If Ireland could replicate one aspect of another country or city....

Samuel T. Cogley

Lana Ugly Waist wrote: »

What's an "average VOCAL Irish cyclist"?

The Netherlands is flat, Ireland is not. A dutch style bike is not going to be very effective on a long hilly commute. The infrastructure is also not there. Are you really suggesting that cyclists move at a sedate pace (slowly?). From your description, doesn't sound like you ever set foot in the Netherlands, sedate is the last word I would describe a Dutch cyclist.

Your post is full of hyperbole.

Sounds to me that you're just envious looking at cyclists passing you as you sit in traffic :P

See the cycling forum.

I cycle myself and also drive. I try not to be a wanker when doing both. Something the vast majority of cyclists and motorists do. MAMIL cycling two abreast 'cos they can' on the other hand...

Plenty of experience of Dutch cyclists in a couple of major cities. Maybe they're different in rural areas but in Amsterdam and Nijmegen from what I've seen they use it as a means of transportation rather than some badge of twatery.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Tell me how

Pretty sure there's already threads on Boards dedicated to "4 wheels good, 2 wheels bad" and vice versa.

Or several of them.

Samuel T. Cogley

Tell me how wrote: »

Pretty sure there's already threads on Boards dedicated to "4 wheels good, 2 wheels bad" and vice versa.

Or several of them.

Fair enough no more mention of the lycra clad cnuts from me.

Rechuchote

Mysterypunter wrote: »

Cops like Rio, to make all the no hopers disappear. Genuine cases could be cared for by organisations, organised beggars have no right to be on the streets harassing people.

Puzzled. I've never been harassed by a beggar in Ireland.

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

It means that the average VOCAL Irish cyclist wouldn't last five minutes on the infrastructure in the Netherlands et al without someone dragging them off and giving them a few slaps. People cycle around at a sedate pace with some wherewithal of what's going on around them, not like they're competing in the tour de France.

There a fecking reason it's call a 'dutch style' bike.

Haven't been in Holland, have you?

Samuel T. Cogley

Rechuchote wrote: »

Haven't been in Holland, have you?

Holland and the Gelderland thanks chap. Although as you're probably aware someone can visit the Netherlands and never set foot in Holland. On yer bike.

John_Rambo

seachto7 wrote: »

Squares like you have on the continent where people can go and sit and have a coffee at a terrace etc. parks should have these little cafes too.
Also little food places by the sea like on the continent. No reason we couldn’t have covered ones as we have the coast for it.
There is nowhere really to go and sit in Dublin city, like a square or plaza to enjoy the weather when it is fine other than a park bench. I live in malahide and the only place in the village to sit out for a coffee is by an intersection and it’s a wine bar. Joke.

St. Stephen’s Green.
Opened in 1880, St. Stephen’s Green is perhaps Dublin’s most well-known Georgian square.

Mounty Square.
Planned and developed in the late 18th century by Luke Gardiner, the 1st Viscount Mountjoy, Mountjoy Square was once Dublin’s most prestigious Georgian square.

Parnell Square.
Perched at the end of O’ Connell Street, Dublin’s main thoroughfare, Parnell Square is the oldest Georgian square in the city.

Merrion Square.
One of the best surviving Georgian Squares in Dublin, Merrion Square’s architecture has remained unchanged for 200 years. Most notably the west side of the square has the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery and Leinster House.

Fitzwilliam Square.
Only a stone's throw south of Merrion Square, Fitzwilliam Square is the smallest and the last of the last of the five Dublin Georgian squares to be completed.

Temple Bar Square.
The heart and soul of Dublin’s historical and cultural activities, Temple Bar Square is a spot popular with tourists. The area is a historical hodgepodge as it was once a medieval suburb that was redeveloped in the 1600’s for British families and then again in the late 20th century to become the vibrant spot in the city filled with pubs and restaurants.

Meeting House Square
Just around the corner from Temple Bar Square hidden down a small walkway is the much more contemporary Meeting House Square. It is Dublin’s newest square, only opening in 2011.

Mayor Square.
Located in the IFSC, Ireland’s financial epicentre, Mayor Square is another square that shows off a more cutting-edge side to the city. Surrounded by Dublin’s modern architectural additions including the Samuel Beckett Bridge, IFSC House and the Convention Centre

Grand Canal Dock.
Nicknamed Silicon Docks, Grand Canal Dock is fast becoming one of the trendiest squares in Dublin. Home to tech companies such as Facebook, Google and Airbnb.

Smithfield Square.
Cafés, Restaurants, Bars and Entertainment in the heart of Dublin 7.

There's loads more, Wolfe Tone square including with the tram cafe.

