Journalism and cycling

doozerie

Weepsie wrote: »

Adrian Cummins from the Restaurant Association if Ireland on RTe right now believes there's a cycling agenda afoot in Dublin city council.

He's come across as a complete moron in the segment and I'd wonder if they'd do better with a head who actually could look at the wider picture

Completely agree. He couldn't put a coherent argument together, all he seemed to be saying was "pedestrianising the area will be terrible because ..it will be terrible". Incoherent babble.

And when he found he couldn't counter the rational questions being put to him his "there's a cycling agenda in Dublin!" argument came across entirely as childish petulance. It was cringeworthy and embarrassing.

Pinch Flat

It’s will be terrible because people won’t be able to drive to the front door of their restaurant. Oh the inhumanity.

Weepsie

He should be looking at the extra glass or 2 of wine to be sold by all these people not driving

doozerie

By contrast to Cummins, Ciarán Cuffe came across very well. I'm biased in favour of cycling, of course, but even putting that aside his arguments were sound and convincing to me.

I waited for Cummins to counter with something even vaguely rational, given his utter refusal to see any merit in "College Green Plaza" I assumed he'd have something resembling an argument to support his utterly intransigent position, but it never happened, he had nothing to offer other than "our members are afraid". Afraid of what? Just afraid, it seems, perhaps of everything and particularly of change.

Cuffe's mention of the car parks being perhaps the loudest voice against car restrictions in parts of the city centre went unchallenged by Cummins, which arguably says a lot.

Skrynesaver

doozerie wrote: »

Completely agree. He couldn't put a coherent argument together, all he seemed to be saying was "pedestrianising the area will be terrible because ..it will be terrible". Incoherent babble.

And when he found he couldn't counter the rational questions being put to him his "there's a cycling agenda in Dublin!" argument came across entirely as childish petulance. It was cringeworthy and embarrassing.

I particularly enjoyed his response on being questioned about the evidence for hos claims, "we know in our heart of hearts that this will damage trade".

Was surprised to hear an RTE newsroom put the fact that car park owning businesses seem to be the ones with the objections.

magicbastarder

that chap should have focussed on hotels rather than restaurants. they're the ones who can legitimately claim that significant numbers of their customers arrive by taxi. didn't help his cause that the line he was on was a bit muffled, i was making one of my rare rush hour trips in the car, and he was difficult to understand at times.

Just listening to that on the News Now channel. Adrian Cummins was laughable.

Lady interviewing doing a good job asks him what a cycling agena is and he deflects and has a dig at Cuffe who responds well.

doozerie

magicbastarder wrote: »

that chap should have focussed on hotels rather than restaurants. they're the ones who can legitimately claim that significant numbers of their customers arrive by taxi.

He painted himself into a corner on that score by claiming more than once that his members were not consulted on any of this. Cuffe refuted this and listed some of the bodies that had been represented at meetings to discuss this very topic over the last while, and I think he explicitly listed the Hotels group in that (and also said that those represented had aired their views both during and after the meeting, and that this views had been considered).

So Cummins would have had to let go of his “well, no-one asked us” argument if he’d focused on the hotels angle. And given his shockingly weak position to start with, he couldn’t really afford to let go of/concede anything. Instead he just reached for a bigger shovel and resumed digging.

…if I were a hotel representative, I reckon I’d have been straight on the phone to RTE at the first hint of Cummins trying to speak on behalf of hotels, to address myself to him:

magicbastarder

i was wondering aloud to my wife (after the dig about the cycling agenda) whether cuffe would come back with 'the car park agenda' - and lo and behold...

Lumen

magicbastarder wrote: »

that chap should have focussed on hotels rather than restaurants. they're the ones who can legitimately claim that significant numbers of their customers arrive by taxi. didn't help his cause that the line he was on was a bit muffled, i was making one of my rare rush hour trips in the car, and he was difficult to understand at times.

People don't drive to their airport gate either.

Could the hotels not run golf buggies to pick up people's cases from the taxi ranks?

magicbastarder

Lumen wrote: »

People don't drive to their airport gate either.

that's not a comparable situation though. the taxi drops people at the door of the building, in the airport.

doozerie

magicbastarder wrote: »

that's not a comparable situation though. the taxi drops people at the door of the building, in the airport.

