Journalism and Cycling 2: the difficult second album

zell12

E-bike battery fires appear to be rising.., BBC reporting that one goes up in flames in London every two days.

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/dublin-news/dublin-fire-brigade-rescue-nine-people-from-apartment-after-e-bike-battery-blaze/a894529012.html

magicbastarder

I like that they've blurred the brands on the bikes in the photo to protect their identity.

Would be interesting to find out if anyone is keeping track on fires caused by 'reputable' brands Vs ones that are dirt cheap.

Ferris

The bikes pictured look to be DIY ebike conversions rather than branded factory built ebikes. One is using a 'Yose Power' battery for instance which is a popular and relatively reputable conversion brand - also none of the pictured bikes look to be fire damaged.

At a guess I would imagine that the vast majority of ebike fires were from DIY conversions. My Bosch ebike developed a fault with the battery where the battery pack (after many many miles and cycles) was heating up under use and it rendered it unusable due to the system raising errors - ergo there was some level of control which may or may not be present with some conversion kits.

Re. the BBC report of two fires every day due to ebikes in London - I wonder how many cars go on fire every day, although I suppose cars are not usually kept dwellings or stairwells.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120982409#Comment_120982409

Yeah, it should be relatively simple. But the same could be said of putting in place a decent cycle lane network - the common denominator in both failings is general apathy towards cycling. Again though, I think attitudes are slowly shifting for the better.

JMcL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120980871#Comment_120980871

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120981379#Comment_120981379

I don't really buy this. If you're talking about groceries, then everybody will have (notionally) a broadly similar level of calorie requirements per week, and will thus need similar amounts of food. I'm fortunate in that I live in walking distance of a couple of supermarkets, so would actually do the shop on foot. Sure, if I'm out in the car anyway and need to pick up the dinner, I'll do it in the car maybe picking up heavy and/or bulky stuff like water, bog roll, spuds etc while doing so - but this wouldn't be a determinant. I tend to shop 2-3 times per week as a result, but that's fine for me, and I would imagine my weekly spend (the important thing for businesses) is not that dissimilar to somebody filling their boot on a "weekly shop". I'm shopping for a family of 5, and would do probably 95% of the grocery shop. I'll grant you this wouldn't suit everybody if they're not close to the shop for example, but in the self-same Aldi where I usually shop, I would have difficulty parking a bike were I to shop with it due to the aforementioned Sheffield stands as secondary trolley bays for the lazy.

Another example. When on holiday in the Vendee last month I generally did the shopping on the bike. There were 2 supermarkets right beside each other - a Super U with extensive cycle infrastructure and covered secure bike parking, and an Intermarche with a single rack of wheel benders, and access from a busy roundabout. Guess which one got the business (not just mine - a lot of people were rocking up by bike as the infrastructure was there).

This can be view by the discredited notion among shop owners (and hence rate payers so local authorities tend to give them a weighing in terms of opinion) that unless drivers can drive right up to their front door, they're going to go out of business - 'cause everybody buys American fridge feezers, 75" TVs etc on a weekly basis and there's no other way to sell them. Waterford Applemarket is a case in point. Beautiful on the face of it "pedestrian" space - except it's open to cars as a handful of shops whinged, My kids nearly got mowed down there when they were younger as there was nothing to suggest it wasn't just a big safe space.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120981828#Comment_120981828

I think the tide is turning with Ikea. They're opening up collection points all over usually (🤣🤣) in Tesco carparks by the looks of it

zell12

Another cyclist killed by a car

https://www.thejournal.ie/cyclist-dies-crash-baunmore-clare-6144650-Aug2023/

RTE say cyclist in a collision

https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2023/0816/1400123-fatal-rtc/

average_runner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120980737#Comment_120980737

Amount of cars broken into over in liffey valley over the years, would say otherwise. A good few taken from the car park also

p15574

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120982409#Comment_120982409

Agreed. If I lock my bike outside a supermarket, I ensure I'm only just nipping in to quickly grab what I need, in case the bike is nicked. If I knew it was secure, I'd stay longer and buy more.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120986517#Comment_120986517

Fair comments and there's definitely scope for changing things. Again, I'm just trying to argue the point from the other side of the fence for the sake of teasing out some arguments... unlikely to get many motorists or supermarket/ shop owners popping into the thread to share their viewpoint.

A lot of it will come down to local infrastructure. You do your shopping on foot - I live in Wicklow and the nearest shop (Aldi) for weekly groceries is 7 km away. There's a smaller Centra 4km away. There's a tiny 'village shop' 2km away. That's it. I'll do a big shop once a week at most. Will entail two full bags. Not a hope I'm transporting them by foot. And I don't have the space or finance to invest in a cargo bike for this one purpose.

