Journalism and Cycling 2: the difficult second album

Was it earth day we had recently there ? Anyway my 3 year old came out from pre-school and was able to tell me what was wrong with throwing "trash'' on the ground etc. the "boldies" men came out in the night and threw the McDonalds in the park when they should have used the near by bin was her take on it.

Kids can be taught all this but in the end it's the example set at home that really counts.

EDIT: We live with in walking range of several shops and super markets and the amount of stuff that gets discarded along the route is unreal. Bins in our area and several others in town were removed due to people using them for household waste. That didn't put them off they used started dumping in a hedge along a green area up the road.

zell12

"trash"
how north american!

Seth Brundle

Newstalk seemingly are discussing World Bike Day and Public Transport. The discussion panel will include cycling advocate Ciaran Ferrie, Dermot Leary from the NBRU and of course someone, presumably Faughnan, from AA Roadwatch because you can't discuss bikes and PT without having the feckin AA get involved :rolleyes:

https://twitter.com/TheHardShoulder/status/1400462712266661894

Paddigol

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Anyone hear the Simon Harris comments on Morning Ireland? Indirectly related to cycling but nonetheless.

Basically, he pointed finger of blame for crowds gathering in Dublin City Centre, not at the crowds but at the councils that have not done enough to prepare for outdoor gatherings.

Basically not giving people enough options, not enough outdoor spaces.

And the same Fine Gael government were the ones that overruled the OPW and re-opened the Phoenix Park to traffic last year, almost on the first day the government was formed.

Dublin City Council get hammered on social media everytime they announce a new cycle lane, or pedestrianised street. And yet here is this guy saying they are not doing enough.

As a politician he exists solely on PR and soundbites. He says what he thinks will be received well, not what he thinks is right/ correct/ proper. He's the worst kind of politician. Absolutely ZERO substance. This is the guy who was effectively the CEO of the Childrens Hospital fiasco. He's a career politician who has achieved nothing of note to date. His only success has been backing the right horse in the last FG leadership contest.

Apologies, rant over.

magicbastarder

People are told to have an outdoor summer. Yet the folks in FF and FG forget that when they assume people will take that as have it in your back garden, a significant number of people don't have/can't afford back gardens. And we can't all bail down to the beach.

Amirani

Deleted User wrote: »

Heard someone on later in the morning possibly Chu detailing the number of extra bins and toilets being put on despite the fact that there should be no need of then since mass gatherings are not permitted yet.

Toilets aren't just needed for mass gatherings, they're needed for humans in all sorts of scenarios.

Having just 2 public toilets available in a city the size of Dublin is completely unacceptable.

cletus

Also, how are we defining "mass gatherings".

Lots of unconnected people on a public street doesn't seem to be a mass gathering, imo

zell12

zell12 wrote: »

"trash"
how north american!

I know, her teacher is from those shores so our wee one has a few such Americanisms

what_traffic

Seth Brundle wrote: »

presumably Faughnan, from AA Roadwatch

He has left AA
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/conor-faughnan-to-leave-aa-ireland-after-30-years-1.4511184

I think I have noticed it in the broadcast media if I filter out all those free AARoadwatch radio promos on RTE etc

Tombo2001

Amirani wrote: »

Toilets aren't just needed for mass gatherings, they're needed for humans in all sorts of scenarios.

Having just 2 public toilets available in a city the size of Dublin is completely unacceptable.

And thats why Dublin City Council has put in temporary toilet facilities such as quite a large one outside Stephens Green Shopping Centre.

Thelonious Monk

Is it normal in Europe for public toilets to be everywhere? I can't think of any time I've used public toilets in a European city, or any city. I lived in London for years and don't recall any there either (apart from 2 underground ones that are now nightclubs), although my local community had a thing in place where McDonald's and other establishment's toilets could be used by anyone, whether buying things or not.

Steoller

When i lived in Eindhoven, they had toilets that rose out of the ground at night time, around the city center. Dresden had a few too when I worked there, but not as elaborate.

Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Is it normal in Europe for public toilets to be everywhere? I can't think of any time I've used public toilets in a European city, or any city. I lived in London for years and don't recall any there either (apart from 2 underground ones that are now nightclubs), although my local community had a thing in place where McDonald's and other establishment's toilets could be used by anyone, whether buying things or not.

I'd have been to my partners home country a few times and there it's very common for public loos to be manned where you still have to spend a penny to use. Usually an old man or woman there you pay a few coins to. Helps keep to place in order and to discourage bad behaviour.

Toilets there wouldn't be everywhere but would be common in large public space like parks and squares in the city center.

Thelonious Monk

Yeah it's just everyone goes on like public toilets are all over other cities but I'm not sure that's the case, I know the UK are in a similar situation to us anyway, most of them closing down.

ngunners

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Is it normal in Europe for public toilets to be everywhere? I can't think of any time I've used public toilets in a European city, or any city. I lived in London for years and don't recall any there either (apart from 2 underground ones that are now nightclubs), although my local community had a thing in place where McDonald's and other establishment's toilets could be used by anyone, whether buying things or not.

Yes, it’s completely normal in most parts of Europe. Ireland and the UK are outliers.

Smee_Again

Steoller wrote: »

When i lived in Eindhoven, they had toilets that rose out of the ground at night time, around the city center. Dresden had a few too when I worked there, but not as elaborate.

Brixton has these too. Festival type urinals that pop up out of the ground in or around the tube station.

