Journalism and Cycling 2: the difficult second album

AndrewJRenko

ExMachina1000 wrote: »

How about mandatory cycle lanes. Nobody else is permitted in the lane at all. Cyclists can't go on the paths or out onto the traffic lane either.

Current mandatory cycle lanes are mandatory for motorists to not drive in, they aren't mandatory for cyclists to cycle in.

I suspect the reason for this is that they'd have to design and install property cycle lanes and manage them to stop cars parking in them before they could make them mandatory.

magicbastarder

mvt wrote: »

As cyclists I feel we have to learn to pick our battles

not sure what you mean; it's one of the worst pieces of cycling 'infrastructure' i know.

for those who don't know the road, this is the alternative option if you choose not to use the ****show of the shared pavement along the northbound carriage:
https://www.google.com/maps/@53.4315058,-6.2299694,3a,75y,181.25h,84.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOIrmtv_JaSVvCIK5-D31uA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

if you want to continue on towards the city, you have to position yourself in the middle (bus) lane up in the distance, which generally involves crossing over or dealing with traffic in the left lane which is generally motorists gunning it to get onto the M1.
given this is the main route between swords and the city (or even between swords and a lot of the industrial estates/business parks which have grown up around the airport), it's a thundering disgrace. someone new to cycling would not be at all comfortable using it.

mvt

Firstly, you strongly implied earlier that there was no alternative to using the shared path on the other side & now you show that there is an alternative- not an easy one but it is doable. I would appreciate it you would acknowledge this.

Secondly I dont think it is possible to put any sort of workable bike lane on this side you've show in the above pic because of the airport, this is what I mean about picking your battles.

Thirdly you could possibly improve the path by widening it& rerouting cyclists & pedestrians across between the st margrets roundabout & back over at the air port roundabout so that everyone ends up facing the way they are travelling but honestly dont think it would lead to more people using it.

But maybe if you build it they will come.

magicbastarder

mvt wrote: »

I would appreciate it you would acknowledge this.

This clearly means a lot to you. Okay, I'm sorry my wording was not precise enough for you.

As mentioned, there's no way I would recommend taking the road southbound to any new cyclists who are cycling, which would mean they'd have to use the narrow shared path on the opposite side, which is not maintained well at all, and I don't even know if provision has been properly made for them to get back onto the southbound side. From what I can see, the southbound cycle lane starts again long before there's any crossing point to get back to it.

Duckjob

If you have to think about or analyse how or when to use a section of bike infrastructure then it's already failed its purpose TBH.

magicbastarder

Countryfile has just started on BBC and they're going to be looking at the potential for a rural cycling boom.

buffalo

mvt wrote: »

As cyclists I feel we have to learn to pick our battles & after spending eight months cycling this route from Dublin 8 before 7am & after 6pm I never really had any issues with this route but fully accept that's just my opinion.

This sounds to me like, "as cyclists, we have to know our place".

fat bloke

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/gardai-issue-45-fines-on-one-dublin-road-yesterday-1003935.html#.Xt4TPkSdkFw.whatsapp

Possibly a tenuous link to the thread title, but Killakee is a hugely popular training climb and access route to the Dublin mountains and beyond. It's also where the Hellfire and Massey's wood walks are accessed. Anyone who's been up or down the road at any point in the last few years on a sunny weekend will no doubt have seen the traffic chaos caused by scores of motorists parking on the side of the road and turning it into essentially a single carriageway.

Anyway, as a result of a couple of fires and firetrucks being blocked access the Gardai are frequently up there ticketing cars, thankfully and finally.

Would be great if word got out and people stopped parking irresponsibly.

magicbastarder

fat bloke wrote: »

Possibly a tenuous link to the thread title

given that the last time i recall this road being the news because of bad parking, it was because the emergency services were having a lot of difficulty getting to an injured cyclists, the story is quite apt.

CramCycle

I seen they have double yellow lines all along the road outside the Sugar loaf car park. I've never seen double yellows on a rural road before. I would have thought it obvious that you shouldn't park to block traffic.

ED E

CramCycle wrote: »

I seen they have double yellow lines all along the road outside the Sugar loaf car park. I've never seen double yellows on a rural road before. I would have thought it obvious that you shouldn't park to block traffic.

You give motorists far too much credit.

Grassey

CramCycle wrote: »

I seen they have double yellow lines all along the road outside the Sugar loaf car park. I've never seen double yellows on a rural road before. I would have thought it obvious that you shouldn't park to block traffic.