On the other side of the fence, take Greystones... really not much of a reason why the big Supervalu on the main street needs a car park next to it. Surely people who shop there can carry/ cycle their shopping home. You could then largely pedestrianize the main street and make it a great public space promoting a proper quality of life with people walking around, browsing, eating, drinking, window shopping etc. This is kind of the point I'm making about town planning/ planning public spaces, facilities etc. Everything right up to the present day, with all the new housing estates popping up outside towns and villages, is based on the idea of everyone having a car and 'going places' 'to do things' in it.

Calculator123

Another boy hit by a car while cycling in Cork at the weekend has since died, sadly.

A girl pedestrian hit by a car last night in Limerick has also died.

Terrible avoidable tragedies. Drivers need to slow down, make space, be patient or face serious consequences/ punishment. Small fines are not a deterrent. Lifetime driving bans and prison. (And enforcement)

The man who died in Co. Clare yesterday was an avid, experienced cyclist apparently. Drivers have no patience on that road, huge speed, no verge. Lots of tourists on bikes use it. Another cyclist was killed in Co. Clare a few weeks back. Driver in court.

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/two-youngsters-die-in-separate-tragedies-in-cork-and-limerick/a1435612742.html

Duckjob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120989978#Comment_120989978

When I hear these awful stories, and then I hear the usual comments about how those children shouldn't have been allowed there unsupervised etc etc, what I think is this:

I imagine being the driver in close promixity to them and I try to imagine a scenario where even an extremely foolish action on their part not could be mitigated and protected against by my hyper-awareness of their presence and driving with hyper-care until I was well clear of them.

I find it next to impossible to fatham a scenario where they could still overcome such hyper-care to such an extent that it would result in their death.

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120991400#Comment_120991400

Agree. We need to get this hyper awareness as standard when motorists are interacting with pedestrians and especially children, see it too often on our streets people who are cocooned in cars oblivious to the speeds they are doing. So called Professional drivers are often the worst offenders

Mr. Cats

Decent article here in Examiner re dangers of cycling

https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/people/arid-41206312.html

Calculator123

You're both absolutely spot on. In a car you are in control of a lethal weapon, protected by airbags, crash cages, seatbelts.

Hyper awareness is a great term - always assume you are putting someone more vulnerable in danger i.e. pedestrians and cyclists, and act accordingly.

More details on the poor boy hit in Cork - at a pedestrian crossing...8 years old........just awful

https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2023/0817/1400209-cork-rta/

Seth Brundle

Irish Times editorial on council's improving cycling infrastructure...

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/editorials/2023/08/17/the-irish-times-view-on-cycling-infrastructure-in-dublin-pedals-are-starting-to-turn/

Is it just me or is it fairly lame?

They could easily have written something with a bit more conviction IMO.

tomasrojo

I'm a bit late to the supermarket parking discussion, but there were a couple of points that are quite nuanced.

People who shop by car on average buy more per trip, but they make fewer trips.

In some places, motorist shoppers are the minority. Dublin city centre, for example.

Shops with "ample" parking have a much bigger footprint than they'd have otherwise, and this cost is usually passed on to customers fairly equally. Which means non-motorists indirectly subsidize motorists, since they're indirectly paying for the same parking, but they don't use it.

It's not really clear whether supermarkets are trying actively to encourage people to drive. In a motornormative society people already largely expect a shop that isn't in a city centre to facilitate anyone who wants to drive there, and development models already include "ample" parking.

SuperValu/Musgraves probably have terrible bike parking because management of that group are hostile to cycling, and Aldi, who have very many motorist customers who buy in bulk have better parking because management there isn't as hostile in that regard.

Thelonious Monk

It really gets on my nerves how many of the comments on social media regarding the little boy who was killed say oh god the poor child and of course the poor driver too!

It's like they're saying obviously it wasn't his fault as anyone on a bike kind of has it coming as they've seen one break a red light the other day, when it's probably down to an impatient or careless person at the wheel.

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120993730#Comment_120993730

Ya same as - but I think it shows how endemic the problem is in the Irish Motoring Society that people deep down know within themselves that there own driving behaviour at times could have led to fatal outcomes so they have this tendency to have sympathy for the driver even though the details of this case are unknown other than the incident happened at a traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing. #Iamadrivermyself

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120995051#Comment_120995051

I actually saw these comments on the teenage girl pedestrian who was killed articles too. Apparently it was a hit and run and the car was abandoned but yeah, the poor driver.

TheChizler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120993118#Comment_120993118

My wife saw the aftermath and saw it was a massive Ford Ranger involved. I have a third hand account from someone who witnessed it so won't give the details.

