target practice

futonic

Over the last 6 months I've had rocks (twice the size of tennis balls thrown down from bridge), pebbles (golf ball size), snowballs, eggs and most recently, raw potatoes thrown at me by gangs of youths, without any provocation.

Is this normal, or I have being particularly unlucky? To be honest, I've being cycling all my life but its encouraging me to drive to work now.

Raam

Bummer.
Where does it happen?

futonic

Different places, but most recent was pototoes on Cork St. The rocks were the scariest as they were pretty close range and I took few hits. That was on the canal near the halting site (Ballyfermotish)

uberwolf

not to sound like a fuddy duddy, "wasn't like this in my day" but I don't think it was. There's a generation of feral, fearless, antagonistic sub species out there who are beyond reproach and avoidance is the easiest route for you and I as we go about our day...
:mad:

BostonB

I'd say its more to do with your route than anything. Change your route and see if it makes a difference.

Scumbags have been throwing missiles as long as I remember in Dublin. In my experience its usually much more common in some areas than others. I'm not talking about cycling specifically. Driving, walking, it doesn't make a difference.

manwithaplan

uberwolf wrote: »

There's a generation of feral, fearless, antagonistic sub species out there

I know what you mean but that's dangerous language.

To the OP, in my experience that's not very common. In my 20 odd years of cycling as an adult, I don't think I have had anything worse than a snowball thrown at me. Some youngfella on the North Strand was poised to throw something at me at close range but I hawked up something vile and spat it at him. The shock seemed to paralyse him.

tomasrojo

I get things thrown at me a few times a year. Eggs, fast food remnants. Once a glass bottle.

It's completely down to the area, I think. I've never suffered any harm, but it has contributed quite strongly to my dislike of my own country. (That, coupled with the child-abuse enablement and transparently foolish fostering of an enormous property bubble. But that's rather off-topic.)

Bunnyhopper

futonic wrote: »

The rocks were the scariest as they were pretty close range and I took few hits. That was on the canal near the halting site (Ballyfermotish)

I had rocks thrown at me from a halting site at Labre Park on the Kylemore Road. Is that the one? They didn't manage to hit me, thankfully. I haven't experienced it elsewhere, so if that is the spot then it may be that a change of route might help.

Jawgap

Apart from being sprayed with some Coke, a beer can thrown at me (half-full) and being spat on - I've been relatively lucky. The last two incidents happened quite close to work so I just changed my route after the spitting incident.

Pursuant to another thread here, I was talking to a mate who also does a lot of cycling and he said he was passing a place were people of a more mobile disposition live and he had a dog thrown at him!! It knocked him off the bike and left him with a broken wrist.

Harrybelafonte

tomasrojo wrote: »

I get things thrown at me a few times a year. Eggs, fast food remnants. Once a glass bottle.

It's completely down to the area, I think. I've never suffered any harm, but it has contributed quite strongly to my dislike of my own country. (That, coupled with the child-abuse enablement and transparently foolish fostering of an enormous property bubble. But that's rather off-topic.)

I take your point but if you have a look at the UK cycling sites you'll see much worse happen them. We are not alone.

ednwireland

do you report this to the guards, if not why not
get an incident no.
if they suddenly get 200 reports (or however many) thwn they may at least patrol through the areas more regularly
if you dont its only a matter of time before someone gets badly hurt
(and it doesnt appear on the crime stats)
just a thought

edit: i dont live in dublin btw

futonic

I did the report the rocks incident as that hurt a lot, but they really weren't interested. Once they found out it was near the halting site he more or less shrugged his shoulders.

califano

I think its high time we start carrying hard boiled eggs to retaliate before they think were a soft touch.

smacl

rounders123 wrote: »

I think its high time we start carrying hard boiled eggs to retaliate before they think were a soft touch.

...or lances

Canis Lupus

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I take your point but if you have a look at the UK cycling sites you'll see much worse happen them. We are not alone.

Glad I live in West London then cos I've never been bothered on a bike. I can imagine some places where it might not be so fun in the East and South though.

Gavin

Jawgap wrote: »

Pursuant to another thread here, I was talking to a mate who also does a lot of cycling and he said he was passing a place were people of a more mobile disposition live and he had a dog thrown at him!! It knocked him off the bike and left him with a broken wrist.

Perhaps show this to your mate for future reference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewFE4ymvn1o

Moflojo

I had a raw spud thrown at me on Cork St. before too. Unfortunately, on the day in question I had a trapped nerve in my neck and was gingerly walking my bike home along the footpad when the spud was thrown at me from a passing vehicle, hitting me square in the back about 6 inches below the base of my neck.

Now I usually have a fairly high threshold for pain but right then I felt like lying down on the footpad, curling into the foetal position and sobbing my eyes out like a little girl. Thankfully I held it together, swore a curse on all the family of the gypsy toerag that threw the spud and continued along my way with an even greater air of self-sympathy than before the incident.

I'm not sure if there's a solution to this problem, except perhaps for another potato famine which might price these little scummers out of the spud market, but that may be a rather extreme solution. I saw a reality police show the other night about motorcycle police in Japan that have paintball guns attached to their handlebars that they use to tag vehicles that they are chasing so they can quickly identify them again if they lose sight of them during the chase. Perhaps this method could be used to tag rogue spud-launchers? Like, in the face...