Journalism and cycling

Kaisr Sose

Kop Idol wrote: »

Today's Indo > We need to see others as people, not stereotypes
In the motoring section, an attempt at humanizing all road users but cyclists in particular.

I seen that too

I always find that Eddie Cunningham writes very pro cycling/road safety articles. Although it’s common sense stuff, it’s not to loads of motorists. It takes a lot of such commentary to change behaviour and a good mix of enforcement!

I wished motorists would take time to read these articles instead of their latest social media messages

AndrewJRenko

Usual helmet-shaming from the judiciary, along with the miraculous invention of something called a 'safety seat'.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/circuit-court/garda-s-60-000-damages-claim-over-bicycle-fall-thrown-out-1.3457066

what_traffic

Kop Idol wrote: »

Today's Indo > We need to see others as people, not stereotypes
In the motoring section, an attempt at humanizing all road users but cyclists in particular.

Is it though? Alot of flaws in this article

Look at the photo, in an Irish context that person is cycling on the wrong side of the road.
It really is the wrong image to be using.

Article is NOT written by Eddie Cunningham. It is a "so called" nameless RSA Ireland employee who wont put a name to these articles. I can only assume it is problably because they have no backing to have EXPERT in ones title?

Kaisr Sose

what_traffic wrote: »

Is it though? Alot of flaws in this article

Look at the photo, in an Irish context that person is cycling on the wrong side of the road.
It really is the wrong image to be using.

Article is NOT written by Eddie Cunningham. It is a "so called" nameless RSA Ireland employee who wont put a name to these articles. I can only assume it is problably because they have no backing to have EXPERT in ones title?

I am not sure how you know it’s not Eddie writing these but we have to start somewhere. This sort of editorial content is far better than one sided debates on national TV / Radio or comments online that label all cyclist as red light breakers, who think they own the road and don’t pay road tax(sic)

Hurrache

Can probably go in the high vis thread, but this evening on Matt Cooper they'll be discussing why high vis does little to protect cyclists.

what_traffic

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

I am not sure how you know it’s not Eddie writing these but we have to start somewhere.

He is a journalist and he will put his name to stuff he writes? NO? I would agree with you that he is far better than many, especially on the airwaves. I pretty sure @RSAIrleand on twitter a while back have acknowledged that they provide the content here for IndoMotoring?

Hurrache

Hurrache wrote: »

Can probably go in the high vis thread, but this evening on Matt Cooper they'll be discussing why high vis does little to protect cyclists.

Anyone catch it? I missed it.

Lemming

Hurrache wrote: »

Anyone catch it? I missed it.

Fairly short segement, wedged in amongst other stuff. Discussion point was around study findings from Italy from before and after the law changes regards use of hi-vis clothing for cyclists, and that it has made very little impact on the stats regards motor-vehicle collisions with cyclists. Guest speaker makes the salient point that all the hi-viz, helmets, and blinking lights in the world wont protect you if the driver isn't paying attention because they're too busy looking at their phone anyway. Sadly that point seemed to bounce off Cooper's brain as he was more keen in proclaiming why should all the blame be laid at the feet of the driver, whataboutery etc. and the usual guff. I thought his guest carried himself well and responded to Cooper's - at times complete - sh1te with aplomb.

I'm not sure if it was just Cooper playing devils advocate or just trying to stir some controversy, but I could have sworn I could hear the thoughts of the guy suffering Coopers questioning at times reigning in the urge to be blunt with a response to the more inane questions.

All told though, it really was a "nothing to see here, move along" segment. Cooper just blasted through it and moved onto the next topic.

I see cooper at night on tv3 the odd time, never listen to radio so have no idea what he's like there but imo from what I've seen he's the type who fancies himself as way more intelligent than he actually is at times based solely on the questioning I've heard him spout at guests.

Annie get your Run

Lemming wrote: »

Fairly short segement, wedged in amongst other stuff. Discussion point was around study findings from Italy from before and after the law changes regards use of hi-vis clothing for cyclists, and that it has made very little impact on the stats regards motor-vehicle collisions with cyclists. Guest speaker makes the salient point that all the hi-viz, helmets, and blinking lights in the world wont protect you if the driver isn't paying attention because they're too busy looking at their phone anyway. Sadly that point seemed to bounce off Cooper's brain as he was more keen in proclaiming why should all the blame be laid at the feet of the driver, whataboutery etc. and the usual guff. I thought his guest carried himself well and responded to Cooper's - at times complete - sh1te with aplomb.

