Near Misses Volume 2 (So close you can feel it)

fun loving criminal · 12-12-2021 11:19pm

If I'm stopped in front of a lane of traffic because of a red light, intending to turn right. Am I correct in thinking that any cars behind me has to wait behind me?

I had two drivers in the past week give me a fright with their awful driving or overtaking.

As the light turned green, and off I go, one driver overtook me on my left and turned right in front of me.

Another driver, overtook me on the right.

Wish drivers would cop on. We are vulnerable road users on bikes and crappy moves like this does frighten me.

tnegun · 12-12-2021 11:21pm

They should absolutely wait if they're turning right, if there's room to pass on the left and they're turning left or going straight they can continue but not if it puts you in danger.

magicbastarder · 12-12-2021 11:39pm

I'm a few quid down between getting checked out and filling a prescription to deal with my hip and elbow which are now fecked for the next week, I'll see how they get on I know some injuries take a while to appear.

send him the bill. from what you say, he did not indicate on time.

this is one of the things i do not like about those wands; i would often take up position in the middle of the road going through junctions to protect myself and the wands will often make this difficult to do.

TheChizler · 12-12-2021 11:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118312361#Comment_118312361

If he was indicating well in advance he'd have had right of way, not that that would absolve them of not checking mirrors and driving through someone. I think I'm OK thanks for asking, just soft tissue damage.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118312380#Comment_118312380

Yeah nice guy, came over to make sure I was OK! Though I was a bit shook so didn't thank him properly. It's a terrible cycle lane design for a junction and it's repeated all over the country. I'd normally join the main lane in this situation so this can't happen but couldn't with the bollards, though I'd rather have them than not.

tnegun · 12-12-2021 11:54pm

Good call re the bollards another example where the engineering actually makes it more dangerous

13-12-2021 12:24am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118312495#Comment_118312495

"If he was indicating well in advance he'd have had right of way, not that that would absolve them of not checking mirrors and driving through someone."

Indicators don't automatically give right of way usually. I'm no legal expert but this is a bit of a grey area to me or maybe I'm just being silly/ignorant. In the road traffic act I think it specifies you are allowed to filter up the left of stopped or slow moving traffic unless the traffic is indicating left, but I have no idea what applies when a cycle lane is involved. To me it's an active lane and to cross it is akin to crossing from the outside to the inside lane on a dual carriageway or motorway, in that you should be checking your left side mirror before turning across it and yield accordingly.

TheChizler · 13-12-2021 12:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118312668#Comment_118312668

That's the law I'm thinking of. Maybe right of way is the wrong term, just the cyclist shouldn't overtake in that situation. I don't think the cycle lane makes a difference, you're still overtaking. I've gone over the RTAs and Traffic and Parking acts a few times and there's very little in there that gives legal status to regular driving lanes either, they're all just part of the carriageway as far as I can tell. The mandatory cycle lane thing is the only thing that gets close.

TheChizler · 14-12-2021 11:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118313144#Comment_118313144

I wish I could be certain about that part, I'd be much more inclined to follow up if I could say 100% (though they're still wrong for not checking mirrors). I dropped my front camera/light a couple weeks ago and since then it only turns on sometimes, very annoying since this is the first interesting thing to happen to me on the bike!

TheChizler · 15-12-2021 10:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118323685#Comment_118323685

Yeah I wouldn't be hopeful of or looking for any sort of reprimand for that reason, I would like the statistic recorded, though I'm not sure anything ever gets reviewed. The more I think about it that junction as it is now couldn't be better designed to cause this sort of incident.

15-12-2021 1:35pm

Have you footage from the front?

TheChizler · 15-12-2021 4:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118324963#Comment_118324963

Annoyingly, no.

monkeybutter · 15-12-2021 6:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118312167#Comment_118312167

They are wrong for not checking mirrors, you are wrong for undertaking there

I'd chalk it down as a lesson learned and be glad its not worse

TheChizler · 15-12-2021 7:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118326935#Comment_118326935

I wouldn't be so sure about wrong (if you mean in a legal sense), it certainly wasn't sensible with the benefit of hindsight.

monkeybutter · 15-12-2021 7:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118327031#Comment_118327031

Legally I can't see how you would have the right of way there

I certainly would never leave myself in a situation where a car is outside me at a junction, I mean its impossible to stop someone overtaking you and turning, but that is exceptionally rare , but I would never move up the inside unless I can be sure I will be ahead

