Careless Cyclist

Lusk Doyle

While out cycling today I witnessed a potentially dangerous decision a careless cyclist made. At the lights outside Campions Pub at Balgriffin on the Malahide Road a cyclist who was behind me decided not to wait the 20 or 30 seconds for the lights and mounted the footpath and proceeded to cycle along it passing out the traffic waiting at the lights.

The lights went green and the traffic moved off. Now I was approx 6 cars back and could clearly see the left indicator of a big white van who wanted to turn into the car park. How this careless cyclist didn't see it is beyond me and he plowed straight into the side of the van as the van was making the turn into the car park. I should mention at this point that there was no room to pass between the traffic and the kerb as it's a tight part of the road there with two lanes of traffic on the one side of the road.

I know that drivers of cars, vans, etc don't always look when turning but how can they be expected to be blamed when cyclists do stupid things like cycle along a footpath for no other reason than they are impatient. This guy could have been seriously injured. He didn't even stop to see if he had damaged the van - he just rode off.

It is no wonder that us cyclists have a bad name out there when you witness acts of pure stupidity like I did today. If you are reading this then you know who you are and for your own safety I hope you cop on and think before you do something like that again. You are the one who will get hurst - not the vehicle.

Captain Havoc

Darwin will look after him

fishfoodie

Captain Havoc wrote: »

Darwin will look after him

Which would be fine except that the driver of the vehicle that removes them from the gene pool will have to live with the horror of getting out & seeing them splattered over the landscape

I know an HGV driver who hasn't been able to work since he killed someone in an accident he had no responsibility for.

RobFowl

Lusk Doyle wrote: »

While out cycling today I witnessed a potentially dangerous decision a careless cyclist made. At the lights outside Campions Pub at Balgriffin on the Malahide Road a cyclist who was behind me decided not to wait the 20 or 30 seconds for the lights and mounted the footpath and proceeded to cycle along it passing out the traffic waiting at the lights.

The lights went green and the traffic moved off. Now I was approx 6 cars back and could clearly see the left indicator of a big white van who wanted to turn into the car park. How this careless cyclist didn't see it is beyond me and he plowed straight into the side of the van as the van was making the turn into the car park. I should mention at this point that there was no room to pass between the traffic and the kerb as it's a tight part of the road there with two lanes of traffic on the one side of the road.

I know that drivers of cars, vans, etc don't always look when turning but how can they be expected to be blamed when cyclists do stupid things like cycle along a footpath for no other reason than they are impatient. This guy could have been seriously injured. He didn't even stop to see if he had damaged the van - he just rode off.

It is no wonder that us cyclists have a bad name out there when you witness acts of pure stupidity like I did today. If you are reading this then you know who you are and for your own safety I hope you cop on and think before you do something like that again. You are the one who will get hurst - not the vehicle.

I know that junction well as I'm from Coolock and my father is buried in Balgriffin cemetery.
If you substitute the phrase cyclist for pedestrian then it sounds completely different.
I commute on cycle there every week and regularly have to avoid cars turning left and right without signal.
I suppose this incident proves cyclists need to be almost above the law. Any illegal behaviour is totally unacceptable. Most cycling deaths in Dublin are due to HGV's turning left and cyclists getting caught in the blind spot. I see the most important message here as being a warning to cyclists to avoid undertaking in ALL circumstances.

Canis Lupus

**** happens I suppose.

I had a laugh there the other morning. Pulled up at lights and this guy on a bike quickly hands out cards to the other waiting cyclists which turn out to be cards highlighting the danger of lorries (particularly left turning ones) in urban environments and it gives the address of a petition etc. Looks like a professional run cycling lobby group when I checked the webiste.

Then once the people cross the road with the light very much red (and will be for a while cos I know the sequence) him and half the waiting cyclists take off....

So I wait till green light, blitz up to him, ask if he is involved with the campaign (figure I'll let him give me some rope). He says yes he's helping to run it and then I ask how he felt about cycling through a junction with a red light. Much blushing abounds along with an excuse that he was late for a hospital appointment (pretty fast cyclist for someone off to the hospital) and I just give him my best "I r dissapoint with you son" look and head off.

It's a bit of head wreck tho when people who actively campaign for safer cycling can't bother to abide by the rules of the road...