Near misses - mod warning 22/04 - see OP/post 822

VW 1 · 14-06-2019 8:34am

After weeks of incident free cycling, I suffered a punishment left hook this morning. Coming up to Phibsborough where it narrows from 2 lanes to 1 at the shopping centre, a taxi man was stopped in traffic blocking the yellow box and wedged up against the path .I pulled out, went around him and motioned that he was blocking things up.

I was going straight on, down towards constitution hill when at the junction our lovely taxi man pulls up beside me, no indicators and takes the corner, forcing me around with him.

He stopped immediately and wound down the passenger window to tell me he'd teach me a lesson for shouting at taxi men. I asked was that reason enough to potentially seriously injure someone (I hadn't shouted, or said anything, merely a hand motion) and he started laughing. I was raging, I asked did he feel safe in his big car and if he'd like to get out of it to discuss but he just called me a prick and drove off. Didn't even get his plate number. Some sh start to a Friday.

Pinch Flat · 14-06-2019 9:47am

Some right knack bags driving taxis.

micar · 14-06-2019 9:49am

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Some right knack bags driving taxis.

Totally.....sure didn't they have a campaign recently about respecting taxi drivers after one of their own was attacked.

Utter Consternation · 14-06-2019 10:01am

VW 1 wrote: »

After weeks of incident free cycling, I suffered a punishment left hook this morning. Coming up to Phibsborough where it narrows from 2 lanes to 1 at the shopping centre, a taxi man was stopped in traffic blocking the yellow box and wedged up against the path .I pulled out, went around him and motioned that he was blocking things up.

I was going straight on, down towards constitution hill when at the junction our lovely taxi man pulls up beside me, no indicators and takes the corner, forcing me around with him.

He stopped immediately and wound down the passenger window to tell me he'd teach me a lesson for shouting at taxi men. I asked was that reason enough to potentially seriously injure someone (I hadn't shouted, or said anything, merely a hand motion) and he started laughing. I was raging, I asked did he feel safe in his big car and if he'd like to get out of it to discuss but he just called me a prick and drove off. Didn't even get his plate number. Some sh start to a Friday.

Get a camera. I think you can report them if they use bad language in front of a fare paying passenger.

check_six · 14-06-2019 10:13am

Utter Consternation wrote: »

Get a camera. I think you can report them if they use bad language in front of a fare paying passenger.

Sad indictment that bad language would be the hook here rather than the guy trying to ram someone off the road! :mad:

CramCycle · 14-06-2019 10:22am

Having tried to report taxi drivers to the carriage office before, if your not actually the passenger, they seem to ignore you or make it difficult.

magicbastarder · 14-06-2019 10:23am

what is described above is using the car as a weapon, it should be a matter for the gardai - if you had identifying info.

VW 1 · 14-06-2019 10:33am

Tbh I've been reluctant to get a camera, I hate feeling the need to have one, but I'm seriously contemplating it after that incident. Lucky enough my bike handling skills are up to scratch and I escaped injury free (this time), I fear for people's safety with people who have that attitude driving for a living.

pmcc1 · 14-06-2019 11:10am

VW 1 wrote: »

Tbh I've been reluctant to get a camera, I hate feeling the need to have one, but I'm seriously contemplating it after that incident. Lucky enough my bike handling skills are up to scratch and I escaped injury free (this time), I fear for people's safety with people who have that attitude driving for a living.

My blood is boiling for you.
From what you described, our Taxi man cut you off outside the Doyle's Corner Pub? There's a CCTV cam looking right down on the corner and will have recorded the incident.
The new owners there are sound, and would allow you to make a note of the licence plate /taxi number. Only the gaurds can request their footage, when you make a complaint, citing the driver's number.
Chase him down.

Johnny Jukebox · 14-06-2019 1:20pm

Cnut in a taxi nearly binned me going through the Scalp on the Enniskerry road this morning. Usual story, narrow road, oncoming car and the stupid cnut too impatient to hold back for 2 seconds.

I'm getting a cam this weekend, fed up with this ****e.

