Journalism and cycling

CramCycle

rubadub wrote: »

I expect there is more to that story that he is not revealing. Why did the cyclist call him an asshole?

I have had cyclists call me an asshole/ret**d for stopping at a red light, I have heard friends talking about cyclists coming up behind them and shouting to move out of the way ye daft ****. This said I have seen pedestrians walk out in front of traffic for no other reason than to have a go. Cars/buses skimming when there is two empty lanes beside them or winding down the window and telling me to get the **** off the road. Some people are just asshats. It is not unbelievable that the person this guy met is one such asshat. Pity that this will create a negative attitude towards all cyclists rather than all asshats.
You could also be right in that the writer is one as well but since we only have one side of thet story.

I have never seen anyone try an deliberately and dangerously obstruct a pedestrian illegally crossing a road to "teach them a lesson"

I have, car running a light, puts on the horn as the pedestrian stepped out to warn them to get back in and teach them to stay on the edge, quite common actually. Once or twice it has looked like fisticuffs at the turn before Pearse St. Garda station.

rubadub

CramCycle wrote: »

I have heard friends talking about cyclists coming up behind them and shouting to move out of the way ye daft ****

I could picture that, guessing what those 4 letters may have been. Many words would be quite generic insults with random vague meanings. "Asshole" though has quite a specific meaning, to me anyway, meaning someone is being absolutely deliberate in what they are doing.

If some lad had headphones in and stepped onto the road at a pedestrian crossing with a red light I would call him an eejit, idiot or something. If he illegally crossed the road and THEN also pressed the button so traffic would get a red light with nobody else crossing, then that's an asshole. This is why I would find it hard to picture a cyclist illegally cycling in a pedestrianised place calling someone an asshole simply for being unaware they are in their way.

CramCycle wrote: »

I have, car running a light, puts on the horn as the pedestrian stepped out to warn them to get back in and teach them to stay on the edge, quite common actually..

I have seen cars alright, I am thinking of pedestrians though. Like a lad sprinting across the road with a red man and a "policeman" pedestrian on the other side actively blocking him so he would have to suddenly stop and put the illegal crosser and others in danger.

average_runner

CramCycle wrote: »

I have had cyclists call me an asshole/ret**d for stopping at a red light, I have heard friends talking about cyclists coming up behind them and shouting to move out of the way ye daft ****. This said I have seen pedestrians walk out in front of traffic for no other reason than to have a go. Cars/buses skimming when there is two empty lanes beside them or winding down the window and telling me to get the **** off the road. Some people are just asshats. It is not unbelievable that the person this guy met is one such asshat. Pity that this will create a negative attitude towards all cyclists rather than all asshats.
You could also be right in that the writer is one as well but since we only have one side of thet story.

I have, car running a light, puts on the horn as the pedestrian stepped out to warn them to get back in and teach them to stay on the edge, quite common actually. Once or twice it has looked like fisticuffs at the turn before Pearse St. Garda station.

That turn at pearse st a nightmare. I usually give out about cyclists at lights, but its the cars and trucks that break the lights there.

I run into work that way and when green light to cross, often a car has gone thru it. Took reg the last time and went straight to the station. Heard no more.

CramCycle

rubadub wrote: »

If some lad had headphones in and stepped onto the road at a pedestrian crossing with a red light I would call him an eejit, idiot or something. If he illegally crossed the road and THEN also pressed the button so traffic would get a red light with nobody else crossing, then that's an asshole. This is why I would find it hard to picture a cyclist illegally cycling in a pedestrianised place calling someone an asshole simply for being unaware they are in their way.

I agree with you but I often hear that insult given the same as the others you mention. As if the act of unintentionally causing minor annoyance was intentional rather than accidental.

I have seen cars alright, I am thinking of pedestrians though. Like a lad sprinting across the road with a red man and a "policeman" pedestrian on the other side actively blocking him so he would have to suddenly stop and put the illegal crosser and others in danger.

I don't know about the policeman pedestrian, policing others (although it happens in Germany in certain cities with loud tutting, giving out and shielding the eyes of the children), but I have seen pedestrians step out in front of traffic, in an almost New York 1980s movie act of defiance, just to make them slow/stop, and if they are in any way not given 100% respect, it turns into a marathon of cursing that Begbie would have been proud of. I think some believe that they have the right of way in all scenarios or just want to vent at someone, whoever that maybe.

