Journalism and cycling

circler

tomasrojo wrote: »

I saw one a few weeks ago. The only one I've ever seen in the wild.

I know someone who had one. Hit a very abrupt speed bump in London, flew over bars. Airbag worked. He got away with a broken collarbone.

droidus

magicbastarder wrote: »

she's one of my local TDs. have been meaning to ask her about her stance on cycling if she ever calls to the door, but she hasn't in the 6 years o've been living here.
not that i'm endorsing the idea of my local TDs calling to the door, as one is a convicted terrorist. happy to just have councillors calling to the door, really.

We live in the same constituency. Never seen Ellis in the flesh, but told his minions that I cant vote SF whilst he's my only option.

AndrewJRenko

zell12 wrote: »

Senator Ivana Bacik just on Newstalk.
Apparently she's an "all-weather cyclist" in Dublin

She is. I've seen her twice this week walking her bike and child.

Seth Brundle

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

zell12 wrote: »

Senator Ivana Bacik just on Newstalk.
Apparently she's an "all-weather cyclist" in Dublin

She is. I've seen her twice this week walking her bike and child.

That makes her a pedestrian not a cyclist

tomasrojo

circler wrote: »

I know someone who had one. Hit a very abrupt speed bump in London, flew over bars. Airbag worked. He got away with a broken collarbone.

I remember reports of them doing better in the standard anvil-drop tests than polystyrene helmets, but I don't know any real details.

I'll avoid any in-depth discussion in case this starts to encroach on the Helmet Megathread.

Duckjob

Mickiemcfist wrote: »

That's being pretty precious. Car drivers wear seatbelts to keep themselves safe and could equally be hit by airhead checking fb likes.

As has been discussed over on the hi-vis thread, the more attention goes on cyclist to "keep themselves safe", the less drivers are held to account for their actions in driving 2 tonne metal boxes, and the more risk there is to mine and other vulnerable road users lives.

So, yeah, I guess i am pretty precious about my life....

AndrewJRenko

Seth Brundle wrote: »

That makes her a pedestrian not a cyclist

I'm assuming that she hops on the bike once she drops off the child, though I don't think I've see that happen myself. She's part of the Oireachtas cycling group too iirc.

tomasrojo

She was cycling past me once and stopped to let me know a blanket had come off the stroller I was pushing.

I see her and Eamon Ryan on their bikes a fair bit. I think I saw Ruairi Quinn on a Dublin Bike a few years back. I'm sure I've seen others, but ER and IB I definitely have seen the most IRL.

I passed her in the street the morning after the Repeal of the Eighth referendum. She was being greeted left, right and centre by passing motorists, cyclists, pedestrians.

Seth Brundle

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I'm assuming that she hops on the bike once she drops off the child, though I don't think I've see that happen myself. She's part of the Oireachtas cycling group too iirc.

I was just being a smart alec!

tomasrojo wrote: »

She was cycling past me once and stopped to let me know a blanket had come off the stroller I was pushing.

I see her and Eamon Ryan on their bikes a fair bit. I think I saw Ruairi Quinn on a Dublin Bike a few years back. I'm sure I've seen others, but ER and IB I definitely have seen the most IRL.

I passed her in the street the morning after the Repeal of the Eighth referendum. She was being greeted left, right and centre by passing motorists, cyclists, pedestrians.

Eamon is big into bikes. His bio on the Green Party site says he "was founding chairman of the Dublin Cycling Campaign, and before entering politics ran two successful business, Irish Cycling Safaris and Belfield Bike Shop."
https://www.greenparty.ie/people/eamon-ryan/

Muahahaha

Not sure if it was posted at the time of reporting but last years stats for cyclists suffering injuries

More than 350 cyclists were discharged from Irish hospitals after being treated for head injuries following road traffic incidents last year, HSE figures show.

Of the 351 people who suffered head injuries, 49 were involved in a collision with a car, pick-up truck or van, while 216 were injured in a “non-collision transport accident”.

Statistics released under the Freedom Information Act, collated by the HSE’s Healthcare Pricing Office, show 345 cyclists were treated for injuries to the elbow and forearm; 184 for injuries to the shoulder and upper arm; 119 for injuries to the knee and lower leg and 93 for injuries to the abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine and pelvis.

