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

CramCycle

Pinch Flat wrote: »

I’d say it is. Many countries allow for cars and other vehicles to proceed on red as long as it’s safe to do so. We just haven’t legislated for it here. In saying that, I’m not sure if Irish road users are mature enough to do this safely and considerately even if it was legal.

And thats the problem, we are not, and we are such a dickish legislative country, people would chance their arm and then try and sue the person who had right of way in an accident. I found it worked quite well in the US, they had signs at junctions to say you couldn't do it , presumably if there was some danger that was not completely obvious. Considering people speed up on red frequently here, it would be hard to see how we could be trusted as road users.

buffalo

Pinch Flat wrote: »

I’d say it is. Many countries allow for cars and other vehicles to proceed on red as long as it’s safe to do so. We just haven’t legislated for it here. In saying that, I’m not sure if Irish road users are mature enough to do this safely and considerately even if it was legal.

I don't think it's about maturity of drivers, it's about enforcement of laws and the likelihood of being caught. All road users would 'mature' quickly if the odds of a Garda catching and penalising you were high enough.

ozzy jr

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Many countries allow for cars and other vehicles to proceed on red as long as it’s safe to do so. We just haven’t legislated for it here. In saying that, I’m not sure if Irish road users are mature enough to do this safely and considerately even if it was legal.

In Ireland, I think that would just mean "proceed on red".

Stark

Buffalo wrote:

I don't think it's about maturity of drivers, it's about enforcement of laws and the likelihood of being caught. All road users would 'mature' quickly if the odds of a Garda catching and penalising you were high enough.

Yup, people talk about Irish people as if we had unique genetics or something, "only in Ireland" etc. US people are even worse when it comes to bad driving, selfish entitlement mentality, dickish litigation culture etc. But the system of treat red light as "yield" when turning right (would be turning left here) works for them.

I actually think it would slow down traffic at junctions and make people more observant if we had more cases where the red light was treated as a yield right of way. Maybe a switch to flashing amber at off-peak times or something. At the moment, people just put foot to the floor and drive through green lights with blinkers on as they're overconfident about not meeting someone coming from another road. I've seen cases where the traffic lights are temporarily out of action in an area, and oftentimes traffic flows a bit better with everyone being careful and polite to each other as they make their way through.

Let's not forget, we have a lot of junctions without traffic lights and somehow people manage to negotiate those junctions without getting killed. We don't *need* traffic lights to be able to get around and yield right of way to people, they just make it easier for people to get out of side roads onto busy streets where they would otherwise never get a gap.

Seth Brundle

From twitter...
https://twitter.com/alan_downtown/status/1167001390335561728

Steoller

Two this morning.

First was a completely pointless overtake on a bend, with oncoming traffic, up to the back of a queue at the next junction less than 20m away, where I then passed them.
Not the worst I've ever had. The lane is thankfully wide enough there that there was some room, but they never left the lane.

Second was exiting a roundabout. There is an off-road cycle lane around the outside of the roundabout, but I have given up on it because of the poor quality of the dipped kerbs where it crosses the approach roads, and the need to give way to traffic entering and exiting the roundabout at speed at every exit. I now take the lane on the roundabout and I get through it quicker and with less potential for conflict.
As I approached my exit (onto a dual-carriageway), a mercedes approached the roundabout from the entry just before it, coming off the motorway. I exited the roundabout, and the driver of the mercedes was taking the same exit behind me. I was already to the left of the left-hand lane, and moved to access the off-road cycle track again, when i heard a revving engine and the merc driver overtook me in the lane. They were maybe a hands-breadth from me. There was no need for it. there was a whole other lane for them to move into. Even then, if they'd waited literally a second longer i would have been in the cycle lane and out of their way.

The only way I can rationalise what happened is that they took offense to my presence on the roundabout.

I have the video, just need to review it again when I get home to decide if I take any other action.

ChrisJ84

Seth Brundle wrote: »

From twitter...
https://twitter.com/alan_downtown/status/1167001390335561728

Dunno which is worse, that the driver didn't see him at all or that he did see him and didn't care.

That junction is desperate, the layout means that drivers take it far too fast with no line of sight to the pedestrian crossing.

Stark

Not a cycling near miss, but got a text to say my housemate was knocked by a car while walking to the bus stop this morning. The fun has begun.

Stark

Stark wrote: »

Not a cycling near miss, but got a text to say my housemate was knocked by a car while walking to the bus stop this morning. The fun has begun.

They're OK I hope!!

