Buffalo & Doozerie - The mild musings of two grumpy old men!

buffalo

nomdeboardie wrote: »

Registered letter to

Public Affairs Department
Dublin Bus

tbh, it's the attitude of the Garda that's of more concern to me. I had a run-in with a taxi driver before Christmas that was dismissed by the Gardaí because there was no witnesses. Which, as tough as it is to swallow, is fair enough - it'd be a lot of resources on a my-word-against-his-word case if they did pursue it.

But here we have a Garda witness, who dismisses it out of hand as 'grand'. 1.5 metres? The bus wasn't 1.5 metres from the kerb, never mind me.

nomdeboardie wrote: »

After all those screenings of that new RSA clip about overtaking cyclists, including the pointed reference to two-abreast, and the sinister smiling cyclist-in-red and all :eek:

To be fair, we were at that point in an urban environment, and there were only two of us, so we lacked the reasoning of group safety. If we'd been heading other way (i.e. not /from/ the countryside), I wouldn't have been cycling two abreast. I just thought his logic was hilarious.

Zyzz wrote: »

Now I'm confused... "A professional is a person who is engaged in a certain activity, or occupation, for gain or compensation as means of livelihood." Is driving a taxi not a profession?

buffalo

galwaycyclist wrote: »

- All with flow bus lanes are open to cyclists and the only legal sign for a with flow bus lane includes a bicycle symbol.
- It used to be that contra-flow bus lanes were not open to cyclists but I can't remember if that was changed recently.
- Cycle lanes are not compulsory for cyclists
- Is a cycle lane that requires you to stop not self-evidently unsafe or have some other problem?
- Whether or not the cyclist was in the right or wrong - is it OK to threaten someone with a bus?

All correct. All bus lanes are cycle lanes, including contra-flow since Oct 1st 2012. Same date also saw the end of compulsory cycle lanes.

I had used the cycle track along the Drumcondra Road (despite having to stop at three side roads to yield), but the one along the stretch in question I'm not fond of, mostly because people walk in it. Also I missed the on-ramp because the bus was at the stop - http://goo.gl/maps/FxGAu - woeful design there.

http://goo.gl/maps/uEN4v - this sign is not legal, and occurs at the point after the incident anyway. http://goo.gl/maps/n9uax - this was the sign I had seen and passed, and offered to show to the Garda.

But the heart of the matter is that he intimidated me with a large bus. If I had waved my fist around the Garda's face, but not actually hit him, I'm pretty sure I'd be in a little cell tonight. And if I can't do it with my fist, why is it okay for someone to do it with a bus?

Unfortunately I didn't take note of the time, I was so exasperated with the Garda, so I have no details to pass on to Dublin Bus. :mad:

nomdeboardie

buffalo wrote: »

Also, in shocking news, I had a calm conversation with a taxi driver on the way home from the race on Sunday. Around the same patch of road - bus lane, lots of room to overtake - myself and CillianL were two abreast having a chat, when a taxi driver said something as he passed.

He was stuck at the lights up ahead, so I rolled up to him.
"Lads, you shouldn't be cycling two abreast, you could cause an accident."
"There's plenty of room to overtake in the next lane."
"I know, but I might not see that car (motions to someone in the next lane), it might not be safe."

wut? So we can't have a chat because you might not check your blind spot while performing your professional duties as a driver? :rolleyes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzw1_2b-I7A

doozerie

My commute this morning was a little more entertaining than usual. The strong tailwind made it a bit more interesting but the main source of interest were fellow commuters.

There was the guy on a bike who tried to squeeze between me and the taxi to my right that was clearly moving into our lane (the taxi was mostly in the lane already). The fact that I was on the brakes and soft pedalling to leave space for the taxi in no way dented the determination of yer man to basically put himself in the increasingly dwindling gap between the taxi and the kerb, an overtake which would also have likely taken out my front wheel.

There was the extremely loud bang from just behind me as I moved off at a junction. I glanced back to see a cyclist stopped by the kerb and I think he was laughing. I assume that his tube literally blew apart. That happened to a tube of mine once when I overinflated it while off the wheel - the noise this morning brought back memories of my being deaf in one ear for an hour afterwards. It's funny looking back on it now, less so at the time though.

There was the car that pulled out of a long traffic jam, cutting in front of a cyclist in the process, to drive 50 metres along unoccupied parking spaces/cycle lane, only to stop when she met the empty bus lane ahead and sat there with her indicator on trying to get back into the same line of traffic again. Full points for optimism though, for thinking that the empty lane immediately to the left is only empty because the drivers of the numerous cars in the traffic jam haven't actually spotted it yet, or something.

