Be careful on your bike...

concussion

sparkman wrote: »

Yep - I wear a visi-vest.
Also, a front flashing white light, a rear flashing red-light on the bike, another rear-flashing (sounds slightly dodgy...!) red light on my rucksack, a reflective arm-band and reflective trouser clips.
I'm basically a cycling xmas tree.

Ditto, however some people still won't see you. I think they have taken an evolutionary leap where if you're on the road but don't have an engine you simply don't appear in their visual range. And then some people do see you but give out about you cycling in the middle of the lane on a roundabout - why they want to be overtaking on a roundabout is beyone me :rolleyes:

oh well

sparkman wrote: »

So which is safer?

A) Put the zebra crossing close to the roundabout where drivers are supposed to be driving at a pace where they can easily stop but are
unfortunately driving too fast approaching, while they're on or when they're leaving the roundabout so this is too dangerous.

Put the zebra crossing away from the roundabout where drivers are either happily driving along at a nice comfortable speed-limit + 20% or have just left the roundabout so are accelarating like maniacs?

very simple - put the crossing in a very open and visible place back from the roundabout. This crossing is just as bad for visibility for pedestrians as it is for motorists. Pedestrian standing on the Dock Road side of the bridge have great difficulty seeing cars approaching from the Dock Road side. putting the crossing back towards the middle of the bridge would make it highly visible to all - even the idiots who are +20% over the speed limit.

Pshan

oh well wrote: »

very simple - put the crossing in a very open and visible place back from the roundabout. This crossing is just as bad for visibility for pedestrians as it is for motorists. Pedestrian standing on the Dock Road side of the bridge have great difficulty seeing cars approaching from the Dock Road side. putting the crossing back towards the middle of the bridge would make it highly visible to all - even the idiots who are +20% over the speed limit.

I use this roundabout twice daily and I use the pedestrian crossing most evenings and can't ever recall an accident as a result of these crossings.
As a pedestrian when I approch the crossing I stop look to my right, if traffic is too close I wait before entering he crossing, if thay have time to stop I enter the crossing and acknowledge the driver for stopping, then I pause in the middle section to check traffic coming from my left and repeat the process. Generally, most drivers will give way and again generally those that dont are pre-occupied on the phone or chatting or such like.

sparkman

Speed limits, road signs, zebra crossings, traffic lights, roundabouts - none of them are perfect and they will never be. They frustrate cyclists, motorists and pedestrians but that doesn't mean we ignore them just because they don't suit us. That's what gets people killed.

I had another roundabout incident this morning. I was on the small roundabout near Fennessys pub on my bike. When I entered the roundabout, it was clear. No other traffic. When I tried to slow down whilst on the roundabout because of a big patch of ice in front of me, it offended a driver coming from my right who blasted me with the horn.

Limerick Bandit

Roads around limerick were lethal thismorning - no grit :rolleyes:

Mc Love

I blame Cowen and Co

Berty

sparkman wrote: »

it offended a driver coming from my right who blasted me with the horn.

Never you worry, the right of way is given to the person on the roundabout at the time.

Limerick Bandit

Berty wrote: »

Never you worry, the right of way is given to the person on the roundabout at the time.

The driver was coming from the right and driving on black ice so the driver had right of way and was dealing with conditions that made it hard to stop a car, this morning driving in limerick was lethal and not your normal conditions

LB

Berty

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

The driver was coming from the right and driving on black ice so the driver had right of way and was dealing with conditions that made it hard to stop a car, this morning driving in limerick was lethal and not your normal conditions

LB

You had it bad. I woke up and my brakes were frozen as I was parked outside a hotel in Westport Bay so along with the snow and the cold temperature and the lower wind chill coming from the bay. Then I proceeded to head to Leenane but had to turn back until the roads were gritted. It was a nightmare. I did see a sheep fall over on the icy road which cheered me up slightly.

Limerick Bandit

Berty wrote: »

You had it bad. I woke up and my brakes were frozen as I was parked outside a hotel in Westport Bay so along with the snow and the cold temperature and the lower wind chill coming from the bay. Then I proceeded to head to Leenane but had to turn back until the roads were gritted. It was a nightmare. I did see a sheep fall over on the icy road which cheered me up slightly.

Brakes can’t freeze.

Berty

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

Brakes can’t freeze.

