Gardai to clamp down on unsafe cyclists

tunney

Emmmm if you can't see the guard car/motorbike/jeep after lights then you're probably not observant enough to be breaking them anyways.

Any if you can't get away from the tubs on the bikes well then
"What colleague on a push bike??? I thought that was just some lad in a hi-viz, there are police on bikes???? NOOO WAAAAY

Chips Lovell

Here we go...

kona

07Lapierre wrote: »

What uproar? it was a joke Kona, hense the:

The uproar on the news and over on motors. People moaning that their tyres had no E-mark, I think they had some pretentious young one from D4 with her little 2 seat sports car complaining that she just had 4 new "insert budget chinese/polish/crap brand" and presumed they were safe:rolleyes:

FFS if you can afford the car and your make up you can afford 4 decent tyres.

Wasnt aiming it at you.:)

kona

el tonto wrote: »

Here we go...

Think of the kids!!!:rolleyes:

07Lapierre

Bicycle checklist
Handlebars should be square with the frame and level with the saddle.
FAIL..My bars are slightly lower than the saddle

Movement should be neither too stiff nor too loose.
Pass again

When on the saddle, both feet should just touch the ground.
FAIL

Your wheels should be straight and in line. Replace wheels if they are buckled or out of alignment.
FAIL most wheels on most bikes are "slightly" buckled..

Tighten loose spokes and replace any that are damaged.
Pass

Make sure your tyres are properly inflated, with a good tread.
Fail...Yep same...slick road tyres

Make sure mudguards are secure and well clear of the wheels.
FAIL - I've NO mudguards

Check your gears and get them adjusted when necessary.
Pass

Check your brake cables and adjust them when necessary. Replace them when frayed.
Pass

Make sure the closed ends of brake shoes face the front.
Pass

Make sure brake blocks are close to the rim of the wheel. Replace worn blocks.
Pass

Check pedals and replace them when worn or broken.
FAIL- I've had my peadls for years, very worn but working fine.

Make sure your lamps are white or yellow to the front and red at the back.
FAIL - No Lights on my bike

Use a red reflector. Replace batteries when necessary and clean lenses.
FAIL - No Reflectors

Make sure your bell is within easy reach of your thumb.
FAIL- NO bell

Oil all moving parts.
Pass

Wear a cycle helmet at all times.
Pass

A bicycle should have the following braking system:
If it has one fixed wheel or is designed for a child under 7 years of age, it should have at least one brake;
If it is designed for an older child or an adult or neither wheel is fixed, it should have one brake acting on the front wheel and another for the back wheel.
Pass

So I'm OK as long as i get home by 5pm.!

kona

07Lapierre wrote: »

Bicycle checklist
Handlebars should be square with the frame and level with the saddle.
FAIL..My bars are slightly lower than the saddle

Movement should be neither too stiff nor too loose.
Pass again

When on the saddle, both feet should just touch the ground.
FAIL

Your wheels should be straight and in line. Replace wheels if they are buckled or out of alignment.
FAIL most wheels on most bikes are "slightly" buckled..

Tighten loose spokes and replace any that are damaged.
Pass

Make sure your tyres are properly inflated, with a good tread.
Fail...Yep same...slick road tyres

Make sure mudguards are secure and well clear of the wheels.
FAIL - I've NO mudguards

Check your gears and get them adjusted when necessary.
Pass

Check your brake cables and adjust them when necessary. Replace them when frayed.
Pass

Make sure the closed ends of brake shoes face the front.
Pass

Make sure brake blocks are close to the rim of the wheel. Replace worn blocks.
Pass

Check pedals and replace them when worn or broken.
FAIL- I've had my peadls for years, very worn but working fine.

