Near Misses Volume 2 (So close you can feel it)

VonLuck

In reality, what could the Gardaí do? There's no video evidence (I assume) so it's just your word against his. That's why I'm tempted to get some form of recording device when I'm out for a spin.

seanino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119301434#Comment_119301434

I did make a statement. Garda got back to me next day looking for date/time which I could give him exactly as I was recording the ride with GPS. What I said was he thought it would not get categorised as a traffic collision as no damage to bike/myself.

seanino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119302284#Comment_119302284

Yes unless cctv on samual beckett bridge. They didn't think so which is surprising considering its an important route and relatively newly built. Need a camera also - any recommendations?

Hurrache

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119298852#Comment_119298852

Store Street station is where I had a garda take my case seriously pre-covid and brought it to court, it's really pick'n'mix as to how well a garda does their job. I went via Traffic Watch from where he picked up the case though, and I had video footage which I imagine they couldn't really deny.

,

seanino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119302977#Comment_119302977

what was the incident?

Hurrache

A private bus pulled in on top of me forcing me into the kerb before I stopped, blatant as ****. It was an evening and there was nowhere to go anyway because traffic was stopped. When I confronted him he had tunnel vision and was probably afraid to acknowledge my existence so wouldn't make eye contact, never mind explain himself.

Garda was great, thought it was enough to level dangerous driving but it was knocked down to careless driving before it went to court. I never actually heard what happened since as it was due to hit the court just as the lock downs began. For all I know the case may even have been dropped as I haven't had an update since.

I must dig out the footage and post it, it's on an old laptop.

seanino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119303114#Comment_119303114

At least you had footage. I might try and follow up on mine in a week. I would have thought they could have done the culprit involved in my incident as careless driving, this was never suggested :)

Kaisr Sose

It would help if AGS developed a protocol for things like this. No motorist should be able to threaten another road user. The current subjectivity of how they are handled or investigated is not helping.

I had one similar on the quays last evening with a horse and cart. The driver pushed through on the cycle lane while the lights are red. Started shouting at me to move out of his way. I ignored him. He then threatened to smash my face and tried to gallop the horse towards me into the bike lane when the lights went green. Horse had more sense and railed against it. It borders on animal cruelty to attempt this, not to mention the danger of doing this with an animal against a person. The anger for what, to be first off the lights in something that goes at 10 to 15kmph? Pity the tourist that gets a jaunt from this thug.

f1000

This eve, centred myself in the middle of a lane to go straight ahead due to a left turn up ahead too. BMW 5 series behind decided to pull in from the opposite lane using the front of the car to nudge me from my position towards the kerb. Fairly swift move and had to comply or go under the front 😐️

5uspect

So today I took the lane coming into Lucan from Strawberry Beds approaching a red light. Two cars overtook against incoming traffic and then stopped for the lights. I’ll post the video later.

Stupid, ignorant ****ing ****s.

CramCycle

Two phone users, one just after the goat on Clonskeagh Road just rolled out in front of me. Nearly headbutted his steering wheel when I roared and he jammed on. Second in UCD, on a polkadot covered phone while talking to kids as they rolled out onto the roundabout in front of me. Same again, let a roar and she nearly punched herself in the face with the phone trying to figure out what was going on. Thankfully paying attention I was able to avoid/stop for both but f*** me. I'm 6 foot tall and made of more fatty Longford Beef than an elderly cow. Not a hope they'd have even noticed if I hadn't the same bellowing lungs as a cow as well.

seanino

WTF! https://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/experienced-cyclist-died-on-group-ride-after-dog-ran-out-dog-owner-fined-e300/

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119308422#Comment_119308422

i passed a car parked in the 'SCHOOL-KEEP-CLEAR' section here yesterday - i had to swing out of the cycle lane, outside the bollards, to pass the car; as i was about to pass, i noticed the window was open and someone was in the car so i called out a (not aggressive) 'do you mind?' and startled the everliving **** out of the woman in the drivers seat who had clearly pulled in to take or make a phone call. she near screamed with the fright.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3640481,-6.2266663,3a,75y,85.94h,75.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8SA83ZXTBdffv8mtP6BSMQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

magicbastarder

https://mobile.twitter.com/cyclegaz/status/1545873934784102400

..

Wildly Boaring

I didn't have a near miss yesterday. But a motorbiker did.

Mammy in a white RAV overtook me, straight at a motorbike.

A bright blue bike, with a big bright yellow light on it. And she tried her best to wipe him out.

Big grass verge on my left, I heard her coming, put up my hand to try to stop her and and threw the bike onto the grass. He grabbed the brakes and headed for the ditch too.

We both stopped completely. Asked him was he alright. He was fuming. Neither of us got a reg. 191 MH .....

She never even touched the brakes.

Between Senchalstown pitch and Beauparc station.

magicbastarder

between dunshaughlin (via ratoath) to the nine mile roundabout just south of ashbourne today, i had about eight instances of motorists overtaking into oncoming traffic. most of them on the ratoath-nine mile section.

Steoller

This morning, taxi passed me as I was going through traffic calming on Celbridge main street.

Not the calmest start to the day.

Arthurdaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119296537#Comment_119296537

So the latest on the above is that Garda spoke to hammer wielding punishment passer. He claims I attacked him and threw punches at him (I am making up the hammer incident and punishment pass) and will be making a statement against me.

Garda advising that if this goes to court then it's my word against him and most likely thrown out of court. So reading between the lines he wants me to drop this and not pursue.

