Near misses - mod warning 22/04 - see OP/post 822

axer

Deleted User wrote: »

Hard to call who he was closest to there, you or the on coming car.

Either way the cyclist is ****ed when cars and parts go flying every direction.

Steoller

That's a horrific manoeuvre, altogether.

Effects

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Even with my horn blaring they push on. The mind boggles.

What does it sound like to the driver? Sounds like a kids toy from the video!

Duckjob

Alanstrainor wrote: »

One of mine from last week. I was taking a primary position due to the blind bend, this numpty decides to go for a pass anyway. Even with my horn blaring they push on. The mind boggles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AoRAZbj4O4

(Excuse the language)

Looking back, I should have moved to the left when I realised he was going for it. But honestly I was expecting him to slow and return behind. There was a large manhole to avoid and I couldn't quite believe it, but better to be safe than smushed on the road I suppose.

I find it both scary and depressing and many drivers now seem incapable of following rule 101 of safe driving which says to react in good time to hazards or in laymans terms - slow the f down when you see the road ahead has obstacles.

This, coupled with the common driver comment that goes something like:

"I'm wrote:

Bloody cyclists, came around the bend and had to lock my wheels because one was in the middle of the road

These type of comments bend my brain trying to understand not only the lack of driving competence being wilfully announced, but also the lack of awareness of their lack of competance. It gives me chills to think that we share the road with people like this.

Pinch Flat

Must-get-past

RowanHarley

I had a close call actually the other day. Was cycling down a main road that wouldn't usually be a problem when this person pulled out to pass me out then went to turn left about 20m up. Had to slam on the brakes while swerving out to avoid the back of the car, sluggishly driving in the driveway

ED E

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Must-get-past

MGIF - Must get in front

https://twitter.com/CorkCyclist/status/957775072063836161

https://twitter.com/tampopo2236/status/918252865692385280

https://twitter.com/SafeCyclingEire/status/792259423481786368

selwyn froggitt

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I've a short (25k) lap up into Enniskerry and Kiltiernan I do when I'm short on time / can't face another turbo / just wanna get out and spin the legs. Nearly every time I do this route...I will have about 5 'near misses' (sometimes many more). One of the most common ones, is a motorist overtaking a cyclist on other side of the road, literally right into my path (usually in nearly exact same spot, solid white line and on a bend). Yesterday's one gave me a bit of a shake.
Not making a sweeping generalisation here, but they are usually fancy expensive cars

This one route really makes me want to invest in a helmet cam.

If every time I did this particular 25km route and was subjected to at least 5 'near misses' (or more),I wouldn't be long making my mind up to not do it in future and pick an alternative.

queldy

selwyn froggitt wrote: »

If every time I did this particular 25km route and was subjected to at least 5 'near misses' (or more),I wouldn't be long making my mind up to not do it in future and pick an alternative.

I don't know which loop it is, but it is not easy to find an alternative sometimes.
In my experience, I have definitely more than 5 near misses (in average let's say, and of course it depends on what we consider a near miss...; let's say, a very dangerous manouvre, e.g. overtaking at speed, turning right after overtaking, a door opening at the last moment, a bus/truck not giving enough space, and so on - certainly is not a "close-death" experience every time, but I would say "a miss"). If you are out there for 1.5/2 hours, no matter the place you choose, you will also experience this.
And there is always a trade-off: city center means busy traffic, pedestrians, lights, doors opening, etc. SO you choose isolated roads to avoid these problems, but then you get rally pilots, potholes, tractors, etc.
Every 2 hours training, no matter the timing, the place; you will have different types of danger, definitely always (way more than) enough near misses... sad to say.

PS The only time I felt close to safe it was a few months ago during the "hurricane", every one at home, empty city. Post-apocalyptic dream of a sad cyclist

selwyn froggitt

queldy wrote: »

I don't know which loop it is, but it is not easy to find an alternative sometimes.
In my experience, I have definitely more than 5 near misses (in average let's say, and of course it depends on what we consider a near miss...; let's say, a very dangerous manouvre, e.g. overtaking at speed, turning right after overtaking, a door opening at the last moment, a bus/truck not giving enough space, and so on - certainly is not a "close-death" experience every time, but I would say "a miss"). If you are out there for 1.5/2 hours, no matter the place you choose, you will also experience this.
And there is always a trade-off: city center means busy traffic, pedestrians, lights, doors opening, etc. SO you choose isolated roads to avoid these problems, but then you get rally pilots, potholes, tractors, etc.
Every 2 hours training, no matter the timing, the place; you will have different types of danger, definitely always (way more than) enough near misses... sad to say.

