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

magicbastarder

yep, downhill cyclists are expected to use the bus lane, uphill cyclists use that path. which leaves uphill cyclists who want to go past the junction of home farm road wondering what they're meant to do; i suspect that path wouldn't have been placed there were it not for a school being on the road, but again, what are kids cycling home from school uphill meant to do?

if you're heading in the direction of ballymun from the city centre, the cycling signs direct you past the botanic gardens, and to take a right at the met building, up old ballymun road, i.e. avoiding the uphill on mobhi road.

Effects

I often take Homefarm Road when cycling with a mate, and when we get to Mobhi Road he cycles down this path and I'm on the road. I'll point out the direction to him.

I rarely head the Ballymun direction myself, but if I was coming from the city centre I wouldn't go via botanic gardens and then met office. I'll have a look at the maps/distance now though. I had to head to from city centre to Decathlon last year and still just went straight up Mobhi Road. I was under time pressure though.

I cycle a good bit with a kid these days as well, and find I change my route based on what I think is safer with her on board.

Effects

I wouldn't agree with you on the carpenter analogy. A carpenter is just as likely to rush his work, to get more done, but at a lower standard.

magicbastarder

Someone else said that artic drivers should be held to higher standards than taxi drivers. It could be argued that taxi drivers carry much more precious cargos than artic drivers.

true, but it's not just the occupants we have to worry about.

magicbastarder

a close pass video (well, the aftermath of the initial close pass) with two twists - the verbal exchange is as gaeilge, and the cyclist was threatened with a caution for use of foul language when the gardai were shown the video:

https://twitter.com/CyclingForMind/status/1482812125785600005

i think that might be the road into carna in connemara? coming from the south east.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118490782#Comment_118490782

So apparently the guy was waiting for him after he cursed him for overtaking on a blind bend, this was in fact the second time he pulled in to threaten him. And the gardai are threatenign the cyclist with being at fault for using bad language. **** me, what's the point anymore, may as well just have a weapon in the pannier and sort it out at he scene because clearly the gardai don't give a f*ck anymore

I got the impression the guy had to follow up a few times and this was the Gardaí response to him looking for them to do their job.

fat bloke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118491712#Comment_118491712

The driving is awful but the Gaeilge is delicious. And wonderful to hear in the wild.

"Cuirfidh mé suas an ceamera sin id focain tóin"

"Overtake-áil leoraí níos fairsinge"

"Leveleáilfidh mé thú a chuint"

Proof the Irish language is alive and well, at least as long as they stop almost mowing each other down!

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118500843#Comment_118500843

Don't suppose anyone would like to provide bilingual subtitles for those of not skilled in the oul Gaeilge?

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118490782#Comment_118490782

Does he post a video of the original incident at all? Would be interesting to see it so as to get the full background to the story

CramCycle

People in Galway speak awfully fast, so I could be wrong. I struggle a bit but I am pretty sure many of those words were taught to me at a school going age but not in class,

F*cker

I'll talk to you

I'll put that camera up your ars*

I overtook you with loads of space

I'll level you you c**t

I think that's it, my son told me I had to stop listening as he suspected they were not speaking Irish

Suvarnabhumi

Before the wands were installed on this stretch of road, cars used to block the cycle path, while waiting to turn left to go to Dundrum Shopping Centre. Since the wands were installed, the road has become a death trap. I'm continuing on straight towards the lights in each clip.....

The last clip is from this morning.

https://streamable.com/qu0kaf

https://streamable.com/25eyrs

https://streamable.com/3vuuo4

magicbastarder

might be worth pinging the council about that?

Suvarnabhumi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118504683#Comment_118504683

I sent an email this morning, with the clips.

VonLuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118504640#Comment_118504640

I'm not sure what's happening. Are you not turning left in each clip?

Suvarnabhumi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118504986#Comment_118504986

I'm being forced to go left to avoid the cars that are cutting across me as my intended route is to go on straight.

magicbastarder

there are several junctions like that where i like to take the middle of the lane when going straight on, to avoid left hooks - the bollards make it harder to take the middle of the lane.

