times."

Surely the only way to get the average up is by increasing speed limits

Chips Lovell

They left out some notoriously congested cities like Manilla and Lagos. However, there's no denying we're worse than most for congestion.

The thing is though, most people are undergoing this voluntarily. The average commuter in Dublin lives 6km from work. Most people don't need their cars during the day, they just use them for driving too and from work.

The majority are sitting in traffic out of choice, not necessity. It's their loss.

Ray Bloody Purchase

"Dublin has the distinction of having the slowest city center in all of Europe, where speeds dip as low as 6 MPH," the report said.

The city ranked in 24th place on the list of the most congested cities in Europe."

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/dublin-reenters-top-10-best-places-for-expats-to-live-but-has-the-slowest-city-centre-in-all-of-europe-37811956.html

Grassey

Cetyl Palmitate wrote: »

"Drivers in the capital travelled at the slowest city centre speeds with the average speed travelled put at just 9.6 kilometres per hour at peak times."

Surely the only way to get the average up is by increasing speed limits

Unlimited limits on the M50 required!

check_six

Grassey wrote: »

Unlimited limits on the M50 required!

It really puts a fresh perspective on those who were howling about the 30kph zones. It doesn't matter what the speed limit is in the city centre, it still takes the sames amount of time to get across with all the traffic and traffic lights that you have to navigate. 30kph or 100kph limit would see you across town in the same time. One of those limits is a lot less dangerous for everyone else on the road (or beside the road), however.

mr spuckler

Baron de Charlus wrote: »

They left out some notoriously congested cities like Manilla and Lagos. However, there's no denying we're worse than most for congestion.

The thing is though, most people are undergoing this voluntarily. The average commuter in Dublin lives 6km from work. Most people don't need their cars during the day, they just use them for driving too and from work.

The majority are sitting in traffic out of choice, not necessity. It's their loss.

couldn't agree more, yet look how the first paragraph is worded...

Dublin is now one of the worst cities in the world to be a driver, with commuters spending almost 250 hours stuck in cars travelling at less than 10km per hour last year.

it almost implies that they have no choice!

Fian

Baron de Charlus wrote: »

The thing is though, most people are undergoing this voluntarily. The average commuter in Dublin lives 6km from work. Most people don't need their cars during the day, they just use them for driving too and from work.

The majority are sitting in traffic out of choice, not necessity. It's their loss.

Not trying to nitpick - but "average" is less meaningful than median in this context, there may well be lots of people living in appartments very near their place of work. In any case this stat is for those who live in dublin city, and does not include dunlaoghaire rathdown, fingal or the greater dublin area and surrounding counties. I suspect most cycle commutes are >10km. My own is only 7.5 but I live inside the M50 in Dundrum.

None of which is in any way to disagree with your central point that cycle commuting is quite doable in dublin and that most people I glide past in the mornings and evenings as they fume in traffic would be much better off and happier on a bike, if only they tried it they wouldn't look back.

Would be helpful if trains/darts allowed bikes on board to let people commute to closer to their place of work by rail and then cycle the rest of the way. But I guess space is at a premium on trains/darts during commuter times and it makes more sense to carry extra people rather than bikes.

Mickiemcfist

Fian wrote: »

Would be helpful if trains/darts allowed bikes on board to let people commute to closer to their place of work by rail and then cycle the rest of the way. But I guess space is at a premium on trains/darts during commuter times and it makes more sense to carry extra people rather than bikes.

To be fair, between Dublin bikes & Bleeper bikes, there's a solution. You're right though, it only takes one time trying out cycling & a lot of drivers wouldn't look back - I only converted last year.

Michael joseph

guy I know drives from Rathmines to haddington road and back - 5 days a week.
Journey's about 25 to 30mins for him. Just under 3km. Getting into start work at 9.
Doesn't need the car for work.

The journey has taken him an hour at times when the traffic is going nowhere but that's maybe twice or three times a year. Still it's madness driving that distance.

Gidea

Michael joseph wrote: »

guy I know drives from Rathmines to haddington road and back - 5 days a week.
Journey's about 25 to 30mins for him. Just under 3km. Getting into start work at 9.
Doesn't need the car for work.

The journey has taken him an hour at times when the traffic is going nowhere but that's maybe twice or three times a year. Still it's madness driving that distance.

That's a 30 minute walk or 10 minute cycle :eek: That's insane to drive it, he must be a masochist to stick in that traffic day in day out :pac:

Michael joseph

he sees cycling and walking more for students etc.

Ray Bloody Purchase

Michael joseph wrote: »

guy I know drives from Rathmines to haddington road and back - 5 days a week.
Journey's about 25 to 30mins for him. Just under 3km. Getting into start work at 9.
Doesn't need the car for work.

The journey has taken him an hour at times when the traffic is going nowhere but that's maybe twice or three times a year. Still it's madness driving that distance.

Oh wow. That's just ridiculous. You'd walk that handy enough. Nevermind cycle it.

Seth Brundle

Michael joseph wrote: »

he sees cycling and walking more for students etc.

That's a Thatcherite culture that we've encouraged for years.
Cycling is either for students, the poor or middle aged middle class men in lycra.

CramCycle

Michael joseph wrote: »

he sees cycling and walking more for students etc.

Hes places no value on his own time then, which if I worked with him, I would read as his time is worthless.

What Username Guidelines

Michael joseph wrote: »

he sees cycling and walking more for students etc.

This attitude is more prevalent than you’d think.

