Run in with an undercover garda

Quentinkrisp · 16-03-2011 12:02AM #1

I have to say I've a serious cycling addict, Since January i've been to cycling to work nearly every day, rain or shine and loving the feeling of accomplishment it gives me:Dmy route takes me through tara street towards clontarf.

Today, however, I wasn't in the best of moods and was cycling up tara street, i was on the broken white line between the two lines and had the headphones in, was kind of lost in my own world. A car then beeped me and acting instinctively I gave the driver the middle finger as he passed me by. he was on the inside lane, he slowed down ahead of me and then stopped, I firstly thought he was going to get out and start on me, but then I saw a red light flash on the back of his car and heard a loud piercing siren sound and instantly got the biggest 'oh ****' feeling i've had in a long time.

He then moved over to the curb and I cycled over to the window to see what he had to say, he started giving out to me and telling me i was in the wrong (fair enough) began saying stuff like 'were you born with a few brain cells missing?' (grey area with meas i suffer AS) and then asked me for something with my name on it.
I gave him my college ID, he looked at it and continued to tick me off before handing back my college ID and driving off.

I got a bit of a shock out of the whole thing obviously. The whole point of this story is: and what I want to know is, will that garda then ring up the college and get my address from them (he now knows what college i go to)
am i screwed?
will i be going to court for this?

Mods, feel free to move this to an appropriate forum if necessary. Fellow cyclists, i don't wish to tarnish your names with my carry on, I make it my business to obey traffic lights+avoid footpaths every time i cycle.

GTDolanator · 16-03-2011 12:07AM

second paragraph had me in stiches.Id say youl be fine sure the cop was prob in the same mood as you at that hour in the morning.<snip>

16-03-2011 12:09AM

You'll never hear any more about it

Penfailed · 16-03-2011 12:11AM

RoverJames wrote: »

You'll never hear any more about it

That's what I'm thinking too.

Beasty · 16-03-2011 12:14AM

Quentinkrisp wrote: »

kind of lost in my own world.

I think I see the problem right there;)

Quentinkrisp wrote: »

I gave the driver the middle finger as he passed me by.

Not a wise move;)

Quentinkrisp wrote: »

I got a bit of a shock out of the whole thing obviously.

Sounds like the guard's tactics worked;)

Quentinkrisp wrote: »

, will that garda then ring up the college and get my address from them (he now knows what college i go to)
am i screwed?
will i be going to court for this?

I doubt it - he would have taken your address there and then if he intended taking it further (no guarantees though;))

TheBunk1 · 16-03-2011 12:20AM

I'd be pretty sure you're not going to hear anymore about this but wtf were you doing cycling around with you're headphones on? Accident waiting to happen

TheBlaaMan · 16-03-2011 12:20AM

I'm open to correction, but I think a guard has to caution you under a specific part of the road traffic act if he intends to follow it up. You should be fine.........try to be a bit more chilled, though:D

Quentinkrisp · 16-03-2011 12:24AM

Cheers for the reassurances, i'll watch my step> as for the music, thats debatable. i will, however, take theblaaman's advice+chill

Dubba · 16-03-2011 12:25AM

Doubt the Guard would make anything out of it, especially since he wasn't in a squad car so you weren't meaningfully giving the law the finger.

CramCycle · 16-03-2011 12:34AM

Quentinkrisp wrote: »

I wasn't in the best of moods and was cycling up tara street, i was on the broken white line between the two lines and had the headphones in, was kind of lost in my own world. A car then beeped me and acting instinctively I gave the driver the middle finger as he passed me by.

Get rid of the headphones and focus on the world your in rather than a different one before you get back on the bike or the next vehicle to pull over to you with blue flashing lights will be an Ambulance.

To be honest you were lucky it was the gardai, plenty of lads with a mate in the passenger seat who would think nothing of beating 7 shades of sh1t out of you for being a d1ck when they were giving you a warning.

Not a personal slur to clarify, just characterising your behavior at the time.

Captain Havoc · 16-03-2011 12:46AM

Best thing is to always wave, if it's a friend, they'll think you're acknowledging them and if it's a cnut, they'll think you're winding them up.

delta_bravo · 16-03-2011 01:02AM

Dubba wrote: »

Doubt the Guard would make anything out of it, especially since he wasn't in a squad car so you weren't meaningfully giving the law the finger.

Regardless of who it is it probably is classified as disturbing the peace or something like that.

Nothing will probably come of it but you should learn to control yourself.

pmcd22 · 16-03-2011 02:50AM

Middle finger is never the best choice on any situation.. Feels right at the time. i got into the habit of doing it both in the car and on the bike.

But now I use the reverse tactics and give the happy wave. The polite way grinds people more than the middle finger. they are so used to the finger being thrown up, they cant react to a friendly wave which p****s them off more.

Lumen · 16-03-2011 07:40AM

Since when is it against the law to give someone the finger? Or wear headphones? Or filter through traffic?

Idleater · 16-03-2011 08:55AM

Lumen wrote: »

Since when is it against the law to give someone the finger?

It's not per sé, but it can be construed as incitement when taken with other actions such as shouting abuse.

