Gardi to tackle cycle menaces

msg11 · 03-10-2012 01:49PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIr60JVVhAs

Excellent video !

humbert · 03-10-2012 01:51PM

BeanBeanGreen wrote: »

There is a video channel on youtube claiming to show poor cycling by Boards user "Serialcomplaint" - dont know if its the same guy.

https://www.youtube.com/user/JanGabriel33/videos?flow=grid&view=0

Having watched a few of those I feel like dumping my bicycle, learning to drive and buying a car just so I can go out and run him over.

positron · 03-10-2012 01:55PM

There are a few bad people everywhere - it's just the norm in this country. As a motorcyclist, this morning:

* This morning there was a norther reg Octavia right up my bum trying to scare me off the road
* There were at least two cars that changed lane without indicating while I was about to move into overtake them
* There were at least a few cars that was badly positioned in their respective lanes blocking me from filtering past at the traffic lights.
* There were at least one cyclist who zipped past me and then braked hard to stop at the middle of a junction. It was red.
* There were one guy cycling in the opposite direction on the cycle lane, and one cycling across the road at pedestrian crossings.

PS: And I must have annoyed a good few by filtering past them to the top of the queue as they sat waiting at the lights. I am sure I caught a lot of them by surprise despite my headlights and loud bike, and I am sure they are probably thought of as moron who should be off the road etc etc.

Such is life in Dublin.

AhInFairness · 03-10-2012 01:58PM

Have to laugh at the "cyclists don't hurt others" rubbish.

When I lived in the city centre I was hit by 3 separate cyclists all breaking the lights at Amien Street. Two of those incidents left me badly hurt and out of work for a number of days. And I got an earful of abuse from each cyclist for apparently not looking where I was going despite the fact that the lights were red and I had the green man.

I have seen it happen so many times to other people too. The complete arrogance displayed is infuriating.

Breaking the lights is rife among cyclists in the city centre. You only have to go over to the cycling forum and look at the posts justifying breaking the lights.

John Mason · 03-10-2012 01:59PM

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

In fairness you are suppossed to look both ways before crossing the road.
http://www.rsa.ie/RSA/Road-Safety/Campaigns/Current-road-safety-campaigns/Safe-Cross-Code/

In fairness, i was over half across the road and clearly had the right of way

steve9859 · 03-10-2012 01:59PM

derb12 wrote: »

I hate to see stupid cyclists breaking lights, recklessly changing lanes or cycling at night without lights or any reflective gear. They will probably just kill themselves some day. I'm more concerned about stupid drivers killing me.

I'll second that. Most drivers have no clue that they have to share the road.

On another note, I'd like to see the Gardai try to take the bikes from a bunch of 15 year old kids from the local estate firing up and down the footpaths and the wrong way down the road. Was mowed down by some kids coming the wrong way down Thomas Street the other day.....who then told me to FO when I gave out to them. These are the real cycling terrorists....teenagers and students on rustbucket mountainbikes. But as usual it will be the mostly law abiding cycle commuter who gets punished.

derb12 · 03-10-2012 02:00PM

Funny, I encountered a woman cycling wrong direction in the cycle lane (which is an on-road lane) too.
Seconds later I had to move out of the cycle lane into the traffic to get past a car that was parked in a disability spot with its arse sticking out into the cycle lane.
There is a lot of crazy stuff on our roads. Both cyclists and drivers (and peds) have a case to answer!

juan.kerr · 03-10-2012 02:00PM

AhInFairness wrote: »

Breaking the lights is rife among cyclists in the city centre.

Along with going the wrong way on a one way street.

steve9859 · 03-10-2012 02:02PM

AhInFairness wrote: »

Breaking the lights is rife among cyclists in the city centre.

And also rife amongst motorists. And I don't often see them getting pulled over.

No-one has the moral high ground here...not cyclists (who run red lights and drive on pavements), not motorists (who not only run red lights but actively speed up to try to make them, break speed limits constantly, and park illegally), not pedestrians (who walk around lost in their own i-pod world without paying any attention to anything)

humbert · 03-10-2012 02:04PM

AhInFairness wrote: »

Breaking the lights is rife among cyclists in the city centre. You only have to go over to the cycling forum and look at the posts justifying breaking the lights.

Breaking the lights is an anathema to most of the users on that forum.

Korvanica · 03-10-2012 02:05PM

BeanBeanGreen wrote: »

There is a video channel on youtube claiming to show poor cycling by Boards user "Serialcomplaint" - dont know if its the same guy.

https://www.youtube.com/user/JanGabriel33/videos?flow=grid&view=0

msg11 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIr60JVVhAs

Excellent video !