Chuchote

Have you noticed that the former polite "bip" of a car horn (to let someone know that they need to pull away from traffic lights, or that they've done something a bit reckless) has been replaced by a BLAAARE in all circumstances now?

magicbastarder

it's a tiny bit disheartening when you have dinner with your family, and a recent cycling story comes up, and you get a 'well, cyclists act like they own the road' sort of response from people. one of whom had to collect me after my front wheel was turned into a banana after a motorist hit me (and admitted they were in the wrong).

CramCycle

Deedsie wrote: »

No matter how vigilant I was there was no way I could see ninja cyclists with no lights coming up on my inside. It was scary to be honest. AGS should be more focused on fines for cyclists without front and rear lights after dark than handing out hivis.

Cambridge police had a great idea years ago where cyclists had a fairly high fine, but when they paid it, they also got a decent set of lights.

And someone above made a comment that it was ok to cycle on Grafton street during pedestrian hours. No it's not, it's a pedestrian only zone so stop being a dick and find another route if you have to cycle and are too impatient to walk 400 metres.

100% agree, it is incredibly quick to get around Grafton St without breaking rules, in fact at heavy pedestrian times, it is far quicker.

rubadub

Deedsie wrote: »

And someone above made a comment that it was ok to cycle on Grafton street during pedestrian hours. No it's not, it's a pedestrian only zone so stop being a dick .

Can you please quote this comment, I can only find a few posts in this thread with "grafton" in the search. I am suspecting it is possibly be me, just want to be certain it's not, as I certainly never said it was OK, or mentioned pedestrian hours. If it was, and if if you bothered to quote me your comment about being "a dick" might sound a bit off, and people would see nobody in reality said it was OK...

Maybe the thread title attracted typical journo tactics. hopefully I'm wrong and just missed the post.

Pinch Flat

http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/cycling-on-footpaths-1.2975510

Cycling on footpaths. I'm on two minds about this. The guy in the fist letter sounds like a d!ck in fairness. It's usually because of bad cycling infrastructure / dangerous roads that cyclists do this.

I really don't see the reason who people should do it in certain situations, but in others it's almost unavoidable - for example, the Dublin bike station at Nassau street at the Merrion square end - crying out for a contra flow. People cycle up the paths to return their bike - as long as it's not done in a d!ckish manner, no issue.

Similarly where I live there's 2 large schools - primary and secondary. I'd just prefer kids cycling on the paths rather than being ferried in the back of mummies SUV a couple of hundred meters.

Chuchote

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/nov/28/sugary-water-performance-sports-drinks-study-cyclists

Sugary water better for performance than some sports drinks – study

Swapping some specialist sports drinks in favour of water mixed with a spoonful of sugar could boost the performance of long-distance athletes, a study finds.

Researchers at the University of Bath brought in a team of club cyclists and used an adapted MRI scanner to assess the impact of prolonged exercise on the levels of glycogen – stored carbohydrate – in the liver.

They tested various sucrose and glucose-based drinks and established that ingesting carbohydrates in the form of either sucrose or glucose prevents the decline in liver glycogen.

But they also discovered that the cyclists found exercise easier – and their gut felt better – when they ingested sucrose rather than glucose.

Both sucrose, in the form of table sugar, and glucose are important carbohydrates often referred to as “simple sugars”. The big difference between them is that each sucrose molecule is made up of one glucose and one fructose molecule linked together. It appears that combining different sources of sugars improves the rate at which we can absorb these from the gut.

magicbastarder

Deedsie wrote: »

Some cyclist do behave very poorly though.

one of the counter examples given was 'i was forced to reduce my speed to 20km/h by two cyclists cycling side by side'.

Chuchote

magicbastarder wrote: »

one of the counter examples given was 'i was forced to reduce my speed to 20km/h by two cyclists cycling side by side'.

The absolute craythur!

Pinch Flat

magicbastarder wrote: »

one of the counter examples given was 'i was forced to reduce my speed to 20km/h by two cyclists cycling side by side'.

