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Near Misses Volume 2 (So close you can feel it)

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Comments

  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 22,271 CMod ✭✭✭✭Pawwed Rig


    Car door zone. There was a massive advertising campaign in the 80s on this that has stuck with me. Any cycle lane within a car door zone shouldn't be used imo. This is another reason why Fairview is a nightmare to cycle through.



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,227 ✭✭✭Breezer


    This is exactly why. I pass by there a fair bit and have been beeped at for doing the same thing, but it’s the only safe way to approach it. You pass through a village and multiple sets of lights within the next few hundred metres so the beepers aren’t going anywhere fast anyway, but that doesn’t seem to enter their heads.



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,339 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    He also does move over to the cycle lane and as soon as he does the bus overtakes and starts to do so again once passed the next parked cars. All this aside, whether you think he was right or wrong, no excuse to halfwheel a guy on a bike with a multiton vehicle.



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,173 ✭✭✭VonLuck


    Understandable with being in proximity of the car doors, but it seemed like he continued to cycle outside of the lane well beyond this. Can't tell if the noise in the video was the bus beeping, but maybe it was an "FU" from the cyclist by maintaining his position!



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,339 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Maybe but he does start to drift over within a few seconds, then has to come out again for the bus, and then stays out because of the cars again (I presume). Overly cautious maybe but on the same note, that bus looks like it would have skimmed him anyway, so damned if he does (gets buzzed and driver pulls in ahaead of him), damned if he doesn't (people who don't realise what he is doing think he is a pr1ck). You can't win, no point trying to explain to a guy who has already beeped and halfwheeled you, he isn't listening. One of those situations where I think a painted bike lane does more harm than good. If it had just been a wide bus/bike lane, the driver probably would have just overtaken normally and not felt that the bike should get out of his way although that might be more credit than he is due.



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  • Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 38,414 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle


    Does the bus driver beep at everyone who is not moving as quickly as they want?

    Does the bus driver move out of the way of people who want to go faster than them?

    Beeping at a cyclist rarely achieves more than pointing out that the driver is a bully and is trying to intimidate another road user.



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,173 ✭✭✭VonLuck


    I'm sure this gets said a lot but I'd rather be alive than right. There are some people willing to battle with 20 tonne vehicle when it could potentially be avoided.

    In an ideal world we'd all be following the rules of the road and holding our position in the lane, but not when there are so many aggressive and stupid people out there.



  • Registered Users Posts: 539 ✭✭✭ARX


    In general I'm inclined to agree, but if you end up with an aggressive driver behind you, it may sometimes be better to stop them getting into a position where they can run you into the kerb, you lose control and end up with your legs being run over and bleeding to death by the side of the road.

    My view is that most drivers are ok, many are incompetent, a few are aggressive pricks but very very few are the sort of out-and-out psycho that will deliberately ram you. If you have someone behind you giving you hassle, it may be better to manage the situation by making sure you have space to manoeuvre until you can safely get out of their way than to try and get out of their way too early and end up dead.



  • Registered Users Posts: 8,037 ✭✭✭buffalo


    The idea of taking the lane is that it prevents an aggressive driver from doing anything more than beeping at you and maybe revving the engine. If you didn't take the lane, they'd close pass you with potential consequences a lot worse than intimidation. (And if they do close pass you when you've taken the lane, you've a lot of room to move into without hitting the kerb/railing/canal/etc.) So by taking the lane, you'll both be alive and be right.



  • Posts: 0 Brooke Weak Comma


    Yup. Its the only way I travel on the bike now. As I've said many times, it doesn't stop anyone overtaking, it only stop them overtaking dangerously



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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,482 ✭✭✭MojoMaker


    Oh they can still overtake dangerously even if you take the lane, but as buffalo says, at least you have somewhere to retreat to if threatened with a punishment pass.



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,339 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Indeed, I'd sooner get knocked or skimmed with a metre to take the fall or correction in than just the width of a bike lane with street furniture on one side and moving vehicles on the other.

    Risk assessment is a funny thing, everyone will look at a scenario like this and note something they would have done differently. I see your point but if he gets doored he is under the 20 ton vehicle. By and large, most vehicles that acknowledge you, while they endanger you, are unlikely to intentionally run you over, the risk of him actually falling and requiring an emergency brake to avoid the cyclist. Was there any real risk to his cycling, well yes and no, if he cycles on the path where the parked cars are along side, there is a risk of getting doored or something small running out with no time to react, also the bus will possibly pass quicker and closer. The surface is in tatters (or was the last time I was there) so more chance of falling out. Take the lane and the bus can overtake when safe to do so, unlikely as annoyed as he gets that he will commit manslaughter or murder to prove a point. Long story short most of us will unknowingly carry out a risk assessment, sometimes we do a good job of it, sometimes a not good job of it. In this case, I think the weight of experience would show while counter intuitive, he probably was taking the less risk, although the risk in reality in both scenarios was probably minimal. A horrivble situation where the likelihood is minimal but the severity could be extreme.