Make sure your lamps are white or yellow to the front and red at the back.
FAIL - No Lights on my bike

Use a red reflector. Replace batteries when necessary and clean lenses.
FAIL - No Reflectors

Make sure your bell is within easy reach of your thumb.
FAIL- NO bell

Oil all moving parts.
Pass

Wear a cycle helmet at all times.
Pass

A bicycle should have the following braking system:
If it has one fixed wheel or is designed for a child under 7 years of age, it should have at least one brake;
If it is designed for an older child or an adult or neither wheel is fixed, it should have one brake acting on the front wheel and another for the back wheel.
Pass

So I'm OK as long as i get home by 5pm.!

Who made up that list?? Its kinda stupid, who has the saddle the same height as their bars? You dont have to wear a hemet. Why should your feet touch the ground? would showing profficiency in track stands be okay? How about hydraulic brakes? how about disc brakes?

ednwireland

blorg

To be honest as a general list it is not too bad. There will be particulars that will not apply to specialist cycle use... with regard to tyre tread I think the implication is not to use tyres that are excessively worn. Almost all hybrids/city bike type of bike will have tyres with at least some tread, which will noticeably wear and should be replaced when it does.

n-dawg

kona wrote: »

Who made up that list?? Its kinda stupid, who has the saddle the same height as their bars? You dont have to wear a hemet. Why should your feet touch the ground? would showing profficiency in track stands be okay? How about hydraulic brakes? how about disc brakes?

My point exactly... Thats the list taken from the rules of the road!

concussion

Happily enough, the ROTR aren't actually the rules, more like guidlines and interpretations. Refer to the Road Traffic Act 1961 and amendments.

Harrybelafonte

If your feet can touch the ground from the saddle, surely you're doing it all wrong?

kona

concussion wrote: »

Happily enough, the ROTR aren't actually the rules, more like guidlines and interpretations. Refer to the Road Traffic Act 1961 and amendments.

So,

ROTR = Rules of the Road .

Rules of the Road != Rules of the Road ?

Stupid country:pac:

concussion

Utterly stupdid, especially is GAIOTRTAAA* rolls off the tongue so much easier than ROTR

* Guidlines and Interpretations of the Road Traffic Act and Amendments

Ryaner

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

What about traffic light sensors? As much as I don't like red light breaking, I have been stuck on roads at night where the traffic lights just don't change and I'm sitting there freezing in the middle of the night. I'm really applying this to left turn on red, not breezing through junctions willy nilly. I would hope that when the Gardai "crack down", they do so with a bit of common sense.

I raised this exact question a few months back (can't find the link) but general consensus was that you could go through the junction under the ROTR once it was clear.
FYI I've one close to me that it completely sensor based and I've even had to pass cars just sitting there not in the box, not setting off the change. Apparently waiting through 3 full cycles of lights wasn't enough for them to think the filter wasn't going to come on.

CheGuedara

cable842 wrote: »

Too Be honest I Dont cycle on the roads in Ireland its too dangerous and you can get killed I try to avoid it in anyway possible.

Thought people were tougher than that on Chuck Norris Island...

Chuck won't stand for that kinda cowardice, think I can see a Chuck Norris style deportation in your future...

oflahero

I was walking up Lower Rathmines Road the other day, only to be passed in the opposite direction by a unicyclist with a very serious, concentrated bearing. I'd love to see how he'd get on at one of these checkpoints.

It was a bit of a 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' moment. Do you catch the eye, wave and grin, or is that just patronising? Or do you pretend there's nothing out-of-the-ordinary in a circus performance swerving around you on the pavement?

Where can you get your hands on a unicycle anyway? Amazon won't ship to Ireland...

BostonB

kona wrote: »

The uproar on the news and over on motors. People moaning that their tyres had no E-mark, I think they had some pretentious young one from D4 with her little 2 seat sports car complaining that she just had 4 new "insert budget chinese/polish/crap brand" and presumed they were safe:rolleyes:

FFS if you can afford the car and your make up you can afford 4 decent tyres.

