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

kenmm

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

There was no lack of awareness or observation. I knew exactly where the van was, and I was aware there was a chance he would try to left hook me.

I was also away that I would be coming up by his window before he turned, so there was a good chance he would see me there.

That to me sounds worse, that you saw an avoidable conflict and decided to force it.

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I counted 14 junctions on that stretch of Ranelagh today, from the canal bridge to the top of Sandford Road. Am I supposed to hang back at each of the 14 junctions, just in case a driver decides to turn on a whim, without observation or looking at mirrors? And what about every driveway or business entrance, probably about 100 of them on that stretch - am I supposed to hang back at each of those also?

I'm not going to spend my life tugging my forelock and asking permission from the drivers of Dublin to continue my journey if that's OK with all of them thanks very much.

There are no more words for this. This is taking it to extremes. Good luck and I genuinely hope you are not going to be one of the cyclists I will read about that was caught out by poor road positioning (In my opinion, obviously. I respect that you disagree).

breezy1985

kenmm wrote: »

That to me sounds worse, that you saw an avoidable conflict and decided to force it.



There are no more words for this. This is taking it to extremes. Good luck and I genuinely hope you are not going to be one of the cyclists I will read about that was caught out by poor road positioning (In my opinion, obviously. I respect that you disagree).

You mean caught out by a driver turning without checking or indicating but again you choose to blame the cyclist

kenmm

breezy1985 wrote: »

You mean caught out by a driver turning without checking or indicating but again you choose to blame the cyclist

By the cyclists own admission, that didn't happen. No one was caught out, it was foreseen.

It can't be both a case of being fully observant AND being caught out completely unaware.

I am not "blaming" anyone, Its not an us Vs them situation. I only (originally) asked if it was wise to be in the blind spot at an obviously bad time (hesitant driver, busy road, etc). I don't know why this has caused so much resentment?

EDIT II: Remember - I originally posed the question on the back of a new person being worried at the amount of clips that show how dangerous cycling can be. One way to increase safety is by being aware of such situations. AJR was aware of this situation and proceeded anyway. A novice may not have been so aware and therefore it's wise to point out that proceeding blindly (AJR Didn't proceed blindly) isn't the only option and sometimes holding back in order to merge (as a merging would have to have happened due to the illegally parked car up ahead, another point no one seemed to care about - i.e. if the van was going to continue as would be implied by the lack of indication, a merge would happen. If it was me at that point, I would have merged behind the van, passed the junction and parked car and then sprinted off into the sunset, no issues all happy).

Again - this whole incident was a non-event, but looks worse. The guy made a mistake and instantly put his hand up. The consequences could have been much worse, but they could have passed with less of an incident as well.

breezy1985

kenmm wrote: »

By the cyclists own admission, that didn't happen. No one was caught out, it was foreseen.

I am not "blaming" anyone, Its not an us Vs them situation. I only (originally) asked if it was wise to be in the blind spot at an obviously bad time. I don't know why this has caused so much resentment?

Im not saying us v them Im saying its the vans fault but you keep wording it to blame the cyclist. Only 2 things should happen in this situation the driver should check his mirror and indicate no one else done wrong so stop saying the cyclist needs to change his behaviour. No car driver would be asked to do what you are telling this cyclist to do

blackwhite

Certain folk are intent on seeking out a confrontation where-ever they can.

Language such as

I was aware there was a chance he would try to left hook me.

tells you all you need to know. Everything gets viewed through the prism of "us v them" - and does nothing except make the environment more toxic for everyone else. Everything is an intentional attack in his own little personal war.


