Summons for bicycle offence...???!

alias no.9

I witnessed a garda stopping a cyclist cycling the wrong waydown a one way street, I think it was drury street. It was funny, the cyclist dismounted and proceeded to walk with the bike. The garda was having none of it and made her get back on her bike and cycle back down the street in the correct direction. I thought that was an appropriate punishment. As for breaking lights, that's my pet hate, in a car or on a bike.

Seanie M

Tony Danza wrote:

What's with all these "fair play to the guard" comments? How would you like it if you got a summons for crossing the road when the man was red? Which obviously by reading the motors section on boards nobody here has ever done.

Post of the day...

I mean, it is not like there are red and geen traffic light men to make the black and white poles they sit on appear colourful... they are for safety, and when a pedestrian does have right of way, everyone else will know by the signals. When they don't, they don't.

Same for cars and trucks etc, and cyclists, which ARE treated as small vehicles when on the road.

Seanie.

is_that_so

Saw a cyclist, plough into a crowd of pedestrians on Kildare Street, some years ago. He was roaring "Coming through" as he swung round the corner. All he had to say for himself when he hit a woman and went on his arse was "So sue me". :mad:
"Rules is Rules" and apply to us all.

hobochris

mkdon05 wrote:

Yeah insurance is a great idea, and why dont we make everyone who J walks, do a theory test too.:rolleyes: If you obeyed all the rules of the road when cycling, it would be pointless cycling in the first place! Might as well drive into town and sit in the traffic like all the other muppets.

(I drive too, but not when its quicker to cycle)

Waits for the tirade

this is by far one of the dumest things ive ever read...

The rules of the road are put in place for a reason, which is to make the roads safer to use, they're not just their for the craíc...

so if a cyclist or any vehicle wants to use the road they should be made obey the rules!

granted their are a few times when it is safer to bend a rule here or there, but that is down to driver judgment to decide, And their would definatly *NEVER* be a time when it is deemed safer for any road user to run a red light rather then stop at it..

Even the emergency services who would be the only exception to this rule Stop for a few seconds to observe a Traffic light junction before they proceed through.. Which they are specifically trained to do.

but as for a cyclist running a red light.. in my opinion is a suicide attempt.
personally i think the Law should be amended to allow the Garda to Confiscate Bikes from cyclists who are caught doing this, and force them to pay to get them back, aswell as make them sit a road awareness course before hand.

This is one of my pet hates, along with cyclists weaving into the path of other vehicles or into the blind spot of a reversing vehicle, which ofcourse is our fault for not haivng X-ray vision to see through the obsticle causing our blind spot ..:mad:

Captain Trips

Yeah it's great to have rules and regulations but basically, no one has ever been killed by a cyclist who went through a red light, whereas plenty have been by cars doing it.

If someone wants to break a red light on a car or a bike, let them. If a garda ignores a bike doing it, chances are it's because the bike is unlikely to kill a crossing pedestrian or cause a whiplash inducing collision with another car - it is their own fault/risk.

As in Germany on the autobahn - you don't have to drive at 200kph, but if you do, it's your own fault most likely if you crash.

Simple common sense solves this - we don't need video cameras and cops on every corner watching for cyclists and making sure they have cycle tax and cycle insurance.

It's like that Simpsons's episode with the bear patrol........

Savman

What a stupid thread. Discussing whether or not cyclists have to adhere to the ROTR? What is the world coming to...:eek:
I triple dare any cyclist to go around breaking red lights, I would guess you'd have about 10 minutes if luck is on your side. You may as well pick out a nice casket. :rolleyes:

This is fairly basic stuff, most of us learned it back with the green cross code in primary school ffs.

Altreab

Captain Trips wrote:

no one has ever been killed by a cyclist who went through a red light,
If someone wants to break a red light on a car or a bike, let them. If a garda ignores a bike doing it, chances are it's because the bike is unlikely to kill a crossing pedestrian or cause a whiplash inducing collision with another car - it is their own fault/risk.

well noone killed apart for a few cyclists themselves.

Hotblack Desiato

Captain Trips wrote:

If someone wants to break a red light on a car or a bike, let them.

Now that's the most stupid comment in this thread so far.

If I want to drive on the right, because that suits me, should I be let?

Why bother with traffic lights or signs at all? Let's have total anarchy, we're halfway there as it is. FFS. Several people will die this bank holiday weekend because they, or other people, think that obeying simple rules is beneath them.

If a garda ignores a bike doing it, chances are it's because the bike is unlikely to kill a crossing pedestrian or cause a whiplash inducing collision with another car - it is their own fault/risk.

