Near Misses Thread Volume 2 (So close you can feel it)

It's also a cool story bro, just waiting for it to turn into the inevitable - there has been a hint already.

A near miss last week, for the driver involved, but not for me. I braked to avoid going over her bonnet and instead went over my handlebars.

I need some advice about this one. She was nice about it (albeit she started waffling about someone on the M50 with no lights on. I think she was in shock). But as far as I’m concerned this is 100% her fault. I had 2 bright front lights and was wearing multiple hi viz/yellow bits: she just didn’t look.

I’ve got sore ribs that are popping in and out, a smashed Garmin Edge 1030 and a smashed high end front light. I think the bike is ok but I’m going to get it looked at.

I stupidly only took her reg, rather than her insurance details or even her phone number. I was in pain and just wanted to get home. I’m guessing this leaves me no choice but to go to the Gardaí if I want to follow it up? I mainly want my equipment replaced. We’re talking €500 approx. for the light and the Garmin, and whatever the bike service ends up costing (it’s just a hybrid commuter). The ribs will heal and I can likely sort any medical bits myself, I work in the field. Any ideas how I can go about contacting her/her insurer, only having her reg? Could the guards help here?

Edit: I went to the Gardaí. I'm literally only looking to contact the driver/her insurer, but seems I've to make a statement etc. I'm taking the video down for now anyway. Moral of the story: get insurance and contact details at the scene.

Cheers. Presume I should just pay upfront for the replacement Garmin and lights and keep receipts? I should have receipts for the originals as well and I’ve photos of the smashed ones.

This was day 1 of running the new Fly 12 by the way! I had been running a GoPro at the front but got fed up with the poor battery life and had taken it off the bike!

I thought of this and went back and looked at Ciarán’s incident, then looked at my video a few times. The difference here (I think; I am not a lawyer) is that Ciarán was filtering on the inside of a line of traffic, with no cycle lane. I was actually travelling in a clear bus/cycle lane. Whatever argument could be made in Ciarán’s case about the driver not expecting him to be coming up the inside, this driver drove straight into a different traffic lane without looking.

I’m not suggesting either driver was in the right, but I just don’t see how this one could even make the argument that she had no expectation of oncoming traffic (and I don’t think she did, to be fair).

I don’t know and can’t tell from the video. I’ll have a listen back to the full aftermath audio later but I think it was both of us talking a bit of gibberish for the most part. Irrelevant anyway, as you say.

@Seth Brundle Re: the helmet. No. I didn’t land on my head. My side took the impact.

If you haven't been formally checked out by a medical professional and are not currently holding (a) receipt to prove assessment and (b) the diagnosis/assessment, then please get both as quickly as possible or a case will be much more difficult to pursue down the line.

Driver coming against me had to pull out around some eejit who had stopped on the corner of a junction to pick someone up. However, he then didn't pull back in onto his own side of the road and continued to drive toward me until I gave a shout.

It was then I realised I'm going to have to rein in the "**** hell"s while on the creche run.

Forgot to post this yesterday, but I saw a car almost get left hooked and then some pedestrians nearly taken out.

Weird situation, obviously the done thing at this junction (https://maps.app.goo.gl/17vEabkZSoU3QDEB6 - I'm not familiar with the area), but the left/straight lane queues and there's a short right lane. A little bit before the lights there's a left turn. All pretty residential.

A "steady stream" of vehicles overtake the queue to turn right (straddling the centre líne causing oncoming traffic to keep very left, but one hero cuts across the queue just as it has started to move, in that "make an orange/red light" kind of progress.

The car in front did well to spot the clown and braked immediately, and the pedestrians crossing did well to run the last few steps to finish crossing!

I was just about to cross but stood there gawking at the clown. Exchanged a :shrug: with the ashen faced driver.

Was cycling back from football with the young lad this morning. He's 8 and I'm trying to build up his confidence on the road when it's usually quiet. Needed to make a right turn to head up to the house, so I've been talking him through these - giving him notice what we're going to do etc., and he's been great at it. Anyway, this morning, coming up to the turn, there was a driver gunning to pass (despite something coming the other way) so I thought feck it let him go, and he did, fair enough. Looked over the shoulder again (was on the right of the lane at this stage with the young lad inside me), and there was another car behind but hanging back as the oncoming car was just passing, so I signalled that I was going to go right. Thanks be to Jaysus I looked over the shoulder again, cause the bellend behind had gone regardless - regardless of road positioning, the fact a child was involved, signalling, the lot. He had some choice words thrown in his wake which thankfully the wind prevented small ears from making out

WTF, I heard of that assault and resulting permanent disability but not of the subsequent court case. Hard to see how she can loose the case with registration given by an independent witness and the scumbag then admitting to the offense. Judicial system is seriously messed up.

If you use the N4 cycle track, depending on the direction and the junction, every time you come to a slip road for an off-ramp, you have to stop, turn your head 180 degrees to check for fast-moving traffic from behind, wait for a gap, and then proceed. And likewise for the on-ramp slip road on the other side of the junction.

Or worse, you have to proceed uphill up the slip road and wait at the traffic lights at the top to proceed straight through to go down the other side and rejoin.

I cycled the N4 once to test it for the commute, it's horrible no matter how you use it. I go through Lucan village and along the Strawberry Beds instead now, and out through Phoenix Park. Apart from a few speed bumps, it's much more pleasant and far less traffic. Still the occasional close pass of course.

As others have said it's having to cede right of way at every junction that is the problem, especially if you're clipped in. Slip roads on the N3/4/7 etc would be a nightmare I'd imagine. My own experience on the Waterford ring road which is an 80km/h dual carriageway with roundabouts is that when decided to give the similar "cycle track" on the footpath (no segregation or markings as seen on the left below) a go back in the day, you have to stop at the crossing point to the left of the silver car, At that point it's difficult to see if anything is turning left since you're halfway round the turn yourself at this point, so it's stop and check (unclipping usually). Then you need to get the the small island just before the blue car - making sure you're not taken out of it by drivers turning right at speed from the opposite direction (it's blind - note the shrubbery). Then finally get across the last bit and continue to the same thing at the next roundabout. It got very old very quickly (plus it's dangerous) so I've stayed on the main carriageway ever since so I only have to worry about normal roundabout rules from the right now. And don't get me started with the dog on an extendible string brigade!

+1, had a Bus Éireann driver pull in on top of me at Usher's Quay just after Mellow's Bridge junction where the cycle lane disappears. Slapped the side of the bus a couple of times but he continued to encroach and force me towards the kerb, slapped the back of the bus again as now had no room and had to stop but he continued on. He was stopped at the lights outside Guinness so I pulled up in the cycle lane beside him and opened the bus doors so he had to get out to reset. I asked him to explain his driving and forcing me off the road to where is only response was he didn't, one seriously ignorant and dangerous driver. Lights had well gone green at this stage so he closed the door and climbed back into his seat when I turned the door open level again and just said we'll see what his employer would say. Didn't bother reporting but hopefully the lost time and inconvenience might get him to think of what had he to gain.

The first fcuker should be taken out of that car and bet around the road in front of everyone. What if a toddler shot out of one of those driveways.

Trying to decide if I should go to the hassle of reporting this. I've rewatched it so many times it dosnt seem as bad now.