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

Can't argue with the observation though. I would say 80% of cyclists breaking straight ahead red lights sounds about right, at least on my commute.

I'm totally in favour of camera systems being installed, it would certainly add some much needed cash to the exchequer and penalty points for the cars and bikes. Breaking the law should indeed be punished.

We could get a team actuaries to calculate the fine amounts based on realistic relative parameters, such as momentum, potential to do damage etc.

Consider this:

I'm jogging and I crash into someone, should I be subject to a fine?

I'm on a bike that adds 8kg of mass and I crash into someone at the same speed as the jogger, should I be subject to a fine?

I'm driving a car, doing the same speed as the jogger and I drive through someone killing them instantly, should I now pay a fine or is it manslaughter?

shootermacg wrote: »

Consider this:
I'm jogging and I crash into someone, should I be subject to a fine?

No, but you should go to specsavers instead!

dixiefly wrote: »

I drive in Dublin Monday to Friday.

I would say somewhere between 80 and 90% of cyclists routinely break red lights. I am not interested in getting into a debate about it. Just saying as i see it. I say a lunatic cyclist breaking the red light at Hanlon's Corner cycling towards Stoneybatter last week and then outside one bus, cut in front of it and then inside the next one.

Of course there are lunatic drivers out there, more often on the motorways rather than the average road in the city.

But this is about cyclist safety and i am of the opinion that there should be a confiscation policy put into law regarding cyclists breaking red lights. have a plain clothes policeman standing at a pedestrian light and take details / take photo of the cyclists when the break the lights and then have a colleague lined up to impound the bike down the road.

Maybe this is unworkable but something is needed as a deterrent to yclists breaking red lights.

Nonsense...

ED E wrote: »

Whoa, I would have had a coronary after that.

Saw that posted to the Dublin cycling campaign Facebook page earlier and the some of the comments under the story are enough to give me a coronary https://www.facebook.com/dublincycling/
F****ing hell people who call themselves 'cyclists' saying they should be cycling single file and cycling as close as possible to the side of the road. Do they not realise this only makes motorists do stupid and risky overtaking manoeuvres :mad:

Weepsie wrote: »

There's one woman in particular who i really taking the p!ss. Claiming they're on the wrong side, shouldn't be 2 abreast, the usual crap. Her claims are being easily dismissed so she returns with "advice" unrelated to it anything that actually happens in the video.

This is something that happens a lot. Advice to cyclists that has nothing to do with any actual events.

Motorists seem to think it's their place to advise cyclists. What to wear where to cycle where not to cycle.

I think it's even sadder that people seek out niche facebook pages like the Dublin cycling campaign to air these one sided views.

Lots of city incidents here... I'm just back from a week long road trip with a gang of surfing families around the Wild Atlantic Way. Mainly Kerry and Cork. Most of us would be commuter cyclists.

We discussed this thread, the carry on of motorists and cyclists and made a conscious decision to adhere to the 1.5 metre pass strictly with no excuses. We overtook about forty cyclists plus two groups of more than ten, some were over single white lines with cyclist struggling up massive mountains. Not illegal and perfectly safe and in accordance with the rules of the road.

When we felt it wasn't safe to pass cyclists most drivers behind us were ok with us, particularly rentals and foreign reg cars.

We were beeped at, flashed at, tailgated only five times in fairness... but the dodgy overtakers made it to the next village/town/slow area a few seconds ahead of us. We were surprised at how little time they made. Some of them were getting out of their cars as we trundled by. We were puzzled at their rush to get by the cyclists only to stop two kilometres down the road.

In some cases we were fully convinced cyclists were cycling 5 or even 8 abreast, and we were a bit "ah here, that's taking the piss" but (as pointed out on this thread) when we were overtaking them they were actually 2 abreast. It's like some crazy optical illusion, but drivers need to be aware of this.

Overall, we found the 1.5 metre overtake is very very workable on rural and urban roads with cyclists cycling two abreast and didn't hold us up at all.

We're experienced urban and rural motorists, some enthusiasts (myself included) and we all felt that the only ones on the road that need reeducation were the motorists.

The downhill runs for cyclists were amazing by the way, if any of you were descending the Cork and Kerry mountains - we were the 4x4 cars with surf boards on the roof behind you! Some speeds you were hitting, tucked in behind your handlebars, arse up, head down, tiny tyres!!!! great control, using front and back brakes, great to see, must be some feeling.

magicbastarder wrote: »

stickybottle has put it up on facebook - twice - and the number of people claiming to be cyclists and also blaming the cyclist is infuriating. more than a few comments about freds; an implication that because the cyclist was a bit wobbly, he brought it on himself.

A lot of people might cycle for a very little bit on Sunday, but don't commute, so they don't have a grasp of practical challenges to a safe journey. Cycling very close to the kerb will result in a puncture, and no gratitude from a motorist who sees a change to manoeuvre to the left of someone waiting to turn right.

