Journalism and Cycling 2: the difficult second album

Macy0161

Yellow boxes, and still doing tax and insurance checks in this day and age ffs!

Seth Brundle

Following on from the shocking killing of Ashling Murphy yesterday, gardai are looking for info on this bike...

https://twitter.com/gardainfo/status/1481676873751011331

The Salthill bike lanes saga goes on. The proposals for the 2 options on how to roll out the trial this summer have now been published. I've posted various links, drawings etc in the Galway Traffic thread linked below.

If you have time, please take time to review and submit a response. Note, the Galway Cycling Campaign is supporting Option #2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118469464#Comment_118469464

Seth Brundle

Cyclists will protest outside the Department of Transport on Monday evening over the lack of safe cycling infrastructure and cycle-awareness training for motorists.

The event, organised by the the Dublin Cycling Campaign and Cyclist.ie, was prompted by the death last month of 30-year-old Donna Fox who was killed in Dublin’s north inner city after a lorry hit her as she was cycling to work.

Cyclists will meet at Merrion Square West at 5.30pm and will cycle to be Department of Transport by 6.15pm.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/cyclists-to-protest-for-more-funding-following-road-deaths-1.2814597

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118476314#Comment_118476314

The Donna Fox incident was a few years back wasn’t it? I think it’s the anniversary more so than a recent incident

magicbastarder

that article dates from 2016!

fat bloke

Thank God they've really sorted out that safe cycling infrastructure and motorist awareness in the meantime eh?!

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118476872#Comment_118476872

Yeah. Not sure what I was thinking earlier. Don't know how it came up on my news feed.

magicbastarder

there's an opinion piece in the irish times weekend supplement today, by emer mclysaght - 'i'm a driver, but the cyclist is always right'.

bar some lazy (and thankfully brief) comments about lycra and cycling three abreast, it's pretty much a ringing endorsement of taking space off motorists to allow people to cycle more safely. i haven't found it on their website yet though.

Seth Brundle

^^^

https://twitter.com/dublincycling/status/1482290800230866945?t=gfbhowNxaq_Ry-VPRIV25g&s=19

magicbastarder

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/spotlight/arid-40784931.html

Thelonious Monk

Does every bloody article have to be titled "On yer bike"?

Seth Brundle

Not necessarily about cycling but an interesting read. I reckon I tick some of the 6 boxes pointing towards an addiction...

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/fitness/is-it-possible-to-exercise-too-much-and-how-much-is-too-much-1.4773974

Not strictly a news report, but no doubt interesting to the folks in this thread

I was pulling CSO data for something else and had a quick dig around for cycling & walking related data from the last census in 2016. A few things popped out

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cp6ci/p6cii/p6mtw/

Galway has the highest % of people commuting by walking out of all 5 cities at 16.4%. It also has the second highest % of cyclists at 5.8%. That kinda puts to bed the argument that people won't walk or cycle because rain

Often on this thread and other boards, the old line is thrown out that cycling is only for the young, the data shows there are cyclists of all ages, across both sexes, on our roads

There was a jump of 43% from the 2011 to 2016 census in the numbers cycling

Cycling has been growing since 2002 with the numbers of women cycling nearly doubling

There was further data from the National Travelling Survey in 2019

Cycling - CSO - Central Statistics Office

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-nts/nationaltravelsurvey2019/cycling/

First up, distance cycled shows a hell of a lot of cyclists are cycling a hell of a lot further than even I realised with the men age 75+ cycling the second highest avg distances overall

As for why people cycle...

Lastly, in terms of what is needed to make people cycle more, its pretty clear, safe infrastructure is the overwhelming answer

edit: no idea why the graphs are so small on this page. I've also posted this on the Galway traffic thread where things are more readable

magicbastarder

also, one thing you often hear is that 'it's fine for you being able to cycle because you're fit' but IIRC cycling burns one third the calories that walking does, over the same distance. cycling is the choice of the lazy, it seems.

buffalo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118491229#Comment_118491229

It's also a self-fulfilling prophecy/vicious circle/virtuous spiral - I don't cycle because I'm fit, I'm fit because I cycle!