Wasnt aiming it at you.:)

If they are not legal they shouldn't be allowed to sell them. Last time I bought tyres most places only carried stock of unknown brand tyres. Getting something you'd heard of had to be ordered in. I suspect many of these no name tyres had no e rating. Your average Joe knows nothing about tyres.

BostonB

I don't think I've reflectors on my bike anywhere. Lights yes.

seamus

BostonB wrote: »

If they are not legal they shouldn't be allowed to sell them. Last time I bought tyres most places only carried stock of unknown brand tyres. Getting something you'd heard of had to be ordered in. I suspect many of these no name tyres had no e rating. Your average Joe knows nothing about tyres.

But at the same time, plenty of people do know about tyres and cars and go out and buy all sorts of bolt-on **** every week that makes their cars unroadworthy.

But that's their choice. There needs to be a balance between allowing people to choose and choosing for them. In the case of the non-roadworthy tyre, the duty is on the retailer to ensure that the product being sold is fit for the purpose for which it's being bought.
So as long as a retailer tells the buyer that the tyre is not NCT-worthy, then there's no problem. The consumer then has the choice to buy worthless tyres.
If the retailer fails to tell the buyer that the tyres aren't NCT-safe (after the new NCT rules obviously), then buyer has the right to return the tyres for a full refund or a replacement with legal tyres.

Wait, hang on, what forum is this?

tomasrojo

My Dawes Horizon came out of the box with only a rear reflector (and pedal reflectors, actually). The front reflector isn't a legal requirement. The bell is, but it didn't come with that.

BostonB

Next they'll announce a 2 week campaign of enforcing the law.

kona

BostonB wrote: »

If they are not legal they shouldn't be allowed to sell them. Last time I bought tyres most places only carried stock of unknown brand tyres. Getting something you'd heard of had to be ordered in. I suspect many of these no name tyres had no e rating. Your average Joe knows nothing about tyres.

Exactley! the only reason these tyres are sold is because most of the general pubic look straight at a price before they consider what they are getting. The tyre centres are competing to the L.C.D where as when it comes to your safety is a saving of e20 a corner worth it??
What the **** is the point of going out and buying a 5star NCAP car if you then proceed to fit the cheapest of the cheap to it, tyres have a big say in weather or not you crash or not.

Your average joe knows enough to know, that they have to walk around in designer clothes and wipe their arse with charmin ultra. You wouldnt see Fiachra from blackrock wiping his arse with Tescos single ply and pulling up his Dunnes stores boxers after.

why?

Because Brand name > Unknown

Common sense, same logic applies.

Harrybelafonte

oflahero wrote: »

I was walking up Lower Rathmines Road the other day, only to be passed in the opposite direction by a unicyclist with a very serious, concentrated bearing. I'd love to see how he'd get on at one of these checkpoints.

It was a bit of a 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' moment. Do you catch the eye, wave and grin, or is that just patronising? Or do you pretend there's nothing out-of-the-ordinary in a circus performance swerving around you on the pavement?

Where can you get your hands on a unicycle anyway? Amazon won't ship to Ireland...

Was it wine in colour? If so I just saw him on Leeson Street, not the quickest transport around I'd say.

monument

concussion wrote: »

Happily enough, the ROTR aren't actually the rules, more like guidlines and interpretations. Refer to the Road Traffic Act 1961 and amendments.

concussion wrote: »

Utterly stupdid, especially is GAIOTRTAAA* rolls off the tongue so much easier than ROTR

* Guidlines and Interpretations of the Road Traffic Act and Amendments

No.

The ROTR include both rules and guidelines. Everything is an interpretation of the law, a judge's interpretation is the only one which really matters. Generally most people are far better off using the ROTR interpretation rather than trying to read up on written law, hard-to-find case law etc.

What the ROTR say you must follow are rules, ie break these and you're breaking the law.

DualFrontDiscs

I, for one, welcome any measure that:

1. Consider me to be a legitimate road user with responsibilities (and therefore rights).
2. Removes cycling ninjas from the roads (they're a danger to themselves and more importantly to other road users, including me).
3. Clamps down on RLJs. If I'm at the front going in the other direction, you're in my way.

