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

Benny Biscotti

rubadub wrote: »

I should have used the term "likely" in my post. I admit I could well be wrong.

from his post it sounded like it was one of these conversion jobs, as a regular "off the shelf" MTB pedelec is actually not that easy to spot. I had a very experienced MTBer looking at a proper "off the shelf" pedelec and it took him a while to even cop it had a motor!. Most of the conversions are not road legal.

A road legal one would cut out at 25kph, he said it was about 30kph. Now of course he might well have been on a road legal pedelec and able to get up to 30kph under his own steam, but form the tone of his post I highly doubted it.

I cycle the same route and I think this cyclist passed me before. I was wondering how he was going so fast as it looked like a normal mountain bike but with thicker wheels he was doing about 30...but definitely not under his own power.

Ray Bloody Purchase

Not a near miss, but a taxi driver blew me out of it this morning. I was cycling along here.

I dont go into the bus lane on the left. There's usually buses or taxis parked in the lane on the left so i stay in the outside lane. I indicated my displeasure to him vocally and with a subtle hand gesture at his rude use of the horn.

The same scenario usually occurs going south on the Quays, with the bus stops on the left (down where the the Virgin Mega Stores used to be). I take it cyclists are under no obligation to pull in as taxis/buses bully by us?

GoHardOrGoHome

Need some advice regarding reporting dangerous driving by a Mathews bus driver. I was going northbound on Portland Row. Mathews bus driver accelerated beeping 4 times before left hooking me. He didn't quite make the turn first time. Unfortunately my front camera wasn't working but I've got the registration from the rear camera. It just shows me stopping mid junction as he's pulled left across me onto Summerhill road.



I want to report this to the Gardai but just want to know how I should go about it. Happened at 9:29am this morning.

Edit: do I need to request that a record be created on Pulse etc. I work near Ballymun Garda station so could call in at lunchtime.

Mc Love

Matthews eh? I'm sure they've popped up in here or twitter before, notorious for bad driving

Ferris

Ring Traffic Watch - 1890 205805. Its really easy, give the reg number and time. Mention that you have footage, they can note that, this will help the receiving Garda. If it proceeds you will be asked to give a statement at a Garda station where they will ask for the native footage on a USB.

I did this recently and am waiting on the outcome.

Mc Love

Mc Love wrote: »

Matthews eh? I'm sure they've popped up in here or twitter before, notorious for bad driving

One I could find here https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=108331784&postcount=6204

mr spuckler

yes Matthews constantly pop up here & on Twitter for sh1tty driving which impacts on cyclists.

CramCycle

mr spuckler wrote: »

yes Matthews constantly pop up here & on Twitter for sh1tty driving which impacts on cyclists.

Matthews get what they pay for and on occasion, don't.

GoHardOrGoHome

Ferris wrote: »

Ring Traffic Watch - 1890 205805. Its really easy, give the reg number and time. Mention that you have footage, they can note that, this will help the receiving Garda. If it proceeds you will be asked to give a statement at a Garda station where they will ask for the native footage on a USB.

I did this recently and am waiting on the outcome.

Thanks Ferris, did that. I wonder what the typical call back time is? Within a week? We'll see.

AndrewJRenko

CramCycle wrote: »

mr spuckler wrote: »

yes Matthews constantly pop up here & on Twitter for sh1tty driving which impacts on cyclists.

Matthews get what they pay for and on occasion, don't.

On the other hand, they are the only operator taking their coaches off the streets and keeping them in the compound on the North Wall at.

Duckjob

Not so much a near miss, as something that, due to stupidity, could have turned into a bad situation.

I don't like this particular stretch of road to start with. Too narrow, and drivers tend to fly on the straight bit. So after being squeezed at speed too many times, I now stick myself well out in the middle of the lane and make it impossible for drivers to get past until the opposite direction is clear.

I could see traffic approaching the other way. I heard the engine noise beside me and saw the car (lets call them CAR 1) stop level and then tuck back in behind me and when I heard the horn blow I assume it was CAR 1 telling me off for being "in the middle of the road".

Wasn't until I saw the video that I realised the beep came from the white van behind CAR 1. Instead of doing the correct thing and waiting to evaluate if *he* could overtake safely, white van man did the all-too-common "follow the leader" move and was in a blind battle charge to also overtake me, so when CAR 1 realised his overtake was risky and (to his credit) aborted it, white van man found himself nearly rear-ending him. Then, in a stunning show of lack of self-awareness, implied it was all CAR 1's fault for ultimately doing the right thing, instead of his own stupid fault for doing a blind overtake.