Wonder which video JanGabriel33/BeanBeanGreen is featured in. He seems to be fairly sore. Why spend so much time putting up other peoples videos with new titles.

msg11 · 03-10-2012 02:05PM

humbert wrote: »

Having watched a few of those I feel like dumping my bicycle, learning to drive and buying a car just so I can go out and run him over.

I'm a car driver near 90% of the time and that guy is in the right, fair play to him giving them a few words some of the stuff could have taken him off his time.

RobbieTheRobber · 03-10-2012 02:07PM

irishbird wrote: »

In fairness, i was over half across the road and clearly had the right of way

Where you wearing any high visibility clothing?
the RSA recommends that you do

To protect yourself make sure you:

Always wear a pair of reflective armbands, high-visibility belt or other reflective or fluorescent clothing which will help you to be seen from a distance
Carry a torch on country roads

http://www.rsa.ie/en/RSA/Pedestrians-and-Cyclists/Pedestrian-safety/

AhInFairness · 03-10-2012 02:07PM

steve9859 wrote: »

And also rife amongst motorists. And I don't often see them getting pulled over.

No-one has the moral high ground here...not cyclists (who run red lights and drive on pavements), not motorists (who not only run red lights but actively speed up to try to make them, break speed limits constantly, and park illegally), not pedestrians (who walk around lost in their own i-pod world without paying any attention to anything)

Oh I'm sorry, I thought this thread was about cyclists? I forgot though, that you can't discuss a single topic on boards without the usual bullshít of "what about drivers/pedestrians/motorised wheelchairs!!!"

In my experience of living in the city centre for a number of years I saw far more cyclists break the lights than cars. I've also never been hit by a car yet I've been hit by 3 cyclists. Funny that.

Oh and when cyclists start paying road tax and insurance they might be viewed with less disdain.

magicbastarder · 03-10-2012 02:08PM

i used to have a 14 mile bike commute to work. there were three 'turn left on red' junctions i used to go through on the way home.
the funny thing is, motorists usually like the idea of turn left on red, but plenty of them claim it's too dangerous a manouevre for a bike to make. if it's too dangerous for a bike, how the hell are cars supposed to do it safely?

RobbieTheRobber · 03-10-2012 02:09PM

AhInFairness wrote: »

Oh I'm sorry, I thought this thread was about cyclists? I forgot though, that you can't discuss a single topic on boards without the usual bullshít of "what about drivers/pedestrians/motorised wheelchairs!!!"

In my experience of living in the city centre for a number of years I saw far more cyclists break the lights than cars. I've also never been hit by a car yet I've been hit by 3 cyclists. Funny that.

Oh and when cyclists start paying road tax and insurance they might be viewed with less disdain.

Motor tax, motor tax, motor tax.
You should repeat that line until you learn what the tax is called.

humbert · 03-10-2012 02:10PM

msg11 wrote: »

I'm a car driver near 90% of the time and that guy is in the right, fair play to him giving them a few words some of the stuff could have taken him off his time.

He's just so sanctimonious and aggressive, I can't see it helping.

magicbastarder · 03-10-2012 02:11PM

AhInFairness wrote: »

In my experience of living in the city centre for a number of years I saw far more cyclists break the lights than cars. I've also never been hit by a car yet I've been hit by 3 cyclists. Funny that.

Oh and when cyclists start paying road tax and insurance they might be viewed with less disdain.

again, the first point comes down largely to the fact that once one motorist stops at a red light, (s)he prevents all other motorists behind from breaking it. a cyclist stopping at a red does not prevent other cyclists. so the issue is as much about ability as it is about will.

and if you tax cyclists or make them take out insurance, the one sure effect is that you will put more cars on the road.

reprazant · 03-10-2012 02:12PM

AhInFairness wrote: »

Oh and when cyclists start paying road tax and insurance they might be viewed with less disdain.

I am continuously shocked by how dim people make themselves look by mentioning 'road tax'.

AhInFairness · 03-10-2012 02:12PM

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

Motor tax, motor tax, motor tax.
You should repeat that line until you learn what the tax is called.

How about a cycle tax then?? You want to use the road as a vehicle, pay tax like other road users. Insurance should also be mandatory, just like other vehicles, given the damage bikes can cause to people.

Korvanica · 03-10-2012 02:12PM

AhInFairness wrote: »

Oh and when cyclists start paying road tax and insurance they might be viewed with less disdain.

And yet again the circle starts.