I commute a lot of the same roads at that poster, and have nowhere near the level of near misses, aggressive encounters with drivers or other such incidents.
I've learned to cycle assertively and, when needed, will make myself heard by drivers (or other road users), but I don't feel the need go seeking out a row every day either.

kenmm

breezy1985 wrote: »

Im not saying us v them Im saying its the vans fault but you keep wording it to blame the cyclist. Only 2 things should happen in this situation the driver should check his mirror and indicate no one else done wrong so stop saying the cyclist needs to change his behaviour. No car driver would be asked to do what you are telling this cyclist to do

What are you on about? What equatable situation is there with cars? Very few because cars rarely have to put up with one ****ty lane beside another lane. EDIT - Also - I am pretty sure when I took driving lessons, there was quite a lot about being aware of blindspots, unpredictable situation in build up areas and distractions. Being aware is all I am asking of anyone.

The van obviously made a mistake, 100%, no dispute. But at this point we have a situation where a cyclist continued up beside the van after (rightly) predicting or being pretty sure he was about to left hook him. Being in the right doesn't always mean it the safest option. Or am I wrong?

kenmm

blackwhite wrote: »

I commute a lot of the same roads at that poster, and have nowhere near the level of near misses, aggressive encounters with drivers or other such incidents.
I've learned to cycle assertively and, when needed, will make myself heard by drivers (or other road users), but I don't feel the need go seeking out a row every day either.

Strong assertive riding, reading the road well ahead AND acting appropriately. Every encounter is a learning opportunity as far as I am concerned. But somehow I have become the villain here. I want more people to cycle and also to enjoy the experience, not be put off by worrying how dangerous it is or being met by drivers who are wound up to the point the see a target on cyclists back.

5CHULZY

2 close passes by buses today in the space of 100m. First bus overtakes me on north strand road heading towards the 5 lamps. Not the worst of close passes but as we stop at the lights, he has now moved over from bus lane into normal traffic lane, I let him know i wasnt happy and he gestures to me to peddle faster. So with that I take out the phone and take a picture of the front of the bus, just to let him know that I might report him. Wasnt going to bother any way as too much hassle.

While this is going on another bus pulls up behind me in the bus lane and must witness the alteration because as the lights go green, he then proceeds to overtake me with no intention on moving over to give me space. It was quite clear it was an intentional punishment pass for his colleague.

So now I have decided to report both drivers and request cctv footage.

AndrewJRenko

kenmm wrote: »

By the cyclists own admission, that didn't happen. No one was caught out, it was foreseen.

It can't be both a case of being fully observant AND being caught out completely unaware.

I am not "blaming" anyone, Its not an us Vs them situation. I only (originally) asked if it was wise to be in the blind spot at an obviously bad time (hesitant driver, busy road, etc). I don't know why this has caused so much resentment?

EDIT II: Remember - I originally posed the question on the back of a new person being worried at the amount of clips that show how dangerous cycling can be. One way to increase safety is by being aware of such situations. AJR was aware of this situation and proceeded anyway. A novice may not have been so aware and therefore it's wise to point out that proceeding blindly (AJR Didn't proceed blindly) isn't the only option and sometimes holding back in order to merge (as a merging would have to have happened due to the illegally parked car up ahead, another point no one seemed to care about - i.e. if the van was going to continue as would be implied by the lack of indication, a merge would happen. If it was me at that point, I would have merged behind the van, passed the junction and parked car and then sprinted off into the sunset, no issues all happy).

Again - this whole incident was a non-event, but looks worse. The guy made a mistake and instantly put his hand up. The consequences could have been much worse, but they could have passed with less of an incident as well.

The only blind spot arose from his failure to look in his mirrors.

magicbastarder wrote: »

not sure i'd agree with that assessment? i disagree with some of the conclusions made by other posters (yourself included - what drew me in was the 'don't gesture at motorists' comment), but that doesn't mean there's not a debate to be had.

The gesture was an opening/closing hand, to indicate that he needs to use his indicators. Whether he got that subtle message or not, I can't be sure.

kenmm

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Whether he got that subtle message or not, I can't be sure.

Considering he immediately apologised when he seen you/ realised what he had done, what do you think?

