Cycling Mikey

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120292934#Comment_120292934

Most of those infractions by cyclists have zero impact or potential risks to anyone else and whilst not following the laws do not risk anyone other than the cyclist themselves, and even then its could also be making their life safer (such as getting away from traffic lights a couple of seconds ahead of cars).

The hate from car drivers is just down to them being annoyed at being stuck in traffic and not being able to do the same things themselves. Why isn't there more hate directed towards car drivers whose actions actually have a vastly more significant negative impact on those around them?

Seve OB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120293984#Comment_120293984

Well that’s a load of bull

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120288612#Comment_120288612

Here's the thing. Mikey evidently has time for that. And the police in most instances won't. you need to give a bit more credit to the legislators who have allowed people to be prosecuted this way .

Should be here, as should anpr cameras and some civilian staff doing the admin, to free up gardai to do other work beyond standing about the odd day doing spot checks

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120294480#Comment_120294480

Do you want to offer anything else other that weak response? Why do you think motorists are such an angry, aggressive bunch of people - which they must be applying your logic.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120292934#Comment_120292934

Do the d1ckhead drivers who do all of the above, and a lot, lot more, and with a lot, lot more devastating consequences bring the hate onto motorists?

BTW, how do you know whether Mikey is commuting or not?

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120295376#Comment_120295376

Whatever about the rest of it, his own videos show him standing in the hedge at that Gandalf corner (I think that's the name anyway), and then stepping out when he sees an infraction he wants to record.

It might be commuting, but it'd be the strangest commuting I ever saw

cletus

And before I get asked for proof, this is the first video when you search for "cycling Mikey Gandalf corner"

https://youtube.com/watch?v=1kd8dwR-PUM&feature=shares

Don't Chute!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120295574#Comment_120295574

What’s wrong with that? It never fails to amaze me the amount of people who try to justify driving on the wrong side of a traffic island in his videos.

Cabaal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120295550#Comment_120295550

Could easily be on the way to his destination and he just leaves few min early to enable him to stand at the corner,

Some people sit in traffic on their way to the destination, mikey stands at a corner. Whats the difference? Mikey still likely gets to his destination faster 😂

Also, numerous times he has stated that he his commuting in his videos and on the way he just keeps an eye out for mobile phone users.

cletus

Like I said, it might be commuting, but it's the oddest form I've ever seen. As I said way back at the start of this thread, if he's happy, grand. Personally I can think of many, many better things to do with my spare time.

Macy0161

I haven't done it, but there's a few junctions I've been tempted to wait a cycle of lights just to record just how many cars go through red (Whites Cross in particular).

iwillhtfu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120296750#Comment_120296750

It happens at every junction by both cars and bikes and to be honest is probably more common with bikes albeit the potential for incident is usually far lower.

It's one thing I never do and thought most normal cyclists were the same until out on another clubs club spin and I was surprised to see the number that didn't even slow for a red light never mind stop.

Interesting test pool here though to get an idea of how divisive these social media personalities are.

iwillhtfu

"Also, numerous times he has stated that he his commuting in his videos and on the way he just keeps an eye out for mobile phone users."

Looking at some of his videos it's far more targeted than a commuter passing a motorist and noticing them on their phone. In some he was clearly awaiting motorists and then joins traffic on his bike to record then confront the motorist. I don't get the confrontation I don't think I've once seen it end well. 🤷‍♂️

iwillhtfu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120295574#Comment_120295574

I wouldn't mind she ended up going straight on in the end. 🙈

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120296825#Comment_120296825

I honestly don't see it as much with bikes out in the suburbs. More in the city centre, but it's more akin to jaywalking in my experience - crossing when the road is clear even though you've a red man or rolling through with the pedestrian cycle. Is slowly going through with the pedestrian light cycle really the same as putting the foot down to go through a clear red across the N11 (and N11 actually has green and is beginning to move/ pedestrian lights have a green man) from Newtownpark Avenue? Both illegal, very different level of potential consequence.

iwillhtfu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297033#Comment_120297033

True, I generally tend to look at it that there's enough reasons for motorists to hate cyclists so why give them another. I do understand the argument for risks being entirely different in certain scenarios. I also know the annoyance of coming up to a pedestrian crossing and watching a pedestrian press the button to cross then just walk out leaving cars to sit at a red light 30s after they've left. I guess my point it's annoying but I wouldn't go through it in a car so I wouldn't go through it on a bike.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120296615#Comment_120296615

I don’t think he, or anyone, is suggesting that you should do what he does.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120296842#Comment_120296842

800 successful prosecutions all ended well.

iwillhtfu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297100#Comment_120297100

Any chance you are Cycling Mikey 😂😂 Also that reference doesn't bear any relevance to what I said ended well, do keep up.

