City just crazy

what_traffic

Pugzilla wrote: »

It's not for everyone, but motorcycles work great in Galway for commuting. With the right gear you can arrive to work even in torrential downpours completely dry.

True, but very few do. There are far fewer people using motorbikes now than 30 years ago. Cheaper cars + RSA(the car motor lobbying and safety org) want to ban people using motorbikes (and bicycles). They have started on pedestrians as well now.

what_traffic

what_traffic wrote: »

RSA(the car motor lobbying and safety org) want to ban people using motorbikes (and bicycles). They have started on pedestrians as well now.

Please stop making things up

what_traffic

Deleted User wrote: »

Please stop making things up

I wish I was. They have a long history now of victim blaming minority road user groups.
I could paraphrase a current RSA ad on the radio to illustrate - but will drag thread off topic.
Why so few people use the motorbikes in Galway City is another reason we have all this CAR traffic in Galway.

Pugzilla

Yeah, RSA hates motorbikes, seems like the people of Galway do as well considering how few I see around.
They're the fastest way of getting around a traffic heavy urban area, also way more fun than a car or bicycle.

pjohnson

what_traffic wrote: »

True, but very few do. There are far fewer people using motorbikes now than 30 years ago. Cheaper cars + RSA(the car motor lobbying and safety org) want to ban people using motorbikes (and bicycles). They have started on pedestrians as well now.

How the sh*t are they planning on banning Pedestrians?

ben.schlomo

what_traffic wrote: »

Deleted User wrote: »

Please stop making things up

I wish I was. They have a long history now of victim blaming minority road user groups.
I could paraphrase a current RSA ad on the radio to illustrate - but will drag thread off topic.
Why so few people use the motorbikes in Galway City is another reason we have all this CAR traffic in Galway.

There's no way this thread could go off topic as it doesn't have one, so do share.

Mrs OBumble

what_traffic wrote: »

I wish I was. They have a long history now of victim blaming minority road user groups.
I could paraphrase a current RSA ad on the radio to illustrate - but will drag thread off topic.
Why so few people use the motorbikes in Galway City is another reason we have all this CAR traffic in Galway.

Motorcycles are as bad as cars: use oil based energy, pollute, take up road space, most have only one person on them.

Doctors room ghost

Pugzilla wrote: »

It's not for everyone, but motorcycles work great in Galway for commuting. With the right gear you can arrive to work even in torrential downpours completely dry.

I’d agree with you except for the cowboys in charge would charge you a small mortgage to get the license requirements for a bike.one time you could get going on a car license but paddy Irishman saw the chance to fleece a few lads and started pulling courses out of his arse

xckjoo

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Motorised are as bad as cars: use oil based energy, pollute, take up road space, most have only one person on them.

The lesser of two evils in terms of pollution and the space they take up. Sure most people are on their own in a car anyway so it would be beneficial to put them on something smaller that uses less petrol.

Pugzilla

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Motorcycles are as bad as cars: use oil based energy, pollute, take up road space, most have only one person on them.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/9272532/Why-commuting-by-motorcycle-is-good-for-everyone.html

http://www.tmleuven.be/project/motorcyclesandcommuting/20110921_Motorfietsen_eindrapport_Eng.pdf

Pugzilla

Problem is that society are so safety obsessed these days that most people sh&t themselves at the very thought or being on a motorbike.

McGiver

jjpep wrote: »

Yep, but it's more pleasant than being stuck in a car - or at least it is for me. Today was not great weather wise but still very doable. Although admittedly probably only doable because I have a shower at work. Kid wears water proofs (and the cycle to the school is only a few minutes).

And honestly on the fitness thing, I am neither young nor in great shape but it only took me a couple of weeks to get used to it and now I would never go back to commuting by car full time, even if there wasn't all the car traffic problems.

Think e-bikes are a good option for less fit/able/willing (lazy). They are very affordable at this stage.

McGiver

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Motorcycles are as bad as cars: use oil based energy, pollute, take up road space, most have only one person on them.

Electric scooters and L2-A pedelecs (eBikes capable of 45kmh) are where things are moving to.

McGiver

xckjoo wrote: »

Electric bikes would probably take care of all that. I've tried one and it removed the pain of hills and headwinds and only needed a change of tshirt instead of shower at the end.

Yeah, I wanted to say that Agree, but the EU legislation is screwed up. Too much lobbying by groups opposed to ebikes. The 250W motor output and 25kmh top speed are completely meaningless and inadequate.

Mrs OBumble

McGiver wrote: »

Electric scooters and L2-A pedelecs (eBikes capable of 45kmh) are where things are moving to.