    In reality there was no "be alive than right" in both choices you arrive alive in most scenarios. Most buses will be busy enough that even at a relaxed pace, you never see them again after one stop. There is also the other issue that looking at the bus lane in both, they both could overtake with ease, but both were stopping in a few seconds, so it was all a bit pointless from the drivers, both delayed 5 seconds by someone they would never see again if they didn't overtake them.



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,884 ✭✭✭Roberto_gas


    I still wonder why idiots honk me when i go and take pole position at red lights within the bike box when traffic is at standstill ! Or is it not right ??



  • Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 38,414 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle




  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,339 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Surprised you can get into the box, normally full of cars if traffic is heavy.



  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 47,998 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    i don't think i've ever been beeped at for that. dunno how i'd react.



  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 22,271 CMod ✭✭✭✭Pawwed Rig


    I don't know if it would even register with me. I would assume that the beeping was for someone else.





  • When I was living in Dublin I'd get it occasionally, seemed to enrage some when you filter up from way back and take your rightful position on the extreme right of the box in anticipation of going right when you get the light. Gas thing is by the time they get the car in gear and the handbrake off I'd be long gone.

    I recall one time sitting in the box for cars you can move up into to go right to wait for a gap in on coming traffic, I got beeped and had a look behind to be told I was in her box, "I don't want to know you that well love" was my response 😂



  • Registered Users Posts: 181 ✭✭Steoller


    I filtered up into one of those recently, but it was occupied by someone in a car, so I waited in the box beside them for the right turn filter. A lady came up behind me going straight, stopped and beeped. I gestured that there was plenty of room to go by on my left, and as she did so, she rolled down her window, stopped again to say "F*ck you" then drove on.

    All I could do was laugh, it was so needless and petty.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 8,037 ✭✭✭buffalo


    One on foot this morning - walking on a footpath alongside a green, that meets the footpath alongside the road in a T junction. As I wheeled the buggy onto the footpath by the road, coming out from behind a fence, it was barely missed by a driver driving on the footpath. I'd say there was about a foot in it.

    I let out a roar, and made a few wtf gestures, but the driver was either frozen or didn't care - either way they didn't react as they sat in the middle of the road where they'd swung out. Driving an SUV tank and too lazy/incompetent to do a three-point turn on the road, they'd obviously mounted the footpath to take it wide.

    I walked on, but I got more worked up then when I saw the driver drop their child at a bus stop and then drive home... to the next estate. They'd driven their child 250m so she could stand and wait in the rain with no shelter. 🤷‍♂️

    Now I wish I'd screamed "you're everything that's wrong with drivers" at them.

    Post edited by buffalo on


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,724 ✭✭✭tnegun


    I'll upload them later but the last 3 days have been something else, several of the usual closes passes, two passes causing traffic coming in the opposite direction to stop one from a bus, a couple of reminders why I don't use cycle lanes and a failed attempt to pass so they just pulled in on top of me due to traffic stopping in front!!



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,724 ✭✭✭tnegun


    Annoyingly my camera or SD card messed up and I've lost most of the recordings from the last day or so but today was no different another stupid pass this morning https://streamable.com/71oj3s and a near-miss the morning before reminding me of why I don't use this bike lane https://streamable.com/upb297



  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 10,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭5uspect


    I bring the kids along there in the cargo bike. Always some people walking in the cycle lane and they always move in the opposite direction of the footpath when I approach. I’ve no idea what’s so hard about walking.



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,339 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Jesus, the 2nd one, what a muppet. Did they even notice?



  • Registered Users Posts: 748 ✭✭✭Paul_Mc1988


    Is the first one the hill down into leixlip? I hold the middle of the road going down that and pass the cars on the right while staying inside the continuous white line. You can get up a fair bit of speed going down there so best not to get boxed in.



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,724 ✭✭✭tnegun


    Not until I passed him he never even glanced to his right

    Yeah that's the one, I don't think any position would have put them off attempting to pass I wasn't far off the middle coming around the bend and they kept going for it despite the traffic ahead slowing/stopping!



  • Registered Users Posts: 36,161 ✭✭✭✭ED E


    The cyclist in the 2nd one would have got a horn blast from me, muppet.



  • Registered Users Posts: 748 ✭✭✭Paul_Mc1988


    Yeah your probably right. I've been lucky there and haven't had any issues.


    Got buzzed again by the red intel bus coming onto the N4 at exit three. Need to start grabbing regs and confronting them while I'm on me break.



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  • Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 38,414 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle


    Yeah your probably right. I've been lucky there and haven't had any issues.

    As someone who lives near that junction, I often encounter drivers who will attempt an overtake anywhere between Leixlip garda station and Aldi, regardless of oncoming traffic or the fact that there may be red lights at the church or outside Aldi. My speed or road position doesn't come into it; it's pure MGIF!



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