Gardai & Cycling

Strumms

All,

id be interested to know really what is the attitude of Gardai, Gardai of all ranks to cyclists who are breaking the road traffic laws... specifically going through red lights.

im on the road just 100-120 kilometers weekly and cyclists breaking red lights is an absolute fûcking epidemic in Dublin...city and suburbs...more then ever.

i witnessed an incident at the lights before Clontarf Garda station this week where an elderly lady and her dog attempting to cross the road with a green light were about a foot away from being ploughing into by a cyclist on a red who never even slowed down... he must have been doing about 15-20 kmh and she was visibly shaken for a moment....timing was all that saved them from being hit..

is there actually any proactive enforcement ever done regarding cyclists who are breaking lights ? Are Gardai just focusing on the big bad motorists ? Which yes they should do too of course OR is there any encouragement / appetite to ensure safer roads for everyone... what is the general attitude in the Gardai towards policing of cyclists on our roads...

Chiparus

I would say they concentrate on the perpetrators most likely to kill someone, evidence shows that cyclists and motorists break traffic laws at an equal rate, its motorists that kill people. and if you want bang for your buck and save the most lives - better to target motorists.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118063740#Comment_118063740

maybe , however it might get a bit wacky if Gardai in general were only enforcing laws that were targeting situations linked to a probable or possible loss of life...

if somebody vandalized your car tonight, smashed a window , it’s not going to kill you but you’d be a bit put out if you were told on contacting the Gardai that they were not interested in investigating and you should just get it repaired and claim on your insurance....

tayto lover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118063786#Comment_118063786

I don’t believe they investigate accidents unless someone is injured or a lot of damage is caused. That’s what I was told anyway.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118063786#Comment_118063786

That is what they effectively do. If you ever have your car vandalised it is unlikely that too much effort will be put into finding the perpetrators.

Equally there is a minuscule number of road traffic injuries related to cyclist misbehaviour and given that road traffic laws are there for safety reasons primarily then it makes sense to focus on those who cause the most damage by their behaviour ie cars.

Even with that there is a very small chance of getting caught misbehaving in a car (speeding, breaking red lights, drunk driving etc.)

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118063918#Comment_118063918

The only injury I can recall occurring from a pedestrian and a cyclist colliding, was in phoenix park a few years back. Cyclist was killed when he collided with a pedestrian in the cycle lane.

John_Rambo

Cyclist are actually the best behaved in the capital. According to Transdev, the LUAS people motorists account for more than half of all crashes and emergency braking incidents, pedestrians more than one third and cyclists less than 10 per cent. In 2016 Gardai recorded 24 times more motorists than cyclists breaking red lights. The figures show that 1,296 cars in Dublin were recorded breaking a red light so far in 2016 – 24 times the rate of cyclists caught breaking red lights (54) in the same period.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118063971#Comment_118063971

Leaving the Luas out of it for a moment...as that is not a realistic, verifiable barometer of cyclist / car driver behavior citywide...cyclists are by far the worst, there just is zero appetite to do anything about it.

the percentage of cyclists who break red lights in this city at least are way higher then the percentage of motorists who do... it’s rare to see drivers break reds, mistiming them certainly the odd time but cyclists just ride on through red lights deliberately, regularly and systematically...without due care or consequences.

the junction near my place is the perfect example... can’t recall the number of times I’ve seen cars break lights but I observe bikes doing it daily.. lads and girls from the college, people going to and returning from work....

A bike breaking a red and gets hit, it’s the motorists I feel for... nobody deserves to have their day interrupted, vehicle possibly damaged, paint scratched and the associated hassles of getting that fixed and the stresses..as well as dealing with the Guards...

Laws need to be enforced to enable the safety and wellbeing of us all... start penalizing cyclists.

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064153#Comment_118064153

Cars don't run red lights regularly? I wouldn't cross the road on a green man in Dublin, the cars don't stop going till the man turns amber, which is a good while after the cars get a red light.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058214479/gardai-cycling

Well you were a witness to this, did you call into the station and offer to give a statement?

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064281#Comment_118064281

Nope...I didn’t... I wasn’t of the ability to, on occasion of you seeing a car or bike in contravention of the road traffic act, do you ? ;)

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064305#Comment_118064305

Well doesn't really apply to me.