Rechuchote

I think the poster was talking about plazas rather than railed-in squares - places like the big market square in Avignon, where people can be part of the passing street without being choked with fumes.

whisky_galore

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Plenty of experience of Dutch cyclists in a couple of major cities. Maybe they're different in rural areas but in Amsterdam and Nijmegen from what I've seen they use it as a means of transportation rather than some badge of twatery.

Oddly enough in one week in Italy I only saw only ONE lycra clad arse cycling on his own.
Everyone else used bikes for getting from A to B, getting shopping etc. They cycled those plain high nelly type bikes as it was explained to me a top of the range carbon fibre bike would just get robbed.

CrankyHaus

As mentioned, a functioning criminal justice and legal system that protects citizens from criminals and does not reward fraud.

Airyfairy12

London transport and underground system. Our public transport is shambolic and ridiculously expensive. In London a 6 pound day ticket and you can use underground and buses all day as much as you want. Our trains are really slow too compared to other European countries. we've a very outdated and expensive system here.

Rechuchote

In Estonia they're making all public transport free to use!

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/estonia-is-making-public-transport-free/

wakka12

John_Rambo wrote: »

St. Stephen’s Green.
Opened in 1880, St. Stephen’s Green is perhaps Dublin’s most well-known Georgian square.

Mounty Square.
Planned and developed in the late 18th century by Luke Gardiner, the 1st Viscount Mountjoy, Mountjoy Square was once Dublin’s most prestigious Georgian square.

Parnell Square.
Perched at the end of O’ Connell Street, Dublin’s main thoroughfare, Parnell Square is the oldest Georgian square in the city.

Merrion Square.
One of the best surviving Georgian Squares in Dublin, Merrion Square’s architecture has remained unchanged for 200 years. Most notably the west side of the square has the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery and Leinster House.

Fitzwilliam Square.
Only a stone's throw south of Merrion Square, Fitzwilliam Square is the smallest and the last of the last of the five Dublin Georgian squares to be completed.

Temple Bar Square.
The heart and soul of Dublin’s historical and cultural activities, Temple Bar Square is a spot popular with tourists. The area is a historical hodgepodge as it was once a medieval suburb that was redeveloped in the 1600’s for British families and then again in the late 20th century to become the vibrant spot in the city filled with pubs and restaurants.

Meeting House Square
Just around the corner from Temple Bar Square hidden down a small walkway is the much more contemporary Meeting House Square. It is Dublin’s newest square, only opening in 2011.

Mayor Square.
Located in the IFSC, Ireland’s financial epicentre, Mayor Square is another square that shows off a more cutting-edge side to the city. Surrounded by Dublin’s modern architectural additions including the Samuel Beckett Bridge, IFSC House and the Convention Centre

Grand Canal Dock.
Nicknamed Silicon Docks, Grand Canal Dock is fast becoming one of the trendiest squares in Dublin. Home to tech companies such as Facebook, Google and Airbnb.

Smithfield Square.
Cafés, Restaurants, Bars and Entertainment in the heart of Dublin 7.

There's loads more, Wolfe Tone square including with the tram cafe.

The poster said other than a park which are most of what you listed, and even Parnell Square is horrible as half of it is a manky looking hospital. Wolf Tone square is not successful as a public space,temple bar square is overshadowed and very small and is not a nice place to sit around in, grand canal square and smithfield are well designed imo but not very central to the pedestrian traffic of the city, the college green plaza would be a missing link that would fill the gap in the market that poster was talking about. Public space along routes where most of the city's social life occurs, is very much missing within dublin. Dublins public realm is undeniably poor, Galway for instance even though its a fraction the size has a much better pedestrian flow throughout the city and the public/pedestrian/open green spaces are much more successfully joined together than dublins public spaces

John_Rambo

wakka12 wrote: »

The poster said other than a park which are most of what you listed, and even Parnell Square is horrible as half of it is a manky looking hospital. Wolf Tone square is not successful as a public space,temple bar square is overshadowed and very small and is not a nice place to sit around in, grand canal square and smithfield are well designed imo but not very central to the pedestrian traffic of the city, the college green plaza would be a missing link that would fill the gap in the market that poster was talking about. Public space along routes where most of the city's social life occurs, is very much missing within dublin. Dublins public realm is undeniably poor, Galway for instance even though its a fraction the size has a much better pedestrian flow throughout the city and the public/pedestrian/open green spaces are much more successfully joined together than dublins public spaces

One has a hospital beside it that you don’t like, the other has shadows in it, others aren’t central enough… Jesus.

I use these civic plaza’s all the time. They were full of people enjoying themselves in them over the bank holiday weekend, fantastic weather, great atmosphere.

Most of the people enjoying them weren’t Irish. I’m guessing they were at home complaining about Ireland online.

