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Abusive Driver meets Off Duty Guards Cycling

TonyStark

Interesting to see this in the paper today. First conviction I've read about in a while having experienced some of the behaviour mentioned.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/abusive-driver-didnrsquot-know-cyclists-were-off-duty-gardai-272382.html#.U6AIbEmb8gQ.facebook

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couerdelion

A guard I know got a conviction after a glass bottle was thrown at him whilst out cycling.

Seems hard on him to have a bottle thrown at him and be convicted. Had it coming though, I suppose.

.ak

RV wrote: »

Seems hard on him to have a bottle thrown at him and be convicted. Had it coming though, I suppose.

Ha that's how I read it too.

Harsh!

delop

Any chance the Driver was telling the truth?

T-Maxx

delop wrote: »

Any chance the Driver was telling the truth?

No.

No Pants

delop wrote: »

Any chance the Driver was telling the truth?

He claimed he was driving at 5mph. That's just not credible. Judge didn't believe a word of it. He got away lightly.

zl1whqvjs75cdy

What possible reason would the guards have to lie? They get no personal benefit from this and if found to be lying would be in some pretty hot water. No way the driver was telling the truth. I have experienced similar myself while out cycling, particularly at the weekend so I'd well believe it happened. Are people really in that big a rush to get home and sit in front of the telly?

detones

Seems a sorry state that it has to be a Garda that can only see any justice done when affected personally by abusive behaviour on the roads. The rest if us just gave it put up with it.

TonyStark

I think the most interesting point by the driver is that he was driving at 5mph. So the cyclists at that point were cycling at 8kmph? Were they scaling a wall?

zl1whqvjs75cdy

To be fair they were probably cycling at 9km/hr as I'm sure the driver was keeping a safe distance behind them until a suitable overtaking opportunity presented itself. :rolleyes:

donegal.

After reading the newspaper report , what the man says sounds very plausible ( the 5mph being an obvious exaggeration).

i've witnessed what he describes at least a couple of times a week. (i'm always on a couple of roads that see an endless convoy of malin head-mizan head cyclists )

zl1whqvjs75cdy

donegal. wrote: »

After reading the newspaper report , what the man says sounds very plausible ( the 5mph being an obvious exaggeration).

i've witnessed what he describes at least a couple of times a week. (i'm always on a couple of roads that see an endless convoy of malin head-mizan head cyclists )

You've witnessed cyclists using the road as they are legally entitled to do? How exciting.

TonyStark

I think the underlying issue is that are some motorists who resent having to perform an actual overtaking manoeuvre. There is quite a number that cannot control a vehicle properly. Eg. Those that roll through stop signs because they feel they might stall the car.

They feel cyclists should filter on their approach in order for them to squeeze past even if it means overtaking them dangerously. 9/10 times they'll fail to stop or just speed away with no thoughts to the consequences of their dangerous manoeuvre.

The strange thing is that they may meet a cyclist travelling at 25-30kmph and in the space of 2 minutes they will have overtaken the cyclist and then return to 70-80kmph on the road. On the other hand they'll another motorist driving at 40-50kmph for up to 20 minutes and yet they won't try to assault them with their vehicle.

donegal.

donkeyoaty0099 wrote: »

You've witnessed cyclists using the road as they are legally entitled to do? How exciting.

"the cyclists were cycling and chatting to each other two abreast and one of them leaned aggressively towards his window and he said he was afraid the cyclist was going to punch him."

acting aggressively towards other road users, disrupting the flow of traffic by making it as difficult as possible for people to overtake?

I never said it was illegal to be a prick.

fits

If you experience enough people try to run you off the roads with dangerous overtaking manoevres then you might cycle two abreast as well. In many cases, if there's not enough room to pass two abreast, there isnt room to pass one.

nak

donegal. wrote: »

After reading the newspaper report , what the man says sounds very plausible ( the 5mph being an obvious exaggeration).

i've witnessed what he describes at least a couple of times a week. (i'm always on a couple of roads that see an endless convoy of malin head-mizan head cyclists )

The driver was found guilty, so why the blame the victims? Enough of the trolling.

Eamonnator

donegal. wrote: »

After reading the newspaper report , what the man says sounds very plausible ( the 5mph being an obvious exaggeration).

Good job, the judge didn't think, as you do.

Scrappy600

donegal. wrote: »

"the cyclists were cycling and chatting to each other two abreast and one of them leaned aggressively towards his window and he said he was afraid the cyclist was going to punch him."

acting aggressively towards other road users, disrupting the flow of traffic by making it as difficult as possible for people to overtake?