I'm not sure if it was just Cooper playing devils advocate or just trying to stir some controversy, but I could have sworn I could hear the thoughts of the guy suffering Coopers questioning at times reigning in the urge to be blunt with a response to the more inane questions.

All told though, it really was a "nothing to see here, move along" segment. Cooper just blasted through it and moved onto the next topic.

It was very poorly done IMO. Cooper claims to be a cyclist, I can't see how he is with some of his views but hey ho. After the segment he read out all the whataboutery texts from all the motorists who see all the things cyclists do wrong every day - absolutely no comment whatsoever on drivers using their phones etc.

Follow up segment on motoring and a discussion on the revision of 'road tax' (they actually called it that before correcting themselves). Not one single mention of using bike in that whole discussion. They talked about electric cars and anyone who lives in a city should be incentivize to buy an electric car to get around - I mean SERIOUSLY :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:.

And I like Matt!!!!

Kaisr Sose

Annie get your Run wrote: »

After the segment he read out all the whataboutery texts from all the motorists who see all the things cyclists do wrong every day - absolutely no comment whatsoever on drivers using their phones etc.

This morning I seen a young woman driving with phone between hands and on steering wheel while driving in heavy traffic. (Looking at phone, scrolling, looking up, looking at phone, scrolling....then repeat). Thinking that was bad, this evening I seen a man driving at 50/60kph while reading what looked like printed A4 pages in front of the steering wheel .....Both totally nuts and irresponsible.

....but all cyclists break red lights, are a menace and don’t pay road tax Joe...:

Pinch Flat

Radio piece on newstalk earlier, hosted by Boddy Kerr, all about Drogheda and Dundalk and initiatives to increase their respective economies.

Randomly, someone texts in the say “do something about the cycle lanes in Dundalk as they’re killing business in the town”, which bobby reads out.

Next segment is about a fella who runs a private commuter bus company daily from Dundalk to Dublin - says he has real problems serving towns on the way off the motorway like lusk and rush due to chronic traffic congestion.

Pinch Flat

Call me biased, but my reading of this is "50% of Corkonians couldn't be ar$ed walking, cycling or getting public transport to the shops".

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/turnover-down-by-over-50-as-traffic-restrictions-hit-cork-traders-1.3461247

tomasrojo

Is there a non-IT source on the effect of the restrictions? I don't trust the IT in the slightest on active travel issues. I'm not saying this story isn't broadly true, but the IT pushes this line about every attempt to shift travel modes.

tomasrojo

I know the bus transit times have improved -- or at least I saw it reported on Twitter -- but I suppose that's a separate albeit related issue.

amcalester

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Radio piece on newstalk earlier, hosted by Boddy Kerr, all about Drogheda and Dundalk and initiatives to increase their respective economies.

Randomly, someone texts in the say “do something about the cycle lanes in Dundalk as they’re killing business in the town”, which bobby reads out.

Next segment is about a fella who runs a private commuter bus company daily from Dundalk to Dublin - says he has real problems serving towns on the way off the motorway like lusk and rush due to chronic traffic congestion.

To be fair the cycle lanes in Dundalk are awful and I doubt they in any way encourage people to cycle. There are a few sections that are just dangerous.

Not sure how they are hurting business though. Biggest issues affecting business in Dundalk is the Marshes Shopping Centre sucking up all the footfall and the proximity of the border.

Pinch Flat

amcalester wrote: »

To be fair the cycle lanes in Dundalk are awful and I doubt they in any way encourage people to cycle. There are a few sections that are just dangerous.

Agreed. I've cycled trough Dundalk and it's a mess. Designed by a mortor centric road engineer with zero exposure to good practice I'd say.

amcalester wrote: »

Not sure how they are hurting business though. Biggest issues affecting business in Dundalk is the Marshes Shopping Centre sucking up all the footfall and the proximity of the border.

