One for Traffic Watch?

BeerNut

Cycling down through Harold's Cross this morning there was a lad ahead of me zipping along merrily on a single speed. We came through the lights at the park and in front of us was a van in the bus lane about to turn left into the hospice. Behind it was a fairly large motorcycle, also in the bus lane, but not turning. The cyclist was on the left of the motorbike and then, since the van was going left, swung right in front of the barely-moving motorbike to overtake the van. The motorbike beeped at him. He hung back to point out to the motorbike rider that this was a bus lane and he shouldn't be in it. The motorcyclist disagreed with him and bade him, less than politely, to be on his way. As the cyclist moved off the motorcyclist revved his engine and brought his bike up close to the bike's back wheel in what really looked to me like a threat, but I doubt the cyclist saw it.

My interpretation of the incident is that the motorcyclist is behaving dangerously and road users at large would benefit from this being pointed out to him. I have his reg. Is this one to report to Traffic Watch?

fat bloke

Ah it's a bit of a non-event. Motorcyclists are vulnerable road users too and you can be just as territorial on a motorbike as you can be on a bike. With a motorcycle helmet on your blind spot can be significant so a cyclist that you haven't copped steaming up your inside and crossing in front of you is easily something that would spook the biker and cause him some anger. Course he shouldn't threaten the cyclist but....

check_six

If I'm interpreting this correctly the single speed dude swerved in front of the motorbike and then claimed that was grand because the motorbike shouldn't have been there. Seems a bit daft. The single speed dude should avoid taking part in vigilante action on his cycle.

It's a bit like the bus driver doing the punishment passes of the cyclist because they think they shouldn't be in the bus/cycle lane.

The motorbiker's reaction didn't seem great either, but that's what happens when two loolahs cross paths.

Lumen

Using a ~200kg motorcycle to intimidate a more vulnerable road user is completely unacceptable under any circumstances.

...but if the target of this intimidation didn't even notice then there's no actual harm done.

Motorcyclists use bus lanes, mostly responsibly. It's not legal but also not enforced, and it doesn't cause any problems unless they act like dicks. If it was enforced there would be more cars in the road which is in nobody's interest, and the motorbikes don't hold anyone up as they accelerate faster than buses and can filter.

Annie get your Run

Lumen wrote: »

Motorcyclists use bus lanes, mostly responsibly. It's not legal but also not enforced, and it doesn't cause any problems unless they act like dicks.

I've had a few very bad experiences on the quays with motorbikes in the bus lanes and in fact on several occasions in the cycle lane I'm an ex biker so I have the utmost empathy for them and yes they too are vulnerable road users but they need to show more care (and empathy) for those of us even more vulnerable.

CramCycle

Both are at fault, cyclist for swerving in front, motorbike for threatening behaviour. Gardai won't touch it though as the cyclist presumably is not coming forward for it, so there is nothing to report for.

Generally motor bikes are well behaved (not all, just like every transport option), I have the odd issue with mopeds zooming up the bike lane on their hairdryers, with one or two skimming me in the past

Macy0161

I've had close passes by motorbikes both in bus lanes, and in mandatory cycle lanes. And also on the open road.