Journalism and Cycling 2: the difficult second album

Daroxtar

It's never a "Bicycle Accident"

https://slate.com/business/2021/03/shawn-bradley-bicycle-hit-by-car.amp?via=rss&__twitter_impression=true

Tombo2001

Daroxtar wrote: »

It's never a "Bicycle Accident"

https://slate.com/business/2021/03/shawn-bradley-bicycle-hit-by-car.amp?via=rss&__twitter_impression=true

Thats a great article.

The thing about articles is that they leave me a bit nervous about being on a bike.

The fact however is that its still probably more risky for me to drive a car or be a pedestrian, but still it leaves me nervous.

magicbastarder

https://twitter.com/Bicicleto_ZGZ/status/1372290555816914948

TL;DW - in australia you can now be fined over AUS$1500 for exceeding 10km on a bike in a pedestrian zone.

Thelonious Monk

Absolute madness in Australia, to think a bunch of politicians actually allowed these fines to happen. They now fine you the same fine for being on your mobile as they do motorists. Kids are being fined for riding their BMX on footpaths and for not having helmets. It sounds like an anti-cyclists paradise, next they'll have registration plates and the likes.

Hurrache

Almost ironic given BMX Bandits was made and set in Australia. Maybe that's the root of all their problems with bikes, despite them ultimately being the heroes.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.thejournal.ie/two-adults-and-infant-girl-hospitalised-after-car-mounts-footpath-in-mullingar-5384424-Mar2021/

I thought it was only cyclists who were dangerous on footpaths? The man fled the scene and people are still making excuses for him in the comments.

breezy1985

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

https://www.thejournal.ie/two-adults-and-infant-girl-hospitalised-after-car-mounts-footpath-in-mullingar-5384424-Mar2021/

I thought it was only cyclists who were dangerous on footpaths? The man fled the scene and people are still making excuses for him in the comments.

All it's missing is complaints that the pedestrians were not wearing helmets.
More people than not are calling for him to do time in fairness

Thelonious Monk

Yes it's just the constant bullsh*t I have to read about people "nearly" being hit by cyclists or their OAP mother being nearly hit every time she goes to the shops.
When in reality people get killed by cars on footpaths regularly enough and every footpath in Ireland has cars driving and parking on them, but that gets a free pass.

RobertFoster

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Yes it's just the constant bullsh*t I have to read about people "nearly" being hit by cyclists or their OAP mother being nearly hit every time she goes to the shops.
When in reality people get killed by cars on footpaths regularly enough and every footpath in Ireland has cars driving and parking on them, but that gets a free pass.

I saw this tweet earlier in the week and thought of this thread.

https://twitter.com/WalkableCityBoy/status/1371141945041457156

magicbastarder

Covid-19: Cabinet split on easing 5km limit in April as work from home advice to remain until June
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/covid-19-cabinet-split-on-easing-5km-limit-in-april-as-work-from-home-advice-to-remain-until-june-1.4514206

wheelo01

If that remains - I am out, it's the only thing keeping me going since I realised the flights I booked for May wont be getting used (booked middle last year), I've done everything asked of me, yet shortly after another school resumption without vaccination, figures are jumping again, but it cant be the schools at fault.
"Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result" is the definition of madness.
They are losing public "buy in" and they dont seem to realise it.

I cant see the big problem with me going for a cycle solo within the confines of the county boundaries , at a minimum, not stopping for coffee, etc., wearing a ssnood.Cycling within my 5km boundary keeps me in the traffic (such as it is)breathing in car fumes or doing loops of the park with much traffic .

AS an elderly man said to me today - "Stsy safe, Stay sane"

Seth Brundle

wheelo01 wrote: »

If that remains - I am out, it's the only thing keeping me going since I realised the flights I booked for May wont be getting used (booked middle last year), I've done everything asked of me, yet shortly after another school resumption without vaccination, figures are jumping again, but it cant be the schools at fault.
"Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result" is the definition of madness.
They are losing public "buy in" and they dont seem to realise it.

According to NEPHET yesterday, it is the public causing it. Too many people are going back to work or mixing elsewhere which is causing the numbers to remain higher than they should be.

wheelo01 wrote: »

I cant see the big problem with me going for a cycle solo within the confines of the county boundaries , at a minimum, not stopping for coffee, etc., wearing a ssnood.Cycling within my 5km boundary keeps me in the traffic (such as it is)breathing in car fumes or doing loops of the park with much traffic .

What they want is for everyone to stay at home as much as possible. Whilst you or I heading out further than 5km isn't an issue, it could be.
Also the rule is for everyone; Cyclists, golfists, footballists and hurlists, horse ridists, etc.

Breezer

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://twitter.com/Bicicleto_ZGZ/status/1372290555816914948

TL;DW - in australia you can now be fined over AUS$1500 for exceeding 10km on a bike in a pedestrian zone.

If only there were some sort of way of separating pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles.

CramCycle

Strong hints that the distance will be lifted on the 5th, wat the new distance will be though is hard to see though.
Personally I think if they gave two separate metrics and chose one or the other and said here are the targets, we would get far better compliance but c'est la vie.
Imagine the list of restrictions had associated case load or vaccination numbers associated with it, and when we hit a target, there would be a small alleviation of restrictions. Not a big one but enough that a, people felt a reward (this isn't for me, I know what the rewards are but several people don't) and therefore felt further compelled to stay 2m apart, not hang around indoors anywhere too long and so on.

Stark

I don't think we're going to make the targets that were set out by April 5th though ( < 75 in ICU and < 400 cases a day if I recall). The vaccines of course are out of the public's control. So the decision will likely based on whether they can keep going with increasing public lockdown fatigue or whether to have some relaxation to give people hope again. (My own opinion on this has always been that taking a hardline on outdoor activities with lockdown fatigue setting in only serves to drive people towards indoor socialising so strong case for some relaxation there).

