Journalism and cycling

AndrewJRenko · 28-01-2019 06:40PM

It will be on the telly too

https://twitter.com/Tupp_Ed/status/1089928072084815872?s=19

Muahahaha · 28-01-2019 08:01PM

It was on the 6.1 news, they showed around 7 or 8 clips of close passes by drivers and then went on to show a Garda tweet saying not to post clips online and go report it instead, data protection given as the reason.

Hurrache · 28-01-2019 08:10PM

The Gardai backed down on their data protection excuses when providing a statement to RTE.

They're now citing that they believe there's an inheritant danger in posting videos to social media. Yup, they're more concerned with virtual danger as opposed to the danger caught on camera.

I found it amusing there was an ad for giving 1.5 metres when passing cyclists during the subsequent ad break.

28-01-2019 08:12PM

No mention of the same message for drivers? By virtue of numbers there are far, far more dashcam videos posted.

ED E · 28-01-2019 08:13PM

Gardai don't care about GDPR. Gardai don't care about social media faux-vigilantism.

They're worried about this

Garda accused of ‘embarrassing’ failure to enforce cycle lanes
I Bike Dublin says it found 491 instances of motorists parking in cycle lanes in a week

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/garda-accused-of-embarrassing-failure-to-enforce-cycle-lanes-1.3333922

But if they wanna play that game the above is exactly what they'll get.

Muahahaha · 28-01-2019 08:20PM

Yeah find the GDPR excuse a bit nauseating myself. Posting footage of a car driving dangerously and doing a close pass on a cyclist does not identify who was behind the wheel, only the make/model/reg plate of the car.

In any case people should be reporting these incidents to the Gardai, posting it online only won't really improve anything

Seth Brundle · 28-01-2019 08:31PM

Muahahaha wrote: »

In any case people should be reporting these incidents to the Gardai, posting it online only won't really improve anything

I think that's the issue.
Many people aren't bothering going to the gardai because they've learnt from experience that the gardai will not give it any amount of priority.

magicbastarder · 28-01-2019 08:33PM

maybe it's time for a #gardaididntcare hashtag.
specifically for incidents that the gardai won't deal with.

Muahahaha · 28-01-2019 09:39PM

Seth Brundle wrote: »

I think that's the issue.
Many people aren't bothering going to the gardai because they've learnt from experience that the gardai will not give it any amount of priority.

yeah definitely seems to be a problem. As MB said maybe it is time for a co-ordinated campaign on non action from the Gardai to careless & dangerous driving

Corca Baiscinn · 28-01-2019 09:48PM

magicbastarder wrote: »

maybe it's time for a #gardaididntcare hashtag.
specifically for incidents that the gardai won't deal with.

Apart from the "won't deal with" what David Ó Laighneáin seems to be saying on twitter & on that news clip and indeed people on the Near Miss thread here too is that the reporting is time-consuming and cumbersome, you have to provide your video on usb, have to go to station, only the original garda can give you an update and given the pattern of garda shift-work he/she can be impossible to get hold of' so many people give up reporting altogether. That was contrasted with the simplicity of uploading a clip directly to #WMPRHRD and other UK forces.

Couple that with reports of people being told by a garda "you could just go around the car" and it's no wonder people vent their frustration on SM where at least fellow cyclists will sympathise

ED E · 28-01-2019 10:28PM

Unless its pretty significant (near death experience) AGS won't act so nobody bothers. A huge proportion of the images posted are #FreeTheCycleLanes which is a minor violation that shouldn't require reporting each instance of. We're literally watching Garda RPU cars drive past them.

Some of them get it, but not many.
https://twitter.com/GardaTraffic/status/1082723312625700865

jjpep · 28-01-2019 10:29PM

Muahahaha wrote: »

yeah definitely seems to be a problem. As MB said maybe it is time for a co-ordinated campaign on non action from the Gardai to careless & dangerous driving

Yep, fully support this. I'm sick of feeling like a sucker for following the rules and watching other people do stupid things and get away with it.

Ferris · 29-01-2019 12:25AM

Corca Baiscinn wrote: »

reporting is time-consuming and cumbersome, you have to provide your video on usb, have to go to station, only the original garda can give you an update and given the pattern of garda shift-work he/she can be impossible to get hold of' so many people give up reporting altogether.

Gave a statement that day on a close one pass that occurred on the 10th Jan, reported on the 16th, contacted by a Garda on Friday and statement given with a usb containing a vid today. Agreed the usb piece is a bit odd but overall it was relatively painless and the Gardaí involved were sound. Once the behavior is there it’s more likely that a less wasteful process could be implemented in future.

mr spuckler · 29-01-2019 09:37AM

Ferris wrote: »

Gave a statement that day on a close one pass that occurred on the 10th Jan, reported on the 16th, contacted by a Garda on Friday and statement given with a usb containing a vid today. Agreed the usb piece is a bit odd but overall it was relatively painless and the Gardaí involved were sound. Once the behavior is there it’s more likely that a less wasteful process could be implemented in future.

I've also had a positive (ish) experience when reporting. Garda himself was sound and showed real concern (he used to race so there was a connection for him) but the whole process itself took an inordinate amount of time. reported in December 2017, only made it to court in September 2018. she pleaded guilty to careless driving and afaik didn't even get penalty points because her barrister came up with some restorative justice alternative, which the Garda told me afterwards that he's never head of wrt to driving offences.

buffalo · 29-01-2019 10:07AM

mr spuckler wrote: »

I've also had a positive (ish) experience when reporting. Garda himself was sound and showed real concern (he used to race so there was a connection for him) but the whole process itself took an inordinate amount of time. reported in December 2017, only made it to court in September 2018. she pleaded guilty to careless driving and afaik didn't even get penalty points because her barrister came up with some restorative justice alternative, which the Garda told me afterwards that he's never head of wrt to driving offences.

Wouldn't restorative justice involve you, and therefore you'd have to accept it?

mr spuckler · 29-01-2019 10:15AM

buffalo wrote: »

Wouldn't restorative justice involve you, and therefore you'd have to accept it?

you'd think so from the name, while I wasn't the victim I was the only witness / complainant. as I said the Garda had never heard of this approach for a driving case and I've certainly never heard anything since as a follow-up...
I think even though that's the name the barrister gave to it that it may be more of an education / corrective approach without the severity of an endorsement & conviction which would have automatically applied otherwise.

Duckjob · 29-01-2019 11:09AM

mr spuckler wrote: »

I've also had a positive (ish) experience when reporting. Garda himself was sound and showed real concern (he used to race so there was a connection for him) but the whole process itself took an inordinate amount of time. reported in December 2017, only made it to court in September 2018. she pleaded guilty to careless driving and afaik didn't even get penalty points because her barrister came up with some restorative justice alternative, which the Garda told me afterwards that he's never head of wrt to driving offences.

Isn't that, the whole reporting problem in a nutshell though?

I mean, you were thankfully lucky in your experience, but having a decent shot at getting justice shouldn't depend on happening upon a guard that used to race, or is a keen cyclist himself, or whose wife is a keen cyclist, etc etc.
Anybody should be able to walk into any garda station, and make a complaint and it should be followed up in a standard procedure. It most certainly should not be down to the personal pro/ambivalent/anti attitudes of individual gardai towards cyclists as it seems to be right now.

mr spuckler · 29-01-2019 11:15AM

Duckjob wrote: »

Isn't that, the whole reporting problem in a nutshell though?

I mean, you were thankfully lucky in your experience, but having a decent shot at getting justice shouldn't depend on happening upon a guard that used to race, or is a keen cyclist himself, or whose wife is a keen cyclist, etc etc.
Anybody should be able to walk into any garda station, and make a complaint and it should be followed up in a standard procedure. It most certainly should not be down to the personal pro/ambivalent/anti attitudes of individual gardai towards cyclists as it seems to be right now.

I fully agree and that's why I mentioned it. I've no doubt it'd have been more difficult if it was your average Garda.
he also mentioned that he doesn't & wouldn't cycle anymore because he feels it's not safe enough...

check_six · 29-01-2019 11:51AM

Duckjob wrote: »

Isn't that, the whole reporting problem in a nutshell though?

I mean, you were thankfully lucky in your experience, but having a decent shot at getting justice shouldn't depend on happening upon a guard that used to race, or is a keen cyclist himself, or whose wife is a keen cyclist, etc etc.
Anybody should be able to walk into any garda station, and make a complaint and it should be followed up in a standard procedure. It most certainly should not be down to the personal pro/ambivalent/anti attitudes of individual gardai towards cyclists as it seems to be right now.

One can only imagine:
"I reported a bank heist in progress. Fortunately, the guard I reported it to was a big fan of buddy cop movies and had every episode of The Bill on VHS so they got right on it!"

Corca Baiscinn · 29-01-2019 08:59PM

Ferris wrote: »

Gave a statement that day on a close one pass that occurred on the 10th Jan, reported on the 16th, contacted by a Garda on Friday and statement given with a usb containing a vid today. Agreed the usb piece is a bit odd but overall it was relatively painless and the Gardaí involved were sound. Once the behavior is there it’s more likely that a less wasteful process could be implemented in future.

It's really great to hear that but from reading here and elsewhere it seems to depend very much on what garda you meet on the day as to whether you'll get a sympathetic hearing or not

Ray Bloody Purchase · 30-01-2019 03:16PM

Cyclists and Motorcyclists are advised;

Motorcyclists / Cyclists should not compromise their safety by their ‘need’ to travel in icy/snow conditions. Cancel your journey or take alternative transport.

Visibility is reduced in snowy conditions so cyclists should wear a Sam Browne Bandoleer belt or high visibility vest and ensure the lights on your bike are working correctly.
.
Remember other road users may not ‘expect’ you and could therefore comprise your safety

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/winter-ready-how-to-stay-safe-when-temperatures-plummet-37765460.html

Other road users may not 'expect' you??? WTF. At the very least, one would imagine road users would 'expect' other road users????

Chips Lovell · 30-01-2019 03:18PM

Sigh. Sounds like it was written by the RSA.

....Oh wait, quelle surprise, it was written by them!

mr spuckler · 30-01-2019 03:28PM

Ray Bloody Purchase wrote: »

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/winter-ready-how-to-stay-safe-when-temperatures-plummet-37765460.html

Other road users may not 'expect' you??? WTF. At the very least, one would imagine road users would 'expect' other road users????

so at no point does it advise motorists to ensure their windows are fully clear of snow / frost to ensure maximum field of vision, not does it tell them to be extra vigilant for VRUs...

magicbastarder · 30-01-2019 03:31PM

'motorists: show respect to cyclists in these weather conditions, cos if they're out in this sort of weather, they're well 'ard and will take no ****e from you'

Macy0161 · 30-01-2019 04:17PM

mr spuckler wrote: »

so at no point does it advise motorists to ensure their windows are fully clear of snow / frost to ensure maximum field of vision, not does it tell them to be extra vigilant for VRUs...

Especially make sure the roof is clear so it doesn't slide down onto the windscreen.

Have any of these articles ever pointed out that drivers should be driving at a speed they can safely stop in the distance they can see. Kinda deals with the "may not be expecting you" aspect quite well!

ED E · 30-01-2019 05:38PM

Watch the icing.

https://twitter.com/CitizenW0lf/status/1090387691731120128

randomname2005 · 30-01-2019 05:48PM

ED E wrote: »

Watch the icing.

https://twitter.com/CitizenW0lf/status/1090387691731120128

They do well to hold that. It almost looks like they are about to start signaling, and have one hand off the bars when they start to slide. Fair play.

Duckjob · 30-01-2019 05:50PM

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/video-driver-recording-abusing-cyclists-didnt-realise-cops/?fbclid=IwAR24F7T9XHt7UqsRDrowBWoYa8Z3n72xEBWkkc3Ws2PlWxpXbimwkJI_vL0

The news discussion left me gobsmacked as they spent it debating whether or not the cyclists should be allowed to use the road, instead of talking about which planet the drivers driving licence should be posted to.

I guess I shouldn't be so shocked is its from Aus, but then again, I think that sort of nonsense discourse is kindof where we're headed now unless something is done to reverse the current toxic culture.

ED E · 30-01-2019 06:01PM

randomname2005 wrote: »

It almost looks like they are about to start signaling

Yeah, hand was just off. Nasty right turn to get off the Eastlink too.

Duffryman · 30-01-2019 06:10PM

ED E wrote: »

Watch the icing.

https://twitter.com/CitizenW0lf/status/1090387691731120128

I’m going to play devil’s advocate here, and throw out two questions for discussion:

1 – Does this not actually go to show there’s some merit in that advice that was being criticised earlier on today (that cyclists should re-think whether or not to go cycling at all in icy conditions)? A bike with two narrow tyres is more susceptible to skids than another vehicle with four or more wider tyres.

2 – Anybody else wondering about the right turn the person with the camera takes at the end of the clip? Crosses a continuous white line to do so. Looks like turning right at a place where no right turns allowed?

Journalism and cycling

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