Journalism and Cycling 2: the difficult second album

Viscount Aggro wrote: »

There is a vested interest in driving down values of properties in the village. It begins with letter H. To buy properties they don't already own.

But what strategy are they using to drive down values of properties? How are they making businesses close on Main Street?

It's a minority concern, but it's quite hard to get a cargo bike into the Dundrum Village if you're heading north. The only option, apart from barging down the ramp at Lidl (I'm not rude enough to try it, so I can't think off-hand whether the geometry is even accommodating enough to allow it), is to go in through the car entrance, take a parking ticket, go under the barrier and discard the ticket. You can't lift a cargo bike up onto the footpath to use the second pedestrian entrance. I suppose you could continue on, and do a hard left onto the footpath at the t-junction and go in through the pedestrian entrance opposite the library.

Viscount Aggro wrote: »

There is a vested interest in driving down values of properties in the village. It begins with letter H. To buy properties they don't already own.

Motorists will not bother trying to access village , will be too much hassle. Look at Rathfarnham village. Its a dead backwater.

Who is this mysterious H? Hún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council?

Viscount Aggro wrote: »

Maintaining low rent businesses in the old centre. A near derelict row of premises on western side of street. By keeping this status for years, they are hoping to empty the main street, pick up properties on the cheap , to complete their portfolio.

I still don't understand though. They own some premises and are keeping them closed to make the others close?

Viscount Aggro wrote: »

We locals know the footfall, traffic levels. It does not require one way. The bypass took all the traffic from main street.

There is still a LOT of traffic passing through Dundrum. I cycle through Dundrum all the time, and I often choose another way to go because the Main Street is so cycling hostile -- mainly because there's no overtaking space: two lanes and car parking = very narrow lanes.

Viscount Aggro wrote: »

Covid is a distraction here, it's been planned for years.

It's certainly possible that they're using it as a justification for ostensibly temporary measures that will be so popular and lucrative that they'll stay. I certainly hope so.

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

It's a fair point, as is the question of where you can park it safely, and have reasonable confidence that it will be there when you get back. From memory, they have some good Sheffield stands outside Lidl, but I can't recall if you would have room for few cargo bikes.
.

Yeah, the stands at Lidl are ok. You don't end up blocking the pedestrian passage, even with a long-base two-wheeler. The stands are too near the wall I would normally say, but in the case of a cargo bike it's pretty handy they're so near the wall, from the point of view of keeping the pedestrian passage clear.

buffalo wrote: »

So Hammerson/Steps use their evil influence within DLRCC to create a horrific village atmosphere with awful wide footpaths and terrifying plants, force all the local businesses to close down, then buy their properties (with all their spare cash even though this company is in deep trouble?) and get the council to close the bypass and build a motorway through the village?

Am I on the right track?

Sounds a bit like this:
https://twitter.com/dlrcycling/status/1292528671090245640

Duckjob wrote: »

When they mention the 2 cycle lanes, are they talking about the 2 perfectly good / perfectly disconnected lines of paint running for about 160m on one side and about 230m on the other ?

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.287571,-6.2438982,3a,75y,150.54h,69.54t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s4HlkPI9uw8Ev1eFtDHSC9w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It gets better when you have to negotiate the slip lanes for the car parks while cycling uphill.

It's not even clear to me that you can cycle into the car parks and lock up your bike and at least go to some shops in the Dundrum Town Centre, while you're busy not cycling anywhere near Main Street to appease the people who can't live with a one-way system.

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

The barriers are up at the entrance at present, so parking is free - though I presume that is a temporary measure.

Too late - barriers now down at the Village Centre, as noted on my final nostalgic drive southbound through the village yesterday.

buffalo wrote: »

What happened to all the H conspiracy posts? Removed by mod or OP?

(Agents of 'H'. I have no time to write more. If they catch me writing this, they will harm me.)

Stark wrote: »

Afaik Conor Faughan "is a cyclist himself" (TM) so stays clear of going too far overboard on the vitriol even if his livelihood is protecting the status quo.

He cycles to work.

Stark wrote: »

Afaik Conor Faughan "is a cyclist himself" (TM) so stays clear of going too far overboard on the vitriol even if his livelihood is protecting the status quo.

Let's not confuse cyclist with "bicycle user", there is a difference.

magicbastarder wrote: »

i suspect whatever issues the locals who actually live on strand road might have with a one way system will be tempered by the knowledge that it will at least halve the HGV traffic heading for the port or the east link, coming past their houses.

HGV traffic (5-axle) is not permitted on Strand Road in normal circumstances. Also, whatever traffic is not going on the Strand road will just migrate westwards to flow through Sandymount or Merrion. As much as I am happy to see dedicated cycling facilities being installed, Strand Road is desperately unable to cope with reduced capacity being a major artery to/from the east link.

I will be delighted to be proved wrong on this, but I can't see this being successful for most people.

magicbastarder wrote: »

it used to be on my commute, before lockdown. there were quite a lot of HGVs ignoring the ban in my experience.

Semantics I know, but ignoring or having a lawful exemption ? Either way, it boils down to the same thing - trucks on the road.

It's on my commute too and I live in Ringsend area so I use the road a lot and I have never found it dangerous or inconvenient to cycle on. That's by-the-by but I do think that this will negatively affect the Ringsend/Irishtown and Sandymount areas.

Used to cycle strand road daily, I had my fair share of close passes, cars pulling out at roundabouts, tailgators and even an attempted assault. It was a perilous dash twice a day, every day. However despite the danger it was a million times better cycling it than driving it. If the local residents are supportive its a great idea to re-allocate space to cyclists from motorised transport and the closest thing to the Utrecht traffic calming model that we have seen in Ireland.

Eamonnator wrote: »

I cycle to the shops, so I'm a bicycle user.
I cycle on a road bike in lycra, so I'm a cyclist.
I ride a MTB, so I'm a mountain biker.
Funny thing is , when I'm out on a bike, I always feel as if I'm the same person.
Funny that.

Nope, you're a cyclist Eamonnator. You have a demonstrated passion for cycling, a love of bikes, a determination to put your bike ahead of other easier forms of transport, someone who cherishes their rides, looks after your equipment, and looks forward to getting out on the bike / any bike as often as possible, has more than one bike, and actively consumes a variety of biking-related media and information, often with a deep interest in the sporting side of affairs - unless of course I've taken you up incorrectly all these years

^^ As are most regular posters on this forum. Occasionally an interloper will wind their way in here spouting "...but I'm a cyclist too..." in order to defend/deflect the actions of others towards those that have a grá for the bike.

Cletus, you wouldn't have laboured hours of love into your Muddy Fox resto if you were just a bicycle user. By definition you're a cyclist too.

I make a strong distinction between the two, without apology. More often than not the actions of bicycle users reflect poorly on the cyclist community - those in their cages or on their footpaths see us as all one. By and large the cyclists I know and see (a) are courteous to non-cyclists, (b) obey the rules of the road, (c) look after their equipment, (d) know how to ride capably and display this clearly and consistently.

Bicycle users on the other hand struggle with much of the above. Plenty of room for all of us of course, for the love of God just don't pretend that Conor Faughnan is a cyclist :pac:

I'm afraid that, despite the kudos and plaudits, Mojomaker, I have to agree with magicbastarder.

If you are on a bike, you're a cyclist. If you are driving a car, you're a motorist, etc and so forth.

We can't exclude people from any of the many groups they inhabit because we don't like the behaviour they exhibit. There are good and bad people in every walk of life.

Biker79 wrote: »

Mojomaker is 100% correct.

You earn the right to be a cyclist by riding a bike regularly and competently, with some degree of passion, I would say.

Shame that it has been hijacked by lefty weirdos, who seem to be more concerned with social media validation. But I guess it was inevitable.

So who is the arbiter of this group 'cyclist'