Roads moan

Faith

munstermagic, are you just making those yourself or getting them from somewhere? I'd love to see a Vancouver one.

rob316

TINA1984 wrote: »

I spell it out for you? You said this:



You realise cars are made in places like the UK, France etc. not Ireland, so beyond a small cabal of motor retailers, you're not really keeping many 'people off social welfare'.



Now show us the average rainfall for a bike-friendly city like London!

Serious? That's like saying the person who sells you a TV in shop doesn't contribute much because the TV is made in Asia. Or any product for that matter.

Not just retailers - mechanics, part shops, body shops, hell even the guy behind the counter in Topaz is all contributed to by the car owner. Its a huge trade, just think about it for a second.

Tazzle

Faith wrote: »

munstermagic, are you just making those yourself or getting them from somewhere? I'd love to see a Vancouver one.

A quick google gives the below data for 1981-2010, it's pretty similar to munstermagic's graphs. Notably, Cork has twice the days of rain, and a higher total precipitation, especially in the Winter months.

Cork
London

And as you asked, Vancouver has better summers and worse winters, when compared with Cork.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Faith wrote: »

munstermagic, are you just making those yourself or getting them from somewhere? I'd love to see a Vancouver one.

Too lazy to make them myself

Max_Charger

I check the weather to know what to wear while cycling. I'm not, and never have, checking to decide if I'll cycle or not depending on the weather. Only exception is ice, other than that, couldn't care less

j8wk2feszrnpao

Tazzle wrote: »

A quick google gives the below data for 1981-2010, it's pretty similar to munstermagic's graphs. Notably, Cork has twice the days of rain, and a higher total precipitation, especially in the Winter months.

Cheers Tazzle.
A few places had data/graphs, but more or less the same results.
We really do get a lot of rain a lot of the time:(

j8wk2feszrnpao

Max_Charger wrote: »

I check the weather to know what to wear while cycling. I'm not, and never have, checking to decide if I'll cycle or not depending on the weather. Only exception is ice, other than that, couldn't care less

Yeah, I'm kinda the same when I want to go for a cycle.
I just think that trying to get people to take up cycling as a past-time or as an alternative to travelling to work; it would then be a significant factor.
That's why that '50%' aim by the NRA seems widly optimistic.

Max_Charger

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Yeah, I'm kinda the same when I want to go for a cycle.
I just think that trying to get people to take up cycling as a past-time or as an alternative to travelling to work; it would then be a significant factor.
That's why that '50%' aim by the NRA seems widly optimistic.

I don't think so, If we lived on the driest place on earth a lot people would still find an excuse not to do it because they couldn't be bothered. Although in saying that, I never use cycle lanes and never will because they are p*ss poorly designed and rarely cleaned so would understand that reasoning tbh.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Max_Charger wrote: »

I don't think so, If we lived on the driest place on earth a lot people would still find an excuse not to do it because they couldn't be bothered.

True, that's why I said it's just one factor.
You mentioned another which is the state of some cycle lanes.
Some people have to make school runs to and from work.
Distance to work/destination too far .
etc....

Then again, some cycle lanes are perfectly good, and I've come across cyclists who still don't use then, i.e. at Cork Airport.

two wheels good

rob316 wrote: »

Hey

Good post, a lot of points I wanted to get across but Im in the mood for a rant more

You hit the nail on the head there, there just isn't the cycle population to support such radical changes to the city roads. That is my issue, I see very little cyclists and loads of cars on the roads and I feel the motorist is been shafted.

I suggest it's a chicken and egg problem. There is a general perception that traffic is too heavy\dangerous for cyclists so people don't cycle - especially the novice or nervous cyclist.

I remember a time when many secondary students would cycle to school. Recently I heard a school rep in a Douglas secondary school say that only two students in the whole school cycled to school.

j8wk2feszrnpao

two wheels good wrote: »

I remember a time when many secondary students would cycle to school. Recently I heard a school rep in a Douglas secondary school say that only two students in the whole school cycled to school.

True, the increase of traffic has meant it's less safe to travel via bicycle.
An increase in wealth and the affordability of cars has changed things.

I cycled to college for a few years, and suffered a lot more colds than when I went back for further studies via my car.

That possibly of illness, safety issues, and worries about possibly weirdos are a few reasons I've heard some parents (I'm not one myself yet) state why they don't like their kids walking/cycling to school.

Red Nissan

rob316 wrote: »

Serious? .

It's ONLY the manufacturing, the CREATION, of goods that generates wealth. Services just redistribute existing wealth and cannot create wealth of their own.

pwurple

Having cycled in both amsterdam and in cork... Can I just mention something apart from the weather. Our lovely rolling Cork City Hills. Amsterdam is a pancake of a city!

