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

Then if it was me, I'd have been hugging the rightmost side of the right lane, to allow traffic to overtake me.

I disagree. First of all, it's not advice: it's me saying what I'd do. Secondly, if I hug the right, a car in the RH lane can overtake me on the inside easily (bad driving, dangerous driving? what are you talking about). The important difference with between what I'd do and what's in the video is that I'm less inconvenient to the drivers, which is something that's often overlooked by entitled cyclists; it's important to maintain good vibes between drivers and cyclists, and vice-versa. When I come to the point that the two lanes diverge, then I can begin to choose the point at which I move back to the LH side of the lane, if I even need to do that. I've been cycling a long time in the city of Dublin, almost daily, and I can handle myself well in traffic. I seldom have near misses, and when I do I don't come on websites to whinge about it, instead I get on with my life.

Exactly. And therein lies the irony. That car was making precisely zero progress every time they overtook me. They were just racing to their next stop, at which point I was going past again. As I mentioned already, I passed them again after the video ends, at which point we went our separate ways.

Important to make sure you not inconvenient to the drivers.

Important to maintain good vibes.

This is Brass Eye levels of satire: you've got a bright career ahead of you. Just the right amount of believability, it's really well written I must say.

Makes sense yep, you would have but didn't have the room.

I was just wondering if there was an issue with that cycle lane. I guess we could say the issue is that the South Mall cycle lane actually begins in the shared space on the wrong side of the road by Grand Parade corner.

Cyclists have the right to filter to the front (safely) in stationary traffic. That's why cycle boxes at traffic lights exist.

A few posters have brought up the fact that I filtered to the front, in an attempt to create some sort of equivalency between me and the driver. I'm sorry, but nope, I'm not having that.

There's a big difference between me on my bike (all 100-ish kg) filtering slowly past a stationary car, and a 1.5/2 tonne car passing a cyclist at 40/50 km/hr. If I were to hit his car, at worst I might scratch it. On the other hand, if he had hit me, I could end up with life-changing injuries. There is zero equivalency here.

Respectfully disagree.

I cycle through Cork City most weekdays. I meet loads of other cyclists of all abilities and speeds. I've never once thought negatively of any cyclist who moved in front of me.

Again. there is no equivalency between my actions and that of the driver.

The bicycle at the front is for safety not speed, come on do you really believe in the things you are saying, have some cop on.

Wow, just wow. Its so the car/truck/bus can see them and ensure that they get across the junction safely and not squeezed to the left side of the road! Did I really have to say that or is there any common sense going on?

Really? It's seriously annoying and has the term shoaling. It's rampant on the quays in Dublin which is plagued with out of sequence traffic lights every few hundred meters and narrow cycle lanes (where they exist) making overtaking difficult. I don't so much mind it from the electric bike brigade who take off with gusto and clear a path but the Dublin bike users who force their way to the top and break lights to toddle along at 10km/h in a form of rolling road block are a different matter.

I'm not a fast cyclist but have had words with various cyclists who I've repeatedly overtaken along a short stretch of road, not one were able to explain why they push their way to the top of the queue of other cyclists.

Above is regarding other cyclists waiting at lights, I generally always filter past motorised traffic and wait in the advance bike box areas when safe to do so. A cyclist of any ability will always be faster than cars, vans, buses etc along heavily built up areas with poor light sequences such as the Dublin quays.

Well, that's you, but it's definitely not me.

I still think it's bloody brilliant to see more and more people - of all ages and abilities, and on bikes of all shapes and sizes - getting around the city. I am firmly of the opinion that everyone needs to feel safe and encouraged on their bikes, and that starts with cyclists looking out for other cyclists. I'd never have words with any cyclist for being too slow.

Words weren't about the cyclists being slow (I've no problem with anyone doing whatever speed that suits them). The problem is when those cyclists jump the queue at lights (often breaking said lights) and then cause an obstruction since there's no easy means of overtaking them again given the constrained space available. Usually cycling in the cycle lane along the quays involves everyone reduced to the slowest denominator which is fine but when you do get a chance to overtake you shouldn't have to pass that same cyclist multiple times again if proper etiquette was adhered with.

Anyway back to the thread subject. Been relatively quite of late and really liking the new road surface and segregated cycle lane just after O'Connell bridge, big improvement. However that didn't stop a driver this morning undertaking traffic and going up the cycle instead, same driver cut back into the overtaking lane at the luas crossing but then encroached in on top of me as I was cycling towards Liberty Hall, had to slap the side of the car as the multiple lights and high vis obviously weren't enough.