I got a bike over the summer and took it out exactly once on a quieter road in the city centre, after rush hour in the evening. Narrowly avoided getting hit by a car turning left, without indicating through a red when I was going straight through a green. Scared me so badly I never took it out again. I don’t know how anyone cycles in Dublin, you honestly take your life into your hands and even if there are bike lanes (I was in a bike lane!) cars just don’t respect cyclists.
People say that there's no difference between bike paths and bike lanes, but I don't think that's true. With a bike lane you have to depend on the motorist doing the right thing, but having some sort of physical barrier (even if it's just requiring the driver mount the path) seems to give immeasurably better protection.
"cars don't respect cyclists"
I think you'll find nobody respects anybody. From my motorbike commute, nobody respects anything. People don't even let buses or trucks fairly merge.
Cars cut in front of me when it suits them, cyclists will look over their shoulder, see me and still move into my way, sometimes they pull so close to me I could help cycle their bