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

jjpep

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://twitter.com/JSWeetabix/status/1089548600076632064

what are my chances of getting a response?

I made a complaint about a close pass and an overtake on a blind bend to traffic watch last week. Told them I had footage. Haven't heard anything back.

Maybe we all should start sharing our videos publicly with the gardai. Perhaps shame them into doing their job?

Hurrache

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://twitter.com/JSWeetabix/status/1089548600076632064

what are my chances of getting a response?

You just got one!

CramCycle

Weepsie wrote: »

You can't argue (b) and then argue that Dublin bus should be giving you video via GDPR requests as people keep doing. Taxi drivers are easily identifiable by their taxi plate however.


With that though, if the Gardactually cared, they'd have a policy of system in which they could facilitate uploading of footage, and then review it.

I looked up a taxi that close passed me the other day, registered to a company with no name attached. Looked up the company, closed up business 4 years ago. Went to mention it to the carriage office and they said that since I didn't get a fare with the taxi, they wouldn't look into it.
Taxi plates are no more useful for ID than car reg plates, they might help the gardai but they do little for the rest of us and to be honest, my own personal opinion on it is, as a taxi or any PSV driver for that matter, if you are not happy with your driving being reviewed or observed, then you probably should not be a PSV driver at all.

Mc Love

Hurrache wrote: »

You just got one!

All you need is a witness

Hurrache

Mc Love wrote: »

All you need is a witness

I had to read it a couple of times. I think what he or she is implying is that they need a person to report the incident rather than just a video.

Seems that their new tactic is to harass people posting videos instead of following up on them.
https://twitter.com/GardaTraffic/status/1089476379501039616?s=19

AndrewJRenko

Hurrache wrote: »

I had to read it a couple of times. I think what he or she is implying is that they need a person to report the incident rather than just a video.

Which is what I've done multiple times, and still got no response nine times out of ten.

magicbastarder

Hurrache wrote: »

You just got one!

more than one, the garda twitter feed went a little silent in the thread after other people picked up the topic and ran with it.

AndrewJRenko

magicbastarder wrote: »

more than one, the garda twitter feed went a little silent in the thread after other people picked up the topic and ran with it.

Nope, they're at it again now - and it it appears that they really don't understand how Twitter works: "don't post imageson this account" (my bolding for emphasis).


https://twitter.com/GardaTraffic/status/1089621276644261888

As far as I know it's totally legal to film in a public place, so what is the issue that there are allegations posted along with the videos? It's hardly an allegation if there is a video there to back it up now is it.

John_Rambo

Are they just targeting "dash cam" cyclists?

CramCycle

Jaysus, get whoever has the password to the garda twitter machine to put down the shovel, they are usually better than this

ItsLikeThis

jjpep wrote: »

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://twitter.com/JSWeetabix/status/1089548600076632064

what are my chances of getting a response?

I made a complaint about a close pass and an overtake on a blind bend to traffic watch last week.  Told them I had footage. Haven't heard anything back.

Maybe we all should start sharing our videos publicly with the gardai. Perhaps shame them into doing their job?

As did I a month ago when a car made contact with me. I left them with the footage. No word back yet. Did you make a statement? I was told I shouldn't need to and that the driver would get 4 points and fine.

ItsLikeThis

jjpep wrote: »

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://twitter.com/JSWeetabix/status/1089548600076632064

what are my chances of getting a response?

I made a complaint about a close pass and an overtake on a blind bend to traffic watch last week.  Told them I had footage. Haven't heard anything back.

Maybe we all should start sharing our videos publicly with the gardai. Perhaps shame them into doing their job?

As did I a month ago when a car made contact with me. I left them with the footage. No word back yet. Did you make a statement? I was told I shouldn't need to and that the driver would get 4 points and fine.

ItsLikeThis

jjpep wrote: »

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://twitter.com/JSWeetabix/status/1089548600076632064

what are my chances of getting a response?

I made a complaint about a close pass and an overtake on a blind bend to traffic watch last week.  Told them I had footage. Haven't heard anything back.

Maybe we all should start sharing our videos publicly with the gardai. Perhaps shame them into doing their job?

As did I a month ago when a car made contact with me. I left them with the footage. No word back yet. Did you make a statement? I was told I shouldn't need to and that the driver would get 4 points and fine.

ItsLikeThis

jjpep wrote: »

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://twitter.com/JSWeetabix/status/1089548600076632064

what are my chances of getting a response?

I made a complaint about a close pass and an overtake on a blind bend to traffic watch last week.  Told them I had footage. Haven't heard anything back.

Maybe we all should start sharing our videos publicly with the gardai. Perhaps shame them into doing their job?

As did I a month ago when a car made contact with me. I went to station and I left them with the footage. No word back yet. Didnt make a statement as I was told I shouldn't need to and that the driver would get 4 points and fine.

AndrewJRenko

ItsLikeThis wrote: »

As did I a month ago when a car made contact with me. I left them with the footage. No word back yet. Did you make a statement? I was told I shouldn't need to and that the driver would get 4 points and fine.

Honestly, I think they were fobbing you off. There is no way that they could issue points without a statement.

randomname2005

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

But I've never heard motorists saying "sometimes as motorists we don't do ourselves any favours".

This sums it up for me.

Hurrache

The Times Ireland have picked up the story quite quickly, and to be fair to them, they've been pretty good when it comes to cycling and the RSA/gardai.

They said the Garda Press Office haven't responded as to what rules they claim the videos are in breach of, nor have they provided them to data compliance solicitors despite repeated requests.


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/gardai-fears-over-dangerous-driving-videos-have-no-basis-25gn87sgw

Thinkingaboutit

Gardaí won't be shamed into enforcing the law; doing an humdrum but essential part of their job, so all the Press Office can come up with is an imaginative / imaginary interpretation of GDPR and other laws. Just one donut, one cup of coffee less.

ganmo

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

a) There is no allegation of any specific offence in that post.
b) There is no data protection issue with posting videos recorded in a public place
c) Car registration numbers are not personal data.
d) I can give multiple examples of allegations presented to Gardai, with quality video coverage, with formal statements that are just ignored - no response, no follow up.


This demonstrates clear bias against cyclists within AGS.

have you ever reported any other type of crime?
thats how they operate, squeaky wheel gets the oil

Tombo2001

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

This demonstrates clear bias against cyclists within AGS.

Which is really just consistent with pretty much every other part of the 'establishment' at present.

Tombo2001

I mean lets be clear here folks - motorists are the victims here. If they cant be doing their dangerous overtakes, with a phone in one hand and bag of tayto in the other, because of fear of some punter recording it and putting it on social media.....on their roads that their taxes pay for....

Its good that the guards are backing them up on this.

Plus all cyclists should be registered and insured.

On a serious note - I regularly read on comment sections that some old lady was almost knocked down by a cyclist on the footpath. Or that cyclist broke a red light in Christchurch/ O'Connell St/ Stephens Green and caused havoc and was almost killed. The thought occurs to me that you very rarely ever see anyone post actual video footage of this - its usually hearsay. Not saying it doesn't happen, but perhaps not as often as people say.

But, there are probably at this point tens of thousands of videos posted of really dangerous behaviour by drivers towards cyclists. Which is incontrovertible.

Mickiemcfist

To be fair, cyclists often break red lights & it's ridiculous to say otherwise (most common would be 4 way crossroads, staying parallel to a green pedestrian light - so no potential to be run over) however the risk of killing someone by doing this slim to none, as opposed to close passes/left hooks/speeding

Edit: Experience of Dublin cycling - may be different elsewhere

Tombo2001

Mickiemcfist wrote: »

To be fair, cyclists often break red lights & it's ridiculous to say otherwise (most common would be 4 way crossroads, staying parallel to a green pedestrian light - so no potential to be run over) however the risk of killing someone by doing this slim to none, as opposed to close passes/left hooks/speeding

I would absolutely agree with this.

My point is that when cyclists are criticized for braking lights or cycling on footpatchs - its usually couched in such terms as 'kamikaze', 'ninja', 'psycho lanes' etc etc etc. However, is that borne out in reality. Do cyclists create dangerous situations when they brake red lights? By and large, I would say no - certainly no more than pedestrians do by jaywalking. And far less than Motorists do by braking red lights, which is a very common occurrence also.

But somehow - cyclists seem to 'own' the issue of braking lights - its a problem with cyclists; even though motorists do same with great regularity and any time a motorist breaks the lights its far more dangerous than if a cyclist does it.

Mickiemcfist

Tombo2001 wrote: »

I would absolutely agree with this.

My point is that when cyclists are criticized for braking lights or cycling on footpatchs - its usually couched in such terms as 'kamikaze', 'ninja', 'psycho lanes' etc etc etc. However, is that borne out in reality. Do cyclists create dangerous situations when they brake red lights? By and large, I would say no - certainly no more than pedestrians do by jaywalking. And far less than Motorists do by braking red lights, which is a very common occurrence also.

Yea I agree, if there was that many Kamikaze inclined cyclists, we'd definitely have more cyclist deaths. 99% of the time it's in a safe manner - jay walking is the perfect comparison actually.