(As evidenced by how unfit I am right now because I'm not cycling much... oh wait, am I not cycling much because I'm so unfit?! argh!)

magicbastarder

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2022/0118/1274261-cycling-school-infrastructure/

Hurrache

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118468913#Comment_118468913

No tax and insurance often leads to other forms of criminality in fairness, and it results in the removal of cars from the road.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118493050#Comment_118493050

That's always the excuse. At least 2 gards for hours on end, who could be doing something else. But notwithstanding that point, they could be using ANPR and doing manual checks and catch far more people.

magicbastarder

as someone i know who was (wrongly) chased for unpaid M50 tolls said, wouldn't it be amazing if the apparatus of the state was so keen to allow/use cameras to catch lawbreakers, as it is to protect revenue in what is probably a classic victimless crime.

Hurrache

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118493277#Comment_118493277

It's not really an excuse though. You'll often find them on routes that they know criminal elements will use to get to and from different places. Ballycoolin between Finglas and Corduff is somewhere you'll see them often despite the lack of residential estates in the area, some here might have come across them when cycling out to Meath via Hollystown and Ratoath on a weekend. Same with certain spots between Ballyfermot and Clondalkin. And it can be pretty obvious why they're there too, they won't be checking every car that comes their way, they'll wave you on through. They don't be there for hours on end either.

So it works as a deterrent and crime prevention too.

Macy0161

They could still use ANPR as well though. It isn't necessarily either/ or.

Stark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118493328#Comment_118493328

Yeah when I lived near Finglas, I was often stopped in what was obviously a criminal search. No attempt to look at my discs, just a straight up look at my face and in one case when I rolled down the window, the Garda looked in and said "oh sorry, never mind" and waved me on.

Tombo2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118493302#Comment_118493302

In my case, and this was more than 10 years ago, so I dont know how it works now -

the whole job of chasing unpaid tolls was outsourced to a solicitor firm in Kerry who were absolutely relentless and uncompromising; my missed toll of whatever 2 euro turned into a total fine of 500 euro. What specifically happened was that the motor office had a wrong address for me, the letters were going to a neighbours house and I was unaware of them. Once they arrived in, the fine had already escalated and my own solicitor advised me there was absolutely no way out.

Long story short = the process was conducted by private sector with a profit motive.

ARX

It's the same with local authority parking enforcement. I only ever see them in pay parking areas. It's revenue protection, nothing else.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118495711#Comment_118495711

For DLR, this is their stated policy. They will tell you that they won't come out to deal with footpath parking, except to paid parking areas.

Large bottle small glass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118495145#Comment_118495145

I had a row with that Kerry solicitor; Pearse something or other in Listowel I think.

https://www.pierse.ie/legal-services/m50-eflow/

I had 3 or 4 fines which built up to 140 odd each I think, because I hadn't bothered dealing with first few notifications.

At the time I had a toll tag but either had changed windscreen or the hadn't bothered getting a new holder after changing car; either way every single time I went through toll I forgot to take tag out of driver's door pocket and lift up to windscreen.

However on the days I was going through m50 toll i would have crossed watergrasshill/portlaoise and Boyne tolls. I argued, via email, that there must be some issue with communication between m50 toll and my tag; whichever it was wasn't my fault and I wouldn't pay.( I gave them a copy of my toll history)

I sent them a reminder once a week and escalated by saying if it went to court I'd be bringing an expert witness to defend the claim and be looking for my costs.

Shortly after I had a phone call where they offered a reduction but I wouldn't budge and refused pay any increased fine. They then agreed to reducing to the day rate (€3 I think) but I refused and said I should get the toll tag rate. The girl was fit to choke me, the Kerry in her could smell the chancer in me.

I enjoyed it, I've had a few similar exchanges with Apoca, Local Authorities and clamping crews

magicbastarder

my father once had an issue where they billed him twice going northbound in the space of five minutes, but no southbound trips.

it took a few days for him to convince them that doing that, without a southbound trip over the M50, in the space of five minutes, in my mum's old micra would have been the most incredible act of driving this country had ever seen.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118495847#Comment_118495847

Why is that a problem? The Council set up a system 21 years ago to deal with high demand and a lack of turnover of spaces in a few specific areas, near the DART line, town centres, business parks etc.

The revenue from that is balanced off against the numbers needed to enforce it. There aren't spare wardens, answerable to the Council, available to go off ticketing footpath parking or other infringements outside the pay parking zones. They would be a matter for the Guards.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118496210#Comment_118496210

Seems to be another strong justification for physical measures to prevent illegal parking