Possibly then the water and ice formed around the axle which caused the sound. It has happened with many different cars over the years. It could be the brake pads on the rear freezing to the brake disc also.

Limerick Bandit

Berty wrote: »

Possibly then the water and ice formed around the axle which caused the sound. It has happened with many different cars over the years. It could be the brake pads on the rear freezing to the brake disc also.

No it couldn't

Berty

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

No it couldn't

Water does not freeze?

Limerick Bandit

The weather here dose not get cold enough to form ice around the axle or brake pads not enough to notice.

Pshan

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

No it couldn't

Are you saying that the brake pads/wheels when wet will not freeze?

I park on a small incline, every morning when I release the handbrake the car will roll freely if I allow it. However, on very frosty mornings if I had been driving in wet conditions the previous night when I release the handbrake the car will not move until I use the engine power to move it. I know this isn't scientific but it certainly leads me (and Berty above) to assume our brakes will have suffered from some sort of freezing.

Limerick Bandit

Its not lightly that you would have any water on your break pads when you stop as the last thing you do is press the breaks to slow and stop and your discs would be hot. also your brakes are shaded by the car so it would need to be extremely cold for any liquids to freeze in that area.
My 2 cents

LB

Berty

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

Its not lightly that you would have any water on your break pads when you stop as the last thing you do is press the breaks to slow and stop and your discs would be hot. also your brakes are shaded by the car so it would need to be extremely cold for any liquids to freeze in that area.
My 2 cents

LB

My car has rear brake pads instead of brake drums so when Im stopping I am not using my rear brakes. I only apply them with the handbrake and when I was in Westport the other night the windchill made the weather much colder and the rain was that blasted sideways rain. My alloys also allow water to pass through them(multispoke) so water would easily form on my brakes and the windchill which would have been well below 0 would have been enough to freeze them.

I think we will have to agree to disagree.

Limerick Bandit

Berty wrote: »

My car has rear brake pads instead of brake drums so when Im stopping I am not using my rear brakes. I only apply them with the handbrake and when I was in Westport the other night the windchill made the weather much colder and the rain was that blasted sideways rain. My alloys also allow water to pass through them(multispoke) so water would easily form on my brakes and the windchill which would have been well below 0 would have been enough to freeze them.

I think we will have to agree to disagree.

I was thinking it might be drum brakes, so not a hope they can freeze no water will get near the break shoes, your breaks should never be a problem in the cold im only trying to say that brakes will be fine in the cold so no need to disagree

LB

Insect Overlord

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

I was thinking it might be drum brakes, so not a hope they can freeze no water will get near the break shoes, your breaks should never be a problem in the cold im only trying to say that brakes will be fine in the cold so no need to disagree

LB

Remind me, what has any of that got to do with cycling..?

bonnieprince

lets face it cycling is a dangerous past time in limerick, i have started to use the canal bank as its got no traffic only some dog walkers.
And whats this kerb crawling with traffic in limerick? Cycle along any road in the city and the amount of cars that are driving on the yellow lines always amazes me.

Limerick Bandit

An File wrote: »

Remind me, what has any of that got to do with cycling..?

Who said it had anything to do with cycling :rolleyes:

i57dwun4yb1pt8

it aint just limerick , and it aint just cycling and motoring

its cos the irish in general dont give a f*uck about anyone or anything but themselves -the government being the prime example - this attitude is prevalent in this country.


( and yes im irish and from limerick )

Insect Overlord

DaDumTish wrote: »

it aint just limerick , and it aint just cycling and motoring

its cos the irish in general dont give a f*uck about anyone or anything but themselves -the government being the prime example - this attitude is prevalent in this country.


( and yes im irish and from limerick )

I foresee a great wave of disagreement approaching...

i57dwun4yb1pt8

okay , so far not even a ripple .

talkingclock

I[mod edit]

Encouraging criminal damage will not be tolerated here.

Insect Overlord

Nice!

Just a quick mention, I've been learning to drive (again) over the past week and a half, and I'm starting to appreciate some of the arguments about hazards on the road.

MarkR

I think that those are for cowards. Inciting vandalism of cars.

Limerick Bandit

MarkR wrote: »

I think that those are for cowards. Inciting vandalism of cars.

You think

talkingclock

I'd call it self defense!

MarkR

I call it keying cars. Karma fairy has sharp teeth though, ever get a handlebar in the rib. :pac: