Journalism and cycling

ED E · 30-01-2019 06:21PM

1. No. https://twitter.com/IBikeOulu/status/1088414976988102656

2. DCC built a ramp into York Road to facilitate such a move. The cyclist is getting away from lines of HGVs. If any Garda would like to question that they'll get a lovely dressing down from a judge.

Duffryman · 30-01-2019 06:29PM

Okay, so the right turn that I wondered about seems to be fine. I'm a culchie myself, not particularly familiar with the more 'intimate' details of Dublin roads and junctions, and certainly didn't know about that one.

But I'm not sure a short video clip from some guy in Finland properly addresses the first question.....

ozt9vdujny3srf · 30-01-2019 06:38PM

ED E wrote: »

1. No. https://twitter.com/IBikeOulu/status/1088414976988102656.

Probably using snow/ice suitable tires. Have fallen off my bike on ice a couple of times. Comes out of nowhere. No harm in advising people to be careful, although obviously the stuff about motorist "not expecting" you is BS

CramCycle · 30-01-2019 07:13PM

Duckjob wrote: »

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.

Holy sh1t, how did it take them that long to mention he is on the cycle track. They make Newstalk look fair and reasonable.

Idleater · 30-01-2019 07:15PM

Ray Bloody Purchase wrote: »

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

It's true, last year in the snow I cycled the MTB into work and passed numerous vehicles stuck at the bottom and halfway up the hill. However, the council workers at the top with their tractor were definitely *not* expecting anyone up there, as they informed me as I passed :-)

ED E · 30-01-2019 07:33PM

Memphis Immense Armband wrote: »

Probably using snow/ice suitable tires.

Many do, more don't. 28/30mm utility tyres on banger bikes are common up there.

CramCycle · 30-01-2019 07:34PM

Idleater wrote: »

It's true, last year in the snow I cycled the MTB into work and passed numerous vehicles stuck at the bottom and halfway up the hill. However, the council workers at the top with their tractor were definitely *not* expecting anyone up there, as they informed me as I passed :-)

Like the guy last year who told me I was mental for being out on the bike, after I had helped push a stuck car (and that wasn't the only one), and right before he snotted himself.

monument · 30-01-2019 09:09PM

Duffryman wrote: »

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?

Remembering you Cycle Bus posts and then looking back on your previous posts, you sure do a lot of devil’s advocacy.

tomasrojo · 30-01-2019 09:27PM

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????

"Need" in inverted commas.

They're so weird.

Duffryman · 30-01-2019 09:35PM

monument wrote: »

Remembering you Cycle Bus posts and then looking back on your previous posts, you sure do a lot of devil’s advocacy.

Well...are they not valid questions? Do you not like it when somebody expresses an opinion or puts forward a suggestion for discussion that doesn't tie in nicely with your own views or that might challenge a comfy status quo? Why do you feel the need to look back on somebody's previous posts, instead of taking each point raised at face value?

Basically, can you not at least even consider a different point of view, even if you don't agree with it? Certainly looks that way if you're having a go at me for just throwing a couple of observations/questions/suggestions out there.....

PS - have just noticed you're a moderator here. I'd have thought you therefore might have encouraged some healthy debate or discussion, nstead of trying to stifle it. But there you go....

AndrewJRenko · 30-01-2019 09:48PM

Idleater wrote: »

It's true, last year in the snow I cycled the MTB into work and passed numerous vehicles stuck at the bottom and halfway up the hill. However, the council workers at the top with their tractor were definitely *not* expecting anyone up there, as they informed me as I passed :-)

In the big snows of 2012 and 2013, I found I was much safer on the MTB with big chunky tyres going through the largely-cleared slushy roads, rather than walking on the paths with the impacted snow and ice.

Baron de Charlus wrote: »

Sigh. Sounds like it was written by the RSA.

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

Interesting to see the contrast in the latest RSA Expert article

https://www.independent.ie/life/motoring/car-news/golden-rules-of-lighting-up-your-car-so-you-see-and-are-seen-37736754.html

compared to their previous anti-cycling rants. In the previous 'swarming like bees' article, they noted that when it comes to breaking the law, there is no grey area. However, when it comes to motorists breaking the law by driving with no lights: "no one is doing this intentionally. It's an honest mistake"

It's hard to see this as anything other than blatant bias.

30-01-2019 09:53PM

Jesus wept , they feel the need to explain how DLRs work to people? People know how they work just fine, it's just their inattention and fecklessness thats the problem.

Last few days alone I'd say I flashed 5 or 6 cars because they were running on DLRs or no lights at all.

CramCycle · 30-01-2019 10:08PM

Duffryman wrote: »

Well...are they not valid questions? Do you not like it when somebody expresses an opinion or puts forward a suggestion for discussion that doesn't tie in nicely with your own views or that might challenge a comfy status quo? Why do you feel the need to look back on somebody's previous posts, instead of taking each point raised at face value?

Basically, can you not at least even consider a different point of view, even if you don't agree with it? Certainly looks that way if you're having a go at me for just throwing a couple of observations/questions/suggestions out there.....

Of course, and I can actually understand why the thought is there but I haven't found it to be true at all. In 2010, on a road bike, I put zip ties round my tyres and left work at about 3am during the big snow. I had taped a shovel to my cross bar as I planned to dig out my partners driveway on the way home. It is normally a 30 minute cycle, with the bad weather I expected about an hour. It took 6 hours, but not because I was in danger or cycling was dangerous, in fact the only dangerous cyclist was on the footpath. The reason it took me so long was I dug out several cars who had skidded into snow, stuck in driveways, I helped two girls get to their grannys funeral, I helped a Garda (on foot) get several cars out of side roads, dug out a person going to New Zealand to leave Ireland behind. I took my time and was prepared. It won't stop everything and won't prevent everything either but every issue on the road came from one of two things, lack of preparation or lack of patience.
My point is that if you cannot travel safely, or incapable of checking whether safe travel is likely, then either walk or stay at home, or contact someone else (single occupancy vehicles find it harder to push themselves out of trouble areas IMO). I watched the news today to see a load of people standing by the side of a road in cork giving out no one had come to help them yet after crashing. The worst bit was several of them had clearly only travelled a small distance from their house and were surprised the road was not usable, whereas I was surprised none of them had just walked out and checked.
Driving for work this morning and the number of cars with frozen windows and snow flying off the roof and into their field of view. Although interestingly, the best average driving I have seen for along time in general.

PS - have just noticed you're a moderator here. I'd have thought you therefore might have encouraged some healthy debate or discussion, nstead of trying to stifle it. But there you go....

PS, unless their posts are in bold, they are just regular posters. No different than you, I or anyone else here.

AndrewJRenko · 30-01-2019 10:13PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Jesus wept , they feel the need to explain how DLRs work to people? People know how they work just fine, it's just their inattention and fecklessness thats the problem.

I generally see one or two each day in winter, either running on DRLs or with fog lights on, or (as I saw earlier this week) all three brake lights on the whole time when driving.

But I disagree that they know how to work them. I've tapped a few windows to tell them they've no back lights, and they're generally totally surprised and confused. These are all newish cars, 2 or 3 years old. So they've spent say €20k - €50k on a new machine, and they haven't spent the 30 minutes or so checking it out so that they actually know how to operate it.

CramCycle · 30-01-2019 10:14PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Jesus wept , they feel the need to explain how DLRs work to people? People know how they work just fine, it's just their inattention and fecklessness thats the problem.

Last few days alone I'd say I flashed 5 or 6 cars because they were running on DLRs or no lights at all.

Listening to Off the Ball the other night and 3 of the 4 presenters admitted if their lights didn't come on automatically, they would probably forget to turn them on. At least the other one shook his head at them but FFS, DRLs in most cases are not even the legal minimum for driving at night, they often don't turn on the rear lights and are either just the parking lights or the parking plus auxillary lights. How do people not notice the complete lack of light from their vehicle further than 3 meters away.

CramCycle · 30-01-2019 10:16PM

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I generally see one or two each day in winter, either running on DRLs or with fog lights on, or (as I saw earlier this week) all three brake lights on the whole time when driving.

But I disagree that they know how to work them. I've tapped a few windows to tell them they've no back lights, and they're generally totally surprised and confused. These are all newish cars, 2 or 3 years old. So they've spent say €20k - €50k on a new machine, and they haven't spent the 30 minutes or so checking it out so that they actually know how to operate it.

I pointed it out to one person while at a red light and they were so confused, and kept saying they are on. They had no idea what DRLs were and genuinely believed the lights at the front were all they needed.

Duckjob · 30-01-2019 10:51PM

CramCycle wrote: »

Holy sh1t, how did it take them that long to mention he is on the cycle track. They make Newstalk look fair and reasonable.

Mr Smooth on the left makes Ivan Yates look like Barney. Imagine feeling secure and comfortable enough in your cyclist hate to go on record on national TV declaring proudly that you roar foul mouthed abuse out your window at people on bikes on a regular basis :eek:

Duckjob · 31-01-2019 10:06AM

Something about the cyclist overtaking distance law coming up this morning on Pat Kenny show on NewsTalk

Melodeon · 31-01-2019 10:07AM

Pat Kenny will be doing an item on the Minimum Passing Distance law sometime during today's show, Newstalk 9.00-12.00.

magicbastarder · 31-01-2019 11:31AM

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/images-of-the-day-1.3775135

second photo.

Ray Bloody Purchase · 31-01-2019 11:33AM

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/images-of-the-day-1.3775135

second photo.

That just about says it fcuking all.

Eamonnator · 31-01-2019 11:58AM

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/images-of-the-day-1.3775135

second photo.

Is that a dedicated cycle track?

What Username Guidelines · 31-01-2019 12:15PM

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/bus-driver-who-crashed-into-inspectors-car-was-seven-times-over-limit-37768403.html

Wonder did the chief inspector have to fill out a webform

A Dublin Bus driver was seven-and-a-half times over the legal drink-driving limit when he crashed his bus into a car belonging to his chief inspector.

William Kane (52), who has since been suspended from his job, took the "reckless decision" to drink alcohol before his shift as he had attended the funeral of a friend, Swords District Court heard.

While pulling out of Strand Road in Portmarnock, Co Dublin, he crashed the bus into the front of a car belonging to a chief inspector for Dublin Bus, who had parked his car nearby.

There were no passengers on the bus at the time, the court heard.

Kane gave gardaí a breath sample which showed he had 68mg of alcohol in his system per 100ml of breath.

The legal limit for a bus driver is 9mg.

The defendant, of Woodbine Park in Edenmore, Dublin 5, pleaded guilty to drink driving on Strand Road, Portmarnock, on November 21, 2018.

He has no previous convictions and has worked for Dublin Bus for more than two decades.

Defence barrister Barbara Fleming told the court the defendant worked as a bus driver for 25 years and had an unblemished record.

"He did notice a deterioration in his mental health and alcohol use but he had been alcohol-free for the 18 months prior to this incident," said Ms Fleming.

"He had been to the funeral of a friend prior to his shift and took the reckless decision to consume alcohol," she explained, adding there were no excuses for his actions.

"He is very lucky it didn't result in injuries and the bus was empty at the time," said Ms Fleming.

"He was shaken to the core and checked into St Pat's for five weeks and completed a residential treatment programme."

She said the married man's family were furious with him and said that he had been suspended from Dublin Bus pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

"He will never work as a bus driver again and has difficult times ahead as he was the main breadwinner of the family," she said.

The barrister added that the court was "not likely to see him again".

Judge Miriam Walsh commended the defendant for his early guilty plea and noted his family was standing by him and that he had attended rehabilitation.

She imposed a three-year driving ban, and convicted and fined him €450 for the offence.

De Bhál · 31-01-2019 12:24PM

What Username Guidelines wrote: »

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/bus-driver-who-crashed-into-inspectors-car-was-seven-times-over-limit-37768403.html

Wonder did the chief inspector have to fill out a webform

so a bus driver has a legal limit (of alcohol in the system)?? I assumed that would be zero.

magicbastarder · 31-01-2019 12:25PM

Eamonnator wrote: »

Is that a dedicated cycle track?

looks like the one along the grand canal?

Tombo2001 · 31-01-2019 12:25PM

What Username Guidelines wrote: »

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/bus-driver-who-crashed-into-inspectors-car-was-seven-times-over-limit-37768403.html

Wonder did the chief inspector have to fill out a webform

It is absolutely shocking that someone who worked as a driver at Dublin Bus could possibly think it was ok to show up for work that much over the limit.....

In my view, that goes beyond the individual; it is up to the organisation to ensure that its staff ALL know that this type of event could simply just not happen.......

(Having said that, I've heard of pilots doing same....).

amcalester · 31-01-2019 12:26PM

De Bhál wrote: »

so a bus driver has a legal limit?? I assumed that would be zero.

Its as close to zero that it may as well be, doesn't really allow for any alcohol to be taken.

check_six · 31-01-2019 12:33PM

Also, it should be mentioned that he hit a parked car. He wasn't menacing a human with a close pass or a brake check. He. Hit. A. Car! A pure sweet innocent car that never did anyone much wrong. Not some degenerate rolling around on two sleazy wheels. It all makes sense, see?
(Also, the boozing. Can't be doing that.)

Tombo2001 · 31-01-2019 12:35PM

check_six wrote: »

Also, it should be mentioned that he hit a parked car. He wasn't menacing a human with a close pass or a brake check. He. Hit. A. Car! A pure sweet innocent car that never did anyone much wrong. Not some degenerate rolling around on two sleazy wheels. It all makes sense, see?
(Also, the boozing. Can't be doing that.)

Funny enough, it never said the car collided with him.....

or that 'the driver of the bus was uninjured in the incident'.

Tombo2001 · 31-01-2019 12:37PM

(The car was not wearing a helmet at the time. Or Hi-Viz).

Journalism and cycling

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