Am I wrong?

SSII

Hello, long time reader first time poster.
While I was cycling and I noticed a taxi in the cycling lane blocking both me and the traffic . I was already pissed off from suicide pedestrians and a couple of red light jumping taxis that almost hit me. So when I overtook the taxi I tapped on his window and made a hand gesture implying to move on. Immediately after that the driver and taxi behind started beeping at me and one of the drivers shouted "The gardai is going to look for you" "You are in big trouble " "You cant touch other peoples property". Note that this is in a rush hour and the traffic was bonkers and this taxi driver stopped almost in the middle of the road.

So am I wrong or both of the taxi drivers think that they own the road?

Pinch Flat

Depends. Couple of things:

As a bike, you are also traffic.

What type of cycle lane was it? Mandatory bike lane - solid white line - motorists (including taxis) can't park or use it. Note that some are timed, so only available to cyclists at certain times. If it's a dotted line cycle lane, cars can drift in and out but generally parking not permitted.

Taxis are generally exempt from all rules of the road. Picking up a fare will matter a lot more to them than impeding your (or anyone else's) route temporarily. Pointing this out to them, especially by banging on their car, is a waste of time.

Lumen

You are wrong. Maybe someone else is wrong. There isn't an "or". More than one person can be doing a wrong thing.

Moflojo

Each of you could have handled the situation better. The eventual outcome was beneficial to no one, unless one or all of you have reflected on the incident and learned how to deal with it better in future.

If you want legal advice, hire a solicitor.

mrcheez

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Depends. Couple of things:

As a bike, you are also traffic.

What type of cycle lane was it? Mandatory bike lane - solid white line - motorists (including taxis) can't park or us it. Note that some are timed, so only available to cyclists at certain times. If it's a dotted line cycle lane, cars can drift in and out but generally parking not permitted.

Taxis are generally exempt from all rules of the road. Picking up a fare will matter a lot more to them than impeding your (or anyone else's) route temporarily. Pointing this out to them ,especially by banging on their car, is a waste of time.

I took the OP's description to mean that the taxi was driving and stopped in traffic so that half the car was over the cycle lane, so not "parked" per se.

OP as Pinch Flat mentioned if the cycle lane had solid white lines then the taxi shouldn't have been blocking the lane, but if it was dotted white line then it could (afaik).

But was it not possible to go around the taxi by going onto the road proper?

Tenzor07

Lesson number 1 on city cycling: Never tap on, or bang on side of cars unless your personal safety is under imminent physical threat....and even more so when it's a taxi...

ED E

Theres a taxi rank IN the QBC on Georges street, so it really really depends.

SSII

The bake lane had a solid line and a sing saying: Cycle track 07.00- 10.00 12.00 - 19.00.
The time when I encounter the taxi was around 17.00 - 17.30.
I know that I'm a part of the traffic and its not just me on the road. The taping was a spur of the moment type of action that now I know it was a douchey move on mine side.
Note to self, taping on cars is a big nono.

amcalester

SSII wrote: »

The bake lane had a solid line and a sing saying: Cycle track 07.00- 10.00 12.00 - 19.00.
The time when I encounter the taxi was around 17.00 - 17.30.
I know that I'm a part of the traffic and its not just me on the road. The taping was a spur of the moment type of action that now I know it was a douchey move on mine side.
Note to self, taping on cars is a big nono.

Taxi was in the wrong, and you were in the wrong.

No harm in taping on the window if you were going to talk (not remonstrate) with the driver, but tapping the window and cycling off is never a good idea.

Danbo!

Define "tapping" on the window. I can't see someone shouting about calling the Gardai if it was just a tap, but some people lose their cool easier than others.

Hard to know without seeing it happen and time of day, but you're better off not trying to enforce the rules of the road in situations like this and chalking it up to "sh1t happens"

magicbastarder

i don't see what would make tapping a no-no in any circumstances. i did it a few months back after a driver twice nearly clipped me - completely unaware that he had. i tapped on the window and asked - politely - that he not do it again, and he immediately apologised.

mrcheez

magicbastarder wrote: »

i don't see what would make tapping a no-no in any circumstances. i did it a few months back after a driver twice nearly clipped me - completely unaware that he had. i tapped on the window and asked - politely - that he not do it again, and he immediately apologised.

Agree with this completely. I'd always explain to the driver after tapping on their window what the danger was they put me in, and often they would be completely unaware of what they had done.

