Meanwhile on the Roads...

CramCycle

MOD VOICE: Next person to comment on the incident without a verifiable news source will get a permanent ban. A woman is dead, and some here are making up hypotheticals about her or the other person involved in the incident. You don't know and hopefully most of you see now why we don't allow commenting on incidents without something verifiable. Have some class, her family and friends deserve sympathy and condolences, not the theories of a bunch of faceless posters on a discussion forum. Discussion via PM if you disagree. I will be editing and deleting posts shortly.

Weepsie

I rang trafficwatch for the first time in years yesterday and I wasn't on a bike. I was walking the baby and it was 2.30 in a residential area, but near a school and some moron in an 07 Corolla absolutely tore around a bend at a speed that wouldn't be great on the main road. I had luckily checked myself and paused my crossing ( I was not crossing at the bend), because they didn't slow down at all going up the road and over a few speed bumps.

It's not NCT'd so I would expect it's neither taxed or insured too possibly so hopefully they get done on something. Completely criminal level of driving and I'm completely sick of how utterly **** driving is.

I thought I'd seen the worst of it when out on the bike, but I think I've seen far worse when out with the buggy.

Hurrache

Jesus, some terrible age related takes.

magicbastarder

that post has been sanctioned, please do not respond to it. thank you!

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122250101#Comment_122250101

I'd actually say it's worse as a pedestrian than it is as a cyclist on rural roads. You actually see they don't give a f*ck as they come towards you. As a parent, it's awful trying to give children freedom when you see the behaviour on the roads. "text when you reach the footpath" is standard in our house ffs.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122250101#Comment_122250101

heh, i read that as 'i rang trafficwatch for the first time in tears yesterday'.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122250101#Comment_122250101

Best of luck with that. Gardaí don't have the time or resources to deal with that kind of stuff these days.

I've got neighbours driving around without tax or insurance, and the local Garda station response is that they probably aren't going far. They also say cars just parked on a public road don't need to be taxed or insured. They declined to give me that in writing when I asked. 😂

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122250421#Comment_122250421

The advantage of using Traffic Watch is that it makes it a bit harder to ignore. The incident is already logged by the call centre, so some Garda has to record some kind of response.

Ryath

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122250203#Comment_122250203

I'd agree with that also, it's a bit easier take the lane on a bike try control overtakes and despite what most drivers think we aren't moving that much slower than them. I always feel much more vulnerable as a pedestrian.

Too many drivers on country roads who's first response is to just swing out and go around pedestrians regardless of oncoming traffic or visibility on a bend instead of slowing and waiting to see if it's actually safe. A huge problem is most of these people never walk on the roads themselves and have no idea how uncomfortable it is to be passed with 2 foot to spare doing 80kph. Anything short of hitting you is perfectly acceptable in their eyes. They really think it's pedestrians duty to get out of the way.

Seen very close call a few months ago. Pedestrian on other side of road with a dog just walking towards start of a sharp bend. Country road 80km limit with thick hedge so no where for him to step in. Could see by his reaction he was nervous and a car was oncoming. I came to a complete stop and the car came around the bend and just swung straight out around him. No way was she stopping in time if I had driven on. Really don't think she thought she did anything wrong or even learned anything from it. Cars still do it even when they can see oncoming traffic though. It really is a mix of stupidity and inattention. The malicious close passes are often nearly not as bad as at least they are actually concentrating on their driving!

Another bug bear of mine is with lines of traffic the car in front doesn't indicate and move out enough to make it clear they are going around someone. Even with a single car it's common curtesy to show the pedestrian you have seen them.

Had a very close call years ago with first car they moved out about a metre at last second not indicating doing about 80. Would have been fine if it was just them but the second car in line wasn't paying attention and their wing mirror missed me by about 2 inches. Bright summers morning wearing an orange t shirt so no excuse for not seeing me. I'm much more assertive since and run towards middle to make them move out rather than running next to the ditch. I will move in when I can be sure they have noticed me and are slowing or have indicated.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122250679#Comment_122250679

Just on that last bit of your post - the lack of indication - I'm exactly the same as you. I actually boils my ****. Pure laziness, selfishness, ignorance, idiocy and negligence of the highest order… how f***in hard is it to flick your finger a couple of inches to indicate, and turn the steering wheel a fraction?? As another poster above commented - it's 100% down to those drivers never setting foot on a public road other than in their car. Completely wedded to their car. Not a chance they've ever cycled or walked/ run on the roads. And the worrying thing is that with that mindset, it's becoming increasingly common to hear people hold the view that only cars etc should be allowed on the road.

Don't even get me started on the inability of drivers to indicate correctly/ at all on roundabouts - and that's just me as a driver speaking.

Macy0161

Had a very close call years ago with first car they moved out about a metre at last second not indicating doing about 80. Would have been fine if it was just them but the second car in line wasn't paying attention and their wing mirror missed me by about 2 inches. Bright summers morning wearing an orange t shirt so no excuse for not seeing me. I'm much more assertive since and run towards middle to make them move out rather than running next to the ditch. I will move in when I can be sure they have noticed me and are slowing or have indicated.