VW 1 · 14-06-2019 1:48pm

pmcc1 wrote: »

My blood is boiling for you.
From what you described, our Taxi man cut you off outside the Doyle's Corner Pub? There's a CCTV cam looking right down on the corner and will have recorded the incident.
The new owners there are sound, and would allow you to make a note of the licence plate /taxi number. Only the gaurds can request their footage, when you make a complaint, citing the driver's number.
Chase him down.

Yep, he turned left across me there, and I went round the corner to avoid him. I hadn't thought of CCTV, thanks. I'll follow up on it tomorrow.

ED E · 14-06-2019 3:13pm

CramCycle wrote: »

Having tried to report taxi drivers to the carriage office before, if your not actually the passenger, they seem to ignore you or make it difficult.

magicbastarder wrote: »

what is described above is using the car as a weapon, it should be a matter for the gardai - if you had identifying info.

The Carriage Office IS the Gardai in Santry.

Gotta go to Traffic Watch though.

CramCycle · 14-06-2019 3:18pm

Taxi driver who I had the altercation with the other week passed me Wednesday night. I was wearing different kit, he beeped me from the bus lane, and when I turned, he wasn't sure if it was me and swung across to the overtaking lane. I didn't respond, just kept going. He has fixed his wing mirror. It doesn't match the car properly, or at least I like to think it doesn't.

Rechuchote · 14-06-2019 7:38pm

CramCycle wrote: »

Having tried to report taxi drivers to the carriage office before, if your not actually the passenger, they seem to ignore you or make it difficult.

It would be worth a Freedom of Information request to the Carriage Office on how many complaints of dangerous driving near cyclists they'd had, and what action they'd taken. Might soften their cough, and might be worth giving to journalists.

ED E · 14-06-2019 7:54pm

Rechuchote wrote: »

It would be worth a Freedom of Information request to the Carriage Office on how many complaints of dangerous driving near cyclists they'd had, and what action they'd taken. Might soften their cough, and might be worth giving to journalists.

The Gardai are under limited FOI, crime records are not part of it so thats a no go.

ofthelord · 15-06-2019 2:16pm

I was cycling through Barna a couple of hours ago, going about 35kmph - a car pulls up to join traffic from a side road a bit up the road and is looking in my direction (has to have seen me or else he is blind). I was sure he had seen me and continue on thinking surely he has seen me and wouldn't dream of pulling out in front of me. He waits until I'm about 10-15metres away and then of course he starts to pull out in front of me. My brakes have never been tested so well, it scared the crap out of me. I had to unclip to get my balance as I though I was going into the curb. I let a roar at him but he was totally oblivious, and he proceeds to drive at about 25kmph up the road before pulling off onto a side road a km or so up the road.

On a positive note, it was lovely out this morning and I got a lot of PRs.

Unknown Soldier · 15-06-2019 7:53pm

ofthelord wrote: »

I was cycling through Barna a couple of hours ago, going about 35kmph - a car pulls up to join traffic from a side road a bit up the road and is looking in my direction (has to have seen me or else he is blind). I was sure he had seen me and continue on thinking surely he has seen me and wouldn't dream of pulling out in front of me. He waits until I'm about 10-15metres away and then of course he starts to pull out in front of me. <snip>

That's a bitch when you are on the bike, but it's not uncommon when you are in other modes of transport. I don't know what goes through their heads, you are FAR AWAY, do nothing, CLOSER, do nothing, MUCH CLOSER, decide to pull out.

Why don't they pull out when you are far away? *shrugs*

Rechuchote · 15-06-2019 8:05pm

ED E wrote: »

The Gardai are under limited FOI, crime records are not part of it so thats a no go.

Are the Carriage Office the Gardaí?

John_Rambo · 15-06-2019 11:02pm

My route is the Clontarf cycle path on the promenade/Alfie Byrne Road/East Wall Road/Church Road and onwards... (Dublin)

I had to drive in for a few days as I had gear to bring in and out work. Twice I witnessed a very very irate girl driving a blue 141 BMW. She's angry, switches lanes, heavy on the horn, lots of hand gestures, pulling on to the wrong side of the road leaning out in her seat to see what the "delay" is etc...

