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

Don't think they care. They were involved in an accident in Lucan and still not slowing down after it

Wasn’t sure which thread to post this in, but Right to Bike in Cork has had a close pass case dismissed.

case here:

I thought this was particularly being a pr1ck "The barrister acknowledged the complainant for what he termed “that dissertation.”"

That's an awful decision by the judge. It's not possible to get closer and not deflect or hit the cyclist. That the driver said they knew who the cyclist was means or implies they intentionally made no effort to overtake safely. A law of 1/1.5m is no use if not backed by robust enforcement.

I posted a pic of a car that deliberately skimmed me back in Feb. The pass was close but not as close as in Cork. I received a notification from AGS that the inspector recommended a FCPN and 2pt for driving without due care. The driver has the right to appeal and maybe what happened in Cork will encourage them to roll the dice. Before the Cork ruling, I would have thought the driver mad to challenge it in court but not now.

Decisions like those in Cork, and additional comments by the judge and defence darrister about the cyclist, only serve to encourage motorists to challenge similar FCPN. The judicial system has just made a joke of the min distance (safe passing) legislation.

A heirachy of road users like those introduced this year in the UK is needed in Ireland to clearly put any ambiguity on blame on behalf of vulnerable road users to bed. Saying a cyclist was in the middle of the road (primary) should not mean a cyclist forfeits the right to be overtaken safely, at the requisite distance.

The judge here should be sent on a drivers awareness of vulnerable road users course. It would be of enormous benefit to them in terms of ruling on these cases.

I refer to the guidance of 1m in a 50kmph zone and 1.5m in an 80kmph.

I know distance is difficult to prove but there has to be some definition of what makes a pass unsafe. It cannot be left ambiguous. Barristers will love that. Define inconvenience and it will be different things to different people. The Road Traffic Act is a joke of an act anyway. Its long due an overhaul. Maybe is will be after the rail link to Dublin Airport is built. 😁

And of course, some councils have bike signs with 1.5m underneath. Are these as meaningful as the speed limit signs that motorists cannot see/read/decipher?

Just back from a couple of weeks in Berlin, where cycling is a serene and relaxing experience, even on non-segregated streets. Well, welcome back to Dublin with a bang (literally almost). Had a couple of bits to do around town today, first up was the famous Lombard street junction. Almost wiped out by a car turning left despite the fact there's a flashing amber for them and I had my front light on along with a fairly bright orange hoodie. Jammed on the brakes and skidded, if it had been wet, I'd have slid into them, no indicator used either by them.

Second instance was an obnoxiously close pass by a taxi driver in a bus lane despite the fact the lane beside him was clear to move into. 100% a punishment pass. As is usual in these cases, I caught up with him while he was stuck in traffic at the lights less than 100 metres on. I'd say I was home before he even got through that set of lights. Utterly pointless pass and horrible behaviour to deliberately try to use his vehicle to intimidate me.

Comparing the two cities, it's clear we have a massive problem with an aggressive driving culture in Ireland, the zero enforcement policy of AGS (and DCC when it comes to footpath parking) in my mind plays a significant part in enabling this culture. In the whole two weeks in Berlin cycling around every day, I didn't have a single instance of being endangered. In Dublin, it's every time you get on a bike it seems.

A couple more examples of the aggressive driving first clip I collected my son from his friend's house so he was cycling on my inside with his school bag on his bag and the driver decides to pass us this closely and then contrast it with the perfectly executed pass from the second car.

This ass hat this morning was on my rear wheel approaching the red light then the light goes green and I sense him going for it so moved left to avoid being side swiped, he couldn't wait 2 seconds for me to clear the pinch point. He then pulled into a site 200m up the road!

100% if I have any of the kids with me I'm taking the whole lane and coaching them to stay out of the gutter. Both cars I could have touched without extending my arm I must figure out how to put the tramlines on the video

Bit of a vent, cycling into work this morning, waiting at a right hand filter for the light to turn green and as its about to change, I notice in my right hand side the van essentially moving forward to attempt to either A, right hook me or B cut me off, anyway I let him off, and just gave the 'what the ****' hands, to which I noticed then even the van behind was gesturing the same to me, like 'what the **** was that about'.

I have resigned myself to not interacting with morons but this one I had to have a word with what the **** he was at.

Anyway, a non aggressive interaction with the driver asking what that was about, to which he mumbled some words, and what was my problem. To which I replied my problem was 'I am waiting at the top of the lights and you just decided to cut me off', to which he replied, which is a new one to me 'Am I here to serve you?' to which I replied, 'No, but you can have some respect for other people'.

It won't happen again anyway, next time at that junction/filter, I will be taking the full lane, end of story.

I am also noticing a serious increase in the amount of cycle lanes blocked by trucks/vans, and I mean actually blocking them where it puts you in an awful dangerous merge situation. I think its time to hand over to the councils non intercept offences as AGS are clearly not able to enforce them.

I also understand that deliveries need to be made, but the clear lack of any logical thinking by the driver is annoying, the logic is 'I best not obstruct traffic but its okay to obstruct the flow of a cycle lane'. When actually the safer option and the less obstructive option is in fact to impede more on the flow of traffic than the flow of cycle traffic, as majority of the time, they are actually still impeding on the traffic flow, as an example, parked half in a cycle lane and half into the bus lane/road, so a merge situation is developed anyway for normal traffic.