Grand Canal Cycle Path - Be Careful

Nika Bolokov

Just a heads up for commuters who use this.

I was told today about a mugging here down at the Bluebell section in broad daylight on a Sunday.

I have read on Boards before that other Boardsies have encountered problems here so just posting this as a heads up.

Be careful out there guys especially on the Blackhorse / Bluebell section this isn't the first time I've heard of trouble here and it looks like it warrants keeping your wits about you again.

Great shame I often use it.

HugoMyBoss

Nika Bolokov wrote: »

Just a heads up for commuters who use this.

I was told today about a mugging here down at the Bluebell section in broad daylight on a Sunday.

I have read on Boards before that other Boardsies have encountered problems here so just posting this as a heads up.

Be careful out there guys especially on the Blackhorse / Bluebell section this isn't the first time I've heard of trouble here and it looks like it warrants keeping your wits about you again.

Great shame I often use it.

Did the victim have their bike taken from them?

Tigerandahalf

It would definitely turn me off doing the canals all the way into Dublin - too many little scumbags with nothing else to be doing.

mloc123

haven't used it since the last morning I saw two guys waiting to mug people, not worth the hassle

average_runner

Used it at 730 am, as all the scum are asleep then.

Pity we can't have good things in Ireland

dermabrasion

It just sickens me that people cannot travel into and out of work or take their kids on a bike path without risk of violence from these dirty skangers. This is a really good piece of cycling infrastructure in a city with mostly crap facilities. But because of non-policing and ASB it is to be avoided for most of the day.

marieholmfan

This isn't a cycling problem or a social problem or an infrastructure problem. This is a policing problem.

To Alcohol

average_runner wrote: »

Used it at 730 am, as all the scum are asleep then.

Pity we can't have good things in Ireland

From what I understand the scum have been out mugging along the canal at this time also.

mloc123

To Alcohol wrote: »

From what I understand the scum have been out mugging along the canal at this time also.

Yup, I worked on the same assumption.. until the morning that they were out since 7am (assume still awake from the previous night)

benjamin d

mloc123 wrote: »

Yup, I worked on the same assumption.. until the morning that they were out since 7am (assume still awake from the previous night)

Probably at their most feral at that time if that's the case. I've considered running the grand canal as a long run but this thread and the recent one have put me right off that idea.

Tigerandahalf

benjamin d wrote: »

Probably at their most feral at that time if that's the case. I've considered running the grand canal as a long run but this thread and the recent one have put me right off that idea.

Once the schools open it should be better.

mloc123

benjamin d wrote: »

Probably at their most feral at that time if that's the case. I've considered running the grand canal as a long run but this thread and the recent one have put me right off that idea.

I used to run it, city centre to Celbridge... in the dark with a head torch. Ignorance was bliss

Nika Bolokov

HugoMyBoss wrote: »

Did the victim have their bike taken from them?

Yep. Bike , wallet the lot

DanDublin1982

Yea have avoided it myself since previous thread. A shame as it's actually a really enjoyable cycle.

average_runner

To Alcohol wrote: »

From what I understand the scum have been out mugging along the canal at this time also.

Feck sake. Better avoid it for my runs so. Back to the N4 and into town!:mad:

mcdonrob

average_runner wrote: »

Feck sake. Better avoid it for my runs so. Back to the N4 and into town!:mad:

Not sure where you are coming from but you can avoid large parts of N4 by using St Catherines Park, then Lucan Village (with various incline options).... N4 to Palmerstown Village then Chapelizod and ducking into the Phoenix Park. A scrot-free route.

dhaughton99

Yeah you’ll find them in here

https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057822166/9

A female was mugged at 8:30am on the way to work a number of weeks ago. Cameras all along the stretch. I cycle it every day in the late mornings for 10 years and never seen a guard doing patrols here. The place is a hole. You have to deal with the scum from the flats then the scum from the halting site up further.

Bob24

marieholmfan wrote: »

This isn't a cycling problem or a social problem or an infrastructure problem. This is a policing problem.

In the short term yes. But in a civilised country the police wouldn’t be required to ensure people can use a cycle path, so the problem goes much deeper than a lack of police presence.

jon1981

Bob24 wrote: »

In the short term yes. But in a civilised country the police wouldn’t be required to ensure people can use a cycle path, so the problem goes much deeper than a lack of police presence.

Isn't this just a reality? Every city in the world has a no go area. This problem is that this stretch of path is so far out of the city and can be very intermittent with traffic, so it's ideal for these scum to catch someone.

Unfortunately it will take something awful to happen for some attention to be given by the police.

EDIT: not just the Grand canal ... this is pretty central too

http://www.thejournal.ie/canal-crime-courts-4122979-Jul2018/

One cyclist told us that a gang of mostly male youths had taken to shouting profanity at her each day, blocking her path, and even on occasion chasing her, on that stretch of the cycleway.

She claimed that she had reported the incidents to a number of local Garda stations but had been informed by each that they held no responsibility for the stretch of canal in question.

Not one f**k was given by the Gardai here.

Bob24

jon1981 wrote: »

Isn't this just a reality? Every city in the world has a no go area. This problem is that this stretch of path is so far out of the city and can be very intermittent with traffic, so it's ideal for these scum to catch someone.

Well let’s say I doubt many cycle lanes in Tokyo or Singapore need dedicated police presence so that people don’t get mugged while using them.

Their models of society simply don’t produce the kind of parasite people we are talking about here at the same rate as ours does, and if they do they take care of them before they become a recurring issue requiring constant policing.