As for the Gardai announcing this in advance, I think that's fair enough. They've been lax enough about this and if they didn't announce it in advance they'd be accused of 'entrapment'.

As for what is or isn't the legal requirement, I'm sure that will be clarified soon enough.

Regards,

DFD*

*DoingFreedom'sDefence

Hungrycol

BostonB wrote: »

If they are not legal they shouldn't be allowed to sell them. Last time I bought tyres most places only carried stock of unknown brand tyres. Getting something you'd heard of had to be ordered in. I suspect many of these no name tyres had no e rating. Your average Joe knows nothing about tyres.

I'm all for added safety but once again sweeping rules at the expense of the environment. You think the tyre mountains weren't big enough?! It annoys me that we're preached to for doing more to save our environment and the boffins in the EU say every single in the EU has to have this "E". How any accidents that happen are due to poorly manufactured tyres? I'm guessing a lot less than driver error.

Anyway back to ROTR, Return Of The Righteous. No Gardai on my route home this evening. I will be extra vigilant though.

oflahero

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Was it wine in colour? If so I just saw him on Leeson Street, not the quickest transport around I'd say.

Ha, the colour was the last thing I noticed!

cable842

think your right.

Id say them pay as you go bikes are causing accidents.

they dont look safe at all.

ednwireland wrote: »

i think more die in car accidents ? (could be wrong)

cable842

That is the funniest name for cyclists Ive ever heard we should get t shirts and go around cycling singing (I like too Ride my Bicycle) taunting the people in there cars cause we have 2 wheels and they have 4.

Ninjas That Cycle....

delta_bravo

cable842 wrote: »

Id say them pay as you go bikes are causing accidents.

they dont look safe at all.

Those bikes wont cause accidents, it will be the inexperienced cyclists using them or just reckless cyclists that might cause accidents. One thing i needed to get used to on those bikes was the stopping distance when braking, its a lot longer than on my bike.

Peetrik

hehe "cycling ninjas"

Personally I dont have a problem with cycling ninjas, Im also ok with free runners and skateboarders. I reckon as a cycleist Im in a lot more danger from taxi drivers and car fumes, just a matter of common sense and due consideration.

Chips Lovell

Just saw a guy getting done by the cops for cycling the wrong way up Harcourt Street. They even turned on the sirens before flagging him down.

72hundred

el tonto wrote: »

Just saw a guy getting done by the cops for cycling the wrong way up Harcourt Street. They even turned on the sirens before flagging him down.

There's a wrong way to cycle up Harcourt!

Chips Lovell

It's one way.

nachoman

cdaly_ wrote: »

Hmm. Will they be cross if I have my lights on during daylight?...



Have to disagree there. I run flashing front and rear lights at all times. I reckon I get noticed more than the few times I haven't had them on.

I seriously doubt a motorist would pay attention to two small flashing lights at about mid afternoon on a very bright sunny day. I think it's a waste of batteries

petethedrummer

Why is there a clampdown? Have accident rates gone up?

Raam

petethedrummer wrote: »

Why is there a clampdown? Have accident rates gone up?

Prevention is better than cure

petethedrummer

Raam wrote: »

Prevention is better than cure

Operation Lockdown is only happening for a week though. So will we be back to normal then?

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

Chips Lovell

Scien wrote: »

Might be unrelated but on my way back from town last night I saw 2 Gardaí at the corner of Stephens Green/Harcourt without high vis jackets just standing on the footpath with one of those luminous paddles for waving people down.
I got over the Portobello bridge and there were two more by Spar just standing there with the same signalling stick thingy.

This was at 23:30 though...

"Talking out of turn...that's a paddling. Looking out the window...that's a paddling. Staring at my sandals...that's a paddling. Paddling the school canoe...ooh, you better believe that's a paddling."

