Journalism and cycling

hesker

Seth Brundle wrote: »

This article in Tralee Today appears to link a series of break-ins with a cyclist whereas in fact the only link is that the gardai are investigating both:
Gardaí Investigate Hit And Run, Break-Ins And Theft Incidents In Tralee Area

The content must have changed because I see no such inference

cdaly_

Seth Brundle wrote: »

This article in Tralee Today appears to link a series of break-ins with a cyclist whereas in fact the only link is that the gardai are investigating both:
Gardaí Investigate Hit And Run, Break-Ins And Theft Incidents In Tralee Area

Jeez that website is unreadable! Two column inches amounting to around 200 words in around two full monitors of ads...

AndrewJRenko

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Dublin Inquirer - Misuse of Bus Lanes by Drivers of Cars Could Badly Hamper Proposed BusConnects Network

Surprised they didn't mention the huge problem of commercial delivery trucks parked in bus lanes. Any day I use Georges St/Dame St there are multiple vehicles delaying bus passengers.

Seth Brundle

Four-fifths of Irish cycling injuries occur on urban roads, study finds
Road Safety Authority study says most cyclists hurt during peak commuter times

Four in five cycling injuries in Ireland occur on urban roads with more than half happening at junctions, according to research from the Road Safety Association (RSA).

The study found that 87 per cent of cycling injuries occured on urban roads with speed limits of 60km/h or less and more than 90 per cent happen in collisions involving at least one other vehicle.

It found that cycling injuries occured more often during peak commuting times - between 8am and 8.59am and 5pm and 6.59pm.

More than half of the injuries occured at junctions and nearly a quarter happened in collisions at T-junctions.

Seth Brundle

Cyclist who died was trying to overtake road sweeper, inquest told
Witness saw Ryan McCarthy attempting to swerve in Rathfarnham ‘but it was too late’

A cyclist who died in a collision with a road sweeper truck was attempting to overtake the vehicle, an inquest heard.

A witness described seeing Ryan McCarthy, an experienced cyclist, attempting to swerve “but it was too late”.

Ryan McCarthy (25) from Grangebrook Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16 was cycling at Whitechurch Road in Rathfarnham at 12.30pm on November 17th 2017 when the fatal collision occurred.

He had spoken to his mother Stephanie McCarthy that morning and outlined the route he planned to take.

Witness Brian Kelly saw the collision at the entrance to the Whitecliff estate on the Whitechurch Road.

“The cyclist was attempting to overtake the road sweeper. The cyclist had crossed over the white line onto the wrong side of the road. The road sweeper had started its turn at the same time as the cyclist was passing the road sweeper,” Mr Kelly said in his deposition.
...
The cyclist sustained fatal injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was wearing a helmet but this was dislodged during the impact, the court heard.

CramCycle

hesker wrote: »

The content must have changed because I see no such inference

In fact, the article is simply a statement of crimes in an area over a certain time period and asking for witnesses.

Seth Brundle

CramCycle wrote: »

In fact, the article is simply a statement of crimes in an area over a certain time period and asking for witnesses.

Yeah I initially just saw the story of break-ins and then stuck in there about a cyclist being hit. Not to worry.

AndrewJRenko

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Cyclist who died was trying to overtake road sweeper, inquest told
Witness saw Ryan McCarthy attempting to swerve in Rathfarnham ‘but it was too late’

I can't quite work out from the descriptions which direction they were coming from. I presume both cyclist and sweeper were going the same direction, if the cyclist was 'overtaking' the sweeper.

Can anyone clarify?

AndrewJRenko

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I can't quite work out from the descriptions which direction they were coming from. I presume both cyclist and sweeper were going the same direction, if the cyclist was 'overtaking' the sweeper.

Can anyone clarify?

I need to read that again, it said he was over taking and had crossed the line to do so but also says he hit the front left of the vehicle and it turned anti-clockwise so left.

EDIT: Hmmm maybe they mean the brushes were turning anti-clockwise though not sure why that would be mentioned? "The road sweeper was a left-hand drive truck with brushes turning anti-clockwise"

Cetyl Palmitate

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I can't quite work out from the descriptions which direction they were coming from. I presume both cyclist and sweeper were going the same direction, if the cyclist was 'overtaking' the sweeper.

Can anyone clarify?

Both travelling in same direction. As cyclist was overtaking the sweeper, the sweeper turned right into a side road.
Left hand drive sweeper so I imagine cyclist was in a blind spot. He must have been quite close to the side of the sweeper in any case.
RIP

AndrewJRenko

Deleted User wrote: »

I need to read that again, it said he was over taking and had crossed the line to do so but also says he hit the front left of the vehicle and it turned anti-clockwise so left.

EDIT: Hmmm maybe they mean the brushes were turning anti-clockwise though not sure why that would be mentioned? "The road sweeper was a left-hand drive truck with brushes turning anti-clockwise"

Cetyl Palmitate wrote: »

Both travelling in same direction. As cyclist was overtaking the sweeper, the sweeper turned right into a side road.
Left hand drive sweeper so I imagine cyclist was in a blind spot. He must have been quite close to the side of the sweeper in any case.
RIP

Were they both travelling north or south? Here's the location in question, with the entrance to Whitecliff off Whitechurch Road.

https://osm.org/go/es~QaKx2U-

TheChizler

One of the witnesses said he came in contact with the front left of the sweeper too, someone's gone wrong in their description.

