Near misses - mod warning 22/04 - see OP/post 822

magicbastarder

Heading from the naul to ballyboughal this morning - crested the nags head and was beginning to pick up speed, and a jeep crossed through the junction at full speed, no attempt to slow down. If I'd been another 30m further along, good chance he'd have totaled me.

mr spuckler

coming down Haddington rd this morning, just after joining from South Lotts rd, there's a wide stretch at first which then narrows due to the start of a line of parking spaces on the left.
I hear a construction / dumper truck coming up fast behind me, look over my shoulder and he looks for all the world like he's gunning for the space in the road before I get there, there would have been no option but for me to jam on the brakes if I'd waited another couple of seconds before looking and acting. so I immediately took primary position in the lane at that point and he slowed and backed off, but seemed to rev very loudly as he did so. completely needlessly aggressive, particularly (as usual) because the next lights 100m up the road were red.

What Username Guidelines

One cycling home yesterday approaching a T-junction. Needed to move into right hand lane so checked for a gap, signalled, and a guy in a Tucson slowed to let me move across just where the single lane splits into 3, two for left and one for right. Gave a wave to thank him and then hear him speed up, he passes on my left and squeezes in last second in front of me to turn right as wel, behind a queue of about 12 cars. He looked very perplexed as I gave him the “what was that” shrug. Then the window came down as he passed me again “what’s your f’ing problem I f’ing let you across” etc.

Alanstrainor

I've had a few bad ones this week. Almost all of them involving elderly drivers who seem to entirely lack any spacial or situational awareness.

PaulieC

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

But I don't quite get this 'collective bad name'. Do the motorists on the phone (2nd worst rates of mobile phone abuse in Europe) give all motorists a bad name? Do the motorists who kill 3 or 4 people on the roads each week give all other motorists a bad name?

Talk to anyone about cyclists and they don't mention the 95% of safe cyclists. All cyclists get tarred with the RLJ brush regardless.

mathie

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I've had a few bad ones this week. Almost all of them involving elderly drivers who seem to entirely lack any spacial or situational awareness.

I was recently nearly taken out of it by a guy who must have been in his nineties.
He was completely oblivious as he exited a supermarket car park.
He didn't even look right and I'd to slam the brakes.
I came up beside him at the next lights to ask why he didn't look.
He didn't even hear me knock on his window.
"Hello? Hello?"

A guy walking pase goes "Leave him alone he's old".

I just don't get that attitude.
If people are old is it ok if they nearly hit or actually hit people?

Ray Bloody Purchase

I nearly got T-boned by an unaccompanied learner driver pulling out from a junction this morning. She was coming out of estate, didn't look right. I could have ended up on her bonnet or pushed out into traffic.

homer911

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I see a lot of bad cycling along the canal at most of those junctions. It's not unusual to see cyclists pushing through bunches of pedestrian crossing. It's not hugely dangerous, but it is fairly rude.

But I don't quite get this 'collective bad name'. Do the motorists on the phone (2nd worst rates of mobile phone abuse in Europe) give all motorists a bad name? Do the motorists who kill 3 or 4 people on the roads each week give all other motorists a bad name?

I think its a matter of visibility - cyclists stand out because they are different. Bad cyclists stand out even more, and that's what people remember

queldy

On the canal almost got knocked out today by a man looking at the phone on his lap, slowing down the car at around 20/25 km/h, looking at his phone while the car was slowing invading left the cycling lane.
I say almost because in fact I saw his head down, I had time to brake and scream at him.
He changed trajectory, stopped at the queue, started looking again his lap.

I did not confront, and I think this is the first time I do not (usually by blood gets boiling), I honestly just thought "it is hopeless".

Colleague of mine came today a few hours ago almost crying for disappointment in human beings: a van (would you wonder?) swerved left to avoid a few second waiting in lane (due to car turing right), and of course without giving a sh*t about him being on the cycling lane. He had to smash on the brakes; he confronted the driver, and got back a lot of insults and swearing, and the driver removing his belt and going out of the car to confront him phisically.

Only thing I could say, guys, is that I am myself too also pretty disappointed. It is not anymore being angry, or hoping for a change.