The humanity. What amazes me is the amount of motorists who (anecdotally) are "held up" by cyclists (for 10km, according to one commenter on the Irish Times today). Yet, these people will happily drive a few KM to and from work, sit for hours in traffic crawling at 10kph.

average_runner

Pinch Flat wrote: »

The humanity. What amazes me is the amount of motorists who (anecdotally) are "held up" by cyclists (for 10km, according to one commenter on the Irish Times today). Yet, these people will happily drive a few KM to and from work, sit for hours in traffic crawling at 10kph.

In fairness, no one should delay anyone on the road. Just move over and let people thru, applies to cars blocking lanes, bikes taking over road, or just cars going slow on a main road when there is a hard shoulder to pull into.

A bit of manners from us all and it be alot better out there

Roadhawk

Pinch Flat wrote: »

The humanity. What amazes me is the amount of motorists who (anecdotally) are "held up" by cyclists (for 10km, according to one commenter on the Irish Times today). Yet, these people will happily drive a few KM to and from work, sit for hours in traffic crawling at 10kph.

I think that in itself is whats most annoying...when stuck in traffic you are being slowed by a number of people(and other factors) so its less frustrating whereas when there is a cyclist or a group of cyclists that you cant (safely & legally) get around then its a more focused frustration.

I highly doubt any motorist would be stuck behind a cyclist for 10km...I have seen a string of cars trailing behind cyclists but usually one gets by every couple of seconds or so depending on the road conditions. It really is most annoying though.

buffalo

average_runner wrote: »

In fairness, no one should delay anyone on the road. Just move over and let people thru, applies to cars blocking lanes, bikes taking over road, or just cars going slow on a main road when there is a hard shoulder to pull into.

A bit manners from us all and it be alot better out there

Is there any way to negatively thank a post?

The road network would be full of pulled over cars and cyclists standing in ditches if we took that philosophy. There's nearly always someone behind you whom you are 'delaying'.

Chuchote

Roadhawk wrote: »

I think that in itself is whats most annoying...when stuck in traffic you are being slowed by a number of people(and other factors) so its less frustrating whereas when there is a cyclist or a group of cyclists that you cant (safely & legally) get around then its a more focused frustration.

I highly doubt any motorist would be stuck behind a cyclist for 10km...I have seen a string of cars trailing behind cyclists but usually one gets by every couple of seconds or so depending on the road conditions. It really is most annoying though.

Hey, man, remember the old French signboards all along the roads that used to say "What will you do when you get there?" Saved hundreds of lives.

You're sitting there in a comfortable armchair with your music playing. Calm down. You have no need to race past people.

Roadhawk

Chuchote wrote: »

Hey, man, remember the old French signboards all along the roads that used to say "What will you do when you get there?" Saved hundreds of lives.

Sorry but i have never seen them? were they in Ireland?

Chuchote wrote: »

You're sitting there in a comfortable armchair with your music playing. Calm down. You have no need to race past people.

I agree, but there is no "racing" anywhere but most people travelling in a vehicle like to travel at a suitable speed to wherevery their destination is...sub 20km is not really suitable unless you're reversing into your driveway. (Thats a joke for the touchy posters)

Weepsie

Some would say that travelling in a petrol guzzling, emissions spewing vehicle is not a suitable way to travel either.

Thread is veering a bit off topic here

07Lapierre

Roadhawk wrote: »

I think that in itself is whats most annoying...when stuck in traffic you are being slowed by a number of people(and other factors) so its less frustrating whereas when there is a cyclist or a group of cyclists that you cant (safely & legally) get around then its a more focused frustration.

I highly doubt any motorist would be stuck behind a cyclist for 10km...I have seen a string of cars trailing behind cyclists but usually one gets by every couple of seconds or so depending on the road conditions. It really is most annoying though.

Cyclists are people too!
Being held up by slower moving traffic may be annoying but tough! Deal with it! Leave earlier in the morning, take a different route etc.

average_runner

buffalo wrote: »

Is there any way to negatively thank a post?

The road network would be full of pulled over cars and cyclists standing in ditches if we took that philosophy. There's nearly always someone behind you whom you are 'delaying'.

Most decent drivers already pull over to a hard shoulder if a faster car is coming up behind them. Rather let a faster car get ahead me than cause a crash with me around.

No one is saying cyclists should get in a ditch, but if your on a road, don't block the whole road, just move in a bit.

