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

I called TrafficWatch in the evening of the day it happened and they took all the details over the phone. Then I had a call from a Garda at the local station a couple of weeks later inviting me to come in and make a statement.

Update : rang garda station there. Need to go in person. Garda said traffic watch is useless which seems to confirm my experience :)

It's such an arse of a system having to report in person, what if you were passing through and had cycled home a good distance. It's literally as many obstacles as possible in the hopes of everyone dropping the report.

I had a similar instance on the quays last night with a left turning van that side swept me in the cycle lane with no indicator and hit my hand and only for I turned left with the van would probably be under it. Rang traffic watch and reported the case and about 2 months later got a call from a garda in Bridewell St who was forwarded the case. He declared there was no cctv covering the busy junction and since it was so long since past anyway they wouldn't be able to retrieve it. Furthermore and more comically he said the van was registered down the country and likely wouldn't be used to Dublin traffic so I guess that gave them carte blanche for nearly running over another road user.

At least calling traffic watch there's a report of the case and it's sent to the corresponding station eventually but all pot luck if the investigating garda is actually interested in following up.

Traffic Watch can't deal with actual collisions in my experience, and the Gardaí have to take that seriously so there's no benefit.

I won’t provide maps because it’s so close to home, but I live just off a narrow one way street that has parking down one side, and just enough room for one vehicle to pass. The entrance to this street is a crossroads, so you approach it along a two way street, cross a perpendicular road, and then you’re on the narrow bit.

This evening, firstly, a taxi driver tried to overtake me as I’m about 10 metres from the crossroads and already slowing, on the two way street. He backs out of it.

He then tries to overtake me on the one way street, into the line of parked cars at the side. He backs out of that too.

The one way street widens briefly about 100 metres along, and I knew he was going to go for it again, so this time I move over and signal to him to go. He flies past… into the back of a queue of traffic maybe 20 metres ahead, sitting at a very long red light.

I dismounted and walked the rest of the way to my house, as it’s too narrow to filter. He was still sitting there as I was going in my front door.

I'm not sure taking the lane here would have done anything to prevent that the other lane was clear he wasn't squeezing by just not bothered to give space

Absolutely I try to do the same too but it's not always easy a few seconds lapse in concentration and you're too close to the kerb. Looking at the video again the ops positioning isn't too bad but the state of the road, footpath widths and entrances etc. the good pass beforehand he drifts a little left something I'm probably guilty of daily! Then you get the close pass reminder :(

No experience personally but that's the impression I get alright from the few reported cased I'd read about. The judicial system needs a serious shake up, too much subjectivity and thus grounds for appeal given the whims of some out of touch judge.

UK looks to have a more proactive system in terms of the police issuing fines and penalty points and justice system prosecuting and convicting the more serious offenses but this recent case throws a lot of that out the window and similar to what you'd expect here with every excuse under/including the sun used:

https://road.cc/content/news/mechanic-escapes-ban-after-cutting-corner-cyclist-293891

This really annoyed me as I was only feet from entering the cycle lane

Lucky I was pulling up short as he certainly wasn't stopping I was looking right for traffic on the road and lane and just looked left as he passed! https://streamable.com/i71n9a and a classic left hook https://streamable.com/unb6v1 yesterday on the way to work.

Fair enough it's not the worst left hook I've had but still poor driving if I didn't adjust speed and position I'd have hit him all because he was too impatient to wait and turn behind me.

I’ve had drivers overtake me like that and then stop dead in their lane waiting for me to pass on the inside. Invariably I stop because what the hell am I supposed to do, carry on and trust they won’t change their mind.

So they get it half right. Pity they don’t go the whole way and avoid the overtake altogether.