Journalism and cycling

CramCycle

dinneenp wrote: »

The Pat Kenny cycling segment link

First half seems OK, and Cuffe is always balanced but Kenny can't help it. Starts talking about brigades of cyclists, then moves onto Bicycle bells and then onto facemasks. Cuffe actually gets wrong footed as he is good at not reacting but clearly doesn't know what to say to such muppetry. Don't listen.

tomasrojo

I have a fondness for the Twitter sub-genre of Pat Kenny Explains:

https://twitter.com/psneeze/status/496986637268975616

tomasrojo

https://twitter.com/TheOneRam/status/203416326050553857

buffalo

Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »

Footpath space will be reduced, road space will be reduced, and cycling space will be reduced.

How are they all being reduced? Surely at least one will have a net gain, unless they're giving some land back to the marsh?

Seth Brundle

buffalo wrote: »

How are they all being reduced? Surely at least one will have a net gain, unless they're giving some land back to the marsh?

I initially thought that but then it occurred to me that he meant in some places the path would lose space, in some streets the cycle path and in some the road would lose space.
Then again, with Cork City Council anything stupid is possible!

Corca Baiscinn

buffalo wrote: »

How are they all being reduced? Surely at least one will have a net gain, unless they're giving some land back to the marsh?

Think it was in the context of giving the space to restaurants and cafés for outdoor eating as somewhere in the article he says it will be up to business to decide.

tomasrojo

Yes, the term "pedestrianisation" is confusing, because I think they really mean increasing the amount of outdoor space for business to use for purposes other than car storage or car movement.

tomasrojo

Here's something about cyclists and "plumes":
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/4/24/21233226/coronavirus-runners-cyclists-airborne-infectious-dose

In other words, the “study” failed to consider two key questions: How easy is it for particles traveling in the air outdoors to infect you? And how many particles containing infectious virus would you have to inhale to become infected?

Although we don’t know exactly how many particles it takes — 900? 1,500? — the point to bear in mind here is that you’re not going to contract Covid-19 if a single particle falls on you. One of the problems with the Belgian-Dutch exercise “study” is that its recommendations seem to be based on the idea that any exposure is too much.

It doesn't look as if outdoors transmission in general is that big a factor, let alone a cyclist passing you by at a reasonable distance, briefly.

magicbastarder

Yeah, I was dubious about that from the start. Too many people applying knowledge from their limited realm to a very complex, multi faceted issue.

magicbastarder

more on the air pollution link to effects of this pox.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/04/is-air-pollution-making-the-coronavirus-pandemic-even-more-deadly

magicbastarder

bleedin' near octegenarians, terrorising pedestrians on the footpath...
in seriousness though, it's a nice photo to lead with:



the caption under the photo is "Jim Clinton waves at his neighbour Sé Ó Hanlon (78) going out on his bike in Glasnevin as some lockdown restrictions are lifted. "

i'm 99% certain it's this chap:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9_O%27Hanlon

buffalo

magicbastarder wrote: »

bleedin' near octegenarians, terrorising pedestrians on the footpath...
in seriousness though, it's a nice photo to lead with:



the caption under the photo is "Jim Clinton waves at his neighbour Sé Ó Hanlon (78) going out on his bike in Glasnevin as some lockdown restrictions are lifted. "

i'm 99% certain it's this chap:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9_O%27Hanlon

It is indeed the one and only Sé O'Hanlon, who also featured in the IT a few weeks back saying that he was heading out for sneaky cycles despite the advice to cocoon.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/on-the-bike-i-meet-no-one-78-year-old-cyclist-refuses-to-cocoon-1.4217736

Hurrache

I almost expect his neighbours to knock him off next time if they listen to fellow cantankerous oldie Pat Kenny, he yet again mentioned all the cyclists he sees, not even wearing bandannas, spreading their plumes. I imagined he shook his fist as he spoke.

tomasrojo

Pretty good increase in women cycling in Spain:
https://ecf.com/news-and-events/news/women-boost-bicycle-use-spain

tomasrojo

Hurrache wrote: »

I almost expect his neighbours to knock him off next time if they listen to fellow cantankerous oldie Pat Kenny, he yet again mentioned all the cyclists he sees, not even wearing bandannas, spreading their plumes. I imagined he shook his fist as he spoke.

He's such a crank.

Macy0161

Hurrache wrote: »

I almost expect his neighbours to knock him off next time if they listen to fellow cantankerous oldie Pat Kenny, he yet again mentioned all the cyclists he sees, not even wearing bandannas, spreading their plumes. I imagined he shook his fist as he spoke.

It's already started on my local facebook forums - giving out about cyclists 2 weeks before the 20km puts major population centres within range of the village...

Thelonious Monk

It's amazing to see all the bicycles around Dublin at the moment. I had to cycle in to my work yesterday for a bit in the city centre and buses/cars were all breaking lights and driving faster than usual though. A bus and a range rover both sped through red lights where the NCR meets Amiens St. Was like bad driver bingo. It had been a while since I had the ominous feeling of a double decker bus coming up behind me too, you don't miss it.

magicbastarder

i see families with young kids on bikes passing our house at a significantly higher rate than normal. of course, the good weather is part of it.