On Thursday I was cycling in. Felt a presence close behind me on the East Wall road, turned around to find a blue bonnet practically under my right thigh. Guess who? Traffic was light, lots of room, no reason for her to be bullying me. I raised my hand in wtf gesture and she gunned the car. I had no option but to mount the kerb. Called traffic watch, explained what happened & a sergeant from Store st. called, took the details and said he'd contact her and call me back.
I'll post again when he does.

ED E · 16-06-2019 12:47am

Rechuchote wrote: »

Are the Carriage Office the Garda

See previous page.

homer911 · 18-06-2019 8:44am

Was heading to go down the side of Herbert Park this morning, between the park and the Dodder. There are two construction yards there at the moment with guys working on flood defences and drainage. As soon as I came around the corner from Donnybrook @ 7:45 I spotted three young lads hanging out and immediately sensed danger, and put on a spurt of speed. One of the lads seemed to step towards my path and it didn't feel right - maybe having 3 lads hanging out there at that time was an obvious concern. I sped past the guys without incident and was glad to be clear of them and slowed down. A moment later an older cyclist catches up with me, very shook, had been shouldered by one of the lads and was nearly knocked off.

Pays to be on your guard, be careful out there, its not just traffic you need to worry about..

Dr_Colossus · 18-06-2019 12:24pm

Lambay island wrote: »

For anyone interested, Council are putting down Orcas on Custom House Quay this morning. Interested to see how this unfolds with the coaches that regularly park there.

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Saw this for the first time on the commute this morning and it's probably the most ridiculous piece of road/cycle infrastructure I've seen, more the location than the idea. The bus stop is still in existence and as mentioned it’s only the 2nd half of the quay that is segregated so all the private operators that use the stop and before it as a parking spot will not be curtailed and if there is a bus stopped/parked are you supposed to weave back into the cycle lane after. Wouldn’t like to try that at a reasonable speed.

Are the council completely inept when it comes to roads and maintenance, if they bothered to properly fix the pothole further up towards the light vehicles wouldn’t have the need to veer into the cycle lane avoiding it. In my years commuting I’ve never had a problem with this section of the quays, even with buses parked I’d take the lane from the lights and veer back into the cycle lane after the bus stop.

What great foresight, all removed over the weekend as council have now resurfaced that section of road (one lane mind and only the 2nd half of the quays which had the Orcas installed, in other words a large patch). Remains to be seen whether they'll re-install the Orcas which lasted nearly a month.

Fighting Tao · 18-06-2019 1:21pm

Interesting one last week. Taxi pulled out of a gate across 2 lanes (illegally due to solid white line) and across me. Then I turn off a side road and a car coming the opposite direction turned in front of me. I had to hit the brakes and swerve around the back. I was annoyed with the 2 incidents within the space of 200 metres that I followed them in the hope of catching them at the next set of lights about 100m away at a crossroads. The lights turned green but I knew they wouldn’t get far and there was a cop car stopped at the lights to the right that was going the same direction. So rather than let it go I caught them within 50m to ask the driver if he saw me. He told me to eff off. So I told him about the cop car stopped behind him. That’s all that I said to him and then cop stopped me and asked was anything up. If he had said sorry I would have gone in my way but he didn’t, and so I explained to the guard what happened. So the driver was approached. I don’t know what he said to the guard but the guard said to me that it will go to court.

Then a RPU car arrived behind the first. The road was fully blocked and the 2 guards took turns talking to the driver. I don’t know what was said but the second came back and said it will go to court and that there are cameras at the junction that the incident happened at.

I went on my way laughing.

hesker · 18-06-2019 3:04pm

That’s not exactly what you would have expected. Wondering does it herald a change in AGS stance. One can only hope

CramCycle · 18-06-2019 3:30pm

hesker wrote: »

That’s not exactly what you would have expected. Wondering does it herald a change in AGS stance. One can only hope

Sometimes you get a good Garda, sometimes you don't, nothing more than that.

