Commute tomorrow on De bike

Lumen · 16-10-2017 07:33AM

Jobs OXO wrote: »

Sure pedal away there with yourself. You'll get what you deserve

Congratulations on reading the thread just long enough to find something to get outraged about.

Alanbt · 16-10-2017 07:37AM

I popped to the office to get laptop to work from home and colleague told me that she she saw Garda stopping people on bicycles.

It’s not going to be your average windy day later , people.

Just hope they don’t stop me on my way home!

smacl · 16-10-2017 08:01AM

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

I think employers have passed on their responsibility here. One of my family has been told to stay at home. I was told "feel free to work from home tmw".

I told my sole employee to work from home today. With VOIP and broadband works well enough, and if we lose phones and/or power were limited in what we can achieve either way. Fingers crossed we don't have power outages, mother in-law is a stair lift away from toilet and bedroom so looking at setting up the spare bed in ours. On the plus side, and extended turbo session with youngest may be on the cards for later with Triplets of Belleville on the playlist.

Grassey · 16-10-2017 08:02AM

Spotted 4 on bikes earlier around Blackrock - very calm out, no traffic on the M50. Also saw some buses running, though thought I'd heard Dub Bus was closing routes today too.

Almost like Ophelia is playing with us... lulling us into a false sense of security....

magicbastarder · 16-10-2017 08:06AM

Grassey wrote: »

very calm out, no traffic on the M50. Also saw some buses running, though thought I'd heard Dub Bus was closing routes today too.

Almost like Ophelia is playing with us... lulling us into a false sense of security....

i would like to coin a phrase, i will call it 'the calm before the storm'.

irishrover99 · 16-10-2017 08:32AM

Roads were very empty this morning. Not much traffic at all and it looks like most of the city is staying at home.
Left early in the car thinking the traffic would be heavy but it only took me 12 minutes to make the 9 km journey.
Then checked my phone when i got to work and i had a message from my boss telling me to stay home....DOH.
Now just waiting for an update.

DirkVoodoo · 16-10-2017 08:51AM

It's like seeing a "wet paint" sign and you're the one guy who goes and sits on the park bench anyway....

Don't say you weren't warned.

neris · 16-10-2017 09:22AM

Spotted 5 on bikes on a short car hour by in northside Dublin earlier. Lots of leaves on the ground and paths

magicbastarder · 16-10-2017 09:27AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fsaJ8o4ySg

we're expecting 130km/h winds in dublin i believe; which would be nearly twice the energy of 100km/h winds.

LollipopJimmy · 16-10-2017 09:30AM

neris wrote: »

Spotted 5 on bikes on a short car hour by in northside Dublin earlier. Lots of leaves on the ground and paths

There have been lots of leaves on the ground the past couple of weeks.

I would have no hesitation in getting on my bike now, there's little traffic and conditions are near perfect, obviously as it gets bad later it wouldn't be bright but no need to stay off it now

We were told not to come in today, I came in anyway thinking I'd get loads done, every other fecker had the same idea :mad:

LennoxR · 16-10-2017 09:33AM

Fine right now in Dublin, but just not worth the risk of cycling. Fortunately my workplace is closed so it doesn't arise.

On a tangential note, the wind in Dublin right now appears to be coming from the east. Isn't the storm supposed to be approaching from the south west? Forgive my ignorance, but can the two winds collide or something? What happens then?

RebelButtMunch · 16-10-2017 09:34AM

LennoxR wrote: »

Fine right now in Dublin, but just not worth the risk of cycling. Fortunately my workplace is closed so it doesn't arise.

On a tangential note, the wind in Dublin right now appears to be coming from the east. Isn't the storm supposed to be approaching from the south west? Forgive my ignorance, but can the two winds collide or something? What happens then?

https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/orthographic=-18.74,53.65,1087

its the rotation

HeidiHeidi · 16-10-2017 09:35AM

LennoxR wrote: »

Fine right now in Dublin, but just not worth the risk of cycling. Fortunately my workplace is closed so it doesn't arise.

