Safer cycling, we can make a difference /MPDL thread

andy69 · 06-08-2018 12:08PM

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

There is a general disinterest from Gardai in pursuing complaints caught on camera in my experience. Compare this to the UK forces who have set up a special online portal to allow people to submit footage directly to them.

...and yet they're quick enough to appeal on the news for Dashcam footage whenever one of the crime gangs have a shooting in public! So they CAN work with footage, but as ye say, doesn't seem to be much interest. Probably as much to do with being understaffed/under-resourced as anything else I'd say

andy69 · 06-08-2018 12:13PM

Corca Baiscinn wrote: »

...@Andy69...Whatever re our laws being too "simple" our legal system seems to have as many holes as a sieve, remember the guy who got off a d/d charge because the summons wasn't issued in Irish and all the people whose post with summonses for road traffic offences never arrive?...

Sorry for the confusion, I was actually making the same point (that *other* laws might be more simple/straightforward, but that ours with all the loopholes that barristers use to get perp's off...)

06-08-2018 02:28PM

An initiative in New Zealand to put bus drivers on bikes to teach them about road safety

https://www.bicycling.com/news/a22636802/bus-drivers-ride-bikes-to-learn-cycling-safety/

Muahahaha · 06-08-2018 02:46PM

Proper road rage incident in London, Audi driver threatens to run cyclists over

A "reckless" driver is being hunted by police after he drove "at speed" at a cyclist during a row in London.

Footage on social media shows how cyclist Dave Clifton was almost hit by the black Audi A3 on a road in Clapham.

The Met Police has appealed to find the "dangerous" driver, who sped away in reverse from an officer during the row, at about 08:00 BST last Wednesday.

"Luckily no-one was seriously injured or even killed by this reckless driver," Det Con James Preston said.

The row began at traffic lights close to Clapham North Station, when the driver stopped and started yelling.

Mr Clifton said the driver appeared to be "picking on everybody" in the "bizarre" altercation
After driving off he swerved into a bus lane, where he nearly hit IT consultant Mr Clifton, 50, before stopping at another set of lights and throwing debris out of the car window at him.

"When the lights turned green, the driver turned his car towards the victim and drove at him at speed before changing direction," a police spokesman said.

Seconds later the Audi was driven onto a side street where a witness told the force he almost hit another cyclist.

The driver then mounted the pavement where a group of cyclists had gathered and he drove at them, apparently telling them "it's a stolen car".

Follow link for the video
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-45079207

Rechuchote · 06-08-2018 03:42PM

Muahahaha wrote: »

'Seconds later the Audi was driven…'

Audi…

greenspurs · 15-08-2018 07:59AM

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/fianna-fail-says-shane-ross-lacks-the-will-to-implement-cycling-legislation-862151.html

Bad news, hardly unexpected though ?:rolleyes:

07Lapierre · 15-08-2018 08:17AM

I doubt FF would do any better to be honest!

Harrybelafonte · 15-08-2018 10:00AM

I despise Ross, but in fairness, was he not told that it could not legally be implemented?

benneca1 · 15-08-2018 10:32AM

Lot of unimplementable laws point is not to prosecute it is to encourage awareness. Driving without due care and attention in pretty arbitrary but is enforced and used. Comes down to a lack of political will for whatever reason. If however it were modified to only apply in 30 zones and 80 Km zones might have as much an effect and do more good.

magicbastarder · 15-08-2018 10:36AM

MPD threads merged

AndrewJRenko · 15-08-2018 11:38AM

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I despise Ross, but in fairness, was he not told that it could not legally be implemented?

Dunno, but if that is the case, shouldn't he have checked that out BEFORE he said that "minimum passing distance law would be introduced as an overtaking offence through secondary legislation in a matter of weeks."

Rechuchote · 17-08-2018 05:09PM

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I despise Ross, but in fairness, was he not told that it could not legally be implemented?

They somehow manage to implement minimum passing distance in 42 jurisdictions. Are the Gardaí especially fragile?

magicbastarder · 17-08-2018 05:59PM

Again, are those distance specific laws actively or passively enforced? As in, are they enforced by plain clothes officers on bikes, or can a video be used if submitted by a member of the public? I've seen the former, but no evidence of the latter.

If a generic 'unsafe pass' law was implemented instead, it would be easier to prosecute based on a video submission, surely.

ED E · 17-08-2018 06:08PM

Unsafe passing is covered under due care, just missing the willingness to enforce any traffic law less than drink/tax.

Corca Baiscinn · 17-08-2018 07:45PM

magicbastarder wrote: »

Again, are those distance specific laws actively or passively enforced? As in, are they enforced by plain clothes officers on bikes, or can a video be used if submitted by a member of the public? I've seen the former, but no evidence of the latter.

If a generic 'unsafe pass' law was implemented instead, it would be easier to prosecute based on a video submission, surely.

