Cyclists on a Backroad

Well then he's just an asshole. No shortage of them around. Key thing to remember is that you can only control your behaviour, not anyone else's. So don't let the behaviour of assholes on the road get you worked up. You're not in that much of a rush to get anywhere.

Satisfy yourself with the knowledge that one day his stupidity will catch up with him, and on that day it wasn't you who had to deal with the consequences of his stupidity.

Haven't thought it all through! I was talking about a registatry list, not a licencing list so a test wouldn't be neccassary.

Registration is a non-runner really. It would cost money to create and run a registration authority and then cost time and effort to check for registrations.
And if the time and effort is there to check registrations, then it's also there to police red lights. So why not skip the red tape and quangos and just put the effort into enforcing the rules that are already there?

VinLieger wrote: »

If anything all this thread has done after reading it all day is make it alot more likely i will aim to get in an argument with a cyclist while on the way home from work

"YOU, Yeah YOU. Bloody cyclist, always think you're in the right, holding up the traffic!!"

"What? Who are you? What do you want?"

"You KNOW what I'm talking about! Always breaking red lights, cycling on paths, no insurance, I pay my bloody road tax, you're nothing but a pox on the roads".

"I'm just on my way to pick up my son from the creche. Can you please leave me alone?"

"NO!! See? Damn cyclists, always demanding their rights, never giving anything in return!"



That's what you want? You're a strange man.

Ms. Pingui wrote: »

Well adults should be registered at least. If you are caught cycling without a reg plate you are fined.
Do you not agree that if a cyclist was identifiable by way of a reg plate that they wouldn't take as many risks.
If motorists weren't identifiable we would probably see idiots take more risks.

The repercussions for cycling recklessly can include serious bodily harm and even death. So no I don't think a fine will make much of a difference to people who actually cycle like this.

VinLieger wrote: »

If anything all this thread has done after reading it all day is make it alot more likely i will aim to get in an argument with a cyclist while on the way home from work

Good to hear what most cyclist knew, there are psychopaths drivers out there waiting to have an argument with cyclist.

Not uncommon to see a driver block your path when they see you in their mirrors.

Knasher wrote: »

The repercussions for cycling recklessly can include serious bodily harm and even death. So no I don't think a fine will make much of a difference to people who actually cycle like this.

Two of the occaisions that I spoke about earlier involved pedestrians. No injury or death for the cyclist in these cases, yet it is hard to report instances like these because there is no way of indentifying cyclists.

http://nationalmortgageprofessional.com/sites/default/files/images/sb10069451n-001.jpg

VinLieger wrote: »

If anything all this thread has done after reading it all day is make it alot more likely i will aim to get in an argument with a cyclist while on the way home from work

I hope its me :-)

Technoprisoner wrote: »

i remember very clearly as a young lad my younger brother getting ran over by a cyclist on a racer type bike. He was stood at traffic light waiting for it to change. He would have only been 6 or 7 years old at the time. The green man came on and he stepped out onto the road to cross when he was hit by a cyclist traveling at a fair rate of knots. He got tangled up in the back wheel and was dragged about 15-20 ft down the road. It left him a very serious way and they both required hospital treatment. so cyclist do need to slow down...in fact i think they should set an appropriate speed limit because obviously their brakes and tyres are not up to slowing them down in time and i would go as far as say they should be fined for traveling over 15mph

:rolleyes: really? how did the accident with your brother happen? did he walk out onto the road without the green man? or was it an idiot on a bike that ran a red and hit him?

how many people where killed by cars this year? maybe we should put a speed limit of 20 mph onto them to stop road deaths huh?

sorry saw that he had the greenman, stupid cyclist then, but we are not all the same FFS

Swanner wrote: »

My car was hit by a cyclist on the path as I was pulling out of my drive. Damaged the front right wing and scratched the bonnet as he and the bike slid across it. Naturally my first concern was for him and thankfully he was ok. I asked him for his name etc as we would need to settle up for the damage and he refused. He was pretty quick to cycle off and there was no point calling the guards as it was clear he wasn't hanging around.