AndrewJRenko

Paddigol wrote: »

As a politician he exists solely on PR and soundbites. He says what he thinks will be received well, not what he thinks is right/ correct/ proper. He's the worst kind of politician. Absolutely ZERO substance. This is the guy who was effectively the CEO of the Childrens Hospital fiasco. He's a career politician who has achieved nothing of note to date. His only success has been backing the right horse in the last FG leadership contest.

Apologies, rant over.

In fairness, his three or four predecessors in Health made the major decisions about the NCH. The key decisions had mostly been made.

I thought he did well at Health through the start of the Covid crisis, and was much clearer and more direct when communicating than his successor.

blackwhite

https://twitter.com/ciarancannon/status/1400408057461542913?s=21

magicbastarder

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

In fairness, his three or four predecessors in Health made the major decisions about the NCH.

i see this acronym and usually have to do a double take, wondering why the national concert hall should be of concern in the context.

blackwhite

Paddigol wrote: »

As a politician he exists solely on PR and soundbites. He says what he thinks will be received well, not what he thinks is right/ correct/ proper. He's the worst kind of politician. Absolutely ZERO substance. This is the guy who was effectively the CEO of the Childrens Hospital fiasco. He's a career politician who has achieved nothing of note to date. His only success has been backing the right horse in the last FG leadership contest.

Apologies, rant over.

Harris back Coveney.

As an aside - I met him back in 2013/14 when doing some volunteer work with SEI. He came across as very genuine and well intentioned, but incredibly naive and severely lacking in any practical experience. I still get the impression that he’s one of the more genuinely well intentioned people in Dáil Éireann, but that he’s probably a bit out of his depth

CramCycle

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Is it normal in Europe for public toilets to be everywhere? I can't think of any time I've used public toilets in a European city, or any city. I lived in London for years and don't recall any there either (apart from 2 underground ones that are now nightclubs), although my local community had a thing in place where McDonald's and other establishment's toilets could be used by anyone, whether buying things or not.

Not everywhere but common enough in my experience in Belgium and surrounding countries.

I know due to the many, in hindsight not hilarious, butters style peeing.

The fact that Longford outnumbers Dublin in regards accessible public toilets per head of population by roughly 12 to 1 by my rough calculations, makes me proud of my home town and ashamed of our capital.

Tombo2001

blackwhite wrote: »

Harris back Coveney.

As an aside - I met him back in 2013/14 when doing some volunteer work with SEI. He came across as very genuine and well intentioned, but incredibly naive and severely lacking in any practical experience. I still get the impression that he’s one of the more genuinely well intentioned people in Dáil Éireann, but that he’s probably a bit out of his depth

My local GP is a not a conversationalist, definitely wouldnt go for a pint with him. Not a small talk guy at all.

But I've a lot of confidence when he is doing his job that he is an expert and is a professional.

Politicians should be judged in the same way - it shouldnt really matter what their personalities are like, but its often the only thing they are judged on. And they are generally nice people when you meet them.

What I would say though, is that if you rank political parties according to the importance they place on cycling, on liveable cities, on pedestrianisation of streets, on protecting vulnerable road users - Fine Gael are very much middle of the pack.

Tombo2001

CramCycle wrote: »

Not everywhere but common enough in my experience in Belgium and surrounding countries.

I know due to the many, in hindsight not hilarious, butters style peeing.

The fact that Longford outnumbers Dublin in regards accessible public toilets per head of population by roughly 12 to 1 by my rough calculations, makes me proud of my home town and ashamed of our capital.

Thats a stat I didnt expect to read this morning:D Go Longford!!!

buffalo

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Fine Gael are very much middle of the pack.

How do the parties stack up in a bike race analogy?

Greens the DQS-dominated breakaway out front contesting the win, everyone else in a peloton struggling to organise a chase?

Tell me how

buffalo wrote: »

How do the parties stack up in a bike race analogy?

Greens the DQS-dominated breakaway out front contesting the win, everyone else in a peloton struggling to organise a chase?

If only there ever was a cycling team that promised to be morally upstanding, to promote sustainability of the sport and to be clean in how they went about their business when they were applying for their license but then when the racing started it turned out they weren't too different to those that surrounded them then you could match the Greens with them given how they campaigned, and since then have acted while in government.

But there are no such teams in cycling of course.

Macy0161

CramCycle wrote: »

Not everywhere but common enough in my experience in Belgium and surrounding countries.

I was going to post my experience in Liege - they had open, but shielded, urinals around the place. Style like you see at festivals here, but permanent concrete built.

Tombo2001

buffalo wrote: »

How do the parties stack up in a bike race analogy?

Greens the DQS-dominated breakaway out front contesting the win, everyone else in a peloton struggling to organise a chase?

Social Democrats are also very progressive and vocal on Cycling.

Sinn Fein are 100% back of the back. Last election they were the only party that pretty much had no policies on cycling whatsoever.

tomasrojo

Tombo2001 wrote: »

It beggars belief. Really, how difficult is it to bring a backpack and put your empty beer cans in it.

But no, its the councils fault for not having enough bins.

I agree on one level, but my knowledge of human nature (by no means complete) suggests to me that many people need a bin no more than twenty seconds' walk away before they'll do the right thing.

tomasrojo

zell12 wrote: »

"trash"
how north american!

Shakespeare wrote:

Those that with haste will make a mighty fire
Begin it with weak straws: what trash is Rome,
What rubbish and what offal, when it serves
For the base matter to illuminate
So vile a thing as Caesar!

.

tomasrojo

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Social Democrats are also very progressive and vocal on Cycling.

Sinn Fein are 100% back of the back. Last election they were the only party that pretty much had no policies on cycling whatsoever.

Vying with FG to have the least interest in climate change too.