That's what I was told years ago after a guard saw me do both when a taxi pulled in on me. He had choice words with the driver too but he said to tone down the actions in future.

nak · 16-03-2011 09:00AM

The gards seem to like making up the law sometimes; my husband was told last week that walking with your bike to the shop was illegal. It was a one way street, so he got off the bike at the lights and walked to spar. Was told if he was caught doing it again they would take the bike off him.

xz · 16-03-2011 09:13AM

You need to be a bit more chilled, It's like the adage of if you feel that you have nothing to smile about, smile anyway...... it p****s people off

Cabaal · 16-03-2011 09:27AM

nak wrote: »

The gards seem to like making up the law sometimes; my husband was told last week that walking with your bike to the shop was illegal. It was a one way street, so he got off the bike at the lights and walked to spar. Was told if he was caught doing it again they would take the bike off him.

If I was told that I honestly just wouldn't be abe to stop laughing at them, :pac:

Zulu · 16-03-2011 09:40AM

<snip>

Lumen · 16-03-2011 10:10AM

Idleater wrote: »

It's not per sé, but it can be construed as incitement when taken with other actions such as shouting abuse.

That's what I was told years ago after a guard saw me do both when a taxi pulled in on me. He had choice words with the driver too but he said to tone down the actions in future.

Incitement? What law is that? The 1989 Prohibition Of Incitement To Hatred Act?

I think you'd have to actually paint the finger on the Garda car, in bodily fluids, with an appropriate caption, to fall foul of that Act.

GlennaMaddy · 16-03-2011 10:14AM

Quentinkrisp wrote: »

...
will i be going to court for this? am i screwed

I'd say so, you should leave the country now while you have a chance

doozerie · 16-03-2011 10:25AM

Lumen wrote:

Incitement? What law is that?

A few months back I was told by a Garda that my giving the finger to a driver that was trying to park his car on the patch of road that I occupied was road rage. He followed me on his motorbike and pulled me over to expound upon the topic. He seemed to think that of the two "wrongs", my giving the finger was for more serious than a car trying to push me off the road. No, I don't understand it either but it does seem that the definition of "road rage" is quite broad in the Garda dictionary.

TinyExplosions · 16-03-2011 10:42AM

I go for the old "Blow them a kiss" gesture myself... much better than a finger

nak · 16-03-2011 10:43AM

Cabaal wrote: »

If I was told that I honestly just wouldn't be abe to stop laughing at them, :pac:

He laughed and went into shop, the garda came up to him again and told him his attitude stank and he would get arrested if he saw him doing anything out of line again. A bike is a vehicle, so you can't walk with it on the road or pavement. Using on-street bike parking must be illegal in that case.

I've been told that helmets are a legal requirement, as are lights at 10am on a sunny summer's day. A friend was told that there was a €500 fine for cycling along the luas tracks at harcourt st. Funnily enough they didn't try and fine him.

Chips Lovell · 16-03-2011 10:55AM

There was a poster, who can no longer visit here, who argued that giving the finger was a breach of the peace.

tomasrojo · 16-03-2011 10:55AM

I saw a Garda in Rathmines one day telling a man who looked as if he was from east Asia that helmets and high-visibility jackets were required. I think he'd started off telling him that he had to have lights as it was dark, which is certainly true, but then went off-piste a bit.

Jawgap · 16-03-2011 11:00AM

Quentinkrisp wrote: »

Today, however, I wasn't in the best of moods and was cycling up tara street, ........

Don't cycle angry:)

Quentinkrisp wrote: »

telling me i was in the wrong (fair enough) began saying stuff like 'were you born with a few brain cells missing?' (grey area with meas i suffer AS) and then asked me for something with my name on it.
am i screwed?
will i be going to court for this?

You're not screwed and you're not going to court.....

.....I think if a Guard said 'were you born with a few brain cells missing?' to me I'd have to hack my tongue out to prevent me saying "No, which probably explains why I'm not in the Guards":) which I know would not be the brightest of moves.

If / when I get beeped, I wave cheerily back as I figure that's more infuriating to the beeper if they think that their beep has been interpreted as a note of acknowledgement or friendliness

heffsarmy · 16-03-2011 11:02AM

Something similar happened to me, I gave a cop the finger after he set his siren off beside me when cycing the bike. Anyways I was summons to court, the pr*ck never turn up, got a strike out. If he has'nt taken your details, I don't think he will be chasing you.

Chips Lovell · 16-03-2011 11:04AM

nak wrote: »

A friend was told that there was a €500 fine for cycling along the luas tracks at harcourt st.

I'm pretty sure that one is correct actually.

morana · 16-03-2011 11:07AM

they are in the racing bunchs as well!! so watch out there if you are being aggressive towards another rider they might just pull you in!!

ednwireland · 16-03-2011 11:11AM

Quentinkrisp wrote: »

Cheers for the reassurances, i'll watch my step> as for the music, thats debatable. i will, however, take theblaaman's advice+chill

i prefer not to remove one of my senses when i'm cycling

like to hear cars when they come up behind me

Run in with an undercover garda

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