MYOB?

magicbastarder

how likely are you to point out to another road user, that they are in error in some aspect of their cycling/driving/ambulating - in circumstances in which they are not actually causing you any direct problems?

e.g. this evening, i tapped on a window of a car to let a driver (who was facing a red light) know that she had unwittingly rolled forward onto a pedestrian crossing - without realising as she was too busy chatting to her friend.

i'm quite likely to signal to a car driver that they've no lights on, if circumstances allow; but don't recall ever saying anything to a cyclist without lights. partly because the cyclist is really only putting themselves in danger. so i suppose there's a certain amount of double standards there.

Idleater

I've closed bus luggage doors, petrol caps, suggested lights, indicators, mirrors tilted in to road users stuck in traffic. I usually say "nice lights" to ninja cyclists that I pass.


To answer your question I don't MYOB enough and probably should MYOB more.

Beasty

That's none of your business!


:pac:

CramCycle

I often point out to cyclists and motorists alike, about lights. A guy done it to me when my light turned itself off and i was really thankful.

There is a guy on my commute, his bike is too big for him, he might get away with it if he lowered the saddle and I really want to say it to him as he is really fast but he rocks like crazy and his knees are going to hurt after awhile. He can barely get on the seat and mounts the bike oddly to cover the fact the bike is too big. It is overextending his knees, hips and ankles.

I really want to say it to him but I figure he might rightly tell me to F off.

bilbot79

You should never make physical contact with the other person or their vehicle. If you do, no matter how correct you may have been or think you have been you've crossed a line where the rules won't matter as much. There's no telling what that person will do to you.

Express yourself...but don't touch the hair!

Wishbone Ash

magicbastarder wrote: »

.. in circumstances in which they are not actually causing you any direct problems?....

I'd very rarely say anything if it wasn't directly affecting me but do I recall being advised to mind my own effing business by a young lady one night when I pointed out to her that her long over-coat was hanging over her saddle and completely obscuring her rear light.

Wishbone Ash

bilbot79 wrote: »

You should never make physical contact with the other person or their vehicle...

Will you let Mathews Coaches know that? They made physical contact with me when on my bike in Drumcondra one afternoon.

bilbot79

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Will you let Mathews Coaches know that? They made physical contact with me when on my bike in Drumcondra one afternoon.

Sometimes I think bus drivers are squeezing in on you deliberately because they don't like cyclists

rushfan

What deters me from doing this is that I might not get any thanks for it, rather be met with a "so what???" in circumstances where I would be trying to be helpful. Example: at a Garda checkpoint one night, inching forward, and as I reached the Garda, I dimmed my lights down to the "parking lights " if you get me. I did this out of consideration for said person. He advised me that it wasn't a good idea to drive like that. Tried to explain that it was out of consideration, etc but he wasn't convinced. So I told him that in future, if he was slightly blinded by my lights ( obviously not on full beam ) that it was his tough luck.

Roadtoad

I wave fists and shout at drivers about once every 100 km in urban/suburban commuting, which I think is way too much. I worry that this reflects on my behaviour too.
I keep promising I'll get a few Lidl / Aldi red lights and present them to ninja cyclists i meet.
I have suggested that cyclists refresh batteries or realign beams.
'Wow, really nice light, was it expensive?' is a way of flipping the game.
Mrs R is way past fed up with me commenting on commuters, especially ninja cyclists.0

Macy0161

In the car, it seems like weeks since I haven't had to flash the lights at someone driving around in the dark without lights.

I have pointed out to people when on the bike or walking that they've gone into advances stop line boxes.

I have pointed out the direction of travel to salmon cyclists, and pointed out to pedestrians about them being in a cycle lane too.

bilbot79

What's the deal with lights anyway? It's not illegal is it?

CramCycle

rushfan wrote: »

What deters me from doing this is that I might not get any thanks for it, rather be met with a "so what???" in circumstances where I would be trying to be helpful. Example: at a Garda checkpoint one night, inching forward, and as I reached the Garda, I dimmed my lights down to the "parking lights " if you get me. I did this out of consideration for said person. He advised me that it wasn't a good idea to drive like that. Tried to explain that it was out of consideration, etc but he wasn't convinced. So I told him that in future, if he was slightly blinded by my lights ( obviously not on full beam ) that it was his tough luck.

Parking lights or dims? if it was the latter, then the Garda was a muppet. If it was the former then he was dead right, and I can't understand why you would have went to parking lights unless your dims are incorrectly set.

rushfan

CramCycle wrote:

Parking lights or dims? if it was the latter, then the Garda was a muppet. If it was the former then he was dead right, and I can't understand why you would have went to parking lights unless your dims are incorrectly set.

Read it again. Turned them to parking lights just as I stopped, even though I was inching along. Did this so as to make it easier for him to do his duty. From conversations with Gardai in the past, some told me that it was always something they appreciated. But, never again......

CramCycle

bilbot79 wrote: »

What's the deal with lights anyway? It's not illegal is it?

Oh dear

magicbastarder

i don't know what post that question was addressing.

Mercian Pro

Tempted so often going up the hill on Gardner Street to suggest to "static" cyclists that they use their gears but never did.