CantGetNoSleep

Bob24 wrote: »

Well let’s say I doubt many cycle lanes in Tokyo or Singapore need dedicated police presence so that people don’t get mugged while using them.

Their models of society simply don’t create the kind of people we are talking about here at the same rate as ours does, and if they do they take care of them before they become a recurring issue requiring constant policing.

I lived in Belgium once which has its own social problems, but none of the scum like you get here hanging around looking for trouble. They have a cycle path along the canal that goes through one or two of the most dodgy parts of Brussels for example. I checked it for a while every week - only once did I see a gang of young lads causing trouble for people using it. Approached where they were and recognized the accent - they were Irish travellers

mloc123

Bob24 wrote: »

In the short term yes. But in a civilised country the police wouldn’t be required to ensure people can use a cycle path, so the problem goes much deeper than a lack of police presence.

I don't know. The problem stems from the fact the scumbags know nothing will come of their actions. If they feared the guards, judges and jail they would not be out mugging people and robbing bikes.

The guards do not actively enforce against "minor" crime in this country, unlike other first world countries.

KevRossi

Its a deeper issue, a never ending circle...

Scumbag causes trouble.... Gets arrested.... Gets let off by courts.... Learns nothing...causes trouble.... Gets arrested.... Gets let off by courts... Learns nothing.... Gets arrested....

At some point the Gardai give up. They get dogs abuse off the scrotes and the judges don't back them up.

The judges don't back them up as its an end to the free legal aid gravy train that they were once on and that is now driven by their friends and colleagues.

So the cycle continues.

About once a year a large bunch of Irish Travellers meet beside Cologne and cause trouble. Answer from the police there is to clear the site on Day 2 and fine anybody causing trouble. No cash? Fine. We'll impound the cars. They did this a few times and the Travellers have learnt from it.

Different country, different system, different results.

silverharp

heard of someone who works in park west, same thing bike the lot, i think it was later in the evening. i do see bikes going from park west towards Dublin between 5 and 6 so maybe safety in numbers but cant be arsed using it. i dont mind the crumlin road etc. in any case

mcginty28

when they get bored and no pedestrians to harass they resort to bricking the luas here also, many a window has been smashed with passenger journeys disrupted due to trams been withdrawn from service. Again the guards show little interest and the scum know chances of being caught are slim!

forward8

In the all the years I lived in Bluebell I never saw a single guard on the canal stretch. The place has really turned into a little ghetto. One of the biggest halting sites at one end of the stretch and the flats at the other. I used to walk the dogs along it at night and there was always some group of scumbags looking for hassle, had to change my walk route after a few close calls.

The level of anti-social behavior was also affecting the local businesses, fair few shops had closed and people are traveling out of Bluebell for shops because of the constant gang(s) presence. Terrible to have to be afraid of other peoples children / teens.

velo.2010

Vicious cycle for the youth from those areas. Most of the inner cities' children (and those from notorious suburbs) stay on and marry their own often crowding in with the in-laws. Few finish secondary school with grades of any note. a handful go to third level and the rest compete with the local reputation when looking for work.

And the cycle starts again. Pardon the pun!

Of course that's no excuse for the violence and intimidation of others. Nobody should be told to avoid certain routes/areas because they risk being abused.

They're bored with no money and nothing to do and almost see regular working folk as an affront to them having nothing at all - sure its no harm nicking a bike or purse if that person has a job and can replace it - not realising that most will struggle to replace that bike in the short term.

Its two distinct socio-economic worlds in this country now and current economic policies mean those two worlds are drifting further apart. That type of crime and intimidation nonsense just wasn't as prevalent 20 years ago.

average_runner

mcdonrob wrote: »

Not sure where you are coming from but you can avoid large parts of N4 by using St Catherines Park, then Lucan Village (with various incline options).... N4 to Palmerstown Village then Chapelizod and ducking into the Phoenix Park. A scrot-free route.

Coming from the other side. Yeah i jump into the phoenix park and back road of palmerstown.

dhaughton99

forward8 wrote: »

In the all the years I lived in Bluebell I never saw a single guard on the canal stretch. The place has really turned into a little ghetto. One of the biggest halting sites at one end of the stretch and the flats at the other. I used to walk the dogs along it at night and there was always some group of scumbags looking for hassle, had to change my walk route after a few close calls.

The level of anti-social behavior was also affecting the local businesses, fair few shops had closed and people are traveling out of Bluebell for shops because of the constant gang(s) presence. Terrible to have to be afraid of other peoples children / teens.

It’s not like these ****s can complain that they have nothing to do in the area. There’s playgrounds, that massive community centre, fishing and now getting an all weather pitch. Also have multiple transport links at their door. I feel so sorry for the decent people of the area.

ED E

Was down along it recently, middle of the day. Some young lads were washing their horses at a lock, others further on were throwing stuff at passing cyclists.

Immediately its a policing issue but overall its a social issue. Jacynta who gets knocked up at 16 and then has four more kids to beat the housing lists can't raise kids well by herself. She's never learned to be an adult first. Sure she can drag them up but she can't properly raise them. Her little pack of scoundrels then repeat the cycle and the disconnected for reality population just grows and grows.

jon1981

velo.2010 wrote: »

Its two distinct socio-economic worlds in this country now and current economic policies mean those two worlds are drifting further apart. That type of crime and intimidation nonsense just wasn't as prevalent 20 years ago.

The devil makes work for idle hands...

I really can't wait for more job automation to take hold...

E.G. i was in MacDonalds the other day, would have been a good employer of students and lesser qualified young folk back in my youth. Shame to see the level of automation they've introduced and it will continue.