SerialComplaint

tomasrojo wrote: »

My Dawes Horizon came out of the box with only a rear reflector (and pedal reflectors, actually). The front reflector isn't a legal requirement. The bell is, but it didn't come with that.

Do pedal reflectors meet the legal requirement for front and rear reflectors, I wonder?

Doctor Bob

72hundred wrote: »

There's a wrong way to cycle up Harcourt!

Yup- only the Luas can go south, though it's a rule I've broken in the past myself (as witnessed by the venerable el tonto himself!).

If Harcourt is on the list, I wonder does this mean they're targeting specific 'black spots'? Which might suggest they already know where bad behaviour is a regular occurrence? Which prompts the question...

Anyway, I'm off home. I'll let you know if either of my regular law breaking spots are on today's list.

SerialComplaint

cable842 wrote: »

That is the funniest name for cyclists Ive ever heard we should get t shirts and go around cycling singing (I like too Ride my Bicycle) taunting the people in there cars cause we have 2 wheels and they have 4.

Ninjas That Cycle....

It seems that Dublin has been invaded by a horde of female cycling Ninja's, according to this idiotic article in today's Irish Times.

cdaly_

nachoman wrote: »

I seriously doubt a motorist would pay attention to two small flashing lights at about mid afternoon on a very bright sunny day. I think it's a waste of batteries

I doubt they would either but it's just a little something extra to draw the eye and they might pay attention to the hurtling bike at that point.

I reckon I've noticed the difference when I've inadvertently left them off.

delta_bravo

SerialComplaint wrote: »

It seems that Dublin has been invaded by a horde of female cycling Ninja's, according to this idiotic article in today's Irish Times.

Thats a load of rubbish. I have noticed that when I am cycling at lunchtime in my shirt and trousers I get more grief than when I am cycling home on my own bike in shorts and a t shirt. Some courier was roaring at me on the quays last week for not letting him overtake me or some other nonsense. Its almost like an L plate I think, people assume you are an inexperienced cyclist and try and put you under pressure.

blorg

SerialComplaint wrote: »

Do pedal reflectors meet the legal requirement for front and rear reflectors, I wonder?

No, they don't. They have to be red, fixed in location and a few other requirements, the legislation is quite specific as to what a rear reflector is. AFAIK there is no legal requirement for a front reflector, only a rear one.

Apart from front/rear reflectors pedal reflectors are mandatory for bicycles ridden in the UK after dark, if your bike was made after 1985. It is also mandatory to include them during sale. I don't believe there is a similar requirement here.

blorg

cdaly_ wrote: »

I doubt they would either but it's just a little something extra to draw the eye and they might pay attention to the hurtling bike at that point.

I reckon I've noticed the difference when I've inadvertently left them off.

I think there can be a benefit. Depends on the light too; I certainly have a front light (Magicshine) that would be very visible even in daytime. To the extent that I wouldn't be sure it would even be safe to put on strobe mode in daytime. I wouldn't tend to leave my lights on if the sun was beating down but an overcast rainy day in winter I would no question. Same principle with getting cars to put their lights on in daytime, which is already promoted and soon going to be legally required of all drivers in the EU.

72hundred

SerialComplaint wrote: »

It seems that Dublin has been invaded by a horde of female cycling Ninja's, according to this idiotic article in today's Irish Times.

Jesus, that's a annoying article to read. I actually gave up on it two paragraphs in such was the level of rubbish.

In fact, the whole process of putting these bikes on to the streets of our capital city has made this city a far more dangerous place to be and has increased the likelihood of death and injury dramatically.

Chips Lovell

rammed up the rear end by a bike carrying a fine young specimen of Irish womanhood

rawr

Civilian_Target

I got stopped on my way home, for cycling in the bus lane. Apparently this is incorrect in France, if there's no bike lane, bicycles should be in the car lane. Needless to say, I feigned stupid tourist to avoid points on my license