This is bull. A bicycle can move quite quickly and usually when they break a light it's when the green man is showing for the pedestrians. Would you like to get hit by a fast moving bicycle when crossing the road? It's nearly happened to me a couple of times, once when the genius cyclist was cycling the wrong way up the road - very lucky for me that I looked in his direction.

It doesn't take much of an impact to cause nasty injuries to a pedestrian, and if they hit their head on the road they could be killed.

Tony Danza

Seanie M wrote:

Post of the day...

I mean, it is not like there are red and geen traffic light men to make the black and white poles they sit on appear colourful... they are for safety, and when a pedestrian does have right of way, everyone else will know by the signals. When they don't, they don't.

Same for cars and trucks etc, and cyclists, which ARE treated as small vehicles when on the road.

Seanie.

Where did I say ignore rules of the road?

As the OP said

She replied a bit too sarcastically for his liking so he issued her with a summons!!

I don't see how the guard power-tripping constitutes a pat on the back for him?

saobh_ie

ninty9er wrote:

If the green man was showing at a crossroads she would still have right to continue, otherwise...she'll be seein the nice Garda in court (I hope, breakin feckin red lights:mad: :mad: :mad: )

Bicycles are not supposed to be operated on the footpath and as such should pay heed to signals aimed at road users and not pedestrains.

However, I agree that if a cyclist comes up to a read light but pedestrain crossings are green they should, if safe, continue in order to give them a little seperation from other traffic. especially cars & trucks sitting at the lights waiting to turn left without looking putting the cyclist under thier wheels.

In general however the lawlessness and switching of mode between being pedestrain traffic and road traffic that bicyclists do bothers me.

hobochris

Captain Trips wrote:

Yeah it's great to have rules and regulations but basically, no one has ever been killed by a cyclist who went through a red light, whereas plenty have been by cars doing it.

the rules arnt just there to protect people from the cyclist but also to ensure the saftey of the cyclist themselves... i mean for example, if a cyclist was to break the lights and get hit by a truck with a green light giving it the go ahead to continue... i doubt the cyclist would survive.. this type of thing could easily happen while the truck driver is checking the blind side mirror while making a turn ... it only takes a split second for it to happen and it would all be because the cyclist didnt obey the rules of the road, which protect them aswell as others...

Trampas

I was once got 2 summons for the one incident on a bicycle.

I was coming up less lesson st and turn up onto the canal.

A garda car pulled up beside me and told me i broke the red light.

I thought it was amber but they said it was red.

Took my details and nothing more to it.

Came back from holidays a while laster and to my mother shock i had 2 summons.

One was for breaking a red light and the other for speed including the condition of the vehicle.

There was nothing wrong with my bike as i look after it and service it at least every forthnight.

I wouldn't mind they never even got out of the car.

I was looking forward to the court case to see how I was been done for speed as there was no way I broke 30mph at the time.

Went to court and had to come back another day as they didn't get through the 2pm cases so all the 3pm cases had to come back again.

I got it quashed before going to court again.

If they want to do me there and with an on the stop fine would be ok.

No need to just give me a straight summons.

wingnut

hobochris wrote:

into the blind spot of a reversing vehicle, which ofcourse is our fault for not haivng X-ray vision to see through the obsticle causing our blind spot ..:mad:

Eh? Have you done a driving test. You must turn your head to check that there is nothing in your blind spot.

Also on the bikes being done for speeding... I was under the impression that speeding legislation was only applied to 'mechanially propelled vehicles'.

GTC

A summons is issued by the Court on behalf of the prosecuting Garda, your friend was a little to sarcastic. It sounds like she deserved it, if you don't mind me saying so.

hobochris

wingnut wrote:

Eh? Have you done a driving test. You must turn your head to check that there is nothing in your blind spot.

Yes i have in various catogories... have you driven a truck before?

or even a large van... because then you'd know what im talking about... in the space of time it takes to check your driver side mirror... a cyclist could easily pass your area of visability on the passenger side and get in your blind spot..
thats why alot of trucks have reversing beepers.. even though they tend to get ignored by the same idiots who would run red lights..

Esel

hobochris wrote:

this is by far one of the dumest things ive ever read...

Haven't read much then? dum dum!

wingnut

hobochris wrote:

have you driven a truck

Fair point if you are driving a truck (with tragic examples from the last year), I assumed you were talking car.

Victor

KTRIC wrote:

My brother in law and his mate were once cautioned for breaking the 30mph speed limit in Chapelizod by 20mph on racing bikes. They thought the Garda was taking the p!ss until he showed them the reading from his speed gun.

Speed limits only apply to mechanicaly propelled vehicles, although there is the matter of dangerous 'driving'.

KTRIC wrote:

Don't some countries (maybe Switzerland) have reg plates on their bikes. It would be a good idea to bring that in here and get all cyclists to sit a theory test before the cycle on the roads.

Now, if only we could get Irish drivers to pass tests and stuff .....

galwaytt wrote:

and make them get insurance as well. Absolute bloody nightmares on the road, they are..............

Damage caused by cyclists isn't nearly anything like that caused by motorists.

Stormbringer wrote:

Happy days!!!!! And slightly off topic but the most annoying thing is the cyclists out in groups training who ride 5/6 abreast( totally against the rules of the road)

You mean like cars in the over-taking lane?

sudzs wrote:

Is there a cyclists forum??

Cycling although some also hang out on Commuting & Transport[/ul]

mikemac

I've seen the cyclists forum and they're a fairly militant group. Not shy at all about slamming every else for ignoring rules of the road.

Good to see a cyclist being pulled up on this.

There's a thread in Commuting & Transport about the new Luas bridge and cyclist were bitching about pedestrians walking in cycle lanes.
They seem to forget the new bridge in the IFSC is pedestrian only and I've been almost knocked down a few times there.
If you cycle across that bridge, this applies to you!

franksm

Saw a class example last Sunday while driving into Dublin to the RDS art show: at Stephens Green, at the end of Grafton St, lights go red, so I come to a stop. Girl steps off pavement to cross the road - some old geezer on a bike comes up the inside and brushes past her at quite a clip... and keeps on going. Girl is obviously shocked.

At the next set of red lights, he blasts through those too as I happen to be head of the stopped queue. And again at the next lights. And the fourth ones.

He oul b0llix must have have nine lives to have survived to that age

Glad to see the cops doing something about it. Have to feel sorry for the Gardai - if they turn a blind eye to things, it's "must be doughnut starvation", and if they do take action "they're on a power trip"

Victor

micmclo wrote:

There's a thread in Commuting & Transport about the new Luas bridge and cyclist were bitching about pedestrians walking in cycle lanes.

Do you mean the one at Spencer Dock where the cyclists and pedestrians are forced to mingle?

mikemac

Victor wrote:

Do you mean the one at Spencer Dock where the cyclists and pedestrians are forced to mingle?

Yes, Victor that's the one

Foxhunt

sudzs wrote:

A friend of mine went through a red light on her bicycle the other day and was spotted by a bored Garda who gave her a load of verbal, stuf like "do you realise how dangerous that was??? Do you???"

She replied a bit too sarcastically for his liking so he issued her with a summons!! :eek:

What's the story with that? Will she definately have to go to court? What's the fine? Is it a fine??

Any info appreciated!

Your friend was very unlucky. She had the misfortune of encountering a member of our law enforcement actually enforcing the law.

Isn't the use of indicators by motorists optional on Irish roads, certainly speed limits are. Oh! that's only up until operation "free for all kicks" in at Christmas, of course. Then they apply.

the_syco

ninty9er wrote:

If the green man was showing at a crossroads she would still have right to continue, otherwise...she'll be seein the nice Garda in court (I hope, breakin feckin red lights:mad: :mad: :mad: )

Is the green man on a bike? No? You mean he's walking? Well then, I hope she gets done for it anyway.

Stark

I've often seen crossroads that show both a green man and a green cycle light.

ninty9er

the_syco wrote:

Is the green man on a bike? No? You mean he's walking? Well then, I hope she gets done for it anyway.

I've been told by a member of An Garda Síochána that the Rules of the Road permit this anyhow; it's very easy to get off the bike walk across a junction and get back on the other side....now that's pedantic for you:eek: :eek:

Stark

ninty69er wrote:

it's very easy to get off the bike walk across a junction and get back on the other side....now that's pedantic for you

That's what I often do if I'm cycling. It's often the only way to safely do a right-turn on a busy multi-lane road. Similarly on busy roundabouts, I often dismount and cross the roundabout as if I was a pedestrian.

Alkers

I would frequently go through a red light, turning left and entering/remaining in a cycle lane and I don't see the danger in doing this. It all depends on the situation, any cyclist who would do as was described earlier - ploughing into a crowd of people has got a lot to answer for but I would argue there are several situations where it is perfectly safe to go through a red light on a bike

tinkerbell

Delighted to read the OP's post. About time cyclists are brought up for doing wrong. So many times I see cyclists not obeying junction rules - they just keep going even if the light is red. And some cyclists don't have a clue. I once had my indicator on to turn left, and had just checked my mirrors, it was ok to go, next thing a cyclist came up behind me and went to overtake me on the left and he could see me actually turning!! I had to jam on the brakes. Feckin idiot :mad: