Thug Cyclists!

Bee

I was cycling up Georges St on Monday, in the cycle lane outside of the old Bewley's...dunno what it is called now...along comes a thug cyclist riding down the wrong side of the road straight at me...

What's a girl to do?

It ended up with him shouldering me deliberately onto the footpath. Nothing was damaged except my self esteem.

What hope do we have when thugs like this ride around with the potential of killing people? Why is it that the majority of cyclists that I have personally experienced in town behave like lunatics cycling thru' red lights and never obey the rules of the road. I feel I am out numbered 10 to 1.

Why is the law not enforced? How can I encourage my young children to cycle (and me feel safe for their lives!) when we are up against this behaviour?

I was spat upon for not going thru' red lights and allowing the idiot behind me pass as I was between a car and the footpath on a previous occasion.

Is the rot coming from the top? I met the chief bottle washer The Mis-Director of traffic jams Mr. Keego and he honestly said, when I pointed out a spectacular point of stupid road design...along the lines of..."the injuries caused by cyclists are less than damaging than cars"

Jeez!

I remember a gent that was killed by a lunatic courier cyclist along Baggot St. He stepped off the road carefully watching for oncoming traffic never noticing the maniac cycling up along the wrong side of the road against the traffic. He never awoke from his coma...

How can we have the law enforced? Are the joke cycle lanes in town contributing to the problem?

What do you all think? Should I only use my car in future?

Bee...

mike65

Kill more cyclists....not really.

Mike.

Victor

It's a courier problem, not necessarily a cyclist problem.

BrianD

There seem to be many cyclists who think all cycle lanes are two-way! Sure it would be good to have "dutch cycle lanes" but these are not practical in a city centre. I think most motorists have copped on to the principal of cycle lanes and keep out with the exception of where there are LH turns. Motorcyclists seem to think they can use them and I would view these as a bigger threat to cyclists than cars.

Sarsfield

Couriers are definitely the worst, but they're not the only ones.

I ALWAYS look both ways, even crossing a pedestrian street. The number of couriers who SPEED along North Earl Street is frightening. The pedestrian areas in the IFSC are scary with the number of couriers. I have to admit I'm sometimes tempted to 'nudge' one of them and send them flying, but as a pedestrian I'm afraid of coming off worst. And of getting sued.

GlennaMaddy

The next time your skimmed by a courier, briefly grasp one side of their handlebars, it makes all the difference

dmeehan

Originally posted by GlennaMaddy
The next time your skimmed by a courier, briefly grasp one side of their handlebars, it makes all the difference

lol, mental image of courier going flying:D

Lemming

Having worked as a cycle-courier (albeit quite some time ago) I would think that the change that is required is not in cyclists at large, nor even the couriers per-se, but in the manner in which cycle-couriers are paid.

Cycle couriers are paid absolute pitance (was IR£1 per drop when I did it). Now if you have 15 couriers working on a day, the faster that you can get/deliver packages the more you get paid. I was lucky to be getting £30/40 a day, if even. MY first week was a take-home pay of IR£44.

That doesn't excuse cycling up one-way streets or elbowing someone out of the way etc, but it does go some way towards explaining why it sometimes happens. Whilst I'll mutter about some of the things I've heard/seen couriers do, I at least understand why they do it. It's not a glamourous job, and often the people you work for are absolute w*nkers who will try to shaft you out of any available penny they can (mine certainly were & did)

Also bear in mind that the worst people on the roads are actually pedestrians - and I say this as courier/cyclist/observer-in-vehicle - and if you've had umpteen people walk out in front of you in a given day you can start to get quite aggressive towards the next poor unfortunate that does it.

Add to that that car users are generally ignorant towards cyclists too, and you start to get the idea ....

As I've said, this doesn't excuse the behaviour you experienced, but might give you an insight into what is a very thankless, oft-miserly job.

cyclopath2001

Thug cyclists are first cousins of thug motorists.

BrianD

Lemming - with all due respect, I really don' care how much cycle couriers are paid! It is no justification for "thuggish" or dangerous behaviour on the streets.

Here's another scenario. I am stressed out at work, I go and get drunk and drive home and kill two kids in the process. I am justified? Hey, I'm under stress can't you understand. At least I could argue that I was not being motivated by GREED!

Lemming

Originally posted by BrianD
Lemming - with all due respect, I really don' care how much cycle couriers are paid! It is no justification for "thuggish" or dangerous behaviour on the streets.

Nor is lamping all cyclists into the category of 'thug cyclists'. Yeahhh ... what a way to get a good debate going!!

Here's another scenario. I am stressed out at work, I go and get drunk and drive home and kill two kids in the process. I am justified? Hey, I'm under stress can't you understand. At least I could argue that I was not being motivated by GREED!

That, tbh, is a completely crap & utterly unrelated 'scenario'. Your getting drunk has nothign to do with your job. If you had a job that required you to drink then perhaps ... but no. It's outside of your working life. Please come up with something better ......

And by the way, point out exactly where I 'justified' the behaviour of the offending cyclists?

Victor

Originally posted by BrianD
Lemming - with all due respect, I really don' care how much cycle couriers are paid! It is no justification for "thuggish" or dangerous behaviour on the streets.

Not justification, explanation. Most couriers, whether of the bike, motorbike, car, van or truck type are self-employed and to some degree or other exploited by their "clients" (in any other business their empoyer). As they are paid per delivery or per distance traveled, there is the profund incentive to cut corners, not to "profit", but to make even a basic living.

Meanwhile, I had to deal with a joyrider outside my house last night. Thug motorists.

Bee

Originally posted by Victor
It's a courier problem, not necessarily a cyclist problem.

Victor,

Only if it was!

I agree that couriers are bad offenders, but I spent a few hours over looking Georges St and to pass some of the time I would estimate 90% of passing cyclists ran the red lights etc.

I also had a friendly word with someone that eyeballs the traffic cameras in DCC and they say cyclists are the worst of all offenders. And they have the tape to prove it.

I expect multiple deaths when Luas is up and running (whenever that may be!)

I ask again how can I safely encourge my children to cycle when the worst danger to them is demonstrated daily by idiot cyclist ignoring the law taht is never enforced?

Bee

uberwolf

I frequently break red lights cycling.

I justify this to myself in two ways. I will only move when I judge it is safe for me to do so. I am more vunerable than other road users so maximum damage for a mistake is on my head.

I am more maneuverable and and come to a halt way quicker. I can stop on a penny from my cruising speed of 18 miles an hour. As i stop at red lights and look this is frequently less than 15 miles an hour.

Car doors, pedestrians stepping out, cars not leaving enough space all endanger me daily on city streets. I won't go up on the wrong way on a cycle lane, and certainly wouldn't shoulder some1 out of the way.

your LUAS example is another sad admission that cyclists are consistently being squeezed of the roads with no real consideration to accomadating them. The last day I was dropping down one cycle lane at 30 miles an hour and a car pulled alongside me looking to cross my path in to a feeder lane, she had no idea what speed I was doing and only checked at the last minute, she had been moving across my line.

If I can 'safely' break lights to remove myself from that mayhem briefly then I do so.

Andrew Duffy

I frequently break red lights cycling

pedestrians stepping out

Has it occurred to you that the pedestrian has a green light telling them it is safe top cross the road, and that they may not notice you hurtling towards them? If you ever come across me at a pedestrian crossing which is on green you'll experience my personal light-breaking cyclist management programme - and if you are travelling at speed you probably won't be walking for some time. Breaking pedestrian lights is the stupidest, most selfish and dangerous thing any road user - motorist, cyclist or pedestrian - can do and it makes living and working in this city so unpleasant that every morning I get one step closer to moving to London.

uberwolf

Originally posted by Andrew Duffy
Has it occurred to you that the pedestrian has a green light telling them it is safe top cross the road

I will only move when I judge it is safe for me to do so

that is to say I will not infringe on anyone elses rights or safety. And please read into something before reacting.

My safety includes anticipating peoples likely reactions to my movements.

nlgbbbblth

Originally posted by BrianD
I am stressed out at work, I go and get drunk and drive home and kill two kids in the process. I am justified?

yes you are justified in getting drunk and running over two kids.
maybe they deserved it.

happy now?:rolleyes:

LFCFan

Originally posted by uberwolf
that is to say I will not infringe on anyone elses rights or safety. And please read into something before reacting.

My safety includes anticipating peoples likely reactions to my movements.

Sorry uberwolf but your comments are very similar to drink drivers who think they are able to drive when drunk. How do you know what way you'll react until you are in a situation where you have to react.

uberwolf

If I'm at a set of lights and there are no cars coming I'll go through them. Ditto for pedestrain crossings. If there are cars or pedestrians coming I wait. So a "situation" is unlikely.

To say I'm like a drink driver is incredible though. Drink slows reaction speeds. Adrenaline improves them. Whats more having raced MTB and road bikes at the top level, I have the reaction speed and skills of a good rally/track racer. I intend not to use them because I rather get home safe and leave everyone else do the same.

Mr. Fancypants

The fact of the matter is that you are a road user and are obliged to observe the rules of the road. It doesnt matter how skilled you are or what reaction time you have. If i was a Formula 1 driver im sure i wouldnt be allowed to break pedestrian lights.

Your breaking the law every time you go through a red light, if you think it is a stupid law thats up to yourself but personally i would love to see cyclists prosecuted for it before it causes any more deaths/injuries.

uberwolf

I've fully acknowledged its against the law, I don't think its a stupid law. And I'm not suggesting that I am entitled to do it because I'm better on the bike than most.

If I thought I was going to be prosecuted I wouldn't do it.