Arcade_Tryer

PaulieC wrote: »

Talk to anyone about cyclists and they don't mention the 95% of safe cyclists. All cyclists get tarred with the RLJ brush regardless.

And cyclists changing their behaviour will never eradicate that. The problem is not with cyclists, but with those who criticise them. They will always find a reason to criticise cyclists, until they no longer wish to criticise cyclists.

Arcade_Tryer

homer911 wrote: »

I think its a matter of visibility - cyclists stand out because they are different. Bad cyclists stand out even more, and that's what people remember

Disagree. People will criticise cyclists for as long as it is their aim to criticise cyclists. They will always find a reason, until it's no longer their aim.

What cycling in Dublin needs is a mass effect, whereby the number of cyclists soars so much that the culture surrounding cycling is changed, and subsequently the critics are forced to change their views due to the changing culture.

Of course it's good thing for cyclists to obey the rules of the road and so on. But to suggest that it is in any way significant in changing the attitudes of those who criticise cyclists seems absurd.

magicbastarder

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

Disagree. People will criticise cyclists for as long as it is their aim to criticise cyclists. They will always find a reason, until it's no longer their aim.

i posted this in the commuting and transport forum:

because most drivers (most people?) see cycling as closer to driving than to walking. which, to be fair, has some basis in logic - bikes use the road and are subject to many of the same laws.
whereas cyclists probably see themselves closer to pedestrians on that spectrum.

but a large part of it is the 'i'd do the same in that situation' blind eye many motorists turn to the behaviour of other motorists. running an amber or red light, doing 65 in a 50 zone - you're not going to criticise another driver for doing something you know that you do yourself. but for most motorists, there's no 'arrah, sure i do that myself and it's fine' reaction with the behaviour of cyclists, because they simply don't do that themselves. so when they see a cyclist breaking the ROTR, the reaction is consistently negative.

Chiparus

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

PaulieC wrote: »

Talk to anyone about cyclists and they don't mention the 95% of safe cyclists. All cyclists get tarred with the RLJ brush regardless.

And cyclists changing their behaviour will never eradicate that. The problem is not with cyclists, but with those who criticise them. They will always find a reason to criticise cyclists, until they no longer wish to criticise cyclists.

Actually think the problem is human nature and queuing. Most people don't mind queuing so long as it is fair.
Nothing worse than being stuck in a queue and seeing others getting ahead of you. People see it as unfair and it makes them very upset.
Next time you are in McDonald's or at the airport, jump the queue and see what happens.

Ray Bloody Purchase

Anyone familiar with going over this bridge?

I was going over it yesterday in the lane marked bus/bike and a taxi driver started screaming at me that i should be in the designated bike lane?

The designated bike lane seems to be for bicycles coming over from south to north??

magicbastarder

can't say for sure, but the orientation of the bike symbol seems to indicate the entrance to the separated bike lane is from the quays, so looks like it's contra-flow?

however, if you look at it from the quays, there's no sign indicating this, and there's a 'look left' for pedestrians - whereas if the lane *is* contra flow, they'd have to look right.

edit: i'm guessing it's a badly signposted continuation of the northbound cycle lane from the bridge, which implies a cyclist joins the lane from the path.

buffalo

Ray Bloody Purchase wrote: »

Anyone familiar with going over this bridge?

I was going over it yesterday in the lane marked bus/bike and a taxi driver started screaming at me that i should be in the designated bike lane?

The designated bike lane seems to be for bicycles coming over from south to north??

I've had aggro there before as well. That small stretch is contra-flow coming from the quays, albeit not very well marked as magicbastarder points out. It continues across the island with the eternal flame to give you access to Amien St.

magicbastarder

what's the legality of directing a cyclist onto a footpath anyway? lots of dismounting and mounting?

Ray Bloody Purchase

buffalo wrote: »

I've had aggro there before as well. That small stretch is contra-flow coming from the quays, albeit not very well marked as magicbastarder points out. It continues across the island with the eternal flame to give you access to Amien St.

I've had people beeping at me when i've been on it before this too. If these people are so bloody smart they should be able to figure out that the bus/cycle is lane is actually a fcuking cycle lane due to the massive bike painted on the fcuking thing.