Plenty of people see sitting in traffic as a badge of honour or a status symbol.

And the data is there to prove it...

https://twitter.com/theagenda/status/959272692049354753?s=21

Had a chap in a suit last year tell me, from his 2010 Lexus, to “pay road tax” or “get a car like the rest of us” while kind of nodding to his steering wheel. Was tempted to tell him about the car sitting in my driveway but thankfully didn’t lower myself to the dick swinging contest he was trying for.

Grassey

Bikes put spanner in works of Dutch driverless car schemes

Driverless cars detect other road users using a variety of cameras or laser-sensing systems to ensure that they stop if an object is detected in their path.

But the varying sizes and agility of cyclists, with their sudden changes in speed and loose adherence to the rules of the road, present a major challenge to the existing technology.

That challenge is particularly stark in the Netherlands, where 17 million people own 22.5m bicycles.

The 'loose adherence' is a bit of a loaded comment - that entire section could refer to pretty much any road user.

Chips Lovell

Although, in fairness to the Dutch, their first thought is to segregate the driverless vehicles, not the cyclists.

Grassey

That kinda thinking will never catch on! Madness Ted...eh Charlus...!!!!

site_owner

Michael joseph wrote: »

guy I know drives from Rathmines to haddington road and back - 5 days a week.
Journey's about 25 to 30mins for him. Just under 3km. Getting into start work at 9.
Doesn't need the car for work.

The journey has taken him an hour at times when the traffic is going nowhere but that's maybe twice or three times a year. Still it's madness driving that distance.

is he provided with parking at work or does he have to walk from a multi storey?

tomasrojo

Fian wrote: »

I suspect most cycle commutes are >10km. My own is only 7.5

If you factor in all the short journeys that begin and end in city centres, where cycling rates are highest too, I think the average is probably under 10km. But I don't know that for sure.

Pinch Flat

The car dependency can be very strong in some people.

Our local rail station put in paid parking a few years ago. People were up in arms about it. Where were people to park etc.

I got chatting to one of my neighbours. “Well, at least I’ll get a space in the morning”. We live about 600 meters from the station.

rubadub

Pinch Flat wrote: »

The car dependency can be very strong in some people.

this can be due to the expense, the vast majority pay an annual charge for insurance etc, rather than per mile or having a limitation on mileage like I hear a classic car might, some want to use the car as much as possible otherwise it is seen as "going to waste". I have the use of a car a lot of the time if I want but cycle instead, on average it is a lot faster and enjoyable on my commute, and I get some exercise. I was saying this to a friend of mine as he was also going to the gym, and paying a fair bit to do so, as well as having to take up time outside of work. But the thought was "well jaysus I am paying a fortune in tax & insurance, I am hardly going to leave the car at home and not get some use out of it".

I can understand it too, if my local chipper/chinese had an annual charge for "all you can eat" I would be a lot fatter than I am. If petrol stations had annual "all you can use" charges roads would be even more clogged.

Corca Baiscinn

Mickiemcfist wrote: »

To be fair, between Dublin bikes & Bleeper bikes, there's a solution. You're right though, it only takes one time trying out cycling & a lot of drivers wouldn't look back - I only converted last year.

True to an extent but for real multi-modal bike-at-both ends commuting secure parking at home end bus or train station would be a big help. Time advantage lost if I have to walk 25 mins to the station because there's no bike parking even if can hop on a DB or Bleeper at the other end

Corca Baiscinn

Michael joseph wrote: »

he sees cycling and walking more for students etc.

But when then does he fit in his recommended minimum 150 mins of physical activity per week? Walking and cycling commuters fit in in without extra hassle whereas he prob has to go to the gym or confine it to the weekends.

Pinch Flat

I’m heading for 50 and I’m in better shape than I was at 30. Back then I was driving a few kilometers to work, then driving to the gym in the evenings to go exercise on a bike. Jaysus when I think of it.

JMcL

tomasrojo wrote: »

If you factor in all the short journeys that begin and end in city centres, where cycling rates are highest too, I think the average is probably under 10km. But I don't know that for sure.

I'd agree with that. I never owned a car when I lived in Dublin and walked or cycled pretty much as a rule. I was in Kilmainham, so when I was working in the city Center, it was 3km tops, Park West out the canal wasn't much more. There's a high density of people living between the canals with short hops to work which would I imagine would bring the average down and with reference to Fian's other point as well, should also be reflected in the median.

There'd be figures to be had in the census data, this map doesn't say anything about distance, but shows the highest concentration travelling to the city center and N11 corridor, which probably isn't surprising. Don't have time at the moment to look further as I could see the day disappearing quickly if I were to start!

magicbastarder

Bikes put spanner in works of Dutch driverless car schemes
Report highlights problems bicycles cause to self-driving cars’ detection systems
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/13/bikes-put-spanner-in-works-of-dutch-driverless-car-schemes

Duckjob

What Username Guidelines wrote: »

This attitude is more prevalent than you’d think.

Plenty of people see sitting in traffic as a badge of honour or a status symbol.

And the data is there to prove it...

https://twitter.com/theagenda/status/959272692049354753?s=21

Had a chap in a suit last year tell me, from his 2010 Lexus, to “pay road tax” or “get a car like the rest of us” while kind of nodding to his steering wheel. Was tempted to tell him about the car sitting in my driveway but thankfully didn’t lower myself to the dick swinging contest he was trying for.

In fairness he has a lot of time to contemplate how he's socially superior to you while he sits trapped in his badge of social superiority going no-where.