The Minister is alarmed at the rising number of road fatalities..... that's it, sorry if you were expecting more

http://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2023/0818/1400493-road-safety/

elchupanebrey

The death rates will continue to rise because you can get away with speeding, running red lights, mobile phone use, driving through pedestrian crossings, dangerous passing/hitting of vulnerable road users. The chances of a driver suffering any real consequences as result of carrying out any of the above are slim to none.

Seth Brundle

I wouldnt have expected this kind of article on the Newstalk site...

https://www.newstalk.com/news/dublin-cyclists-fear-being-bullied-environmental-engineer-1498422

tomasrojo

The 2011 index in which Dublin did well seems to have been the Copenhagenize Index, which was always opaque. Dublin is definitely better than in 2011. However, even in an index without Mikael Colville-Andersen involved, Dublin could be better and falling down the index because improvements have come more slowly than in many other cities.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121004445#Comment_121004445

Also still in recession where cycling was much nicer for a few years, whether anyone admits it or not, my experience was cycling was far more pleasant during the recession in regards commuting.

Duckjob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121004403#Comment_121004403

The cynic in me can't help thinking that they publish this sort of content because regardless of whether it sounds sympathetic to cyclists or is cyclist bashing they know it will cause mass triggering among their audience of gammons.

In other words, the topic is an 'old reliable' to crack open when they want to stoke up their audience and get in a slew of angry calls and texts.

https://twitter.com/SouthDubCycling/status/1693510368180482408?s=20

Full scheme details below

https://kimmagescheme.ie/

The RSA got rightly slated for this tweet

https://twitter.com/RSAIreland/status/1692543739573457301?s=20

Irish Cycle did a long thread as a response on the urban makeup of Ballina where the RSA is based and how poor the pedestrian and cycling infrastructure is. The icing on the cake is this one below where pedestrian access to the RSA is locked

https://twitter.com/IrishCycle/status/1694005516026998990?s=20

The thread starts from this tweet for those interested

https://twitter.com/IrishCycle/status/1693982341700677835?s=20

A lad knocked off the bike in Cork, taken to hospital with numerous injuries. As for the actions of the Gardai, surely it can't be SOP to allow someone involved in a hit & run to just head on after a chat

https://twitter.com/BikeCommutingIE/status/1693970845037633541?s=20

The full content of the reddit post is below

Hi from a bed in the Mercy.

Got knocked down while I was cycling to work along the Douglas Road yesterday morning. Felt like something like this was coming for a long time given the state of driving in Cork nowadays as well as the attitude of the Gardaí.

I have a broken collarbone in two places, ligament damage plus fractured wrist, and ligament damage in my leg.

I was in primary position avoiding parked cars. The driver(White Mercedes CLK) that hit me tried to overtake with oncoming cars, misjudged and went through me instead. I was doing about 30km/h at the time. They failed to stop but came back five/ten minutes later when the Gardaí and ambulance were on the scene and tried to claim I was "in the middle of the road". Gardaí let them go home, which shocked me considering what happened in Carrigaline last week. I was pretty angry and they said there wasn't much they could do.

Gardaí have yet to provide wife with much details or the drivers insurance.

I have good footage of the collision but if anyone drove past the Douglas Road at around 08.10 yesterday morning that might have extra footage of anything before or after it'd be very helpful. I was on a red hybrid bicycle, I'm a big chunky lad, brown hair and bright blue jacket. Also had lights on at the time.

Thanks again to the few people that did stop and help, Absolute saints.

Doubt I'll ever be back on a bike on the road again given the injuries and the knock that my confidence has taken.

Small edit. Thanks for the messages and responses.

Will be getting a "Pulse" number from the Gardaí tomorrow, if I'm discharged that is. Was kept in for observation and waiting on scan results.

The driver was a lady in her late 40s. I know we all do it considering the car they were driving to assume it was a man.

I'm in good spirits. I think I have plenty of evidence and statements from witnesses so that's hopefully enough to pursue the driver for some sort of dangerous driving.

Will hopefully give an update in a few months, but completely unaware of how long these things take so could be longer.

Link to the post

https://www.reddit.com/r/cork/comments/15xyeuk/well_****_me_anyone_a_witness/

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121013320#Comment_121013320

Shocking. Unfortunately for him he's in for another shock when he discovers that dangerous driving is a crime and as it will be up to the Gardai to initiate (through the DPP) criminal charges, it'll almost certainly go nowhere. Hope he has better luck with a civil claim.

I generally have good experiences with drivers on the roads when you consider the sheer number you come into contact (not literally!) with on a 60/ 90 min commute. The good ones almost always outweigh the bad ones. People are generally decent - or at least there are more decent people than asshats. It's surprising though, given the attitude of so many in authority... Gardai, RSA etc etc. Constant victim blaming and fear mongering.