The bollards do make it worse there as you can't take the lane which is what you should do

TheChizler · 15-12-2021 7:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118327107#Comment_118327107

And I wouldn't normally either but as I said I was distracted trying to figure out where I s supposed to go next and continued on where the layout was directing me. The combination of poor layout, lapse in my self preservation checks, and the driver not checking mirrors before crossing the track didn't play out well here.

monkeybutter · 15-12-2021 10:41pm

Just because a person broke the law by not indicating doesn't mean this person can overtake left turning cars legally on the inside

It's like this, I indicate to turn left and you pull out in front of me, who is at fault

magicbastarder · 15-12-2021 11:17pm

oh dear.

ED E · 17-12-2021 1:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118320128#Comment_118320128

Its a cycle TRACK. Not a lane.

Cycle Track Edge Line, RRM 022

DaveyDave · 17-12-2021 3:23pm

So in the eyes of the law, a bike lane basically doesn't exist and you're essentially just passing on the inside. So worst case scenario, a cyclist isn't being careful and gets hit by a left turning car at least there's a responsibility on the driver to ensure it's safe to turn, regardless of who has right of way etc.

Weepsie · 17-12-2021 4:25pm

Cycled 90 mostly great km today. 63 around north Dublin and then I had to drop stuff off to folks and a friend in Dublin 15. In about 5 mins I had 3 dopes nearly take me out, 2 by deciding they wanted to get into my lane very suddenly and without any indication and another a taxi driver who wanted to buzz past me

magicbastarder · 18-12-2021 2:19pm

closest i've come to a self inflicted pratfall in a couple of years this morning. managed to leave the road at about 30km/h and drop into a churned up muddy rut left by cars, maybe two inches below the road surface at the side. just about managed to hold it upright as i came to an undignified halt.

CramCycle · 21-12-2021 5:51pm

Jesus, that's a hit and run, and the driver could face jail time unfortunately I suspect you will hear nothing other than "its your word against theirs". I would contact the local station if you think there is CCTV around, as it will be long gone by the time Trafficwatch get around to it.

ARX · 22-12-2021 6:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118338066#Comment_118338066

Is it just me, or are Dublin 15 drivers a tad worse than drivers in the rest of Dublin? (Not sure whether your 3 dopes were in Dublin 15 but I do seem to encounter more crap driving there than elsewhere in Dublin).

Weepsie · 22-12-2021 7:13pm

2nd time a deliveroo cyclist has nearly crashed into me in a week today as they were crossing illegally in all kinds of ways

DaveyDave · 22-12-2021 7:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118362027#Comment_118362027

Definitely seems that way when I'm cycling through Mulhuddart, a lot of my close calls are towards the end of my commute around D15.

Wildly Boaring · 22-12-2021 8:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118362362#Comment_118362362

I raise your D15 a Louth and I double raise my Louth with Donegal mad men

magicbastarder · 22-12-2021 9:17pm

there are certain car regs where i would automatically trust the driver less when i see them. maybe there are a lot of cork reg cars on the road, or maybe people driving cork reg cars are worse than average, but in the interests of self-preservation, i behave as if the latter is true.

magicbastarder · 24-12-2021 4:29pm

also on the ballymun road today (we were in the car) - the lights went red at the pedestrian crossing near the supervalu, and the chap in the white focus in front of us shimmied around the car in front, whose driver had probably already come to a stop, and floored it through a red which had been red for probably four seconds. a couple of people had already started to cross. i keep meaning to buy a dashcam; that's a set of lights whose only function is for a pedestrian crossing, so it was clear who'd have been given a green.

someone else nearly took me off the bike at the next junction up a couple of weeks ago.

24-12-2021 5:16pm

Had 3 close calls in one day about 6 weeks ago, just very close passes, while out around Athlone. Each one scared the living crap out of me.

After the third I decided to permanently take the middle of the lane regardless. 100% of the time, I'm in the middle of the lane. I've done this in the past on certain roads but now it's every road, every street, every day, every time.

Zero close passes since as it forces drivers to wait and overtake safely rather than trying to squeeze through.

Do I get honked at? On a daily basis.

Do I care? Not a jot.