But the main entertainment was a little further ahead while I was stopped at a red light. Pedestrians were crossing on green. At least 2 cyclist passed, quite closely, on my right and weaved between the pedestrians. They were outdone though by the guy who passed on my left, on the footpath, before cutting back onto the road at the pedestrian crossing itself, skimming past one woman who was crossing at the time. I've seen this guy on my commute before, he seems utterly heedless of everything around him, he just puts his head down and barrels (slowly) through. On this occasion though the pedestrian obviously either took offence or got a fright and reacted to that 'cos she shoved him on the shoulder as he passed within an inch or so of her. He wibbled and wobbled a little, but otherwise seemed not to notice or react until a few metres further on when he half turned his head back to her and muttered something unintelligible from where I was. I don't think it was an apology somehow. At the next few junctions he barrelled on through, as ever, completely unfazed. "If only she'd used the clothesline technique", I found myself thinking as I watched him skim past another pedestrian. Maybe next time.

'Twas great to be riding in sunshine though, with only a single thin layer of gloves, I felt almost reckless leaving my thicker gloves at home this morning. G'wan Spring! (...and g'way headwind for my ride home!).

NeedMoreGears

'think I met the same genius (or perhaps just one of his tribe) this morning. Stopped at a red and the lights go green - lot's of beeping from a car that had been signalling left. Boy wonder tried to pass on the inside as the car was making the turn. He was also a "slow barreller" so I passed him and was waiting to turn right at the next tee-junction (another red light). Lights go green and who appears on my right hand side only himself - unfortunately in the process of making a left turn. I hit the brakes hard and let out a quick FFS! He responded with something equally articulate (it sound like "great trick" or something like that) and continued on his merry idiot way.

buffalo

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/15/finishing-homework-on-the-bike-ride-to-school/

Why can I never not read the comments?

doozerie

@NeedMoreGears, Ha, you've just reminded me of another incident this morning, and it was with the very same guy that was jostled by the pedestrian. He was stopped at a red light just ahead of me, I suspect the only reason he was stopped was due to the volume of cars passing left and right through the junction so he felt vulnerable. There were other cyclists stopped ahead of him so he was back a few car lengths from the junction. The car in front of him, and to his right, had its left indicator on.

Lights go green, front cyclists move off, cars move off, Mr Barrely Man was slow to find his pedals, slower still to figure out what to do with them to get his bike moving. The left turning car was at the junction and, having waited for the front cyclists to clear, started to slowly turn. Mr Barrely Man, about 2 car lengths back, put the head down and mashed his bike forward, up the left of the turning car, and skimming past the front left wing as the car driver stopped. I'm amazed he has actually lived this long.

doozerie

buffalo wrote: »

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/15/finishing-homework-on-the-bike-ride-to-school/

Why can I never not read the comments?

Irresponsible parenting? Helmets?

Christ! To the outrage cave Robin, my current supply is completely inadequate to fend off those comments!

doozerie

A turbo trainer session last night was a reminder to me of a few things:

* The time leading up to a hard session on a turbo trainer races by. You think of all the useful things you could fill this time with, essential stuff like starching and ironing your chamois, or watching the latest appalling Steven Seagal movie which is on a loop on the ScyFy channel (or ITV4, its classy sibling) but before you know it it's so late that you can't postpone climbing on the bike any longer.

* Time during a hard turbo trainer session slows down. That 45 minutes. Feels. Like. Hours.

* 1 minute is a long time, something which 1 minute all-out intervals hammers home. Next time someone tells me "Be with you in 1 minute", it's a toss up as to whether my lungs or my legs scream first due to an unhealthy fixation with, and fear of, that particular time period.

* Listening to music casually is very different to using to it drown out your inner screams. Those slow and silent intros to tracks might be all very artistic and worthy when you are listening while relaxed or distracted, but jaysus they don't half annoy you when your next interval is only fractions of a second away from starting and you are frantically searching for the next nose-bleed inducing track only to hear a contemplative silence for several seconds first. I'm, like, dyin' here, I don't want silence, if I actually take a quiet moment to contemplate what I'm doing I'm just gonna get off the bike and never return, GIVE ME THE DAMN MUSIC!