AndrewJRenko

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Were they both travelling north or south? Here's the location in question, with the entrance to Whitecliff off Whitechurch Road.

https://osm.org/go/es~QaKx2U-

Ok so the witness said they thought he was going to make a right turn which would mean south then? So he over took and the sweeper made for a u-turn at the entrance of the estate as he passed it maybe? That would also account for it's position in the photo in IT piece.

AndrewJRenko

Deleted User wrote: »

Ok so the witness said they thought he was going to make a right turn which would mean south then? So he over took and the sweeper made for a u-turn at the entrance of the estate as he passed it maybe? That would also account for it's position in the photo in IT piece.

Thanks, that makes sense. Looks like he was planning on overtaking the sweeper and continuing up to the junction, based on his mother's comments about his route. So the sweeper presumably made the right turn without seeing him coming from behind. I wonder if the left-hand drive contributed to the situation?

Stark

Do those things have indicators on them? Presume they must have to be road legal but can't remember the last time I saw one actually using them.

Hurrache

All road sweepers here tend to be left hand drive too. Don't think it's an excuse for not seeing someone on your outside if your observations were thorough.

Seth Brundle

Conor Feehan has an article in the indo about the recent killing of Nuala Grant in Raheny.
The title and sub-title are as follows:

'An awful tragedy' - tributes paid to mum of four killed by van driving on cycle path
Gardaí believe driver may have thought he was on a main road

Cyclist.ie rightfully points out on Twitter that this is portraying it as a tragic accident rather than outright dangerous driving causing a death...

https://twitter.com/Cyclistie/status/1235857994601992193

Stark

Even if he did make an "honest mistake" and thought he'd turned right onto a road, you'd think he'd slow the **** down when he saw it was full of walkers, joggers and cyclists!?

Description of force of impact indicates he was travelling at considerable speed.

Chips Lovell

Witness accounts and other reporting on the accident indicates the driver may have had a serious medical episode:

The same sources said the driver of the van had an acute health condition and had been fitted with a medical device to maintain stability in his day-to-day wellbeing. Gardaí were trying to establish if he may have suffered a serious health episode while behind the wheel.

Seth Brundle

Surely then he should not have been given a licence to drive?

Seth Brundle

Chips Lovell wrote: »

Witness accounts and other reporting on the accident indicates the driver may have had a serious medical episode:

I'm not trying to remove the possibility of a medical issue being involved but how did witnesses see this? What was the driver doing that made them thought that he had a medical episode when he was driving?
Either way, if it is known that someone could have a medial episode, then surely they should not be allowed drive.

donvito99

Other reports have suggested the driver drove for more than a kilometre off-road i.e. on the footpath/cyclepath.

That doesn't really conflate with medical episode.

Duckjob

The gardai really should keep from releasing their unproven suppositions about what may or may not have happened.

In fact this whole culture of excuses and soft justifications need to end.

Questions need to be asked and answered and somebody needs to be held accountable and face a consequence for the fact that this young woman has lost her life through no fault of her own.

magicbastarder

Folks - please no more speculation on a possible cause of this incident, unless it comes from 'official' sources.

AndrewJRenko

Hurrache wrote: »

All road sweepers here tend to be left hand drive too. Don't think it's an excuse for not seeing someone on your outside if your observations were thorough.

Just noticed that the driver was charged in 2019


https://www.herald.ie/news/courts/sweeper-truck-driver-in-court-charged-over-death-of-tragic-cyclist-ryan-25-37716449.html


I haven't heard anything more on the outcome of this.

tomasrojo

Pat Leahy, political editor of the Irish Times, is cycling to work these days:
https://twitter.com/PatLeahyIT/status/1236771830091984896

magicbastarder

most of 'cycling twitter' are decent folk. there's a few though who would make your teeth hurt. and as is the case with cycling in general, people seize on them as being representative of all cyclists.

CramCycle

magicbastarder wrote: »

most of 'cycling twitter' are decent folk. there's a few though who would make your teeth hurt. and as is the case with cycling in general, people seize on them as being representative of all cyclists.

Indeed, I was involved in a discussion, went to bed, got up the next morning to a range of c**t and other words being thrown around. Now the person they were talking to was in the wrong but if you have to go down that route so quickly (it was the first response for one or two) people, your never going to get anywhere with the discussion.

Mc Love

There's a guy on Liveline now talking about a scooter theft and assault last night at that Inchicore/bluebell blackspot where other cyclists have encountered issues.

Group of 15-20 lifted a wire and knocked him off his scooter, assaulted him and took his scooter. Luckily a motorist saw it and intervened.

Thargor

Mc Love wrote: »

There's a guy on Liveline now talking about a scooter theft and assault last night at that Inchicore/bluebell blackspot where other cyclists have encountered issues.

Group of 15-20 lifted a wire and knocked him off his scooter, assaulted him and took his scooter. Luckily a motorist saw it and intervened.

Did they get his scooter?