Dummy opening post
Happens all the time on cycle lanes, they're just too narrow to allow 2-a-breast cycling, unlike in places like the Netherlands where they're built well, there's always issues on cycle lanes such as the Clontarf to Howth lanes, which have multiple pinch points and shared pedestrian areas..
Just got left hooked at lunchtime. Travelling from the bottom of the photo towards the top, where the yellow line is, on the new protected cycle lane.
Fella pulled out almost on top of me where the red line is. I gesticulated, and he put up his hand in what I considered a conciliatory manner.
I continued straight on, he pulled out after I passed. We both reached the junction with the blue line, and as I continued straight on, he proceeded to left hook me. Close run thing not to end up over his bonnet. Cue emergency braking and much shouting from me.
Closest one I've had in a long while
did he stop?
yeah, we both ended up stopped at the junction, but only momentarily. I sort of kept going after shouting at him, and it only really sank in how close it was 15 or 20 yards up the road
They spent a lot of money for cyclists only to inhibit a cyclist from taking the primary position and protecting themselves when they most need it at junction.
The reroute in behind the parking area/bus stop to hide you from dopey drivers on approach to junction for extra bonus points
In fairness, they've done the thing where the road is raised at the junction so the cycle lane continues unbroken, and it's protected right up until the junction.
I agree with dipping behind the parking section, but at the end of the day, if drivers aren't watching for you, they're not going to see you regardless of the situation.
I mean, this guy nearly hit me, then made eye contact, then overtook me, all within 30 seconds of very nearly hitting me again
I don’t typically get spooked by close passes but 3 out of the last 4 days I’ve had people cut it so close I’ve genuinely felt in proper danger. I’m not talking about a couple of feet where a bit of consideration could have been given I’m talking a couple of millimeters away from a wing mirror clipping me. The one today was particularly bad I was ghost white when I got home
f*!kin' pr|ck of a DB driver in Sandymount this morning, right on my wheel all the way from the village to Irishtown then passed me by inches and pulled back in on top of me. He was out of service too, no doubt in a hurry back to the depot for a coffee. I chased after him (not easy on a Bleeper bike) but he turned off towards the Eastlink just as I caught up.
5 minutes earlier an old wan in ancient banger had skimmed me coming into Sandymount village, as she weaved back into the lane she clipped a parked car with her wing mirror. Good weather, shite driving.
Been a nice couple of weeks cycling until this evening and this below. Barely any effort made to cross the continuous white line and no oncoming cars as evident by the car behind which had no issues. Two rear lights which I run year round and the fabled high vis all to no avail.
Will lodge a report on the new Garda portal with a link to the video to see what they have to say. Road policing is not all about speed detection on token national slow down days. Cycling through the Phoenix Park the past few evenings and there must be nearly 20% of drivers on hand held phones.
That's a classic case of a driver with a burning dislike of cyclists trying to teach you a lesson.
After weeks of almost zero incidents the last few days have dumped a load on me.
With all that said, there are plenty of really decent and courteous drivers out there - including one who could have completed her turn left as she had plenty of time and space to do so, but being aware that I was travelling in the same direction straight ahead, she just waited with her indicator on until I'd passed. I get a few of those every commute and always make a point of acknowledging them. Makes it much easier to deal with the Asshats.
100 decent drivers aren't going to save you from the 1 prick who knocks you off your bike. My observation is that, whilst there's always inattentive, oblivious drivers; most of the problems are caused by (often inexplicable) impatience. Like WTF is the rush to get to the next set of lights or to overtake me to get up to the bumper of the car in front. Idiots will happily sit in a queue of traffic for an hour, but 10 seconds stuck behind a bike and they go insane!
First time I came off the bike in years yesterday evening. I'm very interested to hear what people's take is on this incident.
In case it isn't obvious on video, I'm coming down (quite a long) hill. My Garmin had me at 48.5 km/hr when I hit the brakes as hard as I could. The car is on the brakes constantly from passing me until the right-hand turn. They also leave their indicator running throughout the overtake and into the junction.
It's possible that I could have braked harder earlier, but I've ridden this road hundreds of times, and cars usually have to brake for the left-hand bend immediately beyond the junction.
Overtaking where they did, knowing they were going to have to stop immediately to go right, is moronic - doubly so as I was already going 50 in a 60 zone. But is there anything wrong with what the car does (in a Road Traffic / legal sense)?
is that the drop north out of ardcath - the right hand turn which would take you onto the road back towards stamullen?
edit: it's not.
Id have thought driving without due care and attention would be an offense here? Overtaking you only to brake immediately after the manoeuvre has to be seen as careless driving
Fair play on the nicely controlled drop into the ditch - no damage to rider or bike I hope.
Fairly awful overtake, though I wouldn't have huge confidence in the boys in blue doing anything about it.