Cian92

I reckon alot of workers in Cork live too far away to cycle in so these new road changes will be a waste.

Can I also ask are there shower facilities in work for those who do cycle in? I have to wear a suit in work, so it would be a bit of a problem cycling in.

Tzarkahn

I commute Daily from the City Centre out to Ovens, I go up Washington St then onto the Western Road, Straight Road, Through Ballincollig then out the end to work.

I have showers available at work so I wear my cycling kit and get showered/changed there with clothes that I dropped off over the weekend.

I commute regardless of weather, the exception being extreme Ice and even then I've done it a couple of times.

The changes to Washington St, as a cyclist, are okay but this is going out of town, coming back in I don't even bother taking that route.

The main advantage I've noticed is the road surface, the markings/lanes etc seem slightly superfluous but this might be the case as I was already cycling anyway.

What I'd really like to see would be a resurfacing of the Carrigohane Road around Inchaggin, there are so many holes and gaps and places that form huge puddles that hide these hazards.

Bacchus

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Not all cyclists just have a bicycle
I have both a car and a bicycle.
So when you do see a cyclist, don't just conclude that they don't contribute (and they may be contributing via their payslip tax).

Plus, it's probably more likely that the cyclist will be fitter and more healthy than the person puffing on a fag or munching into a breakfast roll while driving their car , possibly resulting in less tax money spent on their heath-care down the line.

I just don't see the value in a lot of the cycle lanes been proposed.
There isn't the cycling population to support it, and I don't believe that it'll increase that population to justify the spend (we don't have the reliable weather to encourage a significant number of people).

Anyway, it's not really a car driver V's cyclist debate.
It's about the poor job been done by those in City Hall who manage the roads in the city.

I've nothing to contribute to the cycle lane debate but...

Not all car owners just drive a car. So when you see a driver don't just conclude that they smoke and eat breakfast rolls.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Bacchus wrote: »

I've nothing to contribute to the cycle lane debate but...

Not all car owners just drive a car. So when you see a driver don't just conclude that they smoke and eat breakfast rolls.

That's true; I was using a hyperbole (and a smiley) to exaggerate the point
Plus, I think the auld breakfast roll days have died down a bit

TheChizler

pwurple wrote: »

Having cycled in both amsterdam and in cork... Can I just mention something apart from the weather. Our lovely rolling Cork City Hills. Amsterdam is a pancake of a city!

Ah after a week or two cycling every day you can take most of them in your stride!

Red Nissan

TheChizler wrote: »

Ah after a week or two cycling every day you can take most of them in your stride!

No one cannot. Now if one were to prepare to racing level then perhaps, but as someone who used to cycle avidly in my early years, carrying a bag of shipping from Dunnne's in Pana to the top of Mayfield is not always achievable, no matter the fact that one may have cycled this route for seven years already.

I could not, repeat, cycle up the hill easily and it was always a challenge, I did conqueror it but as often as not the hill defeated me.

I never got up St Patrick's Hill for instance and neither Poppins Hill or Fair Hill.

I spent years trying to figure out a nice long cycle route in and around Cork and there is none, not for the working/recreational/student cyclist ~ the hobbies and semi-pro cyclists are a different breed and have different approaches and budgets for equipment and gear and almso never cycle for work or actual communing.

TheChizler

Red Nissan wrote: »

No one cannot. Now if one were to prepare to racing level then perhaps, but as someone who used to cycle avidly in my early years, carrying a bag of shipping from Dunnne's in Pana to the top of Mayfield is not always achievable, no matter the fact that one may have cycled this route for seven years already.

I could not, repeat, cycle up the hill easily and it was always a challenge, I did conqueror it but as often as not the hill defeated me.

I never got up St Patrick's Hill for instance and neither Poppins Hill or Fair Hill.

I spent years trying to figure out a nice long cycle route in and around Cork and there is none, not for the working/recreational/student cyclist ~ the hobbies and semi-pro cyclists are a different breed and have different approaches and budgets for equipment and gear and almso never cycle for work or actual communing.

I did say most, I was thinking pretty much everything bar the airport and parts of the Northside. East-West and North-South as far as maybe Shandon/Donnybrook isn't a major problem for even me and I would class myself as grossly unfit in general. How bout around Lough Mahon on the old railway track or down to Passage? As a previous poster said there's not many hills on the way down to Ovens.