CramCycle

Mother of God, the traffic is mental again, today is obviously the start back day for most school kids, it had been busier but not as bad earlier in the week. I imagine it will settle a bit and then the universities will start the week after where the full insanity will set in.

tommythecat

FFS. Two in Two days and I very rarely get a crappy pass anymore.
Yesterday, 100 metres from the junction of Kennilworth road and Grosvenor Pl with traffic in front of me and cars parked in the left, I am fully in the centre of the lane keeping pace as we slow to the junction. I hear a big acceleration behind me and I pull further right to show i am using the lane so I am now pretty much middle of the road. Still the acceleration. We are practically at the junction now. I stick my arm out as the taxi on the wrong side of the road, speeding into a blind junction flys by me. Anything could have been coming around that corner which would have meant I was toast. I won't go into the words we exchanged, needless to say the professional driver didn't see anything wrong.

Just now on Leinster road. I am in the centre of the lane as I don't want to be doored and there is a slower cyclist ahead of me. A car is coming in the opposite direction. Next thing a guy with a learner permit passes me and doesn't make it past the next guy but pulls in on top of him and just squeezes by only to indicate and pull in ( I kid you not) 25 metres later to drop the kid to school.
Apparently I was holding him up for the last fifteen minutes. (I am three minutes into my cycle at this stage) So he felt it was ok to risk everyones safety.
I am absolutley raging here. I have been cycling in Dublin for over 12 years, (when I wouldn't see another cyclist from one day to the next) and they are by far the worst passes I have ever encountered (the taxi driver for sure)

hesker

That’s mental. I’d be reporting both of those.

Did you get to speak with the other cyclist.

AndrewJRenko

Dreadful to see cyclists terrorising pedestrians again down at oul Sam Beckett

https://streamable.com/hadcp

TheChizler

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Dreadful to see cyclists terrorising pedestrians again down at oul Sam Beckett

https://streamable.com/hadcp

Close pass at 0:08

Interested Observer

I need to stop reading this thread. Just feel my blood pressure rising with each post.

Stark

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Dreadful to see cyclists terrorising pedestrians again down at oul Sam Beckett

https://streamable.com/hadcp

The most surprising thing about that clip was the Swords Express didn't do anything out of order

Pinch Flat

Three of us out today, around the naul and stamullen. Plenty of considerate passing. Even got a friendly toot and a wave from two motorists when we singled up on some of the narrower country roads..

All undone when I was alone on my way from Clonee home to Carpenterstown. Horrible road from clonee to ongar - some crazy overtaking, across the continuous line. Several oncoming drivers had to almost stop to allow the overtake to complete, some flashed. Crazy stuff for a Sunday morning, everyone in a rush to get no where

AndrewJRenko

Unfortunately, I didn't catch the cyclist's approach on camera, but he seemed fairly pi$$ed at the right turning car cutting across him.

https://streamable.com/4tvtl

Duckjob

im just wondering whether or not the guy on the escooter got pulled over by the Garda car on his heels.

Cabaal

Duckjob wrote: »

im just wondering whether or not the guy on the escooter got pulled over by the Garda car on his heels.

Had that thought well, be he didn't

Seth Brundle

Cabaal wrote: »

Had that thought well, be he didn't

Trying to figure out what accent to read that in.
Pirate seems to be the best!

Seth Brundle

Had what I felt was a very dangerous pass this evening on the Ballyowen Rd. I was cycling the bus lane, taking the lane due to the wet weather.
A car came up behind avoiding the normal wet weather queues and I pointed towards right indicating for them to get in the correct lane; they simply beeped their horn and pointed to their left telling me to get into the cycle lane.
I stayed put anyhow as I wasn't going to be bullied out of his way.
For about 150m he revved his engine as he travelled behind me.
Lo and behold, the revs increases and got closer. Knowing what he was at I looked to my right and the prick was comung up to squeeze past. He was inches from behind me and I knew that if I stayed on my line I'd be in an ambulance. I pulled to my left and there was inches between us, his mirror taking much of that up.
He sped on ahead leaving me to slow down for a red light at the Penny Hill jcn (green for him).
I pulled over and wrote down his reg into a text message and continued on.
Further on at the queue for the N4, there he was. I cycled in front of him and told him that I was going straight to the gardai. He looked up from his phone, said something as I was leaving and gave the obligatory F-you beep as I left.
I popped into my local garda station and the gardai will give him a warning.

Pinch Flat

Plenty of this type of intimidation goes on at the quays, especially the south ones from O’connell bridge to Parliament street bridge. Taxi drivers up your ass, revving and sometimes beeping in the bus / bike lane, even when the lane beside is free. For some reason, I get an instant urge to freewheel, look down and see where the problem is with my bike that the beeps are alerting me to.....

I was overtaken here yesterday morning, except there were even more cars parked along either side of the road. She wasn't hanging about either, I could hear the car coming and I actually was bracing for an impact.