Yeah, until they change the design guidelines for junctions to be like Dutch junctions this will continue

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118505045#Comment_118505045

Bound to happen on the new Griffith avenue part too unless the light sequence is spot on. Cars won't be expecting bikes to go straight on either so for a while, and I wonder how long before a car just tries ploughing on straight too.

magicbastarder

inbound on the rock road as you approach the bottom of mount merrion avenue was one of the more problematic junction when i was commuting. the motorists had helped slightly in that they kept hitting the bollards and breaking them off.

magicbastarder

they're completely redesigning the junction where griffith avenue becomes griffith avenue extension, at the bottom of ballymun road. it looks like a bad compromise all round from what i've seen. i guess i'm not the target audience there though, AFAIK one of the main drivers is to make the route safer for kids cycling to and from school, there are several schools on or near griffith avenue.

Effects

When you say banning left turns, do you mean from Griffith onto Mobhi Road?

Doesn't that leave you having to do a loop around the triangle there, or else a left onto one of the island roads from Griffith Ave, right onto Homefarm, and left onto Mobhi. Rat running essentially.

magicbastarder

they seem to have achieved it by making the junction overcomplicated from what i could see; cyclists won't be able to cycle in a straight line through the junctions, but will be forced to shimmy twice, once each side of the junction, by raised chicanes. i might have misread the junction though, but i'd say cycling through it if you're not familiar with it, on a dark rainy night (especially when it's such a unique design) could be confusing.

VonLuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118505017#Comment_118505017

Oh right! Thought in the last clip (night time one) you were turning left anyways given that the car had past you and you still turned.

Regardless, if you weren't signalling left you shouldn't have been cut off.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118505638#Comment_118505638

Oddly enough, the cars won't have seen this but from my reading of the paint on the road, Suvarnabhumi should technically signal right to go straight there. A technicality as the cars won't see that point, in much the same way they didn't see the cyclist but it might help the motorist notice them until the council fix it.

Yeah I'd probably stick an arm out there if I was stuck in that cycle lane. Preference would be not to be in it in the first place coming out to that kind of junction.

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118505520#Comment_118505520

I don't see how they can ban left turns though as they're not allowing traffic coming from extension go straight, so they'll still have to go left as they always have normally. If they're to go right onto the old ballymun road, that's a terrible compromise as that road is in rag order, and really needs sorting. I think that cyclists going straight now, good in theory, will see interactions like above.

Coming from the old ballymun road too, the kerbs/ barriers are set in really stupid positions too for both cars and bikes imo, and they really need to put a yellow box on the turn after the hardware store as traffic, bikes, peds there all get caught because traffic coming up mobhi road doesn't ever yield and just blocks it.

I think it's a bad compromise all round for every mode

Effects

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118506616#Comment_118506616

If you weren't going straight, wouldn't you be taking that left slip? Or does that just take you to the lights to cross?

magicbastarder

https://twitter.com/JoannaDonnellyL/status/1484203127503036420

BoardsMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118468957#Comment_118468957

Only enforcement will change behaviour. Otherwise the implications of driving badly are irrelevant.

I just don't see why we can't have red light cameras. They were in Oz in the 90s. I drove over there a lot. It conditions you to being a better driver all round. Respecting speed limits, driving with more care.

And the corollary is also true, having very low enforcement leads to negative behaviour.

Wildly Boaring

Does he keep pushing through on the next guy too?

juicer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118558073#Comment_118558073

I think calling traffic watch is the way to go.

I made a report this way and guard contacted me in about 3 days. Their response time can vary a lot though.

Hurrache

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118558073#Comment_118558073

Certainly one for traffic watch.

ARX

Had some imbecile cut across me (I was in the cycle lane) from the centre lane into the Goat car park on the left the other day while staring at the phone in his lap:

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.2922974,-6.2290177,3a,49.6y,330h,78.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1skOh0V90udSp2dxhe2dccyQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

I had a Bontrager Ion daytime running light flashing merrily away but I doubt he ever knew I was there.

Nearly every driver going straight ahead at that junction wanders into the cycle lane. And then you've the clowns who use the left-turn-only lane to skip ahead of the straight-ahead lane, so you can get it from both sides in that lane.