Do I feel safer? 1,000,000%

DaveyDave · 24-12-2021 5:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118370357#Comment_118370357

Motorists get angry about doing this but it literally makes no difference. If it's safe to overtake they'll have the full lane on the other side of the road to pass so it doesn't matter if you're in the middle or the side of the lane. A car would take up the full lane and you need to go into the opposite lane to pass so there's no issue other than hating cyclists. I just don't get it. The amount if people who refuse to cross the lane marker to pass cyclists when the opposite lane is clear is mind boggling.

magicbastarder · 24-12-2021 6:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118370408#Comment_118370408

in this case, it was a couple who were not that steady looking on their feet, so they were slow to get crossing. would have been closer had they been more more agile.

tnegun · 26-12-2021 5:35pm

I was sent this on WhatApp so can't credit the original poster.

A close pass of a different kind, I'll think twice next time I'm passing Weston! edit: Just in case its not actually Weston but somewhere in the US I guess.

https://streamable.com/3w1yzc

magicbastarder · 26-12-2021 8:40pm

reminds me of the streetlights at the western end of the runway in dublin, i've wondered on occasion while the poles are so short, whether it's just in case a plane is coming in or leaving unusually low.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.4245484,-6.3056236,3a,75y,294.76h,93.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s5wZMAXzcxfBzk3suJ-XAyA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

26-12-2021 9:16pm

Does the height have any bearing on how they would be seen from the air at night?

magicbastarder · 26-12-2021 9:23pm

there's obviously a reason why lights would be a certain height, e.g. you can see the difference here between a minor and major road:

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3873195,-6.2649466,3a,75y,158.6h,87.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1suJ4-qfoDxNxkBuZjnVaGEA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

kennethsmyth · 06-01-2022 7:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118134847#Comment_118134847

Pull in front of bus and just stop for a minute fixing an imaginary pedal or something and when he/she gets agitated tell him/her what they have just done to get a couple of seconds in front and that now that extra time is gone

bmc58 · 06-01-2022 7:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118428979#Comment_118428979

Bus drivers are a law onto themselves.

wheelo01 · 06-01-2022 9:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118428996#Comment_118428996

We are indeed!!

That's just blind blaming of a complete category of road users, like SOME motorists blame ALL cyclist for everything, or SOME users blame ALL taxi drivers.

We have to realise there are bad road users (careless, inconsiderate, dangerous, law breaking, etc.), regardless of the category of vehicle they are using on the road.

Suvarnabhumi · 06-01-2022 11:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118428996#Comment_118428996

From this morning……

https://streamable.com/jx3zw9

I’ll be honest, it was a scary one. Wet and windy, I just about kept myself upright.

Ferris · 06-01-2022 11:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118430353#Comment_118430353

That’s a bad one. I had similar on the Rock road a few years back and reported it to DB and they straight away apologised and said that it would be put on the drivers record. You might request the cctv footage from DB.

I feel for DB drivers normally, not an easy job but I’ve had a few run ins with them at the same time.

standardg60 · 06-01-2022 11:41pm

Goes to show how dangerous those 1 metre wide painted cycle lanes can actually be, some drivers seem to think that once they don't encroach on them it's a safe pass.

06-01-2022 11:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118430353#Comment_118430353

Holy crap!

100% I'd be reporting that. There's loads of info between time, date, reg and route number.

That's honestly terrifying

06-01-2022 11:53pm

He probably saw nothing wrong with that, he's in his lane and I'm in mine!!!! Car behind gave you a bit more space from the looks of it.

DaveyDave · 07-01-2022 12:35am

A lot of recent clips seem to show people cycling too close to the curb. No reason to not be out further there, force them to wait due to on coming traffic and have to move out to pass rather than just passing you while trying their best to stay in their lane.

Pawwed Rig · 07-01-2022 8:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118430542#Comment_118430542

I have reported buses before for dangerous driving. Nothing ever comes of it. Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann don't care unless someone has been hit.

Suvarnabhumi · 07-01-2022 9:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118430830#Comment_118430830

I usually position myself on the broken white line at the very least, but if you look closely there's a man hole cover in my line, so I also go around it, especially on wet days. I knew there was a bus behind me, but with the oncoming traffic I thought he wouldn't try and pass. Silly me!

I send Dublin Bus an email yesterday, so am waiting a reply.

I didn't know I could request their video. Are they likely to send it to me, if I ask.

I do hate that stretch of road (on both sides). Going the opposite way isn't so bad, but I still get cars trying to overtake me where there's no room.