CramCycle

Stark wrote: »

I don't think we're going to make the targets that were set out by April 5th though ( < 75 in ICU and < 400 cases a day if I recall). The vaccines of course are out of the public's control. So the decision will likely based on whether they can keep going with increasing public lockdown fatigue or whether to have some relaxation to give people hope again. (My own opinion on this has always been that taking a hardline on outdoor activities with lockdown fatigue setting in only serves to drive people towards indoor socialising so strong case for some relaxation there).

Pretty much, the weather is improving, people are starting to get out more. There is also the idea that the numbers not going down is due to people meeting up indoors on the quiet. Some of my neighbours are at it, and to be honest, I'd sooner they went out drinking in public parks than hiding in a sitting room for several hours without any airflow. My own home parish has just had a major outbreak, and as soon as I heard the 1st name I was able to name the others who were called in. My father said he doesn't know how so and so got it, I do, they were all meeting up for coffees and tea, albeit separately but some of them were travelling house to house so while most thought they were only breaking the rules with one, they were really doing it with 40.

They don't need a major lift that will drive us backwards but enough to make it tolerable for awhile longer, access to non team sports, extending exercise limit (although I am not sure as it will mean tons driving to places and congregating, so maybe not). Open up specific industries eg construction sites but keep office closed.

at1withmyself

Sorry but we're did you see the target numbers quoted below? It would be nice to know that we are actually working to a target as I've not noticed numbers mentioned before, just arbitrary dates.

Stark wrote: »

I don't think we're going to make the targets that were set out by April 5th though ( < 75 in ICU and < 400 cases a day if I recall). The vaccines of course are out of the public's control. So the decision will likely based on whether they can keep going with increasing public lockdown fatigue or whether to have some relaxation to give people hope again. (My own opinion on this has always been that taking a hardline on outdoor activities with lockdown fatigue setting in only serves to drive people towards indoor socialising so strong case for some relaxation there).

Stark

Not sure what the exact figure was for cases (I'm pretty sure my recollection is correct for the ICU numbers). Leo Varadkar mentioned them in an interview. Obviously because it's Varadkar, take it with a certain pinch of salt.

at1withmyself

Stark wrote: »

Not sure what the exact figure was for cases (I'm pretty sure my recollection is correct for the ICU numbers). Leo Varadkar mentioned them in an interview. Obviously because it's Varadkar, take it with a certain pinch of salt.

Cheers, as Cram says it would be great if we were working to numbers rather then dates.

I think last time we moved from the 5km limit to the county wide travel there was approx 40 in the ICU but with increased capacity then 75 sounds about right. I really hope we get some level of release, even 6km sounds good but County wide would be great for cycling, I don't mind if it's still solo or groups of 2.

Breezer

at1withmyself wrote: »

Cheers, as Cram says it would be great if we were working to numbers rather then dates.

I think last time we moved from the 5km limit to the county wide travel there was approx 40 in the ICU but with increased capacity then 75 sounds about right. I really hope we get some level of release, even 6km sounds good but County wide would be great for cycling, I don't mind if it's still solo or groups of 2.

There was a lot of talk about “data not dates,” but I’m not sure any specific targets were ever made public (Varadkar-speak notwithstanding).

buffalo

I'll shoehorn this in here, from the hating IT: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/cycle-superhighways-must-be-part-of-decarbonising-transport-committee-hears-1.4518212

If Ireland is to tackle heavy reliance on the car and to reduce its high emissions from transport it must embrace imaginative options especially in building cycle “superhighways” and integrating public transport, according to a leading UK transport expert.

“We need to design cycle networks as good as those in The Netherlands and Denmark, ” Dr Lynn Sloman of Transport for Quality of Life told the Oireachtas Climate Action Committee.

p15574

buffalo wrote: »

I'll shoehorn this in here, from the hating IT: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/cycle-superhighways-must-be-part-of-decarbonising-transport-committee-hears-1.4518212

I was going to say "well, duh!" but I suppose it's the driving 98% we need to realise this.

Hurrache

Obviously an upcoming story on the topic, I'll stick it in the stolen bikes thread too.
https://twitter.com/conormlally/status/1374643891941572614

ngunners

Official launch of the Royal Canal Greenway:

https://www.thejournal.ie/royal-canal-greenway-launches-5390037-Mar2021/

Tombo2001

Hurrache wrote: »

Obviously an upcoming story on the topic, I'll stick it in the stolen bikes thread too.
https://twitter.com/conormlally/status/1374643891941572614

#andacyclist

Meant to post this earlier when it came up on my news feed. If it doesn't warm your heart I don't know what will. Hope I have her vigour at that age.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/people/arid-40250297.html

magicbastarder

that's class.

Yeah when you see the twitter videos, "it's making a bit of noise" getting the rear brakes adjusted and then looking to head off before he changes his mind , I can't believe my luck style exit.

Tombo2001

Hurrache wrote: »

Obviously an upcoming story on the topic, I'll stick it in the stolen bikes thread too.
https://twitter.com/conormlally/status/1374643891941572614

Sometimes I feel like I am absent from the cycling 'debate' because I dont use twitter....

Dublin Cycling Campaign for example does nearly all its communication through twitter.

AndrewJRenko

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Sometimes I feel like I am absent from the cycling 'debate' because I dont use twitter....

Dublin Cycling Campaign for example does nearly all its communication through twitter.

In fairness, they're active on Facebook too, and do periodic email updates to members too.