Thelonious Monk

magicbastarder wrote: »

i see families with young kids on bikes passing our house at a significantly higher rate than normal. of course, the good weather is part of it.

Yes but it's mostly down to not being able to drive to places for leisure I would say. Amazing how lazy cars make people.

magicbastarder

it's not just that they can't drive to where they'd otherwise cycle, it's also that the reason they'd choose a place to drive to is now moot.

Eamonnator

buffalo wrote: »

It is indeed the one and only Sé O'Hanlon, who also featured in the IT a few weeks back saying that he was heading out for sneaky cycles despite the advice to cocoon.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/on-the-bike-i-meet-no-one-78-year-old-cyclist-refuses-to-cocoon-1.4217736

For those not familiar with the exploits of O'Hanlon, here's an article about him.
He's a legend.
From the start of the Rás in 1965 to it's finish in 1967, no one, apart from O'Hanlon, wore the yellow jersey.

http://rasireland.ie/2018/04/29/shay-ohanlon-four-times-ras-winner/

Type 17

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/06/cycling-could-increase-five-fold-in-london-after-lockdown

Article about London (but applies to most larger cities/towns around the world) predicting that cycle and pedestrian traffic will increase hugely as people avoid public transport in the absence of a vaccine.
Add in a load of car drivers also avoiding public transport, and it's a recipe for some serious congestion/hassle...

magicbastarder

i've been a little bit sceptical (but still hopeful) about the long term effects for cycling; this just by coincidence - in dublin at least - has coincided with a weirdly long spell of good weather. and i am worried that when the restrictions start to lift, that the approach from the government will be an 'open up the taps on the economy without regard for niceties like walking or cycling'. because that's what they know.

eeeee

I go between hope and despair. It's absolutely fantastic to see how many families, women, young and old people out on their bikes right now. I see loads of family flotillas out every single day. They weather is good, the traffic is light...but if everyone jumps back into their cars they'll put themselves (I would say most are PT and then car commuters) off the road. that would be pure shyte. On the upside maybe they'll have a new appreciation for cyclists having been one of late, but then with the traffic so light it's hard to understand what it's like to commute in normal city traffic right now.

magicbastarder

the problem is that neraly everyone says 'it's great that the roads are so quiet' but don't regard themselves as part of the converse when they get in their cars. and yes, it's great that the roads are quiet, but that's coming at a massive, massive cost.
i live on a busy road (four different bus routes are served by the stop i can see while typing this); i have seen people cycle past the house - on the road - with small children in tow in the last few weeks. this was absolutely unthinkable a few weeks ago.

magicbastarder

buffalo wrote: »

It is indeed the one and only Sé O'Hanlon, who also featured in the IT a few weeks back saying that he was heading out for sneaky cycles despite the advice to cocoon.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/on-the-bike-i-meet-no-one-78-year-old-cyclist-refuses-to-cocoon-1.4217736

i'm beginning to wonder if that's the nice chap i've exchanged pleasantries with outside my local spar (it's pretty much the right area); the chap i've talked to generally rides a green mercian pro.

Grassey

magicbastarder wrote:

the problem is that neraly everyone says 'it's great that the roads are so quiet' but don't regard themselves as part of the converse when they get in their cars.

Reminds me of some post I saw the other day. The usual look on the positives of the lockdown, pollution is down, m50 is not packed, more time with family, no 3 hour commutes, more time to exercise, home cooked meals, better work/life balance etc etc etc... Then admonished everyone to remember these best bits when "things return to normal"

Surely if things are better* now, this should be the new normal to maintain!


* clearly not everything is better, but in the context of the 'positives'

cletus

I get the general gist of what everyone is saying about hoping that people stay cycling once the lockdown is over, and wouldn't less cars on the road be great. But let's be realistic. The reason for all the above is because large amounts of people are either working from home, temporarily unemployed, or permanently unemployed. It's not really feasible to think that when everyone in the country who's not currently working goes back to work that somehow magically the amount of cars on the roads will be less, or that people will no longer commute via car.

Probably the best that can be hoped for is that most of the people who started continue with cycling as an activity.


As I types this a thought hit me. Perhaps many of the posters are looking at this from a Dublin/urban centric point of view, but for me, even though I've used this as an opportunity to teach my kids how to cycle on the road, once I and my wife are back in work, cycling will not be a viable for of commuting transport

bazermc

Eamonnator wrote: »

For those not familiar with the exploits of O'Hanlon, here's an article about him.
He's a legend.
From the start of the Rás in 1965 to it's finish in 1967, no one, apart from O'Hanlon, wore the yellow jersey.

http://rasireland.ie/2018/04/29/shay-ohanlon-four-times-ras-winner/

My dad who sadly passed away from cancer two months, raced the Ras at the same time as Shay and looked up to as a a god. Such a pity he can’t see what Shay is up to now, he’d get a great kick out of it.

magicbastarder

i mentioned it on a whatsapp group i'm a member of, one of the lads chipped in with this:

I know Sé a bit. My Dad rode in the Rás many years ago and raced against him. Said he was the hardest bastard he ever rode against. I met him a few times when I was involved in helping to organise the race a few years ago. Lovely guy