Probably the issue (aside from not giving a damn) is that double yellows come out of the entrance to hellfire and then stop after a few meters, so everyone thinks it's grand to park from that point on, ignoring the fact that it's still a solid white central line for that entire stretch of road.

mollser

Wouldn't it be great if they could build a gondola up to the mountains, say to the hellfire club, to take the pressure off car parking

(Ducks and runs)🤪

buffalo

Grassey wrote: »

it's still a solid white central line for that entire stretch of road.

I would wager the majority of drivers are not aware that parking by a continuous white line is an offence. And as it's so rarely enforced, it's hard to know who to blame more - the offenders or the responsible enforcers.

Grassey

A rigorous scheme of towing would soon get everyone on the same page!

RobertFoster

buffalo wrote: »

I would wager the majority of drivers are not aware that parking by a continuous white line is an offence. And as it's so rarely enforced, it's hard to know who to blame more - the offenders or the responsible enforcers.

Same for footpath parking I think. People see other cars parked in a certain way and follow along. Ah sure, those cars haven't been ticketed/towed/set on fire, mine won't be either.

My neighbour got ticketed for parking half on a path along with a dozen+ other cars in Phibsboro one match Sunday. He hasn't been to Croke Park since :pac:

CramCycle

Grassey wrote: »

Probably the issue (aside from not giving a damn) is that double yellows come out of the entrance to hellfire and then stop after a few meters, so everyone thinks it's grand to park from that point on, ignoring the fact that it's still a solid white central line for that entire stretch of road.

buffalo wrote: »

I would wager the majority of drivers are not aware that parking by a continuous white line is an offence. And as it's so rarely enforced, it's hard to know who to blame more - the offenders or the responsible enforcers.

I don't think ignorance of the law is an excuse though. They will learn very quickly if they are ticketed or towed. It is like those bat sh1t crazy drivers in Dublin who think parking on corners is OK or legal. There is a law there but the fact that they should have to have it explained that dangerous parking is illegal astounds me.

RobertFoster wrote: »

Same for footpath parking I think. People see other cars parked in a certain way and follow along. Ah sure, those cars haven't been ticketed/towed/set on fire, mine won't be either.

My neighbour got ticketed for parking half on a path along with a dozen+ other cars in Phibsboro one match Sunday. He hasn't been to Croke Park since :pac:

Lesson learned but its insane that it needs to be even taught. One car on the footpath this morning in Shankill, Van in front of it in the bike path but at least not blocking the footpath. The car pulled up so close to the van though that it created a cul de sac. It was also on a slight bend on the road so everyone had to walk out (or roll) into traffic for no justifiable reason. Outside a building site, hopefully the Gardai will ticket him but no real hope of this.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

https://twitter.com/EoinBearla/status/1270040568652091393?s=19

Not much changes in Cork City Council. No doubt council management love his comments.

FG/FF cllrs in the city seem to be particularly poor and always giving out about cyclists asking for safe infrastructure.

AndrewJRenko

CramCycle wrote: »

Lesson learned but its insane that it needs to be even taught. One car on the footpath this morning in Shankill, Van in front of it in the bike path but at least not blocking the footpath. The car pulled up so close to the van though that it created a cul de sac. It was also on a slight bend on the road so everyone had to walk out (or roll) into traffic for no justifiable reason. Outside a building site, hopefully the Gardai will ticket him but no real hope of this.

Building sites are a real, real problem - between the white vans, the big jeeps for the big bosses, the Skodas for the lads - all parked on the path or bike lane or wherever is most convenient for them.

mollser wrote: »

Wouldn't it be great if they could build a gondola up to the mountains, say to the hellfire club, to take the pressure off car parking

But sure who's going to feed them?

CramCycle

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Building sites are a real, real problem - between the white vans, the big jeeps for the big bosses, the Skodas for the lads - all parked on the path or bike lane or wherever is most convenient for them.

There is a building site beside the Stillorgan Park hotel, about 15seconds walk. There is much of the car park left free. Day in, day out, since before restrictions were lifted, there has been multiple white vans and cars covering the footpath for 50m. Social distancing is impossible. The Gardai drive by it daily, I don't even see the point in reporting, nobody f*cking cares. I said it once as I passed and the look of confusion on the guy's face made me wonder should I call the HSA as it couldn't be safe to let him work on a building site without close supervision.

Eamonnator

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Building sites are a real, real problem - between the white vans, the big jeeps for the big bosses, the Skodas for the lads - all parked on the path or bike lane or wherever is most convenient for them.


But sure who's going to feed them?

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin//showthread.php?p=56120825

post 15

Are you Frank Godfrey?