If CAR 1 had not aborted it could have been a sticky situation with white van man coming through at speed and with traffic bearing down on top there would have been one place to go to avoid a head-on collision - ie. into me. it really annoys me when I look at it - people unncessiliry creating danger on our roads by, not only doing stupid things, but doing them at speed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLBxJoKeVGo

John_Rambo

Heading in to work on Wednesday on the Howth road in Clontarf in Dublin when a middle aged man veered in to the bus lane under my nose without indicating, I dropped the anchors and gave a good shout. As usual, he was caught up in traffic 20 metres away, he saw me coming and rolled down his window to engage, I asked him politely to MIM and he got very aggressive & me for my insurance policy!! I stuck my head in to the open window and asked him was he drinking last night cause there was a smell of alcohol from his breath (which there was) and could we pull over so we could exchange details.



I've never seen someone change their tune and backpeddle as quick! He was instantly contrite and ever so apologetic with a look of pure panic in his eyes, he even put his hand over mine, looked into my eyes and said "I'm just trying to get to work" I told him so was I. He stalled the car twice trying to get away.

smackyB

John_Rambo wrote: »

Heading in to work on Wednesday on the Howth road in Clontarf in Dublin when a middle aged man veered in to the bus lane under my nose without indicating, I dropped the anchors and gave a good shout. As usual, he was caught up in traffic 20 metres away, he saw me coming and rolled down his window to engage, I asked him politely to MIM and he got very aggressive & me for my insurance policy!! I stuck my head in to the open window and asked him was he drinking last night cause there was a smell of alcohol from his breath (which there was) and could we pull over so we could exchange details.



I've never seen someone change their tune and backpeddle as quick! He was instantly contrite and ever so apologetic with a look of pure panic in his eyes, he even put his hand over mine, looked into my eyes and said "I'm just trying to get to work" I told him so was I. He stalled the car twice trying to get away.

I would be of the opinion that you should have called the cops regardless of how apologetic he was - if you can smell alcohol off him he's a danger to you and every other vulnerable road user out there.

BoardsMember

Chiparus wrote: »

I was beeped at twice because I wasn't in the cycle lane , even though the lane was blocked by a parked car! Clearly the driver felt I was ignorant of the rules and felt I had to stay in the cycle lane. The second beep was for turning right at a roundabout - I think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc5Sh-Y9uPo

Are you not outside the lane before you can see the car, looks like a long bend and you're outside the lane before you could have seen the car. That might have been the cause for the beep? I don't have sound so I dont know timings.

Unknown Soldier

BoardsMember wrote: »

Are you not outside the lane before you can see the car, looks like a long bend and you're outside the lane before you could have seen the car. That might have been the cause for the beep? I don't have sound so I dont know timings.

I despair with humanity at times.

BoardsMember

Unknown Soldier wrote: »

I despair with humanity at times.

Sorry to be the cause of your despair! But I am genuinely curious as to why, from what I can see, before the car blocking the bicycle lane is in view, he seems to be cycling outside the bike lane. Maybe I am wrong, but people get things wrong all the time, hardly a cause for despair. I'm talking about at the start of the video. I'm not trying to be a dick, this is genuinely what it looks like to me, a cyclist. I'm not looking for a row, or blaming the cyclist or absolving the driver.

magicbastarder

you mentioned you don't have sound, which means you didn't hear that the first beep comes pretty much just as the bike is passing the car, and the second beep comes when it's apparent the cyclist is going straight on at the roundabout, even though the van is taking the left.

BoardsMember

magicbastarder wrote: »

you mentioned you don't have sound, which means you didn't hear that the first beep comes pretty much just as the bike is passing the car, and the second beep comes when it's apparent the cyclist is going straight on at the roundabout, even though the van is taking the left.

Thanks for explaining. Arse of a driver so. Hard to understand why someone would despair at my comment, but maybe there's an issue with comprehension or something.

Idleater

BoardsMember wrote: »

Hard to understand why someone would despair at my comment

Ignoring not hearing the sound, the position of the cyclist is correct for both overtaking the parked car, and to navigate the roundabout. Even if the car was out of sight at the start of the video, there is any number of reasons why a cyclist could be in that position, a pothole, turning right before the junction, etc etc.