Significant number of cyclists were also treated for injuries to the wrist, hand, hip, thigh and thorax.

Figures were not available for the number of people who suffered injuries to the neck, ankle and foot while 55 cyclists were discharged after being treated for injuries classified as “other”.

Information was not available on injuries suffered by outpatients who attended emergency departments.

Fifteen people died in cycling accidents on the State’s roads last year, up 50 per cent on the previous year.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/over-350-cyclists-treated-for-head-injuries-in-irish-hospitals-last-year-1.3615589

216 cyclists falling off their bikes (with no collision) and suffering head injuries seems high to me. I wonder what it is that causes these accidents?

Eamonnator

Muahahaha wrote: »

Not sure if it was posted at the time of reporting but last years stats for cyclists suffering injuries


https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/over-350-cyclists-treated-for-head-injuries-in-irish-hospitals-last-year-1.3615589

216 cyclists falling off their bikes (with no collision) and suffering head injuries seems high to me. I wonder what it is that causes these accidents?

I'm sure mountain biking accounts for quite a few of these.

Grassey

Muahahaha wrote:

216 cyclists falling off their bikes (with no collision) and suffering head injuries seems high to me. I wonder what it is that causes these accidents?

(didn't result in head injuries but...) I've a friend who has managed to break collar bone in one incident, and ribs in another 10 months apart this year in non collision accidents. Both have involved cars pulling out in front of her while going downhill and her hitting the brakes.

Fian

Not even a suspended sentence for bus driver who killed cyclist by cutting corner.

https://www.thejournal.ie/bus-driver-cyclist-death-4335560-Nov2018/

Piece on an Irish man and his partner injured while cycling in France http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/cyclist-crash-france-mike-curran/

monument

Muahahaha wrote: »

Not sure if it was posted at the time of reporting but last years stats for cyclists suffering injuries


https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/over-350-cyclists-treated-for-head-injuries-in-irish-hospitals-last-year-1.3615589

216 cyclists falling off their bikes (with no collision) and suffering head injuries seems high to me. I wonder what it is that causes these accidents?

Why does it seem high?

Honest question. There’s tens of thousands of sports cyclists alone.

One context factor missing from the Irish Times (basically because their reporting lacks detailed knowledge of the issues) is that the those single vehicle collisions (they are collisions even without another vehicle) includes sporting collisions and off-road collisions — that’s at least according to medical researchers who I’ve had contact with.

Muahahaha

ah right I hadnt considered the amount of injuries suffered by mountain bikers/racers, it makes sense now. Initially I thought it was cyclists going into potholes and over the handlebars and cracking their head but sporting injuries make more sense. The stats should really make sporting injuries more clear and separate them from other types of causes of injuries.

AndrewJRenko

Fian wrote: »

Not even a suspended sentence for bus driver who killed cyclist by cutting corner.

https://www.thejournal.ie/bus-driver-cyclist-death-4335560-Nov2018/

I don't get this bit;

During the trial, Orange told the jury that what killed Ms White was the head injury sustained when the back of her head hit the road. He said her helmet was not fastened and had only being resting on her head.
The court heard the helmet was found on the road and could not be fastened. Detective Sergeant Kelly agreed that gardaí never retrieved any clip that might be used to fasten the helmet.

How is it possible to ride with an unfastened helmet on your head? It would just fall off at the first corner surely?


The fact that a clip was never found doesn't mean that there was no clip in place.

Idleater

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

How is it possible to ride with an unfastened helmet on your head? It would just fall off at the first corner surely?

I regularly see people on bikes with extremely loose straps and the helmet sat way back on the head. One lady even having to push it back as it kept slipping forward and to one side.
They're in the same category as the flashing red light on the front and white on the back.

Macy0161

A correctly fitted helmet shouldn't need the straps to stay on you head. It should stay on with the other bits (which I have no idea what they are called!). The strap so it stays on after an initial impact. Since bicycle helmets aren't generally designed for multi impact collisions, certainly not with vehicles, the strap probably wouldn't do a whole lot either way imo.

ED E

Fian wrote: »

Not even a suspended sentence for bus driver who killed cyclist by cutting corner.

https://www.thejournal.ie/bus-driver-cyclist-death-4335560-Nov2018/

Manslaughter/murder are ok once its with a motorised vehicle.

