A ban on headphones and penalty point for cyclists...

mcgratheoin

Indricotherium wrote: »

In my experience a cheap (often free) hi-viz jacket makes a cyclist much more visible, and thus safer, than many lights that fulfil the minimum legal requirements for rear and front lights in Ireland.

Ah right - I'd disagree. I think that if you look in the €50 range (broadly equivalent to the fine for having no lights) you can find lights that are way better than two reflective strips.

PeadarCo

Indricotherium wrote: »

What I would define as a 'good' light, would be prohibitively expensive to install on all bicycles, and would in many cases exceed the cost of the bicycle.

A good bike light can be bought comfortably for around 40-50 euro depending on how fused a person is with using batteries or recharging via USBs ports. Your comment shows a lack of fimilairity with how good LED bike lights are these days. And when I mean by good its perfectly possible to obtain a front light that can blind on coming drivers/road users for under 100 euro.

Pinch Flat

riemann wrote: »

I'll never understand some cyclists attitude. Being right or winning an argument isn't much use when you're six feet under.

Yeah, the fact I had flashing strobes back and front (it was day time) didn't seem to matter. It was the lack of hi-vis that was the issue. :rolleyes:

Weepsie

PeadarCo wrote: »

A good bike light can be bought comfortably for around 40-50 euro depending on how fused a person is with using batteries or recharging via USBs ports. Your comment shows a lack of fimilairity with how good LED bike lights are these days. And when I mean by good its perfectly possible to obtain a front light that can blind on coming drivers/road users for under 100 euro.

A light that blinds on coming drivers is not a good light. We should have a mod note soon to point us to the winter lights threads

Indricotherium

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Yeah, the fact I had flashing strobes back and front (it was day time) didn't seem to matter. It was the lack of hi-vis that was the issue. :rolleyes:

I think at this stage you are deliberately missing the point.

A good light or a hi-viz is never going to save you from a road-rager.

That is a separate, but very serious problem, which has separate solutions.

PeadarCo

Weepsie wrote: »

A light that blinds on coming drivers is not a good light. We should have a mod note soon to point us to the winter lights threads

I'd completely agree but my point was a bike light of adequate strength can be obtained fairly cheaply to the point where for stronger lights you have to factor in if it has a dimmer or where you plan on using it .ie. off road or on road. Unless your bike is dirt cheap in no case will a good light cost more than the bike which the poster I was replying to suggested.

magicbastarder

http://irishcycle.com/2017/03/22/truck-transport-group-wants-headphones-banned-in-public-cyclists-to-undergo-training-and-penalty-points-for-poor-cycling/

Pinch Flat

Indricotherium wrote: »

I think at this stage you are deliberately missing the point.

A good light or a hi-viz is never going to save you from a road-rager.

That is a separate, but very serious problem, which has separate solutions.

Nope, not missing the point, in this particular incident she just didn't see me - she openly admitted it herself "sorry, I didn't see you, where's your hi vis?". The implication was that if I was wearing hi vis head to toe that she would have seen me, which I don't believe - just another distracted motorist not paying attention.

I had a hi-vis bag cover as well, for what it's worth.

magicbastarder

genuine screenshot from googling the irish road haulage association.

Pinch Flat

magicbastarder wrote: »

genuine screenshot from googling the irish road haulage association.

They worship daysul

magicbastarder

maybe we should start writing reviews, as prompted by google.

Chips Lovell

magicbastarder wrote: »

maybe we should start writing reviews, as prompted by google.

magicbastarder

'i would dump my load into the IRHA - all 50 tons of hardcore'.

Weepsie

There's actually some nice cycling road around where they are based from Bracetown to Kilbride. You meet the occasional tractor on it too Beasty

velo.2010

Quote from Irish Cycle,

'Irish Rail have also many times in recent years highlighted how truck drivers regularly run into well-marked railway bridges.'

ThisRegard

magicbastarder wrote: »

genuine screenshot from googling the irish road haulage association.

I also noticed earlier today their address was Dublin 15, Meath.

ThisRegard

Weepsie wrote: »

There's actually some nice cycling road around where they are based from Bracetown to Kilbride. You meet the occasional tractor on it too Beasty

And an inordinate amount of artics and big trucks, there's a few industrial type places well hidden on some of those little roads.

ThisRegard

Newstalk will be covering what the hauliers said at some stage this evening, "hauliers say they're taking their life into their hands".

Roadhawk

ThisRegard wrote: »

I also noticed earlier today their address was Dublin 15, Meath.

Ah...one of them...im surprised it wasn't Castleknock, Dublin 15, Meath.

ThisRegard

IRHA and Cycling Ireland on Newstalk now

mathie

I was hit by a car as I went through a junction.
I'd a green light.
They also had a green. They were coming the other way and turning right.

I'd two lights on the front.
One a CREE 5000 lumens light (pointed down as it's so bright)
and the other a Hecto Drive.
Motorist claimed they "didn't see me"
Garda threw a high-vis vest at me when he arrived.
He seemed oblivious to the fact that if the motorist couldn't see me with those two lights that somehow they magically would with a high vis.
Took all I could muster not to throw the high vis back at him.

Pinch Flat

Wonder will there be any talk of left turning HGV's - the biggest killer of cyclists?

magicbastarder

ThisRegard wrote: »

I also noticed earlier today their address was Dublin 15, Meath.

my wife works in a local authority, and used to field calls from the public - she's had two instances where people have insisted they live in dublin 15 when they live in meath; one of them, who lived in dunboyne, was especially indignant at the thought that she lived in meath.

tomasrojo

Indricotherium wrote: »

My 'theory' is that more visible cyclists are less likely to be accidentally struck by motorists and that this is a good thing.

The thinking behind that word is probably most of the problem. If you are adequately conspicuous (and during daylight, unless it's rainy or foggy, you are pretty much by definition adequately conspicuous), a car striking you is not an "accident", not matter what you're wearing. Either you did something unpredictable, or the motorist wasn't paying attention to the extent they should have been.

veganrun

What about a ban on using phones when cycling? The other day there was some girl coming towards me texting/faffing on her phone when cycling, not exactly going straight either.

ThisRegard

The IRHA woman is a bit of a ranting mentaller. Her sole argument is that because drivers can't wear headphones then nor should anyone else, and she's reiterating that she thinks the passing distance law is ridiculous.

Lol, she then rants that she's a cyclist too and can easily do 40kph too down a hill, but you get packs of 10 cyclists holding everyone up. She's a disgrace.

magicbastarder

Deedsie wrote: »

The cycling Ireland lady is kind of waffling.

yeah, i was hoping she'd sound a little better prepared. i only got to hear a couple of minutes of it though.

Pinch Flat

veganrun wrote: »

What about a ban on using phones when cycling? The other day there was some girl coming towards me texting/faffing on her phone when cycling, not exactly going straight either.

I see a lot more people on phones while driving than are cycling. Last week, I was undertaken by a taxi driver who swerved from the left to right lane (that I was cycling in), all the time looking down at his phone.

Juan More Time

How about making the HGV licence harder to pass? Oh and an outright ban on brainless pretend cowboys hun over idiots driving those sand and gravel trucks..... Now that would really improve accident statistics....

ThisRegard

Deedsie wrote: »

To be fair, the haulage lady is a very good speaker.

What makes a good speaker? In my book she was brutal. But if you think someone is a good speaker if they talk incessantly with little foundation,fact or point behind what they speak about, then yes, she's a good speaker.

Deedsie wrote: »

She didnt,

She actually did, at the oireachtas hearings, and then again on Newstalk.