And the same for cars, don't block the road when in a traffic jam, leave enough room for cyclist to get by.

I can't see anything changing soon though, attitude on both sides is all wrong.

magicbastarder

average_runner wrote: »

No one is saying cyclists should get in a ditch, but if your on a road, don't block the whole road, just move in a bit.

there are a few roads i cycle where i pull out to prevent people from passing me at points they should not. i've had at least one near miss from an ill-advised overtaking motorist.

average_runner

magicbastarder wrote: »

there are a few roads i cycle where i pull out to prevent people from passing me at points they should not. i've had at least one near miss from an ill-advised overtaking motorist.

And that's fair enough, but just be careful you don't get a driver behind you that would risk anything even if you weren't there.

PeadarCo

average_runner wrote:

Most decent drivers already pull over to a hard shoulder if a faster car is coming up behind them. Rather let a faster car get ahead me than cause a crash with me around.

Tell me what particular roads are you talking about? Never seen it happen. On the M50 there's a big issue with people doing the precise opposite of that staying in one of the two overtaking lanes when the left most lane is free.

PeadarCo

PeadarCo wrote: »

Tell me what particular roads are you talking about? Never seen it happen. On the M50 there's a big issue with people doing the precise opposite of that staying in one of the two overtaking lanes when the left most lane is free.

You've never seen it happen?

It is less common today, but it used to be standard practice on most national roads in the country - single carriageway roads with a wide hard shoulder, there are plenty of them still about and plenty of drivers who still move to one side. It's one of those odd Irish driving habits like saying thanks with the hazards.

I am vehemently pro-cyclist in almost all circumstances but I recall being on the Armagh - Newry road, going up a hill and two lads on bikes were cycling two abreast in the main lane with a decent-looking hard shoulder to their left. Like I say it was a hill so a) they were not going very fast and b) I couldn't overtake. I hung back and let them at it but it struck me at the time that it wouldn't exactly have killed them to pull over a little. I suspect they wanted to get a reaction from me. They were out of luck.

Nothing wrong with both motorists and cyclists showing a little consideration for others, it is what makes the roads vaguely tolerable.

buffalo

average_runner wrote: »

No one is saying cyclists should get in a ditch, but if your on a road, don't block the whole road, just move in a bit.

Just move in a bit to encourage a dangerous I-can-just-squeeze-by-this-guy-on-a-bike-now overtake? Or get in the ditch to make it actually safe?

07Lapierre

average_runner wrote: »

Most decent drivers already pull over to a hard shoulder if a faster car is coming up behind them. Rather let a faster car get ahead me than cause a crash with me around.

No one is saying cyclists should get in a ditch, but if your on a road, don't block the whole road, just move in a bit.

And the same for cars, don't block the road when in a traffic jam, leave enough room for cyclist to get by.

I can't see anything changing soon though, attitude on both sides is all wrong.

When overtaking...the only road user that needs to move is the road user doing the overtaking. if there is insufficient room to move, don't overtake.

Moflojo

average_runner wrote: »

No one is saying cyclists should get in a ditch, but if your on a road, don't block the whole road, just move in a bit.

Cyclists do not have to "move in a bit". Here are some coloured pictures to explain why.

PeadarCo

Deleted User wrote:

You've never seen it happen?

Well once every blue moon. I wouldn't consider it to be a characteristic of Irish motoring. I agree with using hard shoulders where road conditions allow it.

Roadhawk

07Lapierre wrote: »

Cyclists are people too!
Being held up by slower moving traffic may be annoying but tough! Deal with it! Leave earlier in the morning, take a different route etc.

Now i never said anything suggesting that cyclists arent people.
Traffic is not annoying when its expected. I know that i can drive to work going through 17 traffic lights with anything between 5-20ish vehicles at every light. I can factor that into my commute which sets an expectation. Even allowing extra time to arrive at work can also be thrown off if a number of cyclists are encountered. There is no problem coming across a cyclist when there are one or two cars behind it because they usually pass fairly quick. However, i find when there are 10, 15 or 20 cars behind a cyclist there is a lot of time lost. Then you consider this happening 3, 4 or 5 times in one commute and not again for another week...there is no active planning that could accommodate that.

In terms of routes, I do take an alternative route that deliberately includes the M50 to avoid interaction with cyclists.