* Timers are hateful merciless things. The timer shows 60 seconds, you put your head down and go like the clappers for what seems like at least 50 seconds. You look up at the timer expecting to see 10 seconds remaining, which you reckon you can limp through with a last ditch effort. Timer smugly shows 55 seconds left. Hateful things!

* My legs lie a lot, and they do it well. Interval starts, legs tell me that I should give it absolutely everything from the very start, they'll carry me through no problem. I believe them, I go flat out. 5 seconds in and my legs report back that we've made a mistake, we over-estimated our awesomeness. We? Legs distance themselves from the whole affair leaving my heart and lungs to limp through the next 55 seconds. Legs remain tactfully silent during recovery interval. Next hard interval starts, legs tell me that I should give it absolutely everything from the very start, they'll carry me through no problem… For every feckin' interval. Accomplished liars!

* Cats are arseholes. They wait until you are mid interval before threatening to jump onto the laptop and obliterate the data that you are recording. Once they've got your attention, confirmed by your waving breathlessy at them, they then nip to the back of the bike and threaten to stick a paw into the spinning spokes. They eventually settle for dashing under the bottom bracket, taking a glancing blow from a pedal to the head as you are giving it everything and unable to stop. Then they stand and glare at you, looking both sad and disappointed that you *chose* to hurt them. Your heart goes "awwww!", your head screams "BASTARD!".

* Those endorphins that come to party after you stagger off the bike are consistently unreliable. Well hey there, they say, we'll take it from here. Why not stay up for ages, sure the night is young, there's that Steven Seagal tripe on ScyFy until the wee hours of the morning that really deserves your attention (yes you saw it last week and it was rubbish, but it'll be better this time, honest). Don't worry about the morning, we'll still be here and buzzing by then so we'll get you up and in to work on time, no problem, and besides, you'll be awesome on your commute tomorrow after that session and you'll turn the clocks back you'll be cycling so fast. Next morning, no endorphins, everything is a slow and sleepy struggle, my commute is not fast, I am not awesome, awesome is even further beyond reach than ever. Curse you endorphins, but much as I hate you right now, I'll want you back again later, endorphin junky that I am.

smacl

Our cats for some reason don't seem to properly appreciate the Dead Kennedys at volume 11*, which avoids two of your above problems. Turboing myself last night and all my virtual stats from my virtual reality system are virtually lower than earlier in the year, even though I was getting a distinct taste of barf in my mouth about half way through the session, and nearly cracked my head open slipping on the very real sweat pool in the floor after getting off. Time to start hitting the real hills in the evenings methinks.

*you may have an extra gear or two but I have one more volume on the boom box

buffalo

ugh. Nearly ploughed into the side of someone this morning when they pulled out in front of me on a roundabout. She just blasted through without even a glance to her right. One of those roundabouts that's more like a speedbump - I got complacent I guess, started thinking everyone would treat it as a roundabout.

I think she heard me yell, as the car slowed *after* the roundabout, and after threading my way carefully around a little old lady crossing the road, I turned off to find where she was rejoining the main road. She was very apologetic, but my trousers were already long soiled at that point.

doozerie

On my way in this morning, a cyclist who had moved out to overtake a line of stopped cars on their outside, cut back between two of the cars and popped out directly in front of me without even a brief glance to his left. Thankfully I'd spotted him slowing before the gap, so although he was largely obscured from view when he was between the cars, I hedged my bets and was on the brakes already before he appeared in front of me. I yelled that he should open his eyes, and in fairness to him he stuck his hand in the air in acknowledgement and turned his head to apologise while on the move. He apologised once more a moment later actually.

So no harm done, and I presumed what I normally presume in such situations, that when someone is reminded of the fact (and acknowledges) that their judgement is fallible they'll probably be conscientious enough to exercise more care next time. But he then proceeded to break at least 2 sets of traffic lights further along, pulling to the outside of stopped cars to cut back across in front of them to turn left and weave between pedestrians at one of those sets of lights. …and a little bit of my optimism curled up and died.

rollingscone

I've noticed that a lot of cyclists generally don't check for other cyclists. In fact, the fact that I notice this, makes me more aware of checking for other cyclists. Especially since on my route I'm often required to take the centre lane or be trapped while a million aspiring diabetics trundle by in their cars.

CramCycle

rollingscone wrote: »

I've noticed that a lot of cyclists generally don't check for other cyclists. In fact, the fact that I notice this, makes me more aware of checking for other cyclists.