On a tangential note, the wind in Dublin right now appears to be coming from the east. Isn't the storm supposed to be approaching from the south west? Forgive my ignorance, but can the two winds collide or something? What happens then?

Wind circulates anti-clockwise around a depression, so that's the wind to the north of the storm you're getting now. It'll go around to southerly later, and to westerly (and strongest) after that, probably by late afternoon/evening.

tomasrojo · 16-10-2017 09:35AM

I'm glad they updated the warning to include motorcyclists in the people who shouldn't make journeys at all. It didn't make any sense to say no cycling and motorcyclists be careful.

(If I'd had to make a bike journey here in Dublin this morning, I'd have done it. You can see the weather charts, you can see where it's stormy already. I definitely wouldn't make any journeys after midday.)

LennoxR · 16-10-2017 09:35AM

RebelButtMunch wrote: »

https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/orthographic=-18.74,53.65,1087

its the rotation

Ah I see. Thank you.

matc66 · 16-10-2017 09:38AM

I cycled, it was very peaceful. I'll cycle home if it's nice or get a lift that I've been offered. No hysteria needed. Weather is unpredictable so all options are open.

magicbastarder · 16-10-2017 09:44AM

matc66 wrote: »

Weather is unpredictable

bar the fact that we've known since wednesday that ireland is headed for a potentially once in a generation/once in a century weather event. and that roads are closed in cork, and power lines down long before the worst was due to make landfall.

DirkVoodoo · 16-10-2017 09:47AM

matc66 wrote: »

I cycled, it was very peaceful. I'll cycle home if it's nice or get a lift that I've been offered. No hysteria needed. Weather is unpredictable so all options are open.

Don't forget to wear your magic high-viz from Minister Ross.

Safe cycling, it's your choice, I just hope no one else is put at risk as a result of your complacency.

tomasrojo · 16-10-2017 09:48AM

Yeah, if you're in eastern counties, really, don't cycle after midday. What it's like now is nothing like what it's going to be like in a few hours. It really isn't a good idea.

(If you can go home now, it might be a good precaution, even if you're not cycling or on a motorbike.)

magicbastarder · 16-10-2017 09:54AM

gusts of 148km/h have been recorded at fastnet.

16-10-2017 09:56AM

tomasrojo wrote: »

Yeah, if you're in eastern counties, really, don't cycle after midday. What it's like now is nothing like what it's going to be like in a few hours. It really isn't a good idea.

(If you can go home now, it might be a good precaution, even if you're not cycling or on a motorbike.)

Yeah it's "relatively" ok now so to speak but shops are shutting or not opening here in drogheda and some buses are off. Dropped herself in to work in the car as she'd be an essential person but even in the wind we've now her tiny self would be lifted out of it on her bike :eek:

The wee one is off pre-school and wanted to go out the back just there on her little bike and was busy getting geared up with her helmet and coat etc. and I was like ok away ya go held the door open and once she got the feel of the wind coming in she changed her mind

matc66 · 16-10-2017 09:56AM

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Don't forget to wear your magic high-viz from Minister Ross.

Safe cycling, it's your choice, I just hope no one else is put at risk as a result of your complacency.

I'm based in North Dublin, it's not set in stone what type of winds we'll have. I can cycle if it's okay or walk if it's not. I don't see what's complacent or reckless about that.
On the weather forum there is quite a lot of disagreement about whether Dublin should have gotten a status red wind warning.

at1withmyself · 16-10-2017 09:57AM

Woke up this morning and all calm so cycled in with no issues. As storm was not due here till the afternoon I felt fine but I will not be cycling home.

billyhead · 16-10-2017 09:57AM

Day off work today folks as the office is closed. Be careful if commuting in tomorrow on the bike as I will be as there maybe a lot of fallen debris on the road which is a huge hazard and my commute involves country roads so fallen branches/trees will be a threat. Keep safe and batten down the hatches:D.

tomasrojo · 16-10-2017 09:59AM

matc66 wrote: »

I'm based in North Dublin, it's not set in stone what type of winds we'll have. I can cycle if it's okay or walk if it's not. I don't see what's complacent or reckless about that.

