Dooradoyle Bikelane/footpath

santino

Being meaning to post here for a while. Call it a query/rant if you will.

I live and cycle in the Dooradoyle area mostly.
For those of you who know the area, to my mind there is a bike lane/footpath from the small roundabout near the Motor Tax office to the Garryowen RFC entrance. At this point the cycle lane joins the main road and the footpath carries on solely.

Now, there are bike symbols painted on the bikelane/footpath but unfortunately these have more or less faded away, but they are there.
My point is, I often encounter pedestrians/dogs on the path and I wanted to know are they just oblivious or am I in the wrong? It is very annoying (and potentially dangerous as there is a slope down there and bikes pick up speed fast). I normally tend to get by just muttering under my breath but last night I tried to get past 3 pedestrians (3 abreast), rang my bell and they told me to fu$k off and use the road (where there is no bike lane. I know this is a universal problem but I'd like to know where I stand.

Cheers.

jelly&icecream

I know where you're talking about. It nearly looks like the bike marks have been removed from the tarmac there on purpose. There are also no signs so I'm not sure if it is a legal cycle lane anymore to be honest. You should contact the council for verification (if they ever respond to you). Emailing the local councillors might be a good way to get info.

Its pretty silly if it has been removed given the awful traffic and the secondary school being so close.

I cycle a bit and also run/walk a lot and would only use those cycle lanes that are mixed with a busy footpath if I was going very slowly. They aren't really meant for high speed cycling. You're better off on the road in that case.

carbonceiling

I feel your pain, I regularly encounter pedestrians on the bike lane. Ideally the bike lane should be a slightly different height to the footpath to stop pedestrians straying into them.

I have spent some time working in Holland and as a pedestrian you would not dare step into the bike lane, those guys take no prisoners.

panda100

santino wrote: »

Being meaning to post here for a while. Call it a query/rant if you will.

I live and cycle in the Dooradoyle area mostly.
For those of you who know the area, to my mind there is a bike lane/footpath from the small roundabout near the Motor Tax office to the Garryowen RFC entrance. At this point the cycle lane joins the main road and the footpath carries on solely.

Now, there are bike symbols painted on the bikelane/footpath but unfortunately these have more or less faded away, but they are there.
My point is, I often encounter pedestrians/dogs on the path and I wanted to know are they just oblivious or am I in the wrong? It is very annoying (and potentially dangerous as there is a slope down there and bikes pick up speed fast). I normally tend to get by just muttering under my breath but last night I tried to get past 3 pedestrians (3 abreast), rang my bell and they told me to fu$k off and use the road (where there is no bike lane. I know this is a universal problem but I'd like to know where I stand.

Cheers.

It's a similar situation with the bicycle path from the Absolute Hotel out to UL beside the canal. There is a separate bike track but the symbols are pretty much faded at this stage so a steady stream of pedestrians walk on the cycle path. I have a bell but many have pedestrians have earphones on and are completely oblivious to the fact it's a cycle lane due to lack of signage.

I've contacted the council three times about it since August and they say they have logged my request with the council maintenance team. Maybe they have run out of bike stencils after the great job they did on Davis Street :rolleyes: I'll leave it until December and if still not done I will contact the maintenance department directly and email a councillor or two.

santino

Thanks for the replies.

Ya I think I will contact someone alright and see can they shed any light. I agree It Is a dangerous road but also I try my best to keep the speed down if I am on the path..you never know what's around the corner.

On a lighter note, and still on topic I saw this video the other day...it made my day. Worth a look:

https://youtu.be/Ehh8ZdIMMj4

L.T.P.

People regularly jog in that bike lane, even when the footpaths are empty!!! Footpath mustn't be good enough for them...

panda100

santino wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

Ya I think I will contact someone alright and see can they shed any light. I agree It Is a dangerous road but also I try my best to keep the speed down if I am on the path..you never know what's around the corner.

On a lighter note, and still on topic I saw this video the other day...it made my day. Worth a look:

https://youtu.be/Ehh8ZdIMMj4

Ha, brilliant! I think I might be turning into him on the UL pathway :pac:

Whatever you do, don't be that guy who cycles around the city (usually on pavements) honking a very loud horn. That guy guves cyclists a bad name! I think he thinks it's funny, but its actually terrifying for pedestrians!

bitent

You mean people actually use the Bicycle lanes out there?.
All I encounter is grown men and women using the footpath to cycle.
They hurtle along at full speed on single file pathways and give you a stare of death if your in the way.
I'm not talking about children here but actual adults.