You really think that people should be able to travel at 45kmh with no licence or insurance? And likely no protective equipment either.

Pugzilla

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

You really think that people should be able to travel at 45kmh with no licence or insurance?

Boohoo! Call the safety police! Anyone that's ever cycled downhill will have done the same.

fergiesfolly

Pugzilla wrote: »

Boohoo! Call the safety police! Anyone that's ever cycled downhill will have done the same.

Doesn't make it right.

Problem there is, is that people get taught to cycle at a young age, where the whole emphasis is getting the stabisers off.
The only safety message is along the lines of " mind yourself "
No thought to other road users or more importantly, pedestrians.
Flying through junctions without a glance, going from road to footpath like they're one in the same, no lights or hi-viz.
Or my own personal favourite.. thinking a hi-viz jacket give you the same protection as Ironmans suit.

Roads aren't a play thing or a personal fiefdom. They're a network to distribute people and goods. And all users need to act more responsibly on them.

Rant over.

ben.schlomo

fergiesfolly wrote: »

Pugzilla wrote: »

Boohoo! Call the safety police! Anyone that's ever cycled downhill will have done the same.

Doesn't make it right.

Problem there is, is that people get taught to cycle at a young age, where the whole emphasis is getting the stabisers off.
The only safety message is along the lines of " mind yourself "
No thought to other road users or more importantly, pedestrians.
Flying through junctions without a glance, going from road to footpath like they're one in the same, no lights or hi-viz.
Or my own personal favourite.. thinking a hi-viz jacket give you the same protection as Ironmans suit.

Roads aren't a play thing or a personal fiefdom. They're a network to distribute people and goods. And all users need to act more responsibly on them.

Rant over.

Unfortunately your rant applies to all road users, not just cyclists.

jjpep

McGiver wrote: »

Think e-bikes are a good option for less fit/able/willing (lazy). They are very affordable at this stage.

Yep, and something I can see myself doing in a few years time.

Also I think the limit of 25kmph to be fine. Anything faster and the user starts to become more of a potential danger to others.

fergiesfolly

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Unfortunately your rant applies to all road users, not just cyclists.

And I said so in my post.

dr.fuzzenstein

jjpep wrote: »

Yep, and something I can see myself doing in a few years time.

Also I think the limit of 25kmph to be fine. Anything faster and the user starts to become more of a potential danger to others.

How are you planning to apply this limit to every single bicycle in existence?

edit: I do realise a lot are limited that way. Here in DE you can buy faster ones, but you need a license, mostly included with car license here.

jjpep

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

How are you planning to apply this limit to every single bicycle in existence?

edit: I do realise a lot are limited that way. Here in DE you can buy faster ones, but you need a license, mostly included with car license here.

Limit as in what's currently done I.e. the pedal assist only works up to 25kmph and after that its just pedal power.

Am I right in saying in Germany that electric bikes that are not limited in this way are not entitled to use cycle lanes? That seems to be a good way of doing it.

dr.fuzzenstein

jjpep wrote: »

Limit as in what's currently done I.e. the pedal assist only works up to 25kmph and after that its just pedal power.

Am I right in saying in Germany that electric bikes that are not limited in this way are not entitled to use cycle lanes? That seems to be a good way of doing it.

Yes, anything up 25 treated like a bicycle, over, but no more than 45 km/h needs licence and small numberplate, in fact it is treated like a moped.
And indeed not allowed on bicycle path. Even out of town ones.

On the numberplate, you can buy yourself a small moped (up to 50cc and no more than 50 km/h), one of the above bikes or even a small car (50cc and 45 km/h and no heavier than 350 kg) and drive it on a moped license.
Insurance is laughably easy compared to Ireland. You buy a small numberplate for €30 to €50, stick it on your motorised conveyance and off you go on your merry way. With that number plate it is registered and insured in one go.
Imagine if I rang Allianz in Ireland and said "can you please send me a small number plate for my moped car? Should be in your drawer, cost around fiddy bucks".
I think they'd laugh at me for 5 minutes before hanging up.

Pugzilla

Pugzilla wrote: »

Boohoo! Call the safety police! Anyone that's ever cycled downhill will have done the same.

Anyone who has done that speed down hill, if they're being honest, will tell you just how little control they have at that speed. The emergency stopping distance alone for a bicycle at that speed would be absurd and would most likely just be an uncontrolled skid

I say this as a regular cyclist

Mrs OBumble

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I hate that Galway Transport twitter account, anytime Bus Eireann try something they are there having a go. I'm no fan of BE and think that the service in Galway is a shambles but during the week BE tweeted that they were running buses to the ginger twats gigs this weekend every 20 minutes and the first reply is Galway Transport with their usual unhelpful and pointless observations "Only every 20 minutes? Thats ... disappointing".