BoardsMember

Idleater wrote: »

Ignoring not hearing the sound, the position of the cyclist is correct for both overtaking the parked car, and to navigate the roundabout. Even if the car was out of sight at the start of the video, there is any number of reasons why a cyclist could be in that position, a pothole, turning right before the junction, etc etc.

Indeed there is, and the position is correct for what happens later in the video. But the OP said they were out of the cycle lane because of a parked car, that's the point I was wondering about earlier at the start. But I seem to brought someone to despair by doing so, and derailed the thread, so I'll leave it.

5uspect

Had someone beep at me in a similar situation Thursday evening as I turned into the Phoenix Park. Checked behind me and there was no traffic near, signalled and moved out from the cycle lane to position myself on approach to the park entrance. As I completed the turn someone who had closed the gap decided to beep at me. Ignorant and pointless.

hesker

Not a strictly cycling related incident but anyway.....

I’m not in Dublin that often but was on foot yesterday evening waiting to cross the pedestrian lights at the Bord Gais theatre with about 5 others. Green man comes on and we all start to cross. After about 2 steps a car comes sailing through. Gave us a bit of a fright. Wondering is that kind of thing fairly common in Dublin. I’ll be a bit more wary in future.

Lambay island

hesker wrote: »

Not a strictly cycling related incident but anyway.....

I’m not in Dublin that often but was on foot yesterday evening waiting to cross the pedestrian lights at the Bord Gais theatre with about 5 others. Green man comes on and we all start to cross. After about 2 steps a car comes sailing through. Gave us a bit of a fright. Wondering is that kind of thing fairly common in Dublin. I’ll be a bit more wary in future.

Unfortunately yes

Lambay island

For anyone who cycles up harolds cross road towards the bridge, i noticed this morning they were putting in plastic bollards beside the last bus stop approaching the bridge. I'm not sure if they extending it further as they only had 4 or 5 down when i went past but will be interesting tomor morn to see how many cars still go in the bus lane

Seth Brundle

hesker wrote: »

Not a strictly cycling related incident but anyway.....

I’m not in Dublin that often but was on foot yesterday evening waiting to cross the pedestrian lights at the Bord Gais theatre with about 5 others. Green man comes on and we all start to cross. After about 2 steps a car comes sailing through. Gave us a bit of a fright. Wondering is that kind of thing fairly common in Dublin. I’ll be a bit more wary in future.

...and this is why it should be mandatory for pedestrians to wear helmets and high-viz clothing!

Rechuchote

I have a wild fantasy of traffic lights with barbed teeth that rise up in the roadway when the lights go red.

jjpep

Rechuchote wrote: »

I have a wild fantasy of traffic lights with barbed teeth that rise up in the roadway when the lights go red.

I have an even crazier one where a camera is automatically tripped and takes a photo of the reg number of the car. And then, this information magically appears in the gardai computer system which then magically issues a fine to the owner of the car. Crazy, huh

This being Ireland, yours is more likely to happen than mine.

rubadub

jjpep wrote: »

And then, this information magically appears in the gardai computer system which then magically issues a fine to the owner of the car..

And penalty points, otherwise the rich will not be deterred at all. More points depending in how long after it was read that you broke the light.

I liked that idea some country has where fines are relative to your wealth.

CramCycle

rubadub wrote: »

And penalty points, otherwise the rich will not be deterred at all. More points depending in how long after it was read that you broke the light.

I liked that idea some country has where fines are relative to your wealth.

Possibly the Swiss

I'd like a system where the fine escalates for multiple fines for the same thing.

Have it double every time you have received a fine for the same offence.

1st time: 50euro, and it will be 50euro each time for 28days for time for the first fine to arrive
2nd time: After 28 days, if it is done again 100euro
3rd time: after another 28days, 200euro


It would be 25,600euro by the 10th time they get a fine

BoardsMember

jjpep wrote: »

I have an even crazier one where a camera is automatically tripped and takes a photo of the reg number of the car. And then, this information magically appears in the gardai computer system which then magically issues a fine to the owner of the car. Crazy, huh

This being Ireland, yours is more likely to happen than mine.

I was in Australia 24 years ago and in Sydney every intersection had these. If there was a political will it would be done, but our politicians prefer not to go there.