Said "could do with some lights" to a guy this evening but only when I was turning right and knew he wasn't!

bilbot79

Lol. I thought I read years ago that the reflector was required at a minimum. My bad!

I do have lights mind you.

CramCycle

rushfan wrote: »

Read it again. Turned them to parking lights just as I stopped, even though I was inching along. Did this so as to make it easier for him to do his duty. From conversations with Gardai in the past, some told me that it was always something they appreciated. But, never again......

Weird, I would have expected a Garda to bust my chops for turning down to parking lights, dims should not blind anyone if set right.

On another note, in town a few times this week. Whats with some of the bikes using blue lights, is there some hope they will be given more space by someone thinking they are Gardai?

Wishbone Ash

rushfan wrote: »

.... From conversations with Gardai in the past, some told me that it was always something they appreciated. But, never again......

Reminds me of travelling across the border late one night on an unapproved road during the 'troubles'. I came upon an impromptu British Army checkpoint in the middle of nowhere. Rolled down the window only to have the barrel of a gun inserted and a roar of "Dip your facking lights" in a very strong accent. Nearly crapped myself!

Grassey

Knocked on window of 2 cars on commute home the other night when stopped at lights to tell them they had no rear lights on. Received confused looks and explanation that they are automatic lights pointing to their lit dash to which I replied they aren't working then and should probably drop into garage (was 6pm pitch black) .

I gave up after that when I came across the next one, if they want to drive around with dlr only at night then it's none of my business.

Lumen

Almost nobody likes being told what to do.

I pointed out to a cyclist a couple of years back that his front strobe was dangerously blinding and he gave me abuse.

I think he was a boardsie too.

Touching cars is bad, particularly with women driving them. HGVs not really.

CramCycle

Grassey wrote: »

I gave up after that when I came across the next one, if they want to drive around with dlr only at night then it's none of my business.

Drives me bananas, why were rear lights not part of the legislation, and why would car manufacturers not just put them on anyway?!?

Off topic rant

Idleater

CramCycle wrote: »

why were rear lights not part of the legislation

Off topic rant

Off topic iirc answer: I believe it's because if both front and rear lights were on drivers were thought to be more likely to rely on them at night under street lights (perhaps being less likely to notice?). I think the idea precedes the prevalence of automatic lights, so drivers should be turning on the correct night time lights when daylight runs out.

Macy0161

CramCycle wrote: »

Drives me bananas, why were rear lights not part of the legislation, and why would car manufacturers not just put them on anyway?!?

Off topic rant

Given the amount of idiots driving around with just dlr in the dark when it's front only, would that not just multiply if it put the rear ones on too?

Grassey

Should do like some EU countries and just have dipped headlights and rear lights on 24/7. Would solve all this, and to hell with the 75% energy saving of dlr vs dipped!

cython

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Will you let Mathews Coaches know that? They made physical contact with me when on my bike in Drumcondra one afternoon.

Ditto for Aircoach, I saw a cyclist waiting on SSG east to go south onto Earlsfort Tce get a smack of the back of an Aircoach one day. This was admittedly (I think) before the double laning of that section, but they were about as far over to the right as they could have been, and basically in a spot that should have been clear, but this driver just didn't give enough of a toss to check the swing of the back of his coach.

Annie get your Run

Idleater wrote: »

To answer your question I don't MYOB enough and probably should MYOB more.

+ 1 to this :P. I nearly always pass comment to a cyclist with no lights - for what it's worth it's not just themselves they are harming - if I was in my car and came upon one and hit them my life would be forever affected too so I'm actually saying it in a 'it's not fair to the drivers out there they can't see you properly' kind of way.

I've looked into cars and pointed at the drivers mobile which is either in their hand or at their ear and done the 'put the phone down' hand signal to them. That's my favourite one because they are so engrossed in their phones when they see me in my bright yellow jacket they think I'm AGS for a split second.

I've had a word with motorcyclists who drive in the cycle lane on the quays or who drive dangerously in the bus lane.

It's not every single day though thankfully, this morning for e.g. I didn't speak to a single other soul .

I am however going to mend my ways and start MYOB - it'll be my new years resolution!

What is the general consensus by the way, should we all just MYOB as we travel?

amcalester

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Reminds me of travelling across the border late one night on an unapproved road during the 'troubles'. I came upon an impromptu British Army checkpoint in the middle of nowhere. Rolled down the window only to have the barrel of a gun inserted and a roar of "Dip your facking lights" in a very strong accent. Nearly crapped myself!

That's how they say hello around Forkhill.

Idleater

I remembered another two conversations I had with fellow cyclists - To one I explained how dangerous it was to go up the inside of a bus (at the Ormond quay pinch point) and to another, I complemented on her not going between two busses (or a bus and truck) despite a queue of cyclists behind her.

Completely different, but I started a conversation on the commute home one day with a chap on a bling bike a couple of years ago, we're friends now.

magicbastarder

Annie get your Run wrote: »

What is the general consensus by the way, should we all just MYOB as we travel?

i wasn't realyl that curious about a consensus - just was curious about where other cyclists decide the line exists between saying something and not saying something.