EDIT: I'm thinking of getting a really obnoxious flashing light for use only when going through junctions like this in daytime. Any recommendations for something small, not too expensive, just one or two modes? Battery life irrelevant as it would only be used for a few seconds at a time.

magicbastarder

i was knocked down about 20 years ago probably 20m back from the camera position in that link. a young lad in a souped up yaris came out of the housing estate (knocknashee) and straight into me. his father paid for the damage; he'd literally only gotten the car that morning and his dad was terrified of getting the insurance company involved.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Had this absolute moron today nearly take me out in Cork City. Not even the correct indicator used before he decided to pull out in front of me on the wrong side of the road to complete a turn.

https://streamable.com/ae8xxo

Weepsie

Technically a hit. Cycling home from work, was about to get onto Walsh road in Drumcondra (beside the library and park. Car parked with lights on semi blocking the small cycle through lane. Went around it. Turns out he was letting someone ahead out who hadn't indicated at all, but still they were enough ahead for this to be fine and safe.

Then they stopped, so I stopped, then they reversed, and hit by wheel. Thankfully it was slow and I was on my tank. I was so f*cking angry with the though and get them a bit of an earful and told them to cop on and use their mirrors. Apologised profusely and was offering me money. I left them with a lesson in being attentive as all was fine with the bike.

jimm

Just sent this email to An Post, will post reply if I get one!!

For attention of An Post vehicle manager, Dublin Region.

On Saturday 05/02/22 I experienced a very close and dangerous pass by one of your drivers whilst I was cycling on Aylmer Road towards Newcastle, Co Dublin. The vehicle which passed me was a Transit type van clearly identified with "An Post" logo and travelling in the same direction as me about 1 km from Newcastle. The time of the close pass was approx 10.09AM and conditions at the time were very windy. As you are aware the minimum passing distance for vehicles passing cyclists is 1.5 meters. Your vehicle was literally inches from my right shoulder and I could have touched it with my hand without having to reach out too far. As the wind was very strong your driver should have allowed even more than the minimum 1.5 meters. I'm sure you can identify your vehicle which I assume is fitted with a GPS tracker.

I would suggest that you speak to your driver and maybe arrange to send him/her for further driver training, as your driver is clearly unaware of their responsibilities in regards to vulnerable road users such as cyclists. Your driver would definitely benefit from further training and it may help to save a life.

Regards,

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118562593#Comment_118562593

Is the carrying of missile launchers on top a regular thing in Cork now? Pea-souper fog or misty camera lens?

Imagine coming home and watching this back and only then realising how near you came to not making it home

https://twitter.com/theJeremyVine/status/1491843093938774023?s=20&t=lh-j_WEkxMAl9ypK1JSgww

magicbastarder

huh. i'd seen the first half of that video earlier and thought 'nothing out of the ordinary?'

magicbastarder

me too. the one benefit of feeling the waft of air past your ear as a bus eireann wing mirror misses you by about 30 or 50cm is that you get a great surge of adrenaline and can blast it out for the next kilometre or so.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613943#Comment_118613943

Agreed, but it isn't even close to my daily experience in Dublin, still all sorts of wrong. Shows you how even video can mislead though. If he only had a front camera you'd wonder why he was complaining, although I suspected the 2nd half due to the lorry's speed which didn't quite add up.

Ferris

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118703078#Comment_118703078

Very frightening! Please report that to trafficwatch.

magicbastarder

does the original video capture the number plate? i assume it's just a blur.

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118707748#Comment_118707748

I can make it out pausing it on 7 seconds. Didn't even realise the reg was in title.

magicbastarder

ah, i can see that now too - the embedded video was playing in low res for me.

Steoller

Jesus, I hope they got to the fire/toilet/toilet-fire in time.

sy_flembeck

Got a phone call this morning from the Guard who had received my Traffic Watch complaint of a veeeery close pass by a coach a couple of years ago. Prosecuted in the court for Careless Driving, pleaded guilty and fined €200. The camera never lies I guess! I still have the footage on another laptop so I'll post it shortly.

Proof that Traffic Watch complaints, while time consuming, aren't necessarily a waste of time.

What did occur to me afterwards however, is that when he pleaded guilty it means he was admitting that he had done it on purpose. Which is a pretty scary thing. One thing though, he won't be doing it again!

Kudos to the investigating Garda though. She was extremely professional throughout.

I have another complaint gone in last week which is even worse and also involves a bus driver. I'll post how that one goes (eventually!). What this guy did was utterly disgusting - to a person wearing a gilet with a picture of a camera on the back. And the words' RECORDING MY JOURNEY' 🙄

sy_flembeck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118734628#Comment_118734628

He saw me. It's clear on the footage that he saw me. It's actually obvious believe it or not. As I say, I'll put the footage up here and it'll explain itself