AndrewJRenko

CramCycle wrote: »

There is a building site beside the Stillorgan Park hotel, about 15seconds walk. There is much of the car park left free. Day in, day out, since before restrictions were lifted, there has been multiple white vans and cars covering the footpath for 50m. Social distancing is impossible. The Gardai drive by it daily, I don't even see the point in reporting, nobody f*cking cares. I said it once as I passed and the look of confusion on the guy's face made me wonder should I call the HSA as it couldn't be safe to let him work on a building site without close supervision.

HSA won't tell you anything about what they do or don't do with your report. I suspect they do little or nothing.

bbuzz

Grassey wrote: »

Probably the issue (aside from not giving a damn) is that double yellows come out of the entrance to hellfire and then stop after a few meters, so everyone thinks it's grand to park from that point on, ignoring the fact that it's still a solid white central line for that entire stretch of road.

I’ve seen the guards at the hell fire club a few times recently handing out fines to parked cars.

Also seems to me that Wicklow CC have been out painting double yellows in a few different places around forests etc recently.

p15574

CramCycle wrote: »

There is a building site beside the Stillorgan Park hotel, about 15seconds walk. There is much of the car park left free. Day in, day out, since before restrictions were lifted, there has been multiple white vans and cars covering the footpath for 50m. Social distancing is impossible. The Gardai drive by it daily, I don't even see the point in reporting, nobody f*cking cares. I said it once as I passed and the look of confusion on the guy's face made me wonder should I call the HSA as it couldn't be safe to let him work on a building site without close supervision.

I drove past that this morning and it really annoyed me. The one bright side was that they were parked on the footpath, leaving the cycle lane free. Still illegal, still dangerous, but for once not blocking cyclists - and hopefully parking on the footpath annoy more people so they hear about it it sooner and stop. Maybe they'll just block the cycle lane then though.

Another thing about all this construction parking is that it makes sh1t of the cycle lanes.

Type 17

p15574 wrote: »

...The one bright side was that they were parked on the footpath, leaving the cycle lane free. Still illegal, still dangerous, but for once not blocking cyclists...

It does block cyclists, because pedestrians have to walk in the bike lane to get around the vehicles - I've had to wait behind people there when there was too much traffic in the bus lane (other times, I've dropped down into the bus lane).

JMcL

[QUOTE=CramCycle;113672115One car on the footpath this morning in Shankill, Van in front of it in the bike path but at least not blocking the footpath. The car pulled up so close to the van though that it created a cul de sac. It was also on a slight bend on the road so everyone had to walk out (or roll) into traffic for no justifiable reason. Outside a building site, hopefully the Gardai will ticket him but no real hope of this.[/QUOTE]

This stretch more often than not has at least one gobsh1te effectively blocking the footpath. For reference the paths average about 1m wide along there, and are sometimes narrower to the extent that I can barely walk along it holding the young lads hand. Still serves as a drag racing strip though.

Though on the subject, this takes the biscuit:



Reported to the guards, but AFAIK nothing happened. Note the perfectly valid parking space on the left. Also note the Range Rover and red car behind this bellend also parked illegally

Twice I had to go out on the road with the kids this morning because of gob****es blocking footpaths.

Yesterday in the car we get a green and 4 cars continued through a red in front of us and block the junction because a bus on the road to my left they were turning on to was waiting for a gap to turn into the station. Lady in the car beside us beeped and made an obscene gesture at them.

The 'new normal' is very much the same as the old one as far as I can see at this point only 2 days in.

CramCycle

Deleted User wrote: »

Twice I had to go out on the road with the kids this morning because of gob****es blocking footpaths.

Yesterday in the car we get a green and 4 cars continued through a red in front of us and block the junction because a bus on the road to my left they were turning on to was waiting for a gap to turn into the station. Lady in the car beside us beeped and made an obscene gesture at them.

The 'new normal' is very much the same as the old one as far as I can see at this point only 2 days in.

Phone use has become worse is the only real change, numerous near misses with cars switching lanes or running onto roundabouts while on the phone and not even looking.

Yeah I've encountered a few of those alright and a few more creeping through junctions on reds in the evenings as they think it'll be clear.

eeeee

Had to pick something up in town on my lunch break and have never had so many people pulling out in front of me.
Also went down the new contraflow cycle lane on nassau street - once I'd gone out onto the road to pass 2 Van's, and said 'excuse me' to the 3 people standing in front I'd said vans. Then the lane ends abruptly at dawson street. Big chubby, with a ramp onto the pedestrian area there, not a great idea to have cyclists dumped out onto a busy pedestrian crossing.

I won't even mention the new cycle lane on the quays!

Still great it's there though, hopefully it gets improved in time.