PS The only time I felt close to safe it was a few months ago during the "hurricane", every one at home, empty city. Post-apocalyptic dream of a sad cyclist

I hear you Queldy.

I must admit that I have really changed the way that I cycle over the last few years.
As someone who averages about a thousand kilometers per month I am becoming more and more wary of travelling on main roads, sometimes it’s unavoidable, but here is a good example of what I mean.

I live in the Cork City suburbs, and in the Spring/Summer/Autumn I do a fairly long commute to East Cork twice or (sometimes three times a week), it’s exactly 43 km’s one way if you take the most direct route, over the years I have had some awful experiences on that journey to and from work. These dangerous passes/incidents nearly always took place on the same sections of road or junctions though.

It made me think about looking at alternatives, I now take every ****ty boreen, back road, shared walking/cycling paths available. This adds about another 10 km’s to the journey, I have to leave earlier and get home later, but the experience is a million times better.

I know it’s not the same for everyone, and I really admire all city and town commuters and for all the ****e they have to put up with on a daily basis.

This country is absolutely riddled with back roads, and extremely quiet ones at that, I cycle with a small group on a weekend, and I swear that with a little bit of forward route planning there is a different world out there to be discovered.
I would sacrifice smooth tarmac for a safer cycle all day long.

RacoonQueen

selwyn froggitt wrote: »

If every time I did this particular 25km route and was subjected to at least 5 'near misses' (or more),I wouldn't be long making my mind up to not do it in future and pick an alternative.

As said, not really many alternatives. Also, don't hear of any accidents around there they're just near misses. Close passes, people passing too fast, not seeing me (or not caring) and coming out of side roads etc when I'm too close to them, someone coming off the path at the shops at lambs cross two weeks ago to join the road when I was right behind where he came off the path, not using mirrors and turning left on top of me, must get aheads etc typical to anywhere...I find this route particularly bad but perhaps thats because it is so short its more noticable...and roads are probably narrower out there than many other routes.

I'm not going to be scared off the road by di*kheads driving too fast. Plenty of cyclists around the same area no matter what day or time I go out that way...so don't think it poses a major risk but I earmark this as a bad route for crappy driving.

Annie get your Run

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I'm not going to be scared off the road by di*kheads driving too fast. Plenty of cyclists around the same area no matter what day or time I go out that way...so don't think it poses a major risk but I earmark this as a bad route for crappy driving.

I sometimes adjust my commute route to eliminate one of the more 'dangerous' roads when conditions are bad but but I hate doing that, I feel like I've 'let them win' - it feels like that's what those drivers want, they want us off THEIR road and if we all concede, well.... I do understand that safety comes first and I don't blame people for taking the safer route but on the other hand there is safety in numbers!

07Lapierre

Annie get your Run wrote: »

I sometimes adjust my commute route to eliminate one of the more 'dangerous' roads when conditions are bad but but I hate doing that, I feel like I've 'let them win' - it feels like that's what those drivers want, they want us off THEIR road and if we all concede, well.... I do understand that safety comes first and I don't blame people for taking the safer route but on the other hand there is safety in numbers!

I used to cycle along the n32(R139). But I stopped because i was always the only cyclist on that road in the mornings. I had too many close passes on it (at 80-100kph!) so self preservation kicked in and I now take a different route.

magicbastarder

07Lapierre wrote: »

I used to cycle along the n32(R139).

i drove along this road about an hour ago - don't remember being on that road at night before. there was a chap on a bike cycling along the road, and i really would not want to have been him. it's got a posted speed limit of 60, and i would hazard a guess that the average speed on the road is 75km/h or thereabouts.

07Lapierre

magicbastarder wrote: »

i drove along this road about an hour ago - don't remember being on that road at night before. there was a chap on a bike cycling along the road, and i really would not want to have been him. it's got a posted speed limit of 60, and i would hazard a guess that the average speed on the road is 75km/h or thereabouts.