CramCycle

ED E wrote: »

Manslaughter/murder are ok once its with a motorised vehicle.

If your ever going to kill someone, make sure your driving a car I think is the best advice.

Ferris

CramCycle wrote: »

If your ever going to kill someone, make sure your driving a car I think is the best advice.

Only works if your victim is on a bike though

ED E

Ferris wrote: »

Only works if your victim is on a bike though

Nope. Horse riders, motorbikers and peds have the same issue.

mloc123

Idleater wrote: »

I regularly see people on bikes with extremely loose straps and the helmet sat way back on the head. One lady even having to push it back as it kept slipping forward and to one side.
They're in the same category as the flashing red light on the front and white on the back.

I have seen a handful of people with helmets on back to front... how?

Tell me how

mloc123 wrote: »

I have seen a handful of people with helmets on back to front... how?

I'd say 50% who actually don't realise it and 50% too cool for school hipsters who refuse to cow tow to societal pressures because they are unique, original and individual. Just like everyone else.

Duckjob

Sort-of cycling related-

Ciara Kelly on lunchtime on NewsTalk talking (moaning) about proposed parking charge hikes on Dublin city centre.

She had a guy on from Chamber of Commerce and was shocked when he wasnt particularly against it, saying that more and more their members are saying they want the city centre to be a friendly, pleasant place to bring your family to.

Kelly also kept going on about cyclists "not being able to buy things". The idea that someone could come into town on a bike, drop a couple of hundred euro on a nice bike camera and bring it home in their backpack seemed not to occur to her.

She then had a slew of frothing motorists giving out about it, including one lady who lived in Sandymount and was moaning about "not being able to drive in" anymore.

aldark

Deleted User wrote: »

Piece on an Irish man and his partner injured while cycling in France http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/cyclist-crash-france-mike-curran/

Also, a week or so ago, the inquest on Paul Hannon concluded that his death due to being run over by a taxi was “down to split second timing”. He had stopped his bike, possibly to fix something, had some class of a wobble and apparently fell onto the road.

DPP are not pressing charges. Do road users not have a duty of care to other road users? I wonder how fast the taxi was going, could he not have anticipated a potential problem with a cyclist stopping on the road, even if he had, could he have stopped in time?

Most civilised parts of europe have presumed liability for exactly this kind of accident, maybe its time that the "Stayin’ Alive at 1.5" campaign be extended?

Fian

aldark wrote: »

Also, a week or so ago, the inquest on Paul Hannon concluded that his death due to being run over by a taxi was “down to split second timing”. He had stopped his bike, possibly to fix something, had some class of a wobble and apparently fell onto the road.

DPP are not pressing charges. Do road users not have a duty of care to other road users? I wonder how fast the taxi was going, could he not have anticipated a potential problem with a cyclist stopping on the road, even if he had, could he have stopped in time?

Most civilised parts of europe have presumed liability for exactly this kind of accident, maybe its time that the "Stayin’ Alive at 1.5" campaign be extended?

I am not commenting on the specific case, because i don't know the specifics. But if someone falls into the road in front of a car there may be nothing the driver can do about avoiding a collission. If I were to fall/slip off a dart platform and fall in front of an oncoming dart it will not be the drivers fault if I am killed. If i fall on to the road in front of an oncoming car and it runs me over that doesn't necessarily mean the driver is criminally culpable.

Sometimes road traffic deaths are caused by accident, not by criminally culpable driving.

AndrewJRenko

Fian wrote: »

I am not commenting on the specific case, because i don't know the specifics. But if someone falls into the road in front of a car there may be nothing the driver can do about avoiding a collission.

I don't know the specifics either, but shouldn't a driver be leaving room when passing or approaching a cyclist to allow for the possibility that a cyclist may fall?

Tell me how

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I don't know the specifics either, but shouldn't a driver be leaving room when passing or approaching a cyclist to allow for the possibility that a cyclist may fall?

New legislation from early this year.

The law will require drivers to allow one metre when passing cyclists on roads with a speed limit under 50 km/h and 1.5 metre on roads with a limit of 50km/h or above.