CramCycle

MOD VOICE: Lets leave the discussion there on who should or shouldn't do what, both sides have valid points, the van driver apologised immediately and hopefully will be more careful in future. Cycling is not dangerous and readers should be aware that these incidents are a small snippet into what is statistically a very safe commute. Lets leave it there. Any questions PM me.

Effects

Was on the Howth road earlier, heading into town. Approaching the junction with Copeland Ave.
There was a car waiting to turn right onto Copeland Avenue.
About 100m before this I was passed by a drunk driver. Left side mirror turned in, so I know she wasn't using it.
She was now stationary behind the car waiting to turn right. She then made a quick move left, without indicating, into the cycle lane.
I was able to manoeuvre around her to the right, and back in to the cycle lane ahead of her.
She then barrelled down the road, took an illegal right turn further down, and preceded to drive along in the bus lane from fairview to north strand with her left indicator on the whole time.

Effects

Direct hit this morning. Cycling through Dún Laoghaire shortly after 7 am. A bee came out of nowhere, didn’t indicate, and flew straight into my mouth and immediately stung me on the lip.
Swelled up straight away and extremely painful!
Bee kept going but I pulled the venom sack and stinger out so she’s probably dead by now.

randomname2005

Effects wrote: »

Direct hit this morning. Cycling through Dún Laoghaire shortly after 7 am. A bee came out of nowhere, didn’t indicate, and flew straight into my mouth and immediately stung me on the lip.
Swelled up straight away and extremely painful!
Bee kept going but I pulled the venom sack and stinger out so she’s probably dead by now.

Ouch!

AndrewJRenko

Effects wrote: »

Direct hit this morning. Cycling through Dún Laoghaire shortly after 7 am. A bee came out of nowhere, didn’t indicate, and flew straight into my mouth and immediately stung me on the lip.
Swelled up straight away and extremely painful!
Bee kept going but I pulled the venom sack and stinger out so she’s probably dead by now.

You really should have been wearing a helmet. I don't understand why cyclists won't take responsibility for their own safety.

Effects

Funny thing is that I'm actually a beekeeper! First time I've been stung on the lip though. I was stung on the ear a few years ago, and that comes in second for most painful stings I've had. Anywhere else is usually fine, even around the eye, which swells up.

Pinch Flat

ah stop. First time back on the bike in a while. Only a few minutes from my house on a sunday morning. Cycling along the cycle lane, but a motorist had decided to park his car, straddling both the cycle lane and pedestrian lane - nothing was getting past. I bunny hopped down and would have given him a shake of the head as I passed, but not content with parking on the cycle lane, he also nearly doored me when he swung his door open as I was passing. Happened here:

https://goo.gl/maps/W4GsfWxt46joxwqz8

"not a great place to park, you nearly doored me there" says I. He was like a primed fuse. "Well where the fcuk am I meant to park". "well not on a cycle lane anyway". at this point, I decided to disengage, as I see if over an above my call of duty to find parking for motorists who couldn't be arsed to find it themselves. A torrent of abuse followed as I waited at the red light " you fcucking cyclists, rabble, rabble". I cycled off shaking my head - I mean, he's committed a few offences with his sh!tty parking but it;s somehow my problem?

Incidentally, there are three parking spots, all within a 30 second to one minute walk away. here https://goo.gl/maps/6czDARicVugfK4S56, here https://goo.gl/maps/cwbHHGoeLVGdGDsx7 and here https://goo.gl/maps/T4j1ZPf4YaW4cHDs6. The last one the council kindly took away a few football pitches to facilitate the chronic antisocial parking on the porterstown road.

Remind me again why we don't use cycle lanes?