Think enforcement varies hugely, don't know re submitting camera evidence in the 47 jurisdictions, but I think you're making an important point re an "unsafe pass" law. Seems to be what DTTAS is now proposing, one specific to overtaking a bicycle but not specifying any definite distance. However, if it does come to pass it will be hopeless unless camera evidence can be submitted easily, like WMP allow and encourage. . If we're reliant on a garda having to observe the close pass it will be hopeless. People on these threads have described ahaving to jump through hoops to have video evidence submitted and considered so there would have to be both funding and a culture change in the Garda for it to happen

sy_flembeck · 17-08-2018 10:46PM

Corca Baiscinn wrote: »

Think enforcement varies hugely, don't know re submitting camera evidence in the 47 jurisdictions, but I think you're making an important point re an "unsafe pass" law. Seems to be what DTTAS is now proposing, one specific to overtaking a bicycle but not specifying any definite distance. However, if it does come to pass it will be hopeless unless camera evidence can be submitted easily, like WMP allow and encourage. . If we're reliant on a garda having to observe the close pass it will be hopeless. People on these threads have described ahaving to jump through hoops to have video evidence submitted and considered so there would have to be both funding and a culture change in the Garda for it to happen

I have rung Traffic Watch for two separate complaints (both in same area) and provided video evidence both times and not only was it accepted each time it was encouraged by the Gardai in question. Perhaps it's a case of who you happen to get to deal with your complaint. As it happend the two Guards I got were very proactive.

AndrewJRenko · 17-08-2018 10:57PM

magicbastarder wrote: »

Again, are those distance specific laws actively or passively enforced? As in, are they enforced by plain clothes officers on bikes, or can a video be used if submitted by a member of the public? I've seen the former, but no evidence of the latter.

If a generic 'unsafe pass' law was implemented instead, it would be easier to prosecute based on a video submission, surely.

Several of the UK police forces have a portal to allow people to submit video clips of traffic offences. It's not particularly targeted at or restricted to close passing.

Wishbone Ash · 17-08-2018 11:53PM

benneca1 wrote: »

Lot of unimplementable laws point is not to prosecute it is to encourage awareness. Driving without due care and attention in pretty arbitrary but is enforced and used....

Anytime I read of anyone being prosecuted for 'driving without due care and attention', it always seems to be when the offence has been witnessed by a Garda. I'm sure, if a Garda witnessed a close pass, they would be no problem but unfortunately, they don't witness 99.99% of them.

buffalo · 18-08-2018 09:52AM

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/a-two-way-street-for-passing-bicycles-1.3599603

I assume that if the Minister for Transport is going to try to introduce a minimum passing distance that it will apply both ways and cyclists will not be able to overtake /pass out a car without staying clear by the minimum distance.

There is no facepalm big enough.

magicbastarder · 18-08-2018 10:16AM

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Several of the UK police forces have a portal to allow people to submit video clips of traffic offences. It's not particularly targeted at or restricted to close passing.

yes, but this is the key question; is a prosecution in any of these 47 jurisdictions allowed - where the prosecution is based on passing within a specific distance - without a direct measurement of that distance?
or was it passed to enable proactive police campaigns?

Rechuchote · 18-08-2018 10:17AM

Letters like this are great - they provide fuel for us in demanding a safe, separated, protected cycling network (which of course would get more people cycling too).

magicbastarder · 18-08-2018 11:36AM

buffalo wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/a-two-way-street-for-passing-bicycles-1.3599603

There is no facepalm big enough.

that link led me to this letter, which is a corker. nothing to do with cycling, though.
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/time-to-switch-to-the-left-1.3599595

Rechuchote · 18-08-2018 11:44AM

magicbastarder wrote: »

that link led me to this letter, which is a corker. nothing to do with cycling, though.
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/time-to-switch-to-the-left-1.3599595

It would lead to an initial cost but then huge economies of scale if the whole world drove on the same side of the road, rather than half on the left and half on the right as now.

magicbastarder · 18-08-2018 12:15PM

that's a car dealer coming up with that idea. boom time for him.
especially when it comes to replacing all the cars destroyed in the pileups at the border.

Corca Baiscinn · 18-08-2018 05:38PM

magicbastarder wrote: »

that's a car dealer coming up with that idea. boom time for him.
especially when it comes to replacing all the cars destroyed in the pileups at the border.

Yea, he acknowledges where he's coming from. Wonder will imports from UK be more costly or difficult though. Huge numbers being brought in at the minute because of favourable exchange rate, will be interesting to see what happens. not sure I'll be personally affected, my next car when current one dies might be an e-bike!

magicbastarder · 02-09-2018 10:27PM

meeting on tomorrow in phibsboro about PT & cycling, hosted by the labour party.
i suspect it will be dominated by talk on bus connects.

for those not on facebook, it's in st. peter's parish hall, from 8pm to 10pm.

Join us with your views. We will have expert speakers on cycling, disability access on public transport and an overview of the
BusConnects project.
Speakers include:
Joe Costello, Spokesperson on Urban Regeneration
Marie Sherlock, Local Area Representative
Declan Meenagh, Local Area Representative
David O'Connor, Dublin Institute of Technology
John Murphy, SIPTU Official, Dublin Bus
Dublin Cycling Campaign Speaker (tbc)

https://www.facebook.com/events/1155655971253159/

magicbastarder · 16-09-2018 09:13AM

i bike dublin getting up to some fun in phobsborough yesterday:

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/dublin-cycling-activists-clamping/

silverharp · 16-09-2018 11:05AM

is it illegal to park a car on a cycle lane? i see enough examples of it

AndrewJRenko · 16-09-2018 12:25PM

silverharp wrote: »

is it illegal to park a car on a cycle lane? i see enough examples of it

It is illegal to park on a mandatory cycle lane (continuous white line), or on any pavement.

Rechuchote · 16-09-2018 08:49PM

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

It is illegal to park on a mandatory cycle lane (continuous white line), or on any pavement.

Unless - like the mandatory cycle lane (continuous white line) on Harold's Cross Road where they're building the unfortunately-named St Pancras development - that lane coexists with parking spots painted over it…

Safer cycling, we can make a difference /MPDL thread

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