Cost me nearly €600 to put right. This was a classic example of why mandatory insurance and some kind of license number should be implemented.

was it your fault? or his? oh why should i even ask

Ms. Pingui wrote: »

Two of the occaisions that I spoke about earlier involved pedestrians. No injury or death for the cyclist in these cases, yet it is hard to report instances like these because there is no way of indentifying cyclists.

Putting legible license plates on bikes would be pretty horrible. We are talking about a group of people, some of whom shave their legs in order to improve aerodynamics (not me personally, cycling is an A to B affair for me :P) and you want to strap large flat plates to the front and back of their bike. Is their any other disproportionate solutions you want to endorse, I was mugged by some people a while back, perhaps if pedestrians were forced to carry around large and visible license plates it would be easier to identify criminals and report them.

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

was it your fault? or his? oh why should i even ask

His fault. He was on the path. It's a blind entrance so I always move out very slowly in case there are pedestrians. By the time my nose reaches the road I can see both ways. I have a mirror up since this incident but if he was on the road where he was meant to e it wouldn't have happened and I wouldn't have been €600 lighter.

gramar wrote: »

A small metal plate somewhere on the frame would be enough. Assuming an accident between a bike and car then you'd have a look at it to check the details the same way anyone exchanges details when theres an accident. Then the law can stick it in the database and verify the info. or not as the case may be.

Well all bikes have a serial number and you can register it (at some Garda stations) on the off chance your bike is stolen and then recovered. I actually wouldn't have a problem if you were required to register it and if the plate was placed somewhere a little more accessible. (Hell if it was up to me I'd require them to carry RFID tags as well) It might also help to cut down on bicycle thefts. But from Ms. Pingui's description she wants something that can be legible at a distance while the bike is moving.

Technoprisoner wrote: »

i remember very clearly as a young lad my younger brother getting ran over by a cyclist on a racer type bike. He was stood at traffic light waiting for it to change. He would have only been 6 or 7 years old at the time. The green man came on and he stepped out onto the road to cross when he was hit by a cyclist traveling at a fair rate of knots. He got tangled up in the back wheel and was dragged about 15-20 ft down the road. It left him a very serious way and they both required hospital treatment. so cyclist do need to slow down...in fact i think they should set an appropriate speed limit because obviously their brakes and tyres are not up to slowing them down in time and i would go as far as say they should be fined for traveling over 15mph

First off the story sounds unbelievable, 15-20 is some distance to be dragged. The manner you say he was dragged is even weirder. Your brother didn't obey the rules of the road either as you are meant to look with a green man too but accidents happen. Cars are much more dangerous when the are just obeying the rules let alone the fact they don't

A bicycle obviously travels a lot faster than you think as 15mph is the limit of electric assist bikes. Bikes have both a quicker acceleration than a car and shorter stopping distance. Considering cars speed all the time I wonder what world you live in where they will stop bicycles and they currently don't stop cars.

Ray Palmer wrote: »

First off the story sounds unbelievable, 15-20 is some distance to be dragged. The manner you say he was dragged is even weirder. Your brother didn't obey the rules of the road either as you are meant to look with a green man too but accidents happen. Cars are much more dangerous when the are just obeying the rules let alone the fact they don't

A bicycle obviously travels a lot faster than you think as 15mph is the limit of electric assist bikes. Bikes have both a quicker acceleration than a car and shorter stopping distance. Considering cars speed all the time I wonder what world you live in where they will stop bicycles and they currently don't stop cars.

Jesus this gets frustrating. The cyclist broke a red light. The cyclist was in the wrong. Yes his brother should have looked but he didn't and the cyclist is still in the wrong. You can turn it upside down, inside out and twist it any way you like, the cyclist will still be in the wrong because he broke a light.

I don't mind if they are on the road, its easy enough to overtake safely.

But when you get these cúnts who weave in and out of traffic and get up to the front and start leaning on your bonnet while stopped at the lights. And refuse to get off it when you ask politely.

That's when one motorist then beeps the horn, and if needs be gets out of his car and kicks lumps out of his bike and then him.