Emme

The proposed 1.5m passing distance was not considered viable on Irish roads so motorists seem to think they have the legal right to drive as closely to cyclists as possible. I notice that motorists have got more aggressive in the last few years, dramatically more so in the last few months.

Motorists complain about cyclists breaking red lights, cycling on footpaths etc. This behaviour should not be necessary under any circumstances and should be punished. However the same should apply to motorists who park in cycle lanes and park on double yellow lines with impunity. They never seem to get caught.

Ironically, the more aggressive motorists become towards cyclists and the more dangerous cycling gets as a result, law abiding cyclists will decide the roads are too dangerous and leave their bicycles at home. The only cyclists left will be the aggressive law-breaking ones because they feel they have the right to break every law if it means they get to their destination alive. No other cyclists will brave our roads which will increase the perception that all cyclists are dangerous kamikaze two-wheel warriors.

Make roads safer for cyclists and more law-abiding cyclists will take to the roads. The kamikaze ones are also more likely to abide by the law if it protects cyclists. At the moment cyclists are being told not to post videos of cars hitting them. If they complain to the gardai (ie go the legal route) they are not taken seriously if they are not dead. The families of the unfortunate cyclists who do lose their lives are not taken seriously either and are told they are too emotionally invested in road safety issues to have an objective opinion.

Tombo2001

Emme wrote: »

The proposed 1.5m passing distance was not considered viable on Irish roads so motorists seem to think they have the legal right to drive as closely to cyclists as possible. I notice that motorists have got more aggressive in the last few years, dramatically more so in the last few months.

Motorists complain about cyclists breaking red lights, cycling on footpaths etc. This behaviour should not be necessary under any circumstances and should be punished. However the same should apply to motorists who park in cycle lanes and park on double yellow lines with impunity. They never seem to get caught.

Ironically, the more aggressive motorists become towards cyclists and the more dangerous cycling gets as a result, law abiding cyclists will decide the roads are too dangerous and leave their bicycles at home. The only cyclists left will be the aggressive law-breaking ones because they feel they have the right to break every law if it means they get to their destination alive. No other cyclists will brave our roads which will increase the perception that all cyclists are dangerous kamikaze two-wheel warriors.

Make roads safer for cyclists and more law-abiding cyclists will take to the roads. The kamikaze ones are also more likely to abide by the law if it protects cyclists. At the moment cyclists are being told not to post videos of cars hitting them. If they complain to the gardai (ie go the legal route) they are not taken seriously if they are not dead. The families of the unfortunate cyclists who do lose their lives are not taken seriously either and are told they are too emotionally invested in road safety issues to have an objective opinion.

For me - and there is a parallel discussion on the Journalism thread - one of the biggest problems cyclists face is the institutional bias against cyclists which reinforces the self-entitlement that motorists have to begin with.

Its been quite striking the degree to which organisations have lined up to pitch against cyclists.

Within the media - the various newspapers, the radio stations, RTE

State entities - Garda twitter, Road Safety Authority, the BAI, various politicians in Dail Eireann, and again RTE.

.....as you say, Motorists complain about cyclists braking red lights.

Motorists break red lights. They do loads of other dangerous things that cyclists don't do. Mobile phones being the obvious.

Yet cyclists are considered the rogue, out of control group.

Why is this? Why is this image being reinforced by so many organisation in authority.

Chiparus

Hurrache wrote: »

The Times Ireland have picked up the story quite quickly, and to be fair to them, they've been pretty good when it comes to cycling and the RSA/gardai.

They said the Garda Press Office haven't responded as to what rules they claim the videos are in breach of, nor have they provided them to data compliance solicitors despite repeated requests.


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/gardai-fears-over-dangerous-driving-videos-have-no-basis-25gn87sgw

up for discussion on Ciara Kelly /Newstalk

Duckjob

Chiparus wrote: »

up for discussion on Ciara Kelly /Newstalk

I'm sure the piece will be very balanced and invite reasonable discussion about the topic and not deviate off into generalisations about cyclist behaviour for "balance" *

I'm also sure it wont finish off with reading out a slew of cyclist bashing texts that have nothing to do with the topic at hand **


* may be less than 80% probability.
** may be less than 1% probability.

Chiparus

Duckjob wrote: »

I'm sure the piece will be very balanced and invite reasonable discussion about the topic and not deviate off into generalisations about cyclist behaviour for "balance" *

I'm also sure it wont finish off with reading out a slew of cyclist bashing texts that have nothing to do with the topic at hand **


* may be less than 80% probability.
** may be less than 1% probability.

On the positive side , George Hook and Paul Williams( who threatened to harm cyclists) are now gone.
Agenda is changing.