Journalism and cycling

The J Stands for Jay

Pinch Flat wrote: »

https://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-to-get-cameras-installed-in-bus-cycle-lanes-4891669-Dec2019/

Can only find a link to the journal, got this through rothar. It's already triggering a few motorists pretty hard.

Every article on that website triggers some crowd of ballbags in the comments section.

The J Stands for Jay

Pinch Flat wrote: »

I'm loving some of the social media interactions on this topic and how posters on various forums are desperately trying to turn this into a cyclist issue.

One lady reckons it's cyclists (legally ) using the bus lane on the N4 which are the No 1 reason for her being delayed to central Dublin every morning. Of course we all know this is complete bollocks - all the bus lanes around me in west Dublin are wedged with single occupant car upon single occuoant car, adding to the mayhem and stifling and modicum of efficient use by buses. Throw in the ignoring of yellow boxes and routine cloggong of junctions adding more fuel.

Another gentleman reckons it's a revenue collection exercise and that he'd happily use buses, but he still feels entitled to use the bus lane somehow. Pointing out the fact that motorists using the bus lanes is preventing buses from using the bus lanes efficiently was lost on him.

I've really got to stop interacting with idiots like these on line. I'm blaming the few glasses of festive vino.

My favourite bus Lane moment was being in a bus on the sandyford road. The bus Lane was wedged to a standstill with cars. The bus passed them all out in the empty driving lane. Bliss.

Pinch Flat

That's my morning commute heading through laurel lodge in castleknock. Some mornings there can be 20 0dd cars bumper to bumper in the bus lane. Gives me immense satisfaction sailing past and through the junction to castleknock in about 30 seconds.

Seth Brundle

FFS...
A new contender for the maddest cycle lane in Ireland…

Duckjob

You do a disservice to your sanity trying to apply logic to those journal.ie comment sections, as the logic used by the complainers rarely stacks up.

For example, here is the typical attack plan for a journal.ie anti-cyclist commenter:

1) Portray "cyclists" as a lawless group, while portraying "motorists" as a group who are largely compliant with traffic laws , and also implying that they themselves are paragons of compliance.

2) Complain about cyclists not using the "perfectly" good infrastructure (generously provided by kindhearted motorists of course) and choosing to ride on the roads instead.

3) Complain about a proposed legislative measure that
a) could effect a change towards cyclist using the bike lanes more, meaning less bikes for drivers to deal with on the roads

b) could effect a change towards more people using PT, meaning less car traffic to deal with on the roads

and
c) would have absolutely no negative impact on them personally (being the paragons of motoring virtue that they clearly are)


I mean, you never do those bold things like go in bus or cycle lanes, so the proposed changes won't affect you at at all and so they should be a win-win for law abiding motorists like you, PT users and cyclists alike, right ? Right guys ?!

ORRRRRRRR...... could it be that these guys are utter hypocrites and full of sh*t, want to maintain the sh*tty status quo, and resent having their hypocrisy pointed out to them.


There's a couple of guys, one in particular, who are there on every journal.ie article comments section spending his time replying to the constant stream of nonsense from these idiot children, and calming rebutting the nonsense with facts. My hat is off to the guy for having the patience to do it. I know I wouldn't.

AndrewJRenko

Good news; https://www.thejournal.ie/stolen-bikes-seized-container-dublin-4948055-Dec2019/

Seth Brundle

Irish e-bike company seeking €400,000 investment
Company targeting €14m ‘optimistic’ sales goal next year

Thargor

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Irish e-bike company seeking €400,000 investment
Company targeting €14m ‘optimistic’ sales goal next year

210km range is the wildly ‘optimistic’ part of that article!

magicbastarder

i guess you could easily claim a range of 210km if the motor is contributing very little to the bike. it's not like cars where the motor does all the work; the very definitions of e-bikes means the motor cannot be contributing 100%.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3WwSR-o-JU

Dimension Data, now NTT rider has his arm broken in a tussle with park rangers in cape town.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nicholas-dlamini-sustains-broken-arm-after-incident-with-park-rangers-in-south-africa/

Thargor

magicbastarder wrote: »

i guess you could easily claim a range of 210km if the motor is contributing very little to the bike. it's not like cars where the motor does all the work; the very definitions of e-bikes means the motor cannot be contributing 100%.