Like the way drivers suddenly started giving lots of people 1.5 m overtaking space when the news report went viral last week about the fact it was going to become law, people sometimes need to be reminded of how their actions put cyclists in danger which they may otherwise be completely oblivious.

amcalester

magicbastarder wrote: »

i don't see what would make tapping a no-no in any circumstances. i did it a few months back after a driver twice nearly clipped me - completely unaware that he had. i tapped on the window and asked - politely - that he not do it again, and he immediately apologised.

Big difference between tapping on a window and talking to someone and tapping on a window and making a hand movement while cycling away.

I've done the former for similar reasons as you with a similar result, been tempted to do the later as well, in fairness, but never have.

mrcheez

amcalester wrote: »

Big difference between tapping on a window and talking to someone and tapping on a window and making a hand movement while cycling away.

The OP never said he cycled away, where's the fake news coming from?

He said he gestured, and possibly the driver didn't lower his window so he could explain why.

magicbastarder

amcalester wrote: »

tapping on a window and making a hand movement

this sounds euphemistic!

amcalester

So when I overtook the taxi I tapped on his window and made a hand gesture implying to move on.

I read this as he tapped the window while on the move.

mrcheez wrote: »

The OP never said he cycled away, where's the fake news coming from?

He said he gestured, and possibly the driver didn't lower his window so he could explain why.

JazzyJ

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Depends. Couple of things:

As a bike, you are also traffic.

What type of cycle lane was it? Mandatory bike lane - solid white line - motorists (including taxis) can't park or use it. Note that some are timed, so only available to cyclists at certain times. If it's a dotted line cycle lane, cars can drift in and out but generally parking not permitted.

Taxis are generally exempt from all rules of the road. Picking up a fare will matter a lot more to them than impeding your (or anyone else's) route temporarily. Pointing this out to them, especially by banging on their car, is a waste of time.

:eek::eek::eek: they may drive like that...but....

dr.fuzzenstein

SSII wrote: »

Hello, long time reader first time poster.
While I was cycling and I noticed a taxi in the cycling lane blocking both me and the traffic . I was already pissed off from suicide pedestrians and a couple of red light jumping taxis that almost hit me. So when I overtook the taxi I tapped on his window and made a hand gesture implying to move on. Immediately after that the driver and taxi behind started beeping at me and one of the drivers shouted "The gardai is going to look for you" "You are in big trouble " "You cant touch other peoples property". Note that this is in a rush hour and the traffic was bonkers and this taxi driver stopped almost in the middle of the road.

So am I wrong or both of the taxi drivers think that they own the road?

Wait, what? Did another taxi materialize out of nowhere between those 2 sentences? :P
Apart from that, well it depends, if you tap on a window and shout "Move your @!*&%$? car", they won't be happy, but if you tap and say "excuse me, you are blocking the road", no wait, won't make a difference, we're talking Taxis here...

I love Sean nos

SSII wrote:

"The gardai is going to look for you" "You are in big trouble " "You cant touch other peoples property".

Typical delusional taxi driver.

Wishbone Ash

Just manoeuvre around it. Life's too short to be getting worked up about such matters.

(Regarding tapping on a window - there's usually no need. Just stop and look at the driver for a few seconds. Most drivers will open the window then.)

mrcheez

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Just stop and look at the driver for a few seconds. Most drivers will open the window then.)

"Most" is the right word

...others will just continue staring straight on purposefully not making eye contact if they know they are in the wrong (happened several times)

Lumen

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Just manoeuvre around it. Life's too short to be getting worked up about such matters.

(Regarding tapping on a window - there's usually no need. Just stop and look at the driver for a few seconds. Most drivers will open the window then.)

So I should manoeuvre around it, and then stop "for a few seconds" and stand off with the taxi driver, like some kind of angry chimp?

How exactly is this less aggressive than tapping on the window?

Unknown Soldier

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Just manoeuvre around it. Life's too short to be getting worked up about such matters.

The above.

Remonstrate with the taxi in your head.

It would take me ages to get to work and back home if I had to pull up everyone who was being a sh1thead!

Wishbone Ash

Lumen wrote: »

So I should manoeuvre around it, and then stop "for a few seconds" and stand off with the taxi driver, like some kind of angry chimp?

How exactly is this less aggressive than tapping on the window?

I meant that the vast majority of the time I'd just continue with my journey. If I felt the need to speak to a driver, I'd stop but I never felt the need to tap on a window.

CramCycle

Check over your shoulder, indicate, recheck, if safe to do so move around the vehicle and keep going. If particularly annoyed, shout something like "Nice Parking" loudly but in a friendly voice. Give a big thumbs up if you feel it was a huge annoyance.

Effects

mrcheez wrote: »

The OP never said he cycled away, where's the fake news coming from?

It's an anecdote isn't it? Who mentioned fake news?