I don't think there are calls to remove taxis from the city centre, just to change/close off one of their current routes between the south and north of the city. It's by no means the only route, despite Cummins suggesting otherwise from what I can remember.

Chips Lovell

I listened the same segment too, wondering: "Who drives to a restaurant in the city centre?"

I think I've only done so once in my entire life.

magicbastarder

doozerie wrote: »

I don't think there are calls to remove taxis from the city centre, just to change/close off one of their current routes between the south and north of the city. It's by no means the only route, despite Cummins suggesting otherwise from what I can remember.

ssh. i think the airport analogy is a good one. how about travelators running across college green? you get your taxi to one side and travelate (if that's a word) to your hotel on the other side.

tomasrojo

magicbastarder wrote: »

ssh. i think the airport analogy is a good one. how about travelators running across college green? you get your taxi to one side and travelate (if that's a word) to your hotel on the other side.

The Roads Must Roll!

magicbastarder

mr. cummins has helpfully stood over his comments, on twitter, should you have a constructive response:

https://twitter.com/adriancummins/status/973136476518133760

QueensGael

He didn't put his point across well at all. If you didn't know better, you'd think College Green was grand and there was no need to change anything about it. I wonder if the arguments against pedestrianising Grafton Street back in the day were similar. "All will be ruined when one can't drive up and park outside Switzers!" :P

College Green is a mess and it has to change. He and those he represents have every reason to be engaged with the change (as they pay the piper) but thinking it can stay the same is a waste of time and energy. Even Dublin Bus has realised this.

Lumen

tomasrojo wrote: »

The Roads Must Roll!

Thank you! I've been trying to remember that book for ages, having read it as a kid.

CramCycle

And the obesity epidemic rolls (or travelates) on.

CramCycle

QueensGael wrote: »

I wonder if the arguments against pedestrianising Grafton Street back in the day were similar.

Pretty much identical

Lumen

magicbastarder wrote: »

mr. cummins has helpfully stood over his comments, on twitter, should you have a constructive response

I sat in front of a blinking Twitter cursor for a few minutes but I couldn't find a way of forming a response that wasn't insulting and/or defamatory, so I closed the tab. :pac:

Pinch Flat

Be interesting to see what the reaction would be if they reopened grafton street to traffic. Presumably the traders would be delighted?

Weepsie

The agenda has made the Journal, complete with mad ramblings and silly comments

http://www.thejournal.ie/college-green-meeting-3898436-Mar2018/

Weepsie

Weepsie wrote: »

The agenda has made the Journal, complete with mad ramblings and silly comments

http://www.thejournal.ie/college-green-meeting-3898436-Mar2018/

ctrl+f "red light" 3 hits in the comments

Tombo2001

I have to laugh.......is there anyone left in Irish society that doesnt think cyclists are responsible for all their woes?

The whole anti-cycling thing thats gone on in the media in the past five years has really opened my eyes into how society can turn on a group, and it becomes legitimate and fair game to target that group.

The actual wording of what he said 'There's a cycling agenda here'......as if it were such terrible thing......and he doesnt event have to say what it is, that cycling is a bad thing in itself.

This is a man who says he has a 'huge interest' in tourism...... how many cyclists will do a sportif in Ireland this year? How much revenue will that bring his associations members? FFS.......

magicbastarder

somehow - gloriously - the comments on thejournal.ie don't load when i'm browsing in work.

QueensGael

The taximen are on Radio 1 now, giving out...

Tombo2001

QueensGael wrote: »

The taximen are on Radio 1 now, giving out...

Will they mention how one of them overtook me when I was turning right today?

QueensGael

No chance, and I'm sure they'll tell you it was your own fault for not wearing a helmet/hi-viz/neon tracksuit/sparkly Christmas antlers (delete as appropriate)- hope you're ok though

amcalester

magicbastarder wrote: »

somehow - gloriously - the comments on thejournal.ie don't load when i'm browsing in work.

They never load when I access a page via a link but if I go the the site and search for the story the comments load.