So current position is that I won't make that decision for a while yet and make him walk into a Garda station to put all his lies down into a statement.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119321945#Comment_119321945

Regrettably, it will probably depend on the Super as its a criminal not civil case but I'd be the same as you, it maybe technically wasting time (in that you kow its unlikely to have anything come of it) but it might make him think twice as the next guy might have it on camera. You went to the Gardai first, make sure you have an official statement. Interested about the punches you threw (did he go to a doctor, report to the gardai etc. very odd behaviour as if someone punched me out of the blue without justification, if I did not retaliate I presume I would be straight down to the cop shop to show them the bruises etc.).

Unrelated but also get a camera, the number of people who I have seen claim they have one and when you point out yours they go quiet and slink away.

DaveyDave

I'd take my chances in court. Cyclists generally mind their own business and in my experience van drivers are known to be more aggressive towards cyclists than other road users, plus they have a bad attitude towards other road users in general.

If the punishment pass wasn't true you wouldn't have engaged at all. Plus if you started throwing punches first why would you call the Gardai? Not hard to guess what really happened in that situation.

Kaisr Sose

Sounds very bizarre and someone wanting to conjure up a second side of the story to make it impossible to decide.

Two things of note make this very unbelievable and I am surprised the Garda is not aligning with you here.

The person was in a van and somehow you caught them while cycling and then just randomly hit them (inside the van) and they never fought back or went to the Garda to report it?

Let them make the statement under caution. Make your statement and make sure its noted beyond doubt that you notified the garda first. Also, as others said, get a camera.

Arthurdaly

I think first of all I want him to walk into the station and make the statement which is blindingly obvious to the Garda lies. I did question why and how I would throw punches at a motorist whilst clipped into a bike and secondly why he is only now proceeding with making a statement now. It's not clear whether he is claiming I made contact, just I attacked him and punched/attempted to punch him through the window.

I want to cause this gent as much stress as possible so will leave it hanging over him for some time.

VonLuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119323021#Comment_119323021

The funny thing is that this will only reinforce his hatred for cyclists!

buffalo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119323021#Comment_119323021

There was a case in court recently (civil I think), where the cyclist was doored. The driver claimed the door was already open and the cyclist hit it. The judge believed the cyclist. Let the other guy make a statement and see what the Garda makes of it.

Unrealistic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119324998#Comment_119324998

Yes, it's worth a stab. I had a similar experience with a close pass, before I got a camera, where the Gardai decided my version was more credible than the taxi driver's and issued a FCN. I presume he accepted it and paid because I was never called to court.

Kaisr Sose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119324848#Comment_119324848

Maybe but then the guy has a real problem. Why should he be allowed to harbour a hatred of cyclists or any road user. Maybe it's time he copped on and if this helps its good public service. No place for that behaviour on the road in my book.

Breezer

Nothing for ages and then 3 today!

First at Church St/Mary’s Lane (https://goo.gl/maps/5AViUyTBFGmo5sPq7), I’ve just entered the junction to go straight. The light goes orange and the woman coming the other way, waiting to turn right, decides that’s her cue to go. If I’d been going any slower she’d have driven into me.

Then at Hart’s Corner (https://goo.gl/maps/zc4cRnSsmYZJxFT57) a fella in a Passat or similar comes from my left out of Lindsay Road in front of me and drops anchor, car perpendicular across the entire bus lane. I toss my own anchor overboard and come to a dead stop very quickly. He waves apology and points to the motorcyclist going past in the lane next to me, as if it’s the motorcyclist’s fault he drove out without looking. That one scared me.

Then a taxi driver is pulled in to the left, actually in this junction on Patrick Street (https://goo.gl/maps/A6dRVbBtzgq7zgQZ8), blocking the up until then bollard-protected cycle lane as well as half the general traffic lane and the junction itself. There’s about 6 cyclists in the cycle lane and the cars in the lane beside us all trying to negotiate our way around him, trying to watch everything at once. I ended up cycling very slowly into the back wheel of the cyclist in front of me as I looked over my shoulder trying to pull out. I said sorry, and there was no harm done. I was less polite to the taxi driver.

I think I’ll be going camera shopping at long last.

Edit: just bought front and rear cameras.

VonLuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119325567#Comment_119325567

I wasn't say to not do it, just that these kind of people have a warped sense of logic.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119323021#Comment_119323021

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119324998#Comment_119324998

You might want to read up and down on this useful thread from Joe Noonan, Cork-based solicitor and cyclist on the 'your word against theirs' aspect.

https://twitter.com/NoonanJoe/status/1546535913668444160?s=20&t=CjFrrZHpq-ZU16M5vvMzzg

DaveyDave

Close one coming home on Sunday night, leaving Clonee on the R149 and taking a right turn at the junction a car was waiting to pull out, as I was making my turn they were pulling out so I had to go super wide to avoid getting hit.

It's an unlit road so there's no way for me to really indicate. They went to pull out initially then stopped and even at that they had plenty of time to go again safely, just silly to pull out as someone is crossing your path.

Coming home on the quays today some moron flew across the bus lane and straight across me in the bike lane to go into the Circle K, at the rate my back wheel has been locking up I'll need a new tyre by the end of Summer. Then as I'm passing Guinness some twat just stepped out onto the bike lane, head down on the phone. Absolutely no reason for him to walk there as nothing was in the way. Nearly hit him going 35kph.