I have been actually clipped by a wing mirror in similar circumstances. Like that I now, like on the bike, take a more prominent position until they slow and indicate. It also gives me room to move if I need too. If walking, I hold my phone prominently either filming or appearing too - that makes a big difference in my experience (you can see some drivers have second thoughts and slow). Not really something I/ you can do running though.

eeeee

Was on the M50 yesterday, car in front changing lanes every time they got up behind a car - no indicator. Not once. In a very busy but moving 100kph traffic, moving in and out without indicating. I got stuck behind cos I didn't know if I could go by them, whether they'd pull out or not. When they went to go off at an exit I saw them holding up a phone with their left hand.

There are fewer things easier to do in a car than indicate. I just do not understand.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122251857#Comment_122251857

I've had two situations in the last 5/ 6 weeks where the traffic has been backed up on the M50/ N11 due to an incident and you've had guys cruising down the hard shoulder undertaking. The last guy, on the M50, while indicating left as though he was just taking the next exit anyway so what harm, sure enough ducked back into the main traffic just as the exit ramp was ending. Boils my p**s. He wasn't cautiously undertaking either, it was a go 40/ 50kmph.

Edit: you get that undertaking crap every day on the M50 where it merges with the N11 southbound traffic at Bray North past Loughlinstown Hospital… lads in the outside lane on the motorway will indicate and cut across into the left hand lane, then into the outermost merging lane, then left again into the innermost merging lane which turns into an exit lane for Bray North, only to pull back into the main southbound traffic at the last minute. Basically cut across 4 lanes of traffic to save maybe 60 seconds. Hopefully there's a special place in hell reserved for those drivers.

Weepsie

M50 should be littered with cameras for arseholes like that. Automatic fines and points. No chance to contest.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122253388#Comment_122253388

ah, sure what's the worst that could happen?

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/woman-who-drove-into-hard-shoulder-before-fatal-collision-with-motorcyclist-avoids-jail-1388464.html

Dr_Colossus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122253472#Comment_122253472

Jesus, yet another example of ineptitude from Nolan, anything to get the motorist as lenient a sentence as possible:

"Initially, the judge disqualified Kavanagh from driving for one year, but the barristers in the case returned to court shortly afterwards and said there was a mandatory disqualification of four years in place."

Any also shows how rare a dangerous driving conviction is in this country:

"She was originally charged with dangerous driving causing death, but this was downgraded to careless driving causing death, and she entered an early plea."

vintcerf

Was looking looking at who had a KOM on a segment that'd I'd done - 170 km/h 😑

magicbastarder

GPS glitch?

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122268967#Comment_122268967

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122269017#Comment_122269017

It's not unknown for me to clock up some great KOMs when I forget to finish my Strava journey after cycling, and keep it running on my phone when I'm driving around, though that doesn't look like the case here.

I'm good at cropping my journey back before anyone gets worried that I've knocked them off top of the table.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122269017#Comment_122269017

It is, GPS covered and then uncovered, you can see it from km 63 to 69

vintcerf

yup, it's a glitch - also Elapsed Time 336:47:53! or maybe Tony Stark is working on a classified cycling computer
* aside - people need to make sure they don't record where they live in Strava, removing original link

Paddigol

Just came across this article…

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jun/05/leading-uk-cyclist-kate-richardson-out-of-tour-of-britain-after-driver-hit-her-at-high-speed-cycling

It may have been the UK, but its an attitude many of us will be familiar with. So much anger, intolerance and impatience out there, taken onto the roads.

Head over to the Journalism thread for a more positive story 🙂

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122270660#Comment_122270660

F*cking hell, to come back and verbally abuse her, then drive off. Just F Me. Some people are mental.

Seth Brundle

This speaks volumes in terms of the disregard of the law or being caught breaking it…

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/laois/news/disqualified-laois-driver-arrested-for-the-third-time-in-a-month/a399864656.html

Paddigol

Meanwhile…

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/alarm-as-fatalities-involving-learner-drivers-up-threefold-in-just-four-years/a967232509.html

zell12

The Minister was being driven by a garda in his State car. Sources say that a car undertook O’Donovan’s vehicle at speed. The car was later found abandoned in a residential area with damage to its wheels.

https://www.thejournal.ie/garda-probe-launched-as-minister-patrick-odonovan-witness-dangerous-driving-incident-in-county-limerick-rathkeale-6417842-Jun2024/

Don't we all see that daily, but get no headline story 😒

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122299583#Comment_122299583

Minister Patrick O Donovan, or to the rest of us, who?

MojoMaker

Saviour of the Phoenix Park Patrick O'Donovan, that's all I remember.

magicbastarder

patrick o'donovan, who stated he thinks the IRA were responsible for the dublin and monaghan bombings. that's quite a claim.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122301744#Comment_122301744

It's a novel take, I'll give him that.