In terms of road conditions and moaning I've never had a major problem or incident on these routes bar flipping myself when my lock got caught in my front wheel! Douglas roads can be a bit tight/stressful at times with cars overtaking but nothing I've stressed too much about. Potholes/manholes at the sides of roads could do with a bit of attention though!

Red Nissan

TheChizler wrote: »

How bout around Lough Mahon on the old railway track or down to Passage? As a previous poster said there's not many hills on the way down to Ovens.

Those are quite recent and are used a lot by cyclists and pedestrians as well. Sometimes huge hoardes of cyclists pass through, like some club or other and there have been a few incidents and complaints ~ so yer can ne ever win.

MrFrisp

Red Nissan wrote: »

My personal predication is one hundred dead cyclists city wide in two years.

Mark and note.

Just yesterday I saw the closest one yet.

Right at that spot by the lane next to the Kino, two cyclists were coming up on that cycle lane towards the City Centre, and a guy came out from that lane in a van. He only looked to his left to check for traffic, and never looked the other way. Now, he pulled out quite a bit to be able to see passed the parked cars, and he missed the two cyclists by inches.
My Mrs in the seat next to me covered her face thinking he was going to hit them.

Time is defo getting close for a big accident there.
.

TheChizler

MrFrisp wrote: »

Just yesterday I saw the closest one yet.

Right at that spot by the lane next to the Kino, two cyclists were coming up on that cycle lane towards the City Centre, and a guy came out from that lane in a van. He only looked to his left to check for traffic, and never looked the other way. Now, he pulled out quite a bit to be able to see passed the parked cars, and he missed the two cyclists by inches.
My Mrs in the seat next to me covered her face thinking he was going to hit them.

Time is defo getting close for a big accident there.
.

They definitely need to sort out signage on that contra-flow lane, alerting motorists going in and out of those side lanes, as well as the cyclists themselves, to the situation. What's the story when you get to the junction by the bailey and courthouse? There's no way for cyclists to know traffic to their left has a red light bar waiting for the pedestrian crossing to go green, and then they'd be breaking the ped crossing going across Washington street. Catch 22. The whole thing smacks as unfinished so hopefully there are plans to sort these things out.

partyguinness

Bacchus wrote: »

I've nothing to contribute to the cycle lane debate but...

Not all car owners just drive a car. So when you see a driver don't just conclude that they smoke and eat breakfast rolls.

and of course lets not forget the high number of cyclists that end up in hospital as a result of accidents and made worse when they do not wear a helmet...bloody drain on our health service..:p

TheChizler

partyguinness wrote: »

and of course lets not forget the high number of cyclists that end up in hospital as a result of accidents and made worse when they do not wear a helmet...bloody drain on our health service..:p

I'd be interested to see the stats you got that information from!

Edit: Unless that was tongue in cheek, can't tell, carry on!

Milly33

Going to be an accident soon by the Victoria road roundiebout if those silly runners don't behave. I nearly hit them once already when they just ran out onto the road above the pedestrian crossing that was closer to the roundabout. And for the last couple of weeks I have seen them come running up Centre Park road on the wrong side of the road, off the footpath and then run straight across the road onto the roundie and run off down the other side down Albert road. Bloody muppets now that is stupidity

Lyaiera

Just got a flat tyre going over a pothole where Anglesea Street meets the South Terrace. I was coming from the south side/Douglas Road direction. The Anglesea Street turn has flashing orange lights, but obviously the guy coming through didn't see me, I swerved right into a huge pothole. Flat tyre.

kaki

Ouch!

I never realised just how bad the potholes are in Cork until I started cycling to work/college 2 weeks ago.

Dannyboy83

Milly33 wrote: »

Bloody muppets, now that is stupidity

Speaking of stupidity, there seems to be some kind of dare game going on with some of the gangs of teenagers around Ballyphehane recently, running out in front of traffic at the last minute to see if they can get cars to brake hard.

Luckily it's a long and wide road, but I hope it doesn't catch on elsewhere.

Missyelliot2

Lyaiera wrote: »

Just got a flat tyre going over a pothole where Anglesea Street meets the South Terrace. I was coming from the south side/Douglas Road direction. The Anglesea Street turn has flashing orange lights, but obviously the guy coming through didn't see me, I swerved right into a huge pothole. Flat tyre.

I too have been in that pothole due to a similar incident - destroyed the rim. It's so frustrating - my road tax is more than my insurance. I do realise I have said this before, but am so feckin' fed up driving around looking out for potholes, due to the condition of the roads. Cyclists - enjoy- your patch seems to be well maintained in comparison to the craters enjoyed by us eejits in cars.

Have just sent email to cork city council again...........not expecting anything.........at all