It's hard to judge what gusts are like though.

matc66 wrote: »

On the weather forum there is quite a lot of disagreement about whether Dublin should have gotten a status red wind warning.

Yeah, Met Éireann did mention the blanket red for the country was being cautious, but really, unless you went through the storm in 1961 and were pretty cool with that, best to be cautious.

magicbastarder · 16-10-2017 10:01AM

matc66 wrote: »

On the weather forum there is quite a lot of disagreement about whether Dublin should have gotten a status red wind warning.

you know the alternative to red is still bad?

the whole country was probably placed on red as they did not know for certain what exact path the storm would take - as evidenced by the belief now that sligo and donegal will be worse hit than expected.

tomasrojo · 16-10-2017 10:04AM

I'd like to give a shout-out to weather modelling. I used to work on the outskirts of that area, and it's really wonderful stuff.

DirkVoodoo · 16-10-2017 10:08AM

matc66 wrote: »

I'm based in North Dublin, it's not set in stone what type of winds we'll have. I can cycle if it's okay or walk if it's not. I don't see what's complacent or reckless about that.
On the weather forum there is quite a lot of disagreement about whether Dublin should have gotten a status red wind warning.

Are we following the same weather forum? Because it's split between people who know what they are talking about urging caution and people who have no clue saying "it'll be grand".

I was going to cycle this morning. Figured I'd be grand in a bit of wind. But then you think about all the things that you can't control: falling roof tiles, debris, trees. And then if you get into difficulty, you're diverting emergency resources that are probably already stretched thin because you decided that spreadsheets were more important (this is me I'm talking about, remember, I don't know what you do!)

For example, this guy:

I'm glad to see most people are taking this storm seriously but what I find deeply disturbing is the number of posters who are scoffing, saying its no big deal, or everyone is making a big drama over nothing. This is very dangerous. To be perfectly blunt unless these posters have direct personal experience of multiple severe temperate cyclones their opinions are not only completely worthless but highly irresponsible. If you have only lived in Ireland then unless you are over 60 you will not have experienced a storm like this one. As a kid back in the 1960's I heard all about the damage done by Debbie in '61. The storm of 1987 was fairly minor in comparison.

Looking at the models for Ireland for later on today I've seen numbers like those, and experienced them first hand, during various winter storms living on the West Coast of the US over the last few decades. At least five or six. So as a result I take this storm very very seriously. As would anyone who has seen the damage they can do first hand. These type of storms kill people. Its not just some generic winter gale. When you have both sustained and gust winds that are nudging Cat 1 territory you do not go outside unless you have an exceptionally good reason. This is doubly true in a country as unprepared for nationwide severe wind storms as Ireland is. There are a hell of a lot of potential life threatening missiles lying about. Not just trees but roof tiles / slates and all the general junk people should have secured yesterday. A roof tile traveling at 100kmh will kill you.

So best to treat today like a snowday. Or rather a blizzard day. Stay indoors and stay safe. And be prepared for the electricity to go out at some stage or other. Because it usually does during storms as serious as this one. If only to secure the grid infrastructure.

With a bit of luck, or rather a lot of luck, the storm will pass without any fatalities. Of course the scoffers will claim afterwards that this lack of casualties just "proves" that it was no big deal after all. Actually what it will prove is that enough people were made aware of the serious risks due to the storm and took steps to keep themselves safe.

Remember just how many people Debbie killed.

So everyone, stay inside and stay safe.

tomasrojo · 16-10-2017 10:14AM

I can imagine that if all cautions are taken and the aftermath is relatively benign, there will be people scoffing at the alarmism, the way people did on January 2nd 2000, after the Y2K risk had passed.

tomasrojo · 16-10-2017 10:27AM

https://twitter.com/jesskellynt/status/919854349538549760
https://www.luas.ie/travel-updates/
No Luas after midday.

Commute tomorrow on De bike

Comments