I assume that they want a bus every 10 minutes or so, wonder how happy they would be if BE took off come 409 buses and had them run the 401 route. Looking over the page and it's rare to find someone even more clueless than BE.

Right now, BE have miraculously found enough buses to run a continuous shuttle service: there are at least five buses on the route, likely more. As i thought they would.

It is disappointing that they weren't able to reassure potential passengers and advertise that this would happen.

zell12

Bus lane blocked.. by parked buses

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote:

Right now, BE have miraculously found enough buses to run a continuous shuttle service: there are at least five buses on the route, likely more. As i thought they would.

Mrs OBumble wrote:

It is disappointing that they weren't able to reassure potential passengers and advertise that this would happen.

Yes what a disappointment, having to wait at most 20 minutes for a bus. Is five buses a continuous service, if I'm not mistaken that's a bus every 12 and a half minutes or so great that they cut the potential wait by 7 and a half minutes. Did pass three of them sitting stuck in traffic earlier, all three far from full so certainly a win for your great idea, one I'm sure that BE most likely planned for.

Discodog

fergiesfolly wrote: »

If enough people use PnR, there won't be as many cars on the road to clog it up for the buses.
It's essential that it is well organized and priced competitively enough to make motorists want to move to it.

That will never happen in Galway, whilst there is a lobby that think that banning cars is the answer, without a ring road. I drive through the town centre because it's quicker than the existing ring road.

Park & Ride can only work with a proper ring road. In Oxford the P&R buses have sensors that change the traffic lights as they approach so you never get held up. The carparks are huge & on the ring road with a bus always ready to leave. The buses drop you right in the main shopping street.

The anti car crowd think that you can remove every vehicle. You can't.

Discodog

Discodog wrote: »

That will never happen in Galway, whilst there is a lobby that think that banning cars is the answer, without a ring road. I drive through the town centre because it's quicker than the existing ring road.

Park & Ride can only work with a proper ring road. In Oxford the P&R buses have sensors that change the traffic lights as they approach so you never get held up. The carparks are huge & on the ring road with a bus always ready to leave. The buses drop you right in the main shopping street.

The anti car crowd think that you can remove every vehicle. You can't.

While you make some good points, name calling takes away from your argument.

I drive a car and I'm a firm believer that car access to the city centre should be reduced to a minimal level.... what does that make me?

It's been said time and time again that the city center has zero additional capacity for private cars. Given the population of Galway will be increasing by 50% over the next few decades, it's no longer feasible to keep the status quo.

Yes the bypass is definitely needed, but also, it should be made wholly unpalatable to want to drive into the city except in certain circumstances. The thoughts of it should make you groan and seriously hurt your pocket. Yes, P&R is an important part of the puzzle

The bypass is one element of a large amount of initiatives needed for Galway, but none will work as long as its a doddle to hop in the car and drive into the city.

Discodog

Deleted User wrote: »

While you make some good points, name calling takes away from your argument.

I drive a car and I'm a firm believer that car access to the city centre should be reduced to a minimal level.... what does that make me?

It's been said time and time again that the city center has zero additional capacity for private cars. Given the population of Galway will be increasing by 50% over the next few decades, it's no longer feasible to keep the status quo.

Yes the bypass is definitely needed, but also, it should be made wholly unpalatable to want to drive into the city except in certain circumstances. The thoughts of it should make you groan and seriously hurt your pocket. Yes, P&R is an important part of the puzzle

The bypass is one element of a large amount of initiatives needed for Galway, but none will work as long as its a doddle to hop in the car and drive into the city.

Anti Car Crowd - name calling :pac:
There is a very vocal section who simply want to make life so hard for the car user that they are forced away from the city. The same thing is happening in Dublin & other cities. The city centre dies as a shopping destination & people will have to pay a lot more for services. Any new costs will have to be passed on to the consumer.

Your attitude of making them squeal until they are forced out is anti car - even if you do own one. I don't want to drive through Galway but I have to. A vehicle full of tools won't fit on a bus. People will take the easiest route. You want to make the easier route cost more before there is an alternative.
If it's a doddle to drive in the city then there can't be any traffic & during a large part of the day there isn't.

The Council love making plans - dozens of them. A plush brochure was released in 2009 showing proposed road improvements West of Galway. None will be built but people have had their planning applications turned down because of the brochure. That huge sign in Furbo is a classic example.