Cycling to work

AnneFrank

As i was cycling into work this morning, some 50ish year old woman was standing at a set of lights in the distance with her big dog, i went through the lights before hers as they had just changed from green to amber, but by the time i got to her lights the green man had just come on for her to cross, next thing i hear her scream the f**king lights and she threw something at me, i just laughed and kept going but when i looked down a black bag of dog sh*t was hanging off the frame of the bike, now i realize this is funny i've laughed myself but i was moving pretty quick and if it had got caught in the wheel itself it could have been dangerous, anyone else got any weird stories of cycling to work ?

Ray Palmer

Some people don't understand green light don't mean go but preceded if it is safe to do so.

Was cycling home from work and a guy randomly threw an egg at me. Hit my helmet but didn't know what it was at first. When I took off the helmet there were a pile of little scratches where it hit. Now I know how that woman was blinded by having a egg thrown in her face.

Some little scrotes threw carrots at me once too but caught one and managed to hit them square in the face.

cletus

Had a fella throw a MacDonalds cup full of vomit at me out the window of a moving car

Wishbone Ash

A woman threw a pound of soft butter at me about 25 years ago while cycling to work (for no apparent reason). I subsequently learned she 'wasn't well'.

Also had a plastic bottle and a cup of coffee thrown at me by passengers in boy racer type skanger cars

MojoMaker

OP, are we reading that correctly, you continued cycling through a pedestrian light while the green man was showing the pedestrian?

AnneFrank

MojoMaker wrote: »

OP, are we reading that correctly, you continued cycling through a pedestrian light while the green man was showing the pedestrian?

When i went through my lights they were just off green to amber, but as i got to the next they literally turned red and the green man appeared as i went through them, i didn't cycle through a red light i never do, but to be honest, i don't think it's ok to throw anything at anyone, like crap, butter or puke as above !

Weepsie

You're supposed to stop on an amber light (unless unsafe to do so). Bloody Amber Light Jumpers!

charlietheminxx

It's not ok that she threw something at you, but it is also not ok that you broke the lights. If it was green for her, you should have stopped.

mr spuckler

got pelted with snowballs a couple of times in the heavy snow a few years ago. the most useful my helmet has ever needed to be for protection of my noggin

Dial Hard

AnneFrank wrote:

When i went through my lights they were just off green to amber, but as i got to the next they literally turned red and the green man appeared as i went through them, i didn't cycle through a red light i never do, but to be honest, i don't think it's ok to throw anything at anyone, like crap, butter or puke as above !

I don't know why you keep referring to what colour the previous lights were as if it's relevant.

Wishbone Ash

Dial Hard wrote: »

I don't know why you keep referring to what colour the previous lights were as if it's relevant.

Of course it's relevant. Once you have legally entered the junction, you have control of the junction as such and are entitled to exit regardless of the light colour.

As another poster has said, green doesn't mean go, it means go, only if your way is clear and it is safe to do so. obviously it wasn't clear or safe for the pedestrian to cross despite having a green light.

There are several junctions in Dublin which can be entered on green but difficult to clear in time prior to the other lights changing.

Takca

Dial Hard wrote: »

I don't know why you keep referring to what colour the previous lights were as if it's relevant.

It seems relevant, if its part of the same junction

It reads to me like both sets of lights were in the same junction, OP entered the junction as the lights turned from green to amber. By the time they reached the other side of the junction the pedestrian crossing lights had turned green. So they either had to stop (possibly in the middle of a crossroad) or cross the pedestrian crossing.

smacl

Got a whack of a coat hanger on the arse from the passenger of a passing car on the military road a few years back. Sore enough to leave a welt but luckily dampened by the padding on shorts or it would have been serious. Can't say I saw much humour in it at the time.

thejaguar

Has there ever been a cycling thread on here that didn't descend into a debate about the rules of the road?

A lady threw a bag at sh*t at someone because she was (probably not) forced to consider his presence in her universe.
It almost sounds like people are defending that, because someone else may or may not have broken the rules of the road.

khaldrogo

Many years ago (1997) I was cycling by Trinity College coming from Fleet St heading to Grafton St and went through the pedestrian lights as they went Amber and some auld bollix banker type with an umbrella (it was summer) stuck the umbrella into my front wheel. Over the bars I went and smack onto the floor. He then starts poking me with the umbrella and shouting about a red light. I was only a kid and was in shock. I just picked up the bike and cycled on!!!

charlietheminxx

thejaguar wrote: »

Has there ever been a cycling thread on here that didn't descend into a debate about the rules of the road?

A lady threw a bag at sh*t at someone because she was (probably not) forced to consider his presence in her universe.
It almost sounds like people are defending that, because someone else may or may not have broken the rules of the road.

Would you feel the same if a driver broke the lights and risked the safety of a pedestrian or a cyclist? We all have a duty to be courteous and respectful of other road users. Throwing stuff is unacceptable, nobody is saying otherwise.

Mc Love

I know its early in the morning, but some motorists are seriously dopey and arent anticipating the light change, like I would if I was in the car, but I've gotten quite good at anticipating the change now, that I can normally get a head start or give the first car beside me way to proceed, but sometimes they dont know how to deal with cyclists.

AndrewJRenko

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Dial Hard wrote: »

I don't know why you keep referring to what colour the previous lights were as if it's relevant.