In fairness to the prick in the Passat though, she did get to the traffic lights nearly two seconds quicker then she would having waiting behind me.

micar

Idiotic overtake of a cyclist around 7pm.

Am heading along road with cyclist coming opposite direction. Car behind him.

Car decides to start over taking as I approach.

Had completely stop to avoided a head on collision.

As the car passed, I raised both hands in the air with a WTF look.

90 Shanliss Way
https://maps.app.goo.gl/484zoGMXZTcq3adJ6

DaveyDave

I've had a number of close calls while driving recently. 3 in the last week, cyclists not looking before moving out right in front of me.

Going up Patrick St on Saturday night at the traffic lights where it goes into 3 lanes, I'm heading for the first lane but a cyclist moves out from the bike lane to pass someone. No lights, no shoulder check and no hand signal. Had to swerve around him or he would have just went straight into the car (Middle lane was empty, wouldn't normally swerve but didn't fancy dropping the anchor)

Driving home from work on Monday evening, coming up from Lucan village on the road towards Woodies a cyclist went from the path out onto the road as I was approaching. Lane is narrow enough so cars are close to the curb until the bus lane starts. Again no check, just straight onto the road.

Going down Rathgar Road on Sunday, a woman moved out to pass a parked car in the bike lane (not in operation). I slowed down because it was obvious but average motorist wouldn't have the foresight.

Shocking really, I couldn't imagine changing lanes without looking knowing there's traffic. Last thing I went is to swerve in front of a 1,500kg object at 50kph.

TooObvious

DaveyDave wrote: »

I slowed down because it was obvious but average motorist wouldn't have the foresight.

Thank God you're such a great driver Davey Dave!

CramCycle

Indeed, here was me driving around with the attitude that everyone else was an idiot, pedestrian, cyclist and motorist and prepared to act accordingly.

On a more serious note, the very last point (Rathgar Road point), it is the exact thing that every motorists should expect and I would be worried if the didn't. Be they Ped, Cylist or motorist, if there is an obstruction, I expect them to move out and adjust my driving/cycling/walking accordingly. Only a complete muppet wouldn't, congrats Dave, your not a complete muppet.

Actually, that is the same for the first point. Hmmm.

And the middle one, stupid yes, a possibility you should be prepared for, definitely.

Congrats Dave, your better than the average motorist by barely meeting the minimum standard that a motorist should meet :rolleyes:

average_runner

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Had what I felt was a very dangerous pass this evening on the Ballyowen Rd. I was cycling the bus lane, taking the lane due to the wet weather.
A car came up behind avoiding the normal wet weather queues and I pointed towards right indicating for them to get in the correct lane; they simply beeped their horn and pointed to their left telling me to get into the cycle lane.
I stayed put anyhow as I wasn't going to be bullied out of his way.
For about 150m he revved his engine as he travelled behind me.
Lo and behold, the revs increases and got closer. Knowing what he was at I looked to my right and the prick was comung up to squeeze past. He was inches from behind me and I knew that if I stayed on my line I'd be in an ambulance. I pulled to my left and there was inches between us, his mirror taking much of that up.
He sped on ahead leaving me to slow down for a red light at the Penny Hill jcn (green for him).
I pulled over and wrote down his reg into a text message and continued on.
Further on at the queue for the N4, there he was. I cycled in front of him and told him that I was going straight to the gardai. He looked up from his phone, said something as I was leaving and gave the obligatory F-you beep as I left.
I popped into my local garda station and the gardai will give him a warning.

That road is wide enough for us all, what was his problem? Was he just lane jumping and driving in the bus lane?

Seth Brundle

average_runner wrote: »

That road is wide enough for us all, what was his problem? Was he just lane jumping and driving in the bus lane?

Not that I need to excuse my actions but I was in the centre of the bus lane (as recommended by the RSA & Rules of the Road). Knowing how traffic can be on wet days along this stretch and because I'm effectively on slicks, I decided to follow a somewhat dry line which also allowed me to safely take control of the lane. Had a bus or taxi come up behind me I'd have happily moved out of their way.
He was breaking the law by driving in the 24/7 bus lane. He got pissed off because I was blocking his empty lane and I had the nerve to point towards the full regular lane. When the I didn't get out of his way he beeped to command me to move left to the wet and somewhat poor surface of the cycle lane (why else beep when he knew I saw him?).
He then agressively tried to pass me using the space between me in the centre of the lane and the queueing cars. There was not enough room. Had I not taken evasive action, I would be in a hospital or morgue now.

TLDR: he was an inconsiderate prick who felt that it is ok to illegally undertake queueing traffic and close pass a vulnerable road user cycling legally