I just expect people not to notice me, so I always either give a full lane or call excuse me if I am within 2 meters, that said, i messed up this morning where the guy in front of me, looked behind, merged out, for the next right but as I started to overtake on the left, he swung back in. The taxi behind me gave a look at him that screamed you sir, are mentally deficient but he didn't seem to notice me.

Especially since on my route I'm often required to take the centre lane or be trapped while a million aspiring TYPE 2 diabetics trundle by in their cars.

FYP

smacl

Found out last night that LIDLs notion of water resistant jacket would be closer to my idea of water absorbant jacket, and arrived for training in UCD last night like a drowned rat. Wonder is there something I can spray on it to help matters, as it's not a bad commute jacket outside of that.

buffalo

No musings today, just that I finally underwent my first cycling-related visit to A&E. Someone pulled out in front of me this morning on the way to Sundrive, I managed to swerve around them, but rear-ended the car ahead. Shattered the rear windscreen using my face, think the helmet left a dent in the top of the frame. Or else that was my nose, which hasn't really stopped bleeding since. So, so much blood. Bike's in Kevin St Garda station, told it's okay. Ambo folks were lovely, as were the staff in St James, though the tales of waiting on trolleys for a few hours turned out to be true, but tolerable today. Have to go back on Monday to make sure they got all the glass out of my face.

Bit pissed off with myself - if I'd braked hard instead of swerved, might've avoided it. But I didn't see her 'til the last second, so maybe braking would've sent me over her bonnet and faceplanting into the ground with horrible bone breakages. Who knows? And if I wasn't wearing a helmet, maybe I wouldn't have been going at 30kmph or so. Just a hassle, won't be racing tomorrow, and not sure if I'll be ready for the Randonée.

Thankfully it's all semi-superficial facial lacerations with a cheekbone fracture. Nose was close to breakage, but nothing spinal, etc. My eye socket is an impressive shade of purple. Hoping for a quick recovery.

buffalo out

nomdeboardie

:mad: Ouch!
(but glad you're not more seriously injured, or worse)
Heal with speed

daragh_

Sorry to hear that Buffalo. Hope you are back up and out on the road in no time.

Beasty

Christ buffalo - did you have have to miss the Sundrive session?

Seriously though - something like that can be a bit of a shock to the system. I hope you're back on the bike soon but make sure you take it easy for a while

There's no point in dwelling too much on what might have happened if you did things differently - you only ever have a split second to react in that type of situation and usually instinct takes over

Wishing you a speedy recovery

(chalks you off list of threats for track league on Wednesday)

CramCycle

+1 on what Beasty said, I done the exact same myself a few years ago, think over it all you want, if your still here and relatively intact, you made the best call you could have in the situation. Speedy recovery.

BofaDeezNuhtz

Ouch gws

Keep_Her_Lit

Sorry to hear about that buffalo. What a downer. On the plus side, at least you're able to post about it a matter of hours later. Get well soon.

cdaly_

get well soon Buffalo...

buffalo

Keep_Her_Lit wrote: »

Sorry to hear about that buffalo. What a downer. On the plus side, at least you're able to post about it a matter of hours later. Get well soon.

Thanks lads and lasses. Definitely considering myself lucky - vision is alright, nose wasn't broken, spine and legs etc. in one piece - everything injured should heal relatively quickly.

Mycroft H

buffalo wrote: »

Thanks lads. Definitely considering myself lucky - vision is alright, nose wasn't broken, spine and legs etc. in one piece - everything injured should heal relatively quickly.

Good to hear your alright so

rollingscone

Here's to a speedy recovery.

There's probably some sort of interval session joke I should make here...

Beasty

Actually I think I may have sussed out what went wrong - get those glasses cleaned buffalo - that way you may be able to see where you're going ...:P

JMcL

Aiieee.... not nice. Still the main thing is ye don't appear to have done any major damage, and it could easily have been so much worse. All I can say is get well soon!

buffalo

Back to James' yesterday morning, X-ray showed more glass in my face. Spent the day waiting around for a bed, got one around 5pm, told at 6pm definitely no surgery today, finally ate something! Fasted again today, under the knife at around lunchtime, now home and resting up. In an amusing coincidence, turned out the plastics intern dealing with me was the second first aider at the scene of the crash. And one of the porters was racing A4 u/a - hey Patrick! o/

Got the bike back, seems okay, but will have a careful look at the front forks. GPS actually saved the data: http://app.strava.com/activities/51558752

Zyzz

Good to see your recovery is going well buffman!

Question for you, who has to pay for the smashed window/other damage?