I never said it was illegal to be a prick.

I may be having a seriously blonde moment here, and not thinking this through, so correct me if i'm wrong, but that would put the cyclist leaning at his passenger window no? Cyclist would want some length of an arm to get a punch to the driver!

DirkVoodoo

donegal. wrote: »

After reading the newspaper report , what the man says sounds very plausible ( the 5mph being an obvious exaggeration)

Any excuse you make in court would have to sound plausible, otherwise you would be found guilty and moronic at the same time.

I find it hard to believe two Gardai out for a cycle would risk assaulting someone then lie about it in court. As someone said, they would have a lot to lose.

I, however, find it entirely plausible that some ignorant fool would carry on like that then lie like a rug in front of a judge. If you ask me, he got off lightly.

DirkVoodoo

Scrappy600 wrote: »

I may be having a seriously blonde moment here, and not thinking this through, so correct me if i'm wrong, but that would put the cyclist leaning at his passenger window no? Cyclist would want some length of an arm to get a punch to the driver!

I was thinking the same, but I think the cyclists had moved right to turn and the driver was passing inside them to go straight or left. In either case, I doubt that happened as if both were stopped then the driver would simply have to hit the accelerator unless stuck in traffic and no one cycling at speed would, in their right mind, try and lean into a moving car for the sake of an argument.

EDIT: I had a whole line about "the long arm of the law" lined up and all!

TonyStark

Scrappy600 wrote: »

I may be having a seriously blonde moment here, and not thinking this through, so correct me if i'm wrong, but that would put the cyclist leaning at his passenger window no? Cyclist would want some length of an arm to get a punch to the driver!

He must have had the arms of Mr. Tickle...

No Pants

donegal. wrote: »

"the cyclists were cycling and chatting to each other two abreast and one of them leaned aggressively towards his window and he said he was afraid the cyclist was going to punch him."

Come on. Even the judge thought that was horse****.

CramCycle

Leaned aggressively - while slowing to make a turn, impressive
Beside the window - so he was slowing mid undertake, I can only imagine why

Truth of the matter is, if it stops only one road user from being a numpty because they think it could be a Garda, well then it's a good result

Lumen

CramCycle wrote: »

Truth of the matter is, if it stops only one road user from being a numpty because they think it could be a Garda, well then it's a good result

Garda CC jersey group buy?

Raam

Lumen wrote: »

Garda CC jersey group buy?

Some folk don't even notice the jerseys. One lad I know from Garda CC had some taxi driver start beeping at him for no good reason other than ignorance of the law. So he had a conversation with him about the law. Taximan never spotted the logo on the jersey. Gardaman then invites him to follow him into Dublin Castle so they can continue their conversation. Taximan's attitude changed sharpish then.

CramCycle

Lumen wrote: »

Garda CC jersey group buy?

After an incident with the Super in Pearse St. at the time of the boards.ie buy, I won’t take the risk.

He was dropping off samples but he didn't tell me why he called round, I panicked when he asked for me and pretended to be my flatmate. Had to go into the station the next day, clean shaven in the hope he wouldn't recognise me and the explain the stupidity of the situation when he did, I felt the air heavy with distrust, he eventually made me sign a sworn statement in the station that I was who I was and I was taking what I was taking.

Wishbone Ash

Raam wrote: »

Some folk don't even notice the jerseys. One lad I know from Garda CC had some taxi driver start beeping at him for no good reason other than ignorance of the law. So he had a conversation with him about the law. Taximan never spotted the logo on the jersey. Gardaman then invites him to follow him into Dublin Castle so they can continue their conversation. Taximan's attitude changed sharpish then.

I was cycling through Santry a few weeks ago when I met another cyclist at the lights in a GCC jersey. We rode together for about 10k. He had road rash on his leg and I asked him about it. He said he had been taken down by a motorist earlier in the city centre turning left across his path. He said they exchanged details etc. I had to ask the question - did the motorist know he was a Garda. He said he didn't think so and he didn't say he was. In fairness to him, he said it wasn't relevant.

(He had a bloody nice bike but I can't recall was it was now.

)

TeaBagMania

Geez they printed O’Sheas address in that article. Cyclist are going to be protesting up and down his street

Hmmzis

TeaBagMania wrote: »

Geez they printed O’Sheas address in that article. Cyclist are going to be protesting up and down his street

In this weather? Yeah, sure.

No Pants

TeaBagMania wrote: »

Geez they printed O’Sheas address in that article. Cyclist are going to be protesting up and down his street

Not unless there are Strava segments there.