Journalism and Cycling 2: the difficult second album

Tombo2001 · 17-12-2020 4:12pm

Paddigol wrote: »

I'm new to the discussion, but just curious as to why his opposition to making the stretch of road one-way to cars so that a cycle lane can be built is evidence of IT bile? And how turning a car lane into a bike lane benefits flood protection?

To be clear - I haven't been keeping up to date on any of the Sandymount discussions because I never go near the place, so I'm not coming at this from any angle (other than blissful ignorance!).

The Irish Times has had an ongoing narrative of anti cyclist articles and commentary for many years.

The letters page is the most frequent home for this.

But when they want to ramp it up, they use the opinion column:

Such as this:
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/opinion-cyclists-need-to-learn-to-take-criticism-to-win-friends-1.3986314

Or this oldie but goldie from its most prestigious and right on columnist:
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/cycling-is-a-good-thing-and-boy-do-cyclists-know-it-1.1423498

buffalo · 17-12-2020 4:51pm

Type 17 wrote: »

It was my point too - what's the point of building infrastructure and then tolling it so it doesn't get used?

Another example is Waterford city, where the N25 bridge over the river, which is only alternative to the city quays/original bridge, is tolled, so the quays and surrounds are still destroyed with traffic twice a day.

Because if it wasn't tolled, the bridge *and* the quays would all be destroyed with traffic.

Make public transport free and toll private petrol!

magicbastarder · 17-12-2020 5:13pm

Tombo2001 wrote: »

The Irish Times has had an ongoing narrative of anti cyclist articles and commentary for many years.

they have also published many articles which are pro cycling too.

tomasrojo · 17-12-2020 6:57pm

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Or this oldie but goldie from its most prestigious and right on columnist:
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/cycling-is-a-good-thing-and-boy-do-cyclists-know-it-1.1423498

I sometimes read non-Irish commentators writing things like "I have yet to read a trite or unbalanced Fintan O'Toole piece", and I smile to myself.

tomasrojo · 17-12-2020 6:59pm

He is a pretty good columnist overall though, and some of his Brexit stuff is genuinely insightful, apart from the one trying to draw a line from punk to Brexit, which was really silly.

Stark · 17-12-2020 7:02pm

He's posted a lot of silly stuff. This for example https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fintan-o-toole-ireland-can-stop-a-no-deal-brexit-here-s-how-1.3972121

This is my favourite bit

Secondly, the four parties will agree a candidate for each of the seven constituencies. These candidates will not be aligned to any party, will command wide respect and will be drawn from civil society, academia, business and the arts. I would stress that I have not consulted any of the people I am about to suggest, but a purely indicative list might be look something like: former president Mary McAleese, former police ombudsman Nuala O’Loan, social policy expert Deirdre Heenan, former Ulster Farmers Union president Ian Marshall, actor Adrian Dunbar, former secretary general of the EU Commission Catherine Day, and trade and customs expert Katy Hayward.

Hello, Mr. O'Toole, come back to reality Mr. O'Toole.

tomasrojo · 17-12-2020 7:08pm

He had another article about Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland forming a new state, which is pretty silly too.
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fintan-o-toole-three-state-union-may-be-answer-to-brexit-1.2734041

Though to be fair, that was just after the Brexit vote, pretty crazy times, so I suppose many things seemed vaguely possible.

magicbastarder · 17-12-2020 7:14pm

he had one recently where he weighed in on the trans debate, and it was a little inadvised, shall we say.

eeeee · 17-12-2020 7:18pm

https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-40191978.html

Not specifically cycling related but an article looking at how unsustainable the Irish focus on roads and cars is.

tomasrojo · 18-12-2020 1:29am

https://twitter.com/simodoho/status/1339720010420416514

blackwhite · 18-12-2020 10:18am

Type 17 wrote: »

They are probably told not to use the N4/M50 as they would incur the West Link toll of €4.30 (HGV <10 tons), per vehicle transit each way, plus the monthly toll tag charge of €1.21 per vehicle.

Selling tolling rights on public infrastructure to private companies has consequences...

The Westlink bridge has been back in public ownership for over 12 years now.

See Guinness trucks chancing their arm by going down the quays from Dublin Port to St James Gate often enough too - risking a sizeable fine.

The tolls aren't the issue for them - it's a question of what is the fastest route if a driver is behind schedule

magicbastarder · 18-12-2020 10:27am

CramCycle wrote: »

As eeeee and several other posters have experienced first hand, it is just not unusual. I was talking about it to a co worker after a meeting where such behaviour was being talked about. She was telling me that she makes a mental note every time she walks into an area where she is isolated and there are other men there, she takes a mental note of them, depending on their actions has her phone ready, and orientates herself with an escape route. She said she has acted like this for 40 years because of repeatedly experiencing how some men behave. My wife does the same when she goes out for a walk, certain areas she won't go at certain times, other women letting her know that parts of the walk have a weirdo hanging around. My daughter now sends whatsapp messages as she walks the dogs, and will often ring, not because of any want to talk to any of us but its a layer of security when someone's walking/running pace suddenly changes upon approach.

was talking about this with my wife yesterday, she reminded me of the time she cycled home from the stables this summer, which involves using a quiet back road to avoid a twisty busy one (kilshane cross to the airport); she's far from a confident cyclist.
on the back road, a car pulled out of a yard behind her as she passed and sat behind her for an excessively long time even though she pulled well enough in to the side of the road for them to pass. she eventually pulled completely in at a gate and stopped, and they floored it, the four lads in the car laughing uproariously at something. she found it intimidating, partly because it was such a quiet back road.
and as she pointed out, given that she only did that cycle on her own three or four times, it's not a good ratio to be hitting.