Yeah but look at it, hub motors and no large battery pack, those claims are complete bs. Electric scooters have 200km range aswell, you just have to use your leg for the last 180km or so...

Seth Brundle

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Dimension Data, now NTT rider has his arm broken in a tussle with park rangers in cape town.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nicholas-dlamini-sustains-broken-arm-after-incident-with-park-rangers-in-south-africa/

South African govt orders suspension of rangers in cyclist forceful arrest

the world wonders

Thargor wrote: »

210km range is the wildly ‘optimistic’ part of that article!

Why would a 200k+ range even be useful for an ebike? Who are they targetting, Audax cheats?

Grassey

the world wonders wrote:

Why would a 200k+ range even be useful for an ebike? Who are they targetting, Audax cheats?

People looking to avail of our segregated extensive interconnected eurovelo routes...

Duckjob

magicbastarder wrote: »

i guess you could easily claim a range of 210km if the motor is contributing very little to the bike. it's not like cars where the motor does all the work; the very definitions of e-bikes means the motor cannot be contributing 100%.

With a full battery My Haibike estimates (and is pretty accurate) about 40-45km in turbo mode and about 120-124km on Eco mode .

Only way I would get 210km on mine would be if I switched the motor off for half of it 😀

Seth Brundle

https://twitter.com/cosaingalway/status/1210846559862165504?s=19

work

Seth Brundle wrote: »

https://twitter.com/cosaingalway/status/1210846559862165504?s=19

Jesus wept, can we retire these idiots. "The protection of high vis jackets", what are the RSA making them of? I don't know what kind of protection they could offer in a crash, they must know something the rest of us are missing!

tomasrojo

They protect you from the criticism that you were reckless and at fault through invisibility if you're struck by a car. You'll be blamed for something else anyway (possibly even for wearing the hiviz), but your posthumous critics will have to go further down the checklist.

Eamonnator

Figures for the number of people killed on Irish roads in 2019.
The total number is up, compared to 2018.

https://www.garda.ie/en/roads-policing/statistics/roads-policing-fatalities-to-date-for-2019/

8 pedal cyclists were killed in 2019, compared to 9 in 2018.

Seth Brundle

Eamonnator wrote: »

8 pedal cyclists were killed in 2019, compared to 9 in 2018.

Let the RSA commence their back slapping at how their high-viz campaign is working :rolleyes:

Seth Brundle

Not directly cycling related...
https://twitter.com/Cyclistie/status/1211948749200723968?s=19

Eamonnator

I have often wondered how many parking spaces, there are in Dublin, including private and public car parks, on road parking, parking at schools, hospitals, factories etc.

AndrewJRenko

Eamonnator wrote: »

I have often wondered how many parking spaces, there are in Dublin, including private and public car parks, on road parking, parking at schools, hospitals, factories etc.

It would be really interesting to see occupancy rates too. I visit one site in the North Quays regularly, where the car park is shared for offices and apartments. I've never seen the car park more than 40% full, any time of the day.

SPDUB

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Not directly cycling related...
https://twitter.com/Cyclistie/status/1211948749200723968?s=19

As this thread has pointed out in the past be careful of journalistic spin.

I have 3 relatives who are civil servants who don't have free parking and neither do most people in their departments .

The ones that do tend to be senior people

tomasrojo

I know a bunch of civil servants and, from what I can tell, none has free parking.

For those that do have them, is it taxed in some way as a benefit in kind?

magicbastarder

tomasrojo wrote: »

For those that do have them, is it taxed in some way as a benefit in kind?

i remember this being mooted - applying BIK to anyone provided with a city centre cark parking space - and the popular theory was that it died precisely because of opposition from civil servants.

tomasrojo

Well, to my simple mind it seems like an absolutely classic example of benefit in kind.

magicbastarder

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-tax-planned-on-free-parking-at-work-1.1260436
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/public-servants-to-park-free-others-pay-tax-on-space-26236538.html

both articles are nearly two decades old.

Pinch Flat

Reading that indo link, I never felt envious of someone with a free car parking space. More sympathy, for someone trapped by the misery of car commuting.

Seth Brundle

SPDUB wrote: »

As this thread has pointed out in the past be careful of journalistic spin.

Not falling for spin but glad to see it back on the table