Moving on from the 800 figure which I'm vaguely curious as to the truth in that figure. It also highlights the pittance that truly is as I could catch 800 offences driving to work in the morning by both cyclists and motorists and even pedestrians if you wanted to be pedantic about it.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297086#Comment_120297086

That's true. I was merely expressing an opinion. If he is stopping on his commute to hide in a ditch, I could find better things to do with the time it takes to do that. Also, in the video I posted above, he doesn't just video the driver and then submit the footage, he continues to follow her to tell her what he's going to do.Can't seethe point of this, other than the hope of a confrontation which will (presumably) drive views/numbers/traffic on his youtube channel

@iwillhtfu I questioned the suggestion "cycling mikey is making London streets safer" by asking for some empirical evidence of this. None was forthcoming. The number of prosecutions was offered, but no stats regarding a reduction in crashes, injuries, deaths etc.

Duckjob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297069#Comment_120297069

"there's enough reasons for motorists to hate cyclists so why give them another"

I find this an utterly bizarre statement.

On the one hand, you've got somebody endangering lives doing something like charging through the wrong side of traffic island, and on the other you've got somebody delivering a consequence to them for their behavior, which logically has at least the same or better chance of changing their behavior than if they get no consequence.

Any sane person, motorist or otherwise will rightly lay blame at the foot of the person who is wilfully endangering peoples lives for their own selfishness.

The people that point at Mikey or others like him and call him a "grass" are nothing more than overgrown manbabies and womanbabies. They are going to hate cyclists anyway regardless for their own f***ed up reasons so really who gives a crap about not disturbing them.

iwillhtfu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297517#Comment_120297517

Bizarre in what sense it's pretty self explanatory only this time it can't be described as motorist rhetoric as I probably cycle more than I drive these days.

Also you have taken what I have said out of context and applied it to the Cycling Mikey video which indeed is bizarre.

Anyway I think I'm moving on from this thread and to be honest it has actually been irritating and more annoyingly has me siding with the view of some motorists.

An apt meme for all and sundry 😂

Duckjob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297582#Comment_120297582

Ok, first of all, I realise now that i incorrectly attributed your comment to Cycling Mikey acts of reporting people, which it wasnt, so apologies for that.

I still take issue with this statement though-

"there's enough reasons for motorists to hate cyclists so why give them another"

What reasons are those?

If a motorist sees a cyclist doing something stupid or dangerous, they can "hate" that person if they want to. Nobody has justification to apply blanket hatred to "cyclists" in general. If they insist on doing that, their mind is f***ed.

I'm not accountable for the behavior of people I don't even know just because I'm riding a bike. Just like I'm not accountable for the behavior of people I don't even know when I'm driving a car.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297659#Comment_120297659

Your problem here is trying to apply logic to emotion. That's a battle you won't win. It's a fact that a lot of motorists hate cyclists. It's probably fair to say that in most cases that hatred is completely illogical. However what I think @iwillhtfu (he can correct me if I'm wrong!) was saying is that if you have a large body of motorists with an irrational dislike of cyclists, who will happily overlook the car in front of them who just ploughed through the red light, then me as a cyclist rolling up to the lights and pedalling through just because there was no traffic approaching will to them simply serve as proof that cyclists are a bunch of law breaking c***s... "look!!!! see!!! another one!!! every single time they just cycle through the red lights!!!".

I see myself as traffic so for the most part I obey the laws applying to traffic the same way I do when driving... it would be a bit rich of me to bang on about law-breaking motorists while doing the exact same thing myself. Yes, the potential harm is vastly different, and yes, the laws should be changed to take account of this (allow left on red etc) which I think would take much of the heat out of the issue. But for the time being I don't feel like I can in good conscience pick and choose which fundamental ROTR I'm going to obey and which I expect motorists to obey.

p15574

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297069#Comment_120297069

Re the pedestrian lights, that's because they're configured to be motorist-centric - pedestrians get tired of waiting for them. They should change immediately the button is pressed, if they haven't changed in the last few minutes (with a couple of seconds delays for the inevitable red-light-jumping motorist). This would ensure a better experience for both pedestrian and motorist.

Cabaal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300401#Comment_120300401

Funny thing is, you actually see this behaviour with motorists at red lights.

If they take took long to change to green motorists will break them, a perfect example of this is road works traffic lights.

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300401#Comment_120300401

Well I wouldn't say instantly, but I there should be a nice quick change to either flashing amber which I think is often more effective than red for some drivers.

Kildare street has lovely quick changing lights. I once worked in the the NLI and it was quite the time saver

magicbastarder

I heard the theory several times that Kildare Street has the only pedestrian lights in the country which are configured to change as soon as the button is pressed, regardless of where in the sequence the lights are. Needless to say, I've no idea how accurate that is...

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300401#Comment_120300401

Or better still, leave the green man on permanently, until a motorist presses a button to allow cars through,

Idleater

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300487#Comment_120300487

The one outside Leinster House changes immediately IIRC.