John Rambo, that's a heartening post, thank you and cheering after the spate of near-miss stories, Sean Canney TD for same constituency as Ciaran Cannon, sponsor of 1.5m, MPD Private Members Bill was quoted in Connacht Telegraph some weeks ago saying how absurd the proposed law is, as we didn't have the right kind of roads. Two fellas were on R na G another day saying roughly the same thing, no way roads around Connemara suitable for MPD, sure you'd be in the ditch on the other side if you allowed that much room and the solution is for cyclists to wear helmets, ride single file and keep out of the way.. So lucky for ye ye, ye were in Cork and Kerry where they must have super-highways appropriate for allowing a MPD! Seriously, would you send your post to Phil Skelton of Stayin Alive at 1.5 as he'd be heartened and when/if the Bill is drawn from the lottery please also send your experience to your local TD's. Interesting you say the rental cars were mostly ok. Just back form a week cycling in Germany myself, mainly on segregated paths but not always and the respect accorded to cyclists reflected the fact I think that there it's regarded as a mainstream activity whether for leisure or transport not something engaged in by oddballs to annoy the hell out of road-tax paying motorists.

Two this morning, one just over Harolds Cross bridge on the way in to town where a Good Samaritan decided to stop the traffic to allow a taxi to turn right across their path, glad I had the brake pads replaced recently or I'd have gone in to the passenger door!

Second one was minutes later where someone whipped their car in to the bus lane on Cathal Brugha street only to slam on because some clown was walking his toddler daughter across the pedestrian crossing against the red pedestrian light.

Stay alert out there, there's morons everywhere!!

Chuchote wrote: »

Harold's Cross Bridge is a menace. Really should be replaced with a flat, opening bridge. In Holland they have these, with traffic lights for when boats are coming through and the bridge has to be opened.

Ireland is at least 20 years behind and a whole world away in Mindset from the Dutch in terms of Infra for cyclists.. A regular Dutch person would sell there bike if he or she moved to any Irish city or town!

This is an example of how treacherous that bridge is for cyclists:

Danjamin1 wrote: »

The whole stretch of road leading up to that bridge is a pain in the hole, you've got private traffic hugging the kerb in the bus lane the whole way and once you get as far as the bridge it's a mad scramble for space getting through the lights. Same thing the whole way down to Patrick street, private vehicles in the bus lane, cars whipping in & out of lanes, it's just manic from there on.

I find that junction lethal. Cyclists have so much against them its madness. Over the past few weeks the road works on the inner lane has squeezed both lanes in and made it more treacherous. Use it at your peril as motorists are taking no prisoners given how quick the lights change and red light runners.

magicbastarder wrote: »

from the perspective of the video above, it's kinda surprising there's a right turn allowed. that said though, how many junctions crossing the canal allow right turns onto the canal for motorists coming from the south?

Thats one - Clogher Road is another but less busy. Dolphins Barn does not allow. Not sure of others. It is a badly organised with how little time on the lights especially with it being a main roadway coming into the city.

Danjamin1 wrote: »

The whole stretch of road leading up to that bridge is a pain in the hole, you've got private traffic hugging the kerb in the bus lane the whole way and once you get as far as the bridge it's a mad scramble for space getting through the lights. Same thing the whole way down to Patrick street, private vehicles in the bus lane, cars whipping in & out of lanes, it's just manic from there on.

I don't even like driving that stretch of road, never mind cycling it.

Tombo2001 wrote: »

One question that springs to mind is why do cyclists use the route.Ideal world we would all like great bike paths. Its not an ideal world and we wont get them. End of.
So the more relevant question is how do we make the best of a bad situation....One thing that strikes me in Dublin is that you can have a (main traffic) route that is choc-a-bloc, gridlock, people weaving in and out, trucks, vans the lot......and cyclists use those roads.And you can have another road (usually a residential one) that's parallel, with hardly anyone on it.

Does it make sense to earmark some roads as cycling routes, specifically through residential areas.

Yes it does make sense to do that, and there have been proposed "Quiet routes" for cyclists from Donnybrook to Kimmage for example..

Reasons why it hasn't happened yet?
Number 1: The NIMBY's!
..anything that may affect the driving pleasure of private cars around these small roads is bad.

Number 2: Nimby pressure on local councilors to delay or scrap these projects and keep the local voters happy!

Tombo2001 wrote: »

One question that springs to mind is why do cyclists use the route.

Same reason as most people choose their routes - because it is the shortest or quickest route to or from work.

07Lapierre wrote: »

What like this?

Yeap, and this:

The original proposed route recently came up against opposition from residents at Frankfort Avenue, says Fine Gael's Smyth. That's the second reason the project is delayed. The new proposed route bypasses that spot.

"People don't like change, even if the motivation for that change is completely justified, says Smyth. But at the end of the day, there's less rat-runs, safer routes to school. It's hard to see how people could object to that."