So, if you want gardai to prosecute people for running red lights, that they don't observe themselves, you have to be willing to go to court yourself as the only witness.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064319#Comment_118064319

No, see, my reason for posting here was in relation to a curiosity as explained in the OP as to whether there was any real enforcement as relates to cyclists routinely and dangerously breaking reds :)

doesnt apply to you ? Ok :)

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064332#Comment_118064332

I've seen cyclists stopped by gardai for running red lights a doing few timesz but I've never seen a ca pulled over, despite seeing far more cars doing it.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064332#Comment_118064332

Well unless you want a Garda member standing at every single traffic.lights in the city, and you're willing to pay the extra tax to put them there, you need to be willing to go to court.

Doesn't apply to me, because I don't need witnesses if I see it myself. 😊

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064344#Comment_118064344

ok, that isn’t believable, you have a nice evening ;)

mrcheez

OP you should also look at pedestrians who cross when the man is red too. Equally as damaging as a cyclist going through a red.

Jail is the only place for pedestrians like that

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058214479/gardai-cycling

I wish I could shorten the quote.

Last time I checked Garda issued about 3 fixed cyclist penalty fines a day nationally. I don't know if thats changed in the last year or so.

We didn't really know the stats on accidents with cyclists, they don't keep accurate stats and don't seperate someone falling off their bike on mountain or garden from an accident on road or pavement. We only really know where people died sadly. Thats pretty rare thankfully.

Considering the abysmal standard of driving we can hardly say they are proactive with driving enforcement either.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064386#Comment_118064386

I’d rather be walked into by a pedestrian then cycled into by a cyclist... ;)

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064396#Comment_118064396

I wonder why a question I asked related to cycling and enforcement has turned into cycling vs cars :)

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064418#Comment_118064418

Well if you want to enforce a traffic law that you see someone break, you need to be a witness

How do you expect gardai to enforce the law without a witness?

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064418#Comment_118064418

It's not vs anything. I haven't compared them. You just have though.

You mentioned both driving and the enforcement of drivers in your opening post, that's what I'm replying to.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064401#Comment_118064401

Can't say either thing has happen very much to me. If you're in the habit of colliding with things perhaps time to do things differently. If not then why obsess about it.

Strumms

Where did I say I’m in the habit of colliding with things ? I think you like making stuff up.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064444#Comment_118064444

They enforce a multitude of laws without witness... enforcement doesn’t rely on witnesses.

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064401#Comment_118064401

could be a fat lad pedestrian .. they can be killers

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064500#Comment_118064500

No they dont. What offences do the gardai prosecute without witnesses?

Pawwed Rig

It is a natural comparison based on relative risk. To answer your question though it is not enforced because the risk is minimal that anyone will be hurt. Road traffic laws are there for safety purposes so prosecuting the potential injured party is not as high a priority as the injuring party. As it should be.

Also the reason why jaywalking (while illegal) is virtually never prosecuted.

John_Rambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064153#Comment_118064153

Leaving the Luas out of it for the moment? They're the barometer with recorded incidents on the ground in the city. You're basically saying "Leaving the actual stats & facts out of it for the moment"

As a pedestrian in Dublin I see a lot more cars breaking lights and breaking other laws than cyclists. As a cyclist in Dublin I see a lot more cars breaking lights and breaking other laws than cyclists. When I'm in the car it seems like cyclists are worse, but they're not. Look at the dash-cam video thread on boards.ie from Irish people driving on Irish roads. 99% of them are of drivers mucking up, very few of cyclists and believe me they love a good "cyclist mucking up" vid... there just isn't that many of them.

In the UK research shows that in car/cycle related crashes (not including kids) 70% of the incidents are the fault of the motorist and they're better motorists than we are so it would be similar here if not more.

Cyclists kill & injure very very few people. That's why the Gardai concentrate on motorists.

Raichu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118063875#Comment_118063875

Sorry but I can’t help myself but point out it’s actually pretty improper to refer to any traffic collision as an “accident” because it implies no one’s to blame. Rarely (if ever) is that the case.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064690#Comment_118064690

Road traffic collision. RTC.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064521#Comment_118064521

where there is evidence...cctv etc. forensics.