Rechuchote

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

It means that the average VOCAL Irish cyclist wouldn't last five minutes on the infrastructure in the Netherlands et al without someone dragging them off and giving them a few slaps. People cycle around at a sedate pace with some wherewithal of what's going on around them, not like they're competing in the tour de France.

There a fecking reason it's call a 'dutch style' bike.

Anyone offering a cyclist "a few slaps" in any part of the Netherlands would be liable to be regarded with a distinct lack of humour by the Dutch police.

Prominent_Dawg

Public transport, and everything about it.. It’s one of the most expensive and unreliable systems in this country compared to other European countries.. (bus eireann service would be a good place to start..)

Rechuchote

Prominent_Dawg wrote: »

Public transport, and everything about it.. It’s one of the most expensive and unreliable systems in this country compared to other European countries.. (bus eireann service would be a good place to start..)

True - especially the lack of orbital routes - a lot of places have buses to Dublin, but no route to nearby towns that aren't in a line between them and Dublin, so to get to a town 20 miles away you have to go into Dublin and back out to the nearby town.

AMKC

Free public transport for all. It could be done just might mean paying a little more tax for it.

seachto7

Tell me how wrote: »

Are you suggesting you'd prefer concrete as opposed to green areas such as Phoenix Park, Stephens Green, or the park near the marina in Malahide.... etc?

Not for me thanks.

The bit of grass near the marina in Malahide? There are no benches there.

Graces7

EPAndlee wrote: »

I'd love if Ireland had a rabbit and cat island like Japan

Cape Clear was famous/-notorious for its cats until this lady came home, just fpr a year before she died

https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/features/humaninterest/the-cat-woman-of-cape-clear-comes-home-223046.html

Graces7

Kyla Prehistoric Saleswoman wrote: »

As much 'woodland coverage' as 'any' of the EU neighbours.
Even the UK (with x4 the population density) has a load of decent national parks.

See

https://www.rte.ie/news/connacht/2017/1201/924249-coillte-ballycroy-national-park/

If you have not seen north Mayo, please do

4068ac1elhodqr

Graces7 wrote: »

See

https://www.rte.ie/news/connacht/2017/1201/924249-coillte-ballycroy-national-park/

If you have not seen north Mayo, please do

Sounds good, but excluding some very small island states, Ireland has the lowest forest cover of all European countries, according to Teagasc.

Guess there is some differential in the stats between 'woodland' (Farmers with grant aid planting private fast growing conifers for timber) and natural broadleaf forestry parks.

Add in cycle paths, trials, swimming spots, watersports and there's a new tourism industry. If the new Center Parcs Longford Forest takes off, perhaps another dozen will follow.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

NinetyTwoTeam wrote: »

I lived in America.....

I couldn't afford the doctor or dentist for years on end until I moved back here, how is that better. I got bit by a dog once, drove myself to the hospital, and was there about 15 mins to get a tetanus shot.

Bill: 1200 dollars.

Jesus. Same thing happened to me in Ireland and I paid €20 for the tetanus shot.

train going to the fuc*ing airport.

Samuel T. Cogley

NinetyTwoTeam wrote: »

I couldn't afford the doctor or dentist for years on end until I moved back here, how is that better. I got bit by a dog once, drove myself to the hospital, and was there about 15 mins to get a tetanus shot.

Bill: 1200 dollars.

Here the bill is lower but you ain't getting a shot in 15 minutes that's for certain!

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Here the bill is lower but you ain't getting a shot in 15 minutes that's for certain!

I got one a couple of years ago and was in and out in about the same time, it was given to me by a nurse at my GP practice.

Hospital might be a different story though!

Tell me how

Got one in Injury assessment unit in local hospital on Monday morning. 40 min all told but it was v quiet at time. Cost me €100.

J Mysterio

Hector Bellend wrote: »

If you are going to go down this route, cyclist and pedestrians should be separated as much as possible, otherwise cyclists should be forced to use bells or some other system of warning pedestrians. I was nearly injured several times by cyclists in amsterdam. If a motorist did that they'd be forced to pay out through their car insurance.

Sounds like you werent looking where you were going.

joeguevara

Manhattans zero tolerance to crime. Dublin, especially OConnell street is becoming a no go area for me especially at night. Arrived back late (about 10 o’clock) from work a couple of months ago. Waiting for a taxi outside the Gresham and I felt nervous, which I never do.

About a year ago, I was walking through Westmlreland street, with a suitcase which I was pulling behind me minding my own business. A guy accidentally walked into the suitcase and started screaming and threatening me. If it wasn’t for his girlfriend who told him to calm down as it wasn’t my fault it would have ended badly.