Fighting Tao · 18-06-2019 5:20pm

hesker wrote: »

That’s not exactly what you would have expected. Wondering does it herald a change in AGS stance. One can only hope

It’s just pot luck. The first Garda cycles

magicbastarder · 18-06-2019 5:37pm

not a near miss for me, collided with another cyclist on the way home. no damage done bar a minor bruise, i'd say. cycling past stopped traffic on the east wall road and she popped out in front of me from between two cars. she reckoned she was OK too.

Breezer · 18-06-2019 7:19pm

They were all out today. Left hook this morning from a woman in an i10 turning across the cycle lane onto a side road. She announced her presence by pulling alongside me in the bus lane with the indictator on first so I had time to slam on the brakes. No other traffic around at all, she could easily have nipped in behind me.

Then on the way home a runner with headphones on runs across a T junction as I arrive at it from the side road, oblivious. I was going to stop anyway but had to brake early. He then notices me and looks very confused, as if I'd appeared from nowhere.

Then I'm at Hart's Corner inbound, taking the bus lane, with stopped traffic in the two general lanes to the right. A fella comes out in his car from the side road to the left meaning to cross the yellow box to swing around outbound, and he's half way across the bus lane before he looks in my direction. I slam on again. He's lucky I wasn't driving a bus and judging by his expression he knew it.

Those disc brakes are starting to seem like a wise investment. A camera might be a good one too I guess. I don't get a whole lot of these incidents but all it takes is one to go wrong...

blackwhite · 18-06-2019 8:12pm

Breezer wrote: »

They were all out today. Left hook this morning from a woman in an i10 turning across the cycle lane onto a side road. She announced her presence by pulling alongside me in the bus lane with the indictator on first so I had time to slam on the brakes. No other traffic around at all, she could easily have nipped in behind me.

Then on the way home a runner with headphones on runs across a T junction as I arrive at it from the side road, oblivious. I was going to stop anyway but had to brake early. He then notices me and looks very confused, as if I'd appeared from nowhere.

Then I'm at Hart's Corner inbound, taking the bus lane, with stopped traffic in the two general lanes to the right. A fella comes out in his car from the side road to the left meaning to cross the yellow box to swing around outbound, and he's half way across the bus lane before he looks in my direction. I slam on again. He's lucky I wasn't driving a bus and judging by his expression he knew it.

Those disc brakes are starting to seem like a wise investment. A camera might be a good one too I guess. I don't get a whole lot of these incidents but all it takes is one to go wrong...

Just on the jogger one - a pedestrian (or anyone else,) crossing a side road whilst continuing along the main road has right of way over anyone leaving or entering the main carriage way, unless there’s traffic lights or signage to indicate otherwise. They’re understood to be continuing in their “lane” which you are crossing. Same principle in law as the idiot in the i10 left hooking you.

Breezer · 18-06-2019 8:30pm

blackwhite wrote: »

Just on the jogger one - a pedestrian (or anyone else,) crossing a side road whilst continuing along the main road has right of way over anyone leaving or entering the main carriage way, unless there’s traffic lights or signage to indicate otherwise. They’re understood to be continuing in their “lane” which you are crossing. Same principle in law as the idiot in the i10 left hooking you.

Oh I totally acknowledge this and in fact had a post a while back in Commuting and Transport where I had it out with a Garda who had a go at me for not giving way to him in his car when I was half way across a road (on foot) before he appeared.

I probably didn't explain that very well. I was approaching a stop line and had begun slowing, and at that point the jogger left the path and ran out in front of me without looking, forcing me to brake hard. Had I been further back as he'd left the path he'd have had right of way, as it was I was essentially at the junction before he arrived.

I'm not sure about the "continuing in their lane" bit to be honest. If that were the case the stop line for traffic should be further back, before it 'crosses their lane'. Everyone has a responsibility to pay attention coming up to junctions, with priority ceded to pedestrians if they are already crossing, as I understand it.

Whatever about the law, the responsibility for safety was still on me: I'm traffic, he's a pedestrian. I saw him, stopped and we all moved on without major incident. Had I hit him I reckon I would have been at least partially at fault. But that doesn't mean it wasn't silly behaviour on his part.

Near misses - mod warning 22/04 - see OP/post 822

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