Yep the average speed on that road is more like 80kph. when I did cycle along it, I cycled in the middle of the left lane. Cars didn't like it as they see it a " bloody cyclist cycling in the middle of the road!" ... but I'm still alive!

magicbastarder

there's a fair bit of wasted space on that road - a painted hatched median which could be narrowed if they put a barrier in, might give a bit more space for a cycle lane.

Alanstrainor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJaKymRo-xA

amcalester

Did he run the red as well for good measure?

robyntmorton

amcalester wrote: »

Did he run the red as well for good measure?

I was thinking myself that he did, but it was a yellow, into a blocked junction (traffic waiting to turn right in front) and only gets to turn a bit after red.

Still totally unprofessional driving, and needs reporting.

Alanstrainor

amcalester wrote: »

Did he run the red as well for good measure?

Yep. It was well red by the time he even reached the top of the junction.

JazzyJ

Completely broke it. Pure punishment pass.

robyntmorton

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Yep. It was well red by the time he even reached the top of the junction.

I stand corrected. Either way he deserves to be taken out of the van and be made do oversize parcel delivery on a pushbike.

robyntmorton

Weepsie wrote: »

This light, means stop unless it is unsafe. It's not the Red that you only stop for, it's amber, and too many people think it's okay to carry on through it.

That driving is criminal and should be treated as such.

Which is why I also pointed out the blocked junction, in that he could in no way claim it was unsafe to stop, and was playing get through at all costs.

Chips Lovell

It used to be that Yellow = "Floor it"

It's now Yellow = "Carry on"

Now the signal for "floor it" is seeing the light turn red, even if you're still 100m from stop line.

magicbastarder

there is *constantly* light-breaking going on at that junction - and the light sequences can be rather arbitrary; i've seen - for motorists outbound, turning right onto alfie byrne road - a light cycle take about 30s, and other times take over 3 minutes.
i wonder if there is a malfunction with the coils which detect the presence of a waiting car.

queldy

magicbastarder wrote: »

there is *constantly* light-breaking going on at that junction - and the light sequences can be rather arbitrary; i've seen - for motorists outbound, turning right onto alfie byrne road - a light cycle take about 30s, and other times take over 3 minutes.
i wonder if there is a malfunction with the coils which detect the presence of a waiting car.

Yes, I think some of them (e.g., the ones out of the Phoenix Park) only turn green if there is something waiting. And sometimes, even as big as I am, I am not seen by the detector. If you happen to be with no cars following you (does this EVER happen??!?!?), it won't turn green.

That van driver is a criminal. He passed way too fast, way too close, and it broke the red.

I have seen too many light breaking lately - also taxi and bus drivers (they are supposed to be educated professionals) do, that's insane.
I could tell which one are the spots where it always (and I mean always!) happens! Come on, how come the Garda do not give consideration about it AT ALL! It is so obvious.
Take Leonard's corner: there is not a single time, every time I am there, that I do not see someone breaking the red. Take Merrion Square all around. Take the ones in Baggot.
It is insane, really.

What Username Guidelines

queldy wrote: »

Yes, I think some of them (e.g., the ones out of the Phoenix Park) only turn green if there is something waiting. And sometimes, even as big as I am, I am not seen by the detector. If you happen to be with no cars following you (does this EVER happen??!?!?), it won't turn green.

If you're on the bike, cycling over the 'seam' of the detector in the road usually works. I pass a junction with the luas near the fruit market where there's rarely other cars and it seems to work.

ED E

queldy wrote: »

Yes, I think some of them (e.g., the ones out of the Phoenix Park) only turn green if there is something waiting. And sometimes, even as big as I am, I am not seen by the detector. If you happen to be with no cars following you (does this EVER happen??!?!?), it won't turn green.

Most havent been tuned in many years. When correctly calibrated the induction loops will pick up your bike (even crappy Alu's) but many arent. Even within the same LA area.

ED E

(Video not mine)

Arcade_Tryer

ED E wrote: »

(Video not mine)

Terrifying.

Try a similar situation with a 52 seater bus! The shock didn't set in until several minutes afterward!