Really fcuks my chakras right off.

Hurrache

It's mayhem cycling over that bridge anyway, there's usually a good crowd of cyclists waiting at the lights to go across and then head in one of the 3 directions they can. Anyone that uses it should be well used to it. (edit: by anyone I mean motorists, not cyclists)

Incidentally one time I was driving across it, at the pedestrian lights on the other side where you turn left down the quays, I got giving out to and called all sorts from a lady in the car behind because I stopped when the light was orange, much to the bemusement at the early morning crowd waiting to cross.

Ray Bloody Purchase

Hurrache wrote: »

It's mayhem cycling over that bridge anyway, there's usually a good crowd of cyclists waiting at the lights to go across and then head in one of the 3 directions they can. Anyone that uses it should be well used to it.

True enough, I always feel like i'm being chased by this crowd coming over that bloody bridge though.

buffalo

magicbastarder wrote: »

what's the legality of directing a cyclist onto a footpath anyway? lots of dismounting and mounting?

Pretty much I think. In this case the cycle track continues though:
https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.3492175,-6.2517809,62m/data=!3m1!1e3

Indeed, there's even a contraflow track on the bridge itself (all car lanes on the bridge are one-way southbound):
https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.3475325,-6.2518413,62m/data=!3m1!1e3

edit: So for bikes, this is valid:


You'd have to do this in a car:

Ray Bloody Purchase

Cheers buffalo. I don't mind getting a bollocking when i'm in the wrong, fair enough, but yer man was practically dribbling out the window roaring at me.

Thankfully i'm not a violent man and didn't thump the stupid fcuking chops off him.

homer911

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

Of course it's good thing for cyclists to obey the rules of the road and so on. But to suggest that it is in any way significant in changing the attitudes of those who criticise cyclists seems absurd.

So you are saying that its ok for cyclists to disobey the rules of the road because motorists are going to give out about them anyway?? That's self perpetuating logic and will never solve anything

mr spuckler

homer911 wrote: »

So you are saying that its ok for cyclists to disobey the rules of the road because motorists are going to give out about them anyway?? That's self perpetuating logic and will never solve anything

I read the comment quite differently than you did.

Chips Lovell

It's unclear what direction it's for but, either way, it's irrelevant. You're not obliged to use a bike lane.

Arcade_Tryer

homer911 wrote: »

So you are saying that its ok for cyclists to disobey the rules of the road because motorists are going to give out about them anyway?? That's self perpetuating logic and will never solve anything

No. Even if cyclists do obey the rules of the road, motorists will still give out about cyclists because they don't like cyclists. It's not about obeying or disobeying the rules of the road, it's about getting motorists to firstly accept cyclists, secondly to like cyclists, and eventually ideally become cyclists themselves.

whiskeyman

I posted this on the motors > dashcams, but I think you guys would want to see it.
Shocking stuff you have to put up with.
I love cycling myself, but this kind of driving turns me off from cycling to work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB3UVPafrp8

magicbastarder

that's on my commute. i'm not sure if the bollards have helped or hindered the situation.

Ferris

whiskeyman wrote: »

I posted this on the motors > dashcams, but I think you guys would want to see it.
Shocking stuff you have to put up with.
I love cycling myself, but this kind of driving turns me off from cycling to work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB3UVPafrp8

Looks to me like the cyclist is undertaking here, although the driver should have checked his blind spot.

Same has occurred to me a few times at that junction and I’ve learned to stay back from cars crossing the cycle path, it’s just easier

micar

4 close calls myself this week.

2 Monday morning .....person turning left with no indicator and the person turning right stopped a foot away from t boning me ....happened on the junction at Anglesey bridge ...

2 this morning ..... van driver turning right on leeson st to go towards the Siemens building.. stopped half way across the road. ......was eye balling me. So I went back to have a chat....claims he didn't see me.

second was at foxrock church....went past the 145 dropping off passengers and continued onto the road...looked behind me and saw a car pass the bus and begin to cut across it to turn right and went to cut across me....almost didn't stop......went ballistic at him.....he couldn't care less.

Red cycling jackets ....hi viz and lights mean nothing.

Am getting a camera this weekend.