Can't see how these are impacting on the economic well being of an area, other than stopping motorists pulling up direct outside the shop they're going to (not that it doesn't stop them anyway!):pac:

Tombo2001

Anyone else annoyed by the JustEat Dublin Bike Ads on the radio these days....

Basically along the lines of....

Cyclists......you dont know how to signal.....let me explain to you in a slow loud voice.......and other ads on that kind "I'm telling you this for your own good" theme.

I dont see BMW or Hertz running ads explaining to Drivers not to use the mobile phone (though admittedly some the insurance companies do this).

I dont see Nike running ads telling people how to look up before crossing the road.

But cyclists need this type of information?

Its almost as if the ads are indirectly aimed at drivers - yes thats right drivers, they dont have a clue what they're at, we have to explain it to them.

Kaisr Sose

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Anyone else annoyed by the JustEat Dublin Bike Ads on the radio these days....

Basically along the lines of....

Cyclists......you dont know how to signal.....let me explain to you in a slow loud voice.......and other ads on that kind "I'm telling you this for your own good" theme.

I dont see BMW or Hertz running ads explaining to Drivers not to use the mobile phone (though admittedly some the insurance companies do this).

I dont see Nike running ads telling people how to look up before crossing the road.

But cyclists need this type of information?

Its almost as if the ads are indirectly aimed at drivers - yes thats right drivers, they dont have a clue what they're at, we have to explain it to them.

Meanwhile I see ‘Just Eat delivery cyclists’ Going through red lights and cycling in the dark with no lights ....

check_six

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Anyone else annoyed by the JustEat Dublin Bike Ads on the radio these days....

Heard it once. Hated it. It's terrible, it's condescending, and I'd guess there
is a thinly veiled ulterior motive as you suggest.

TheChizler

Didn't realize JustEat had taken over from Coke Zero. I thought ye were saying JustEat had taken out radio ads just to tell their delivery drivers how to cycle!

Grassey

http://www.thejournal.ie/cork-city-grand-experiment-3967967-Apr2018/

Cork city's car ban 'grand experiment' could end after just three weeks

Shame to try canning it so quick, should have let it run over the summer months to assess properly.

eeeee

What were the issues with it?

magicbastarder

the shops objected. claims of a 50% drop in footfall, IIRC.

eeeee

Ah jaysus really? Not a big period of adjustment. I bet if given a proper go it would be much busier without traffic as people can languish about and amble from shop to shop without having to cross traffic. Seems short-sighted, but if it was quieter it's quieter. I'm thinking of how much more difficult it would be to shop somewhere like Grafton street if it still had traffic, I imagine Patrick Street to be the same?

Hurrache

But the weather has been pretty **** during that period anyway. Seems to me that someone wasn't that pushed in it working.

TheChizler

Hurrache wrote: »

But the weather has been pretty **** during that period anyway. Seems to me that someone wasn't that pushed in it working.

Nearly 4 times the recorded rainfall for the same period last year. But it was the bus lane... :rolleyes:

tomasrojo

A drop in footfall, which should be independently assessed, might be temporary. The point about customers complaining is not as strong a point as one might at first suppose. Cyclists, pedestrians and public transport users are hardly going to walk into the shop beaming about how nice things are now, and how much easier it was to get there, even if it was. As I saw someone say on Twitter this morning, acid flows faster than honey.

tomasrojo

I heard something about people getting the misconception that the street was somehow closed, or permanently closed to cars, whereas it was just during the afternoon.

Reminds me of the sign I saw in Dundrum last year before the festival, announcing that Main Street would be closed the following week. Main Street was far from closed; it was in fact very busy. In large part because there wasn't a constant flow of motorised vehicles bisecting the district.

CramCycle

it was really poorly implemented, even the green councillor for north Cork said it was a shambles. They gave no huge notifications, and one day the gardai turned up at one end of the street directing traffic away. Everyone though there was an accident or a crime was in progress.

This said, everyone I know from Cork said it has been as busy as you'd get normally, in fact on a few occasions when it was not raining, the street was busier than usual.

The basic premise I pick up is that whoever on the council team was in charge of organising it, either done no work or deliberately wanted it to fail, there really is no other reason for such a poorly implemented plan.