I called one out and he mentioned that it was too dangerous to cycle on the road.
Well if you choose to cycle you are opting in to that danger just like someone on a motorcycle.
By cycling on the pathway you are now making it dangerous for pedestrians.
It's ridiculous and a much bigger problem than pedestrians wandering into the few bikes lanes that there are.
I'm not saying it's safe on the roads but don't make the pathways dangerous for me by cycling on the paths.
So yes, two sides to every story.

Mc Love

What really annoys me are the cyclists that dont dismount when using pedestrian crossings, and cycle on paths even though they have safety gear on.

LB6

when you contact them, tell them that along with the bicycle sign, they should also put directional arrows on them. Sick and tired of random cyclists dropping down onto the cycle path and going in the wrong direction, forcing the person going in the right direction into the path of the traffic!

panda100

bitent wrote: »

You mean people actually use the Bicycle lanes out there?

In fairness, there are not many cycle lanes to use in limerick. There aren't any on my commute through the city and very little room for cyclists beside car traffic

Donutz

I used to cycle on these cycle lanes when they were new and back then people didn't give a fiddlers about walking in the cycle lanes and it looks like nothing has changed.

It also made my blood boil when cars parked up on the cycle lane further down the road close to the roundabout at the crescent making the cycle lane useless and causing a safety hazard to any cyclists. Do the motorists still do this?

santino

Hi All,

Quick update, I emailed a local Councillor asking for clarification. He kindly forwarded me an email he received from the Council which confirms 'there has been no down-grading of the cycle-lane at this location, it is just that the markings have faded over time. We will arrange shortly to have these markings renewed'.

I'm going to take the optimistic view on this one and hopes that it helps cyclists and pedestrians if and when it happens. Watch this space...

zulutango

Mc Love wrote: »

What really annoys me are the cyclists that .. cycle on paths even though they have safety gear on.

You can't really blame them for cycling on the paths if the roads are too dangerous. A helmet isn't going to do much for you if you're hit by a vehicle. Would you give your kids helmets and then expect them to cycle across the Shannon Bridge, for example?

panda100

santino wrote:

Quick update, I emailed a local Councillor asking for clarification. He kindly forwarded me an email he received from the Council which confirms 'there has been no down-grading of the cycle-lane at this location, it is just that the markings have faded over time. We will arrange shortly to have these markings renewed'.

Well done for taking action Santino they still haven't redone the markings on the UL cycleway despite it being logged with the maintenance department for the last 4 months. I haven't had a chance to follow up but will do when my exams are over!. The maintenance team seem to put anything cycle related on the long finger!

santino

panda100 wrote: »

Well done for taking action Santino they still haven't redone the markings on the UL cycleway despite it being logged with the maintenance department for the last 4 months. I haven't had a chance to follow up but will do when my exams are over!. The maintenance team seem to put anything cycle related on the long finger!

Oh right! Hopefully they'll get onto that soon enough. Haven't ventured over to UL yet but would like to in the new year. Best of luck in the exams.

I will assume that most of us nowadays are multi-road users. We all walk, drive, cycle etc. I'm not a bike-nut but I do enjoy it and I have to say, like most other things, I gained so much more insight into the areas that could be improved only after I took it up. When one isn't aware (or concerned) about other road users, a kind of blissful ignorance exists. How many people do we witness walking out in front of cars even, people are so wrapped up in their own heads these days.

I think things are getting better (e.g. the coca cola bike scheme) but I do genuinely think it will take a generation to get right. I heard on a podcast recently that cycling only gained popularity in the Netherlands as a result of so many road deaths in the 70's, and a high majority were children. But education does begin at home, and I don't think we're quite there yet.

*dismounts from high horse*

Vladimir Poontang

We're not a cycle friendly country. Or a pedestrian friendly country. Or a motorist friendly country.

It is everyone for themselves with rude, ignorant aggressive arseholes ruining it for everyone, be you any of the above road users.

We don't follow signs or directions. Cycle lanes are ignored, neglected, badly designed and otherwise redundant.

Our footpaths are covered in clutter, broken paving and dog ****.