a few years ago, i mentioned in conversation in work that when i lived in phibsboro (and would often walk home in the evening/at night), i formed the habit of quickly overtaking any women who might be walking on their own in front of me. a couple of the lads were surprised at this, they'd never considered it 'a thing' to consider.

tomasrojo · 18-12-2020 11:08am

magicbastarder wrote: »

a few years ago, i mentioned in conversation in work that when i lived in phibsboro (and would often walk home in the evening/at night), i formed the habit of quickly overtaking any women who might be walking on their own in front of me. a couple of the lads were surprised at this, they'd never considered it 'a thing' to consider.

There was a thread on Twitter a while ago about What would you do if men disappeared for a day, and there were a lot of answers from women along the lines of Go out on my own after dark.

buffalo · 18-12-2020 11:53am

magicbastarder wrote: »

a few years ago, i mentioned in conversation in work that when i lived in phibsboro (and would often walk home in the evening/at night), i formed the habit of quickly overtaking any women who might be walking on their own in front of me. a couple of the lads were surprised at this, they'd never considered it 'a thing' to consider.

I was on the nightlink on my own one night, and the woman sitting on her own in the seat behind me fell asleep and her phone dropped onto the floor. I picked it up and woke her with some trepidation to hand it back. There was a thanks, and I turned back saying nothing further for fear of being a creep.

As the bus approached my stop, she went downstairs to get off. So I had to go downstairs after her, hoping it didn't register as weird. She got off first, and I quickly crossed the road so as not to actually follow her. Imagine my horror, in the pitch black of 3am or so with nobody else around, she crossed further up the road and went into my estate!

As I followed her into the estate, I tried to hang back a good bit. I could see her turning around up ahead and I wondered what was going through her mind...

Then she said hello to me and we got chatting, and everything was grand.

Thelonious Monk · 18-12-2020 12:22pm

And you've been married 10 years????

21-12-2020 1:18pm

zell12 wrote: »

Driver (33) who struck and killed cyclist father of three in Gortahork walks free

That is from Sept and was already posted back then if I'm not mistaken.

Seth Brundle · 21-12-2020 6:16pm

Not directly cycling related but interesting nonetheless...

https://twitter.com/JTUrbanDesign/status/1340721019942809601

zell12 · 21-12-2020 6:53pm

Deleted User wrote: »

That is from Sept and was already posted back then if I'm not mistaken.

Did not check the date, it just accompanied a current story in that paper! Removed

Seth Brundle · 23-12-2020 12:49pm

Hopefully the Boston drivers weren't hurt...
https://twitter.com/_wayneburkett/status/1341463032883539973?s=19

TheChizler · 23-12-2020 12:53pm

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Hopefully the Boston drivers weren't hurt...
https://twitter.com/_wayneburkett/status/1341463032883539973?s=19

That's all too familiar isn't it.

Wildly Boaring · 23-12-2020 1:18pm

That is the most ridiculous logic I've ever heard.
So hit the squishy cyclists instead????

Duckjob · 23-12-2020 1:22pm

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Hopefully the Boston drivers weren't hurt...
https://twitter.com/_wayneburkett/status/1341463032883539973?s=19

In a sane world, that would be a WaterfordWhispers story...

breezy1985 · 01-01-2021 12:27pm

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jan/01/removed-london-bike-lane-blocked-by-parked-cars-most-of-the-time-study-kensington-and-chelsea-council

Interesting stats on the difference a cycle lane made

tomasrojo · 01-01-2021 2:26pm

breezy1985 wrote: »

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jan/01/removed-london-bike-lane-blocked-by-parked-cars-most-of-the-time-study-kensington-and-chelsea-council

Interesting stats on the difference a cycle lane made

Closing words pretty sarky:

"This updated total of 1,300 residents represents 0.8% of the borough’s population."

Type 17 · 01-01-2021 4:08pm

Nothing sarky about facts

CramCycle · 01-01-2021 4:37pm

Type 17 wrote: »

Nothing sarky about facts

Indeed, did I read that correctly in that the number of complaints about the lane where less than the number of cyclists who used it daily, surely that should have been a point against the complaints.

My favourite bit is that motorised traffic is now slower than it was before they took it up, even with all the illegal parking.

flatface · 01-01-2021 7:01pm

Good article on RTÉ about the red herring of high vis. https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/1124/1180079-how-hi-vis-clothes-make-us-think-that-cycling-is-dangerous/

I was left wondering how many got the order of risk right?

tomasrojo · 01-01-2021 8:12pm

CramCycle wrote: »

Indeed, did I read that correctly in that the number of complaints about the lane where less than the number of cyclists who used it daily, surely that should have been a point against the complaints.

My favourite bit is that motorised traffic is now slower than it was before they took it up, even with all the illegal parking.

Interesting twist
https://twitter.com/lastnotlost/status/1345062268644556800

magicbastarder · 01-01-2021 8:20pm

i think this is the link:

https://twitter.com/lastnotlost/status/1345062268644556800

tomasrojo · 01-01-2021 9:38pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

i think this is the link:

Thanks, hadn't realised you'd posted so I was fixing it. This media player isn't really designed for fast editing of text.

Journalism and Cycling 2: the difficult second album

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