Just a few nettle stings, but I'll take it. Stung a bit more that the car never bothered stopping to see if I was okay (the car immediately behind did, to be fair).
Almost looks on the video that I could have kept going, but my front wheel was in the grassy verge, so I was just trying to control it best I could. It was a case of pick a line, get on the brakes, and hope for the best.
I just can't get over the mentality of the driver - why bother overtaking? It just baffles me.
Why bother overtaking? Because drivers just can't stay behind cyclists. Hadn't you heard?
I'm cynical and I think that driver is cynical too. I believe that's a 100% purposeful brake check. Driver could have easily;
• Not overtaken you (no reason to overtake) • Turned earlier (no reason for the delay) • Not braked as hard (no reason)
One of those where the driver has no semblance of understanding of the situation. It's see cyclist, overtake cyclist, forget about cyclist immediately and think only about what's in front of them. Unfortunately there's loads like that around oblivious to how bad their driving is. They didn't stop because they hadn't a clue about what happened.
Glad you're ok.
Could report them for passing on the continuous white line, they shouldn't be overtaking there anyway coming into a junction/bend. If nothing else a few words from the garda will at least make them aware of the situation and the damage they could have done and maybe next time they'll be careful and not act so stupidly.
The new garda traffic watch portal is relatively hassle free, can't upload footage but you can include the above link in the text section.
Given the use of indicators and model of car, it just looks like classic s**te driving to me rather than anything malicious. As mentioned above, the type of driver who assumes as soon as they're past a cyclist that the cyclist ceases to exist. Was nearly left hooked a couple of weeks ago by a similar numpty.
Why in the name of god would you bother overtaking there knowing full well that you'll have to immediately brake for a right hand turn? God bless her, but it's the sort of thing my mother would do. Some people are just awful drivers and I don't know, other than reporting incidents to a disinterested policing body, what can be done to improve things.
I wouldn't say there was any malice there, but it's hard to tell I suppose.
It looks like pure dumbf*ckery at first glance. Hope you're ok, chalk it up to experience I guess is all you can do. Keep an eye out for that car in the locality - would be interesting to learn what kind of driver was behind the wheel.
Yeah, I'm inclined to ascribe that one to room-temperature IQ rather than malice. I was well into adult life before I realized how profoundly stupid a lot of people are.
No malice, doesn't that mean they shouldn't get a slap on the wrist so they realise.
Old man rant coming up, when I was learning to drive, my Dad went on alot about looking up the road, seeing the car 3 cars ahead, foreseeing what is likely or possible to happen.
I'd be of the opinion at this point some sort of psychometric testing to see if a person has that capability would be far more beneficial than the theory test.
Agree, and shouldn't be difficult to administer to be honest. Some (albeit private) operations out there now that offer reaction/vision/anticipation testing services for a range of occupations and/or clinical assessments.
I also have a feeling that the standard of driving instruction is in the toilet at the moment.
Driving instructor's job is to get you to pass the test - this is the same test where you can be penalised for not driving fast enough or leaving too big a gap to the car in front…
Inappropriately slow driving/fast driving are two sides of the poor awareness coin though, right?
Driving instructors take your money, and provide a service that one hopes gets the student to a point they can have a reasonable shot at the national driving test.
Compared to how it's managed elsewhere in the EU it's a joke here.
twice this week I've found myself on the R755 road between Kilmac and Laragh and both occassions have confirmed why I normally avoid it, it's just a procession of dangerous passes and impatient assholes.
Yesterday 3 cars passed us coming out of Laragh straight into the face of oncoming traffic - the first one might have just about had enough time to get by, but the other 2 followed like lemmings. The cars coming the other way were also overtaking cyclists! If they'd all waited just 5 seconds they'd have all had a clear road to pass on.
Pretty quiet in here of late, well it wasn't quiet this morning at 06:30 on the Dublin quays due to this Taxi driver trying intimidation tactics with his vehicle. A crap intersection where the cycle lane changes from one side of the road to another across two lanes but traffic was slow moving. Have sent a complaint to the Taxi regulator quoting page 65 of the RSA Rules of the Road:
"Do not use a horn in a built-up area between 11.30 at night and 7 in the morning unless there is a traffic emergency. REMEMBER You must drive having due regard to other road users."
Hopefully they give him some grief. He was roaring out the window further on that he had a customer as witness.
The customer witness could be handy all right;
https://www.transportforireland.ie/support/taxi-consumer-complaints/
They'll try to palm you off to the Gardai for any 'traffic offence' so make it clear that you're not complaining to them about any traffic offence, you're complaining 'The conduct, behaviourof an SPSV driver' specifically 'acting in a manner that is perceived to be a nuisance or to cause offence to any person'.
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