Of course it's relevant. Once you have legally entered the junction, you have control of the junction as such and are entitled to exit regardless of the light colour..

Is there any source for this please? It sounds like a bit of a charter for amber gamblers. I looked through ROTR recently and couldn't find anything beyond 'stop on red'.

Weepsie

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Is there any source for this please? It sounds like a bit of a charter for amber gamblers. I looked through ROTR recently and couldn't find anything beyond 'stop on red'.

ROTR are not statute. People who hang on the ROTR would be better served at looking through the Road Traffic Act. You can't proceed until the junction/way is clear.

So if Car/Cyclist enters junction (legally) on green and light changes mid way (more likely on a slow moving bike) then the other traffic should be waiting. Pedestrians included.

troyzer

The OP said the woman and the dog were standing in the distance. Her use of previous lights as well suggests that she went through one set of lights and in the distance were another set of lights.

This set of lights went green for the pedestrian and she cycled through it when it was obviously red for her. The woman was rightly pissed off and instinctively lashed out.

Throwing **** at someone is poor form, but the OP is 100% in the wrong here.

If you break a red light and nearly run over a woman and her dog, your bike covered in ****e seems like fair punishment.

And I say that as someone who is about to take up cycling.

AnneFrank

troyzer wrote: »

The OP said the woman and the dog were standing in the distance. Her use of previous lights as well suggests that she went through one set of lights and in the distance were another set of lights.

This set of lights went green for the pedestrian and she cycled through it when it was obviously red for her. The woman was rightly pissed off and instinctively lashed out.

Throwing **** at someone is poor form, but the OP is 100% in the wrong here.

If you break a red light and nearly run over a woman and her dog, your bike covered in ****e seems like fair punishment.

And I say that as someone who is about to take up cycling.

Lots of assumptions here but actually there was no chance of anyone getting run over but as a potential cyclist I guess you must have all the answers

ED E

Cream bun. Must have been a fairly good pitch too.

rubadub

charlietheminxx wrote: »

Throwing stuff is unacceptable, nobody is saying otherwise.

well they are now

troyzer wrote: »

If you break a red light and nearly run over a woman and her dog, your bike covered in ****e seems like fair punishment..

I WAS "run over"/knocked down by a pedestrian breaking a red light. I certainly don't think they deserved a bag of shit to be thrown at them and they DID hit me, and the lights had not just turned green/red moments before.

Also can you quote the bit which gave you the impression the woman was "nearly run over"?

Imagine people in cars started firing bags of shite at all the illegal jaywalkers they come across. You'd need a daily visit a dog pound and trailer to carry around the amount you'd need.

TheChizler

AnneFrank wrote: »

Lots of assumptions here but actually there was no chance of anyone getting run over but as a potential cyclist I guess you must have all the answers

Can you confirm for all the pedants that the lights were part of the same junction? And that the lights turned amber as you were passing them? Then we can get on with all the hilarious tales of assault.

AnneFrank

TheChizler wrote: »

Can you confirm for all the pedants that the lights were part of the same junction? And that the lights turned amber as you were passing them? Then we can get on with all the hilarious tales of assault.

Yes I can confirm same junction, the thread was just meant for similar funny / dangerous stories, for the record I didn't even challenge the woman I just laughed it off, I think it was just an instinctive reaction

troyzer

AnneFrank wrote: »

TheChizler wrote: »

Can you confirm for all the pedants that the lights were part of the same junction? And that the lights turned amber as you were passing them? Then we can get on with all the hilarious tales of assault.

Yes I can confirm same junction, the thread was just meant for similar funny / dangerous stories, for the record I didn't even challenge the woman I just laughed it off, I think it was just an instinctive reaction

So it was the same junction but the lights were in the distance.

Right......

Wishbone Ash

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

.... and couldn't find anything beyond 'stop on red'.

If that was the case, no one would be able to turn right or left at traffic lights as they would be facing a red light. Hence the reason they don't apply when you are already in the junction.

(Apologies to the OP for going off topic).

07Lapierre

Halloween is just around the corner...wait till the little ****s start throwing fireworks at cyclists!

AndrewJRenko

Weepsie wrote: »

ROTR are not statute. People who hang on the ROTR would be better served at looking through the Road Traffic Act. You can't proceed until the junction/way is clear.

So if Car/Cyclist enters junction (legally) on green and light changes mid way (more likely on a slow moving bike) then the other traffic should be waiting. Pedestrians included.

So once I can get through the first light on the barest late flash of amber, I'm golden - right? I can then just fly through the remaining red without a care?


Is there a source for this please?

TheChizler

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

So once I can get through the first light on the barest late flash of amber, I'm golden - right? I can then just fly through the remaining red without a care?


Is there a source for this please?

If you were driving would you just sit at the second set of lights blocking traffic coming from the left or right?

Anyway here's the law. Section 13. There may or may not be a newer one.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1964/si/294/made/en/print

13.—(1) Subject to paragraph (4) of this bye-law, a driver facing a traffic light lamp which shows a red light shall not proceed beyond the stop line at that light or, if there is no such stop line, beyond that light.

magicbastarder

ah here, can we just drop the debate about lights? it's beyond tedious.

(said *without* mod hat on).