Duckjob

Pinch Flat wrote: »

ah stop. First time back on the bike in a while. Only a few minutes from my house on a sunday morning. Cycling along the cycle lane, but a motorist had decided to park his car, straddling both the cycle lane and pedestrian lane - nothing was getting past. I bunny hopped down and would have given him a shake of the head as I passed, but not content with parking on the cycle lane, he also nearly doored me when he swung his door open as I was passing. Happened here:

https://goo.gl/maps/W4GsfWxt46joxwqz8

"not a great place to park, you nearly doored me there" says I. He was like a primed fuse. "Well where the fcuk am I meant to park". "well not on a cycle lane anyway". at this point, I decided to disengage, as I see if over an above my call of duty to find parking for motorists who couldn't be arsed to find it themselves. A torrent of abuse followed as I waited at the red light " you fcucking cyclists, rabble, rabble". I cycled off shaking my head - I mean, he's committed a few offences with his sh!tty parking but it;s somehow my problem?

Incidentally, there are three parking spots, all within a 30 second to one minute walk away. here https://goo.gl/maps/6czDARicVugfK4S56, here https://goo.gl/maps/cwbHHGoeLVGdGDsx7 and here https://goo.gl/maps/T4j1ZPf4YaW4cHDs6. The last one the council kindly took away a few football pitches to facilitate the chronic antisocial parking on the porterstown road.

Remind me again why we don't use cycle lanes?

The icing on the cake is that he's probably the type that rants loudly and often about dem cyclists not using "perfectly good" cycle paths (that his road tax paid for of course)

Bunch of utter f***ing hypocrites, those types. Utterly sick of their sh*te.

Pinch Flat

I got the impression from his carry on that he'd deliberately set up a confrontation. You've got to wonder what's between these tools ears on a Sunday morning.

Weepsie

Can't for the life of me see why anyone would stop there, let alone park there? Yet it happened to be there before. There's a car park what 2 mins away where mochtas play some games

Pinch Flat

Weepsie wrote: »

Can't for the life of me see why anyone would stop there, let alone park there? Yet it happened to be there before. There's a car park what 2 mins away where mochtas play some games

I know. A few hundred metres. How lazy are some people?

Seth Brundle

Just saw this on twitter...

https://twitter.com/yascaoimhin/status/1298527182097199104

kenmm

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Just saw this on twitter...

https://twitter.com/yascaoimhin/status/1298527182097199104

Ouch, hopefully no lasting injuries..


I bet that's at the crossing of n strand road/ Amiens st- used the new path a couple of times, but people fly through that crossing.

Stark

Yeah here presumably https://goo.gl/maps/k8xsJtuewVcVBgKU9 . It's one of those pedestrian crossings with the cycle lights before some gimp complains that he should have dismounted. One of those ones where you have to watch for traffic ignoring the red light alright.

kenmm

ye - fast road and on the crest of the bridge - I hit it a couple of time on Amber and just waited for the next sequence. Last time I stopped there was another cyclist using the road that nearly took me out with a massive back pack! Time before a bus was tipping along and no way was stopping..

De Bhál

Don't know why they didn't try go under the bridge there like the rest, probably wasn't feasible but would've been so much better if they had got it to work somehow.

magicbastarder

accessibility/permeability for cyclists who join from north strand itself, maybe?

Stark

Well there's accessibility for people joining from above at the other bridges. On the other side you're on a public road for a while though before rejoining the canal way so probably not an insignificant amount of work to have a grade separated crossing.

buffalo

kenmm wrote: »

Ouch, hopefully no lasting injuries..


I bet that's at the crossing of n strand road/ Amiens st- used the new path a couple of times, but people fly through that crossing.

From the structure in the background of the pic, it's more likely to be Sheriff Street Upper:

https://goo.gl/maps/sbtaQLLQM9DxLT919

edit: from memory, the problem here is that the crossing isn't synchronised with the junction, which is very close by. So drivers coming around the corner aren't looking for another set of lights so soon. It would be better if they all went red together.

kenmm

buffalo wrote: »

From the structure in the background of the pic, it's more likely to be Sheriff Street Upper:

https://goo.gl/maps/sbtaQLLQM9DxLT919

edit: from memory, the problem here is that the crossing isn't synchronised with the junction, which is very close by. So drivers coming around the corner aren't looking for another set of lights so soon. It would be better if they all went red together.

Yep you are right, on all counts