Our roads are badly designed, poorly maintained and dangerous.

Nobody cares and I don't see things changing significantly any time soon.

A lot of it is due to poor planning and management, a lot of it is down to the piss poor attitude in this country towards civic responsibility and giving two ****s about your country and fellow countrymen.

It's depressing.

bitent

zulutango wrote: »

You can't really blame them for cycling on the paths if the roads are too dangerous. A helmet isn't going to do much for you if you're hit by a vehicle. Would you give your kids helmets and then expect them to cycle across the Shannon Bridge, for example?

Your missing the fact that Cycling on the path now makes it dangerous for pedestrians.

Mc Love

zulutango wrote: »

You can't really blame them for cycling on the paths if the roads are too dangerous. A helmet isn't going to do much for you if you're hit by a vehicle. Would you give your kids helmets and then expect them to cycle across the Shannon Bridge, for example?

Is the road that dangerous or they not competent enough to cycle with road going traffic? Thats the real question.

zulutango

Mc Love wrote: »

Is the road that dangerous or they not competent enough to cycle with road going traffic? Thats the real question.

It's dangerous for even the most experienced and confident of cyclists.

zulutango

bitent wrote: »

Your missing the fact that Cycling on the path now makes it dangerous for pedestrians.

Would you rather a child cycle on a footpath and risk hitting a pedestrian, or would you rather a child cycling on a road and risk getting hit by a vehicle?

The first situation isn't particularly dangerous for anybody. The second situation is extremely dangerous for the child. In the absence of segregrated infrastructure for cyclists, the first option is clearly the best one.

Cookiemunster

zulutango wrote: »

Would you rather a child cycle on a footpath and risk hitting a pedestrian, or would you rather a child cycling on a road and risk getting hit by a vehicle?

The first situation isn't particularly dangerous for anybody. The second situation is extremely dangerous for the child. In the absence of segregrated infrastructure for cyclists, the first option is clearly the best one.

The poster is quite obviously not talking about children cycling on paths.

zulutango

Cookiemunster wrote: »

The poster is quite obviously not talking about children cycling on paths.

He was responding to the point I made about children cycling on the Shannon Bridge. He even quoted that point.

Cookiemunster

zulutango wrote: »

He was responding to the point I made about children cycling on the Shannon Bridge. He even quoted that point.

You were replying to this originally.

Mc Love wrote: »

What really annoys me are the cyclists that dont dismount when using pedestrian crossings, and cycle on paths even though they have safety gear on.

He wasn't taking about kids and that's the post I was referring to.

zulutango

So, are we now saying it's ok for kids to cycle on footpaths if the roads aren't safe, but not adults? What about elderly people?

Cookiemunster

zulutango wrote: »

So, are we now saying it's ok for kids to cycle on footpaths if the roads aren't safe, but not adults? What about elderly people?

You're twisting eveyones words to suit your own argument. It's not safe to for pedestrians to have adult cyclists cycling on footpaths. I've often been shouted out of it for having the temerity to not know that a cyclist was approaching behind me on a footpath and not getting out of their way.

It's also not actually legal to cycle on a footpath.

zulutango

Cookiemunster wrote: »

It's not safe to for pedestrians to have adult cyclists cycling on footpaths.

What about the path to UL along the river bank?

Cookiemunster

zulutango wrote: »

What about the path to UL along the river bank?

You mean the path that's designed as a shared pedestrian/cycling route that's nowhere near a road? It's completely different to a normal footpath that's not designed as a shared space.

Mc Love

I've no problem with kids (below 12) cycling on footpaths as I believe any older and they should be able to cycle competently on any road. But if you are an adult and you cant cycle competently on a road, you shouldnt be cycling at all. Same goes for motorists that cant competently drive on roads, shouldnt be driving.

zulutango

Cookiemunster wrote: »

You mean the path that's designed as a shared pedestrian/cycling route that's nowhere near a road? It's completely different to a normal footpath that's not designed as a shared space.

What are the design features that make it completely different to a normal footpath?

Cookiemunster

zulutango wrote: »

What are the design features that make it completely different to a normal footpath?

It was designed as a shared use cycle/walking path. All users are aware of this. A normal footpath along a road is not designed for bicycle users. The difference is obvious, but as usual you're just being obtuse.