AhInFairness · 03-10-2012 02:13PM

reprazant wrote: »

I am continuously shocked by how dim people make themselves look by mentioning 'road tax'.

Devastated. No really....devastated.

07Lapierre · 03-10-2012 02:14PM

derb12 wrote: »

As a cyclist I welcome this. It's a no-brainer.

+1, ALL road users must obey the ROTR. The Gardai enforce the law and if your caught (and its a big IF), your caught and must accept the penalty.

Korvanica · 03-10-2012 02:14PM

AhInFairness wrote: »

How about a cycle tax then?? You want to use the road as a vehicle, pay tax like other road users. Insurance should also be mandatory, just like other vehicles, given the damage bikes can cause to people.

Dont forget a walking tax.

Also Jogging, Sprinting, Shuffling, Rollerblading, Skateboarding, Longboarding, Dancing, Crawling..... You getting the picture yet?

I bet I could do more damage to someone with a longboard than with a bike. Maybe they should pay a higher tax than bikes.

RobbieTheRobber · 03-10-2012 02:16PM

AhInFairness wrote: »

How about a cycle tax then?? You want to use the road as a vehicle, pay tax like other road users. Insurance should also be mandatory, just like other vehicles, given the damage bikes can cause to people.

I'd love to see what an insurance company would set an insurance policy for a toddler on a new bike with training wheels at.

magicbastarder · 03-10-2012 02:17PM

reprazant wrote: »

I am continuously shocked by how dim people make themselves look by mentioning 'road tax'.

it's a commonly used term and is no reflection on intelligence, or lack thereof. it's a poor comment to use to denigrate someone's argument.
it'd be like slagging someone as stupid because they call children's allowance 'child support'.

seamus · 03-10-2012 02:20PM

AhInFairness wrote: »

When I lived in the city centre I was hit by 3 separate cyclists all breaking the lights at Amien Street.

One would think you'd have learned after the first time, to look before crossing the road.

That's not me being mean or trying to be funny, simply wondering how you managed to be hit 3 times at the same set of lights, yet I have managed to never be struck by a cyclist in the city center? I've had a couple of incidents where I saw a cyclist approach and I stopped to avoid being hit, but the only way I could be struck is if I walked across the road without checking if the way was clear.

I'm not saying you were in the wrong, but as someone else mentioned earlier in the thread, it's better to yield and walk away fuming, then get hit and not walk away at all.

reprazant · 03-10-2012 02:21PM

magicbastarder wrote: »

it's a commonly used term and is no reflection on intelligence, or lack thereof. it's a poor comment to use to denigrate someone's argument.
it'd be like slagging someone as stupid because they call children's allowance 'child support'.

It is only commonly used by the ill-informed. Anyone who uses it in an argument about the right of use of roads should have their argument discounted as obviously don't know what they are talking about. It has been repeatedly pointed out in this thread that there is no such thing as road tax yet people still coming piling in referencing it in rants, and it is always rants.

steve9859 · 03-10-2012 02:22PM

AhInFairness wrote: »

How about a cycle tax then?? You want to use the road as a vehicle, pay tax like other road users. Insurance should also be mandatory, just like other vehicles, given the damage bikes can cause to people.

Sorry, ain't gonna happen. Try getting the local kids to pay tax or take out insurance. Or where do you propose drawing the line? Adults only? 16+ years? Only people that use their bikes on the road, rather than just the park? Only people with new bikes that can be registered?

Any law would be practically impossible to draft, let alone to enforce. Motorists have to be of a certain age, and pass a test, and drive only on the road (rather than the park etc) hence can be identified and are insurable and taxable. Bikes can be used by anyone, anywhere.

Edit: http://ipayroadtax.com/licensed-to-cycle/licensed-to-cycle/

Its apparently been considered by a load of countries and cities, including those with much higher cycling numbers, and all have found it completely impractical for the reasons outlined above. This quote from Toronto: “licensing of bicycles [should] be discontinued because it often results in an unconscious contravention of the law at a very tender age; they also emphasize the resulting poor public relations between police officers and children.”

magicbastarder · 03-10-2012 02:28PM

if you link motor/road/cycle tax to the maintenance of roadways, you're on a bit of a loser.
an engineer once told me (and if there are any listening, please correct me if i have this wrong) that the damage a vehicle does to the road surface is proportional to the cube of the weight per wheel. so a car, which has a mass of 400kg per wheel, will do one thousand times more damage to the road surface, per wheel, than a cyclist with a mass of 40kg per wheel.
edit: yes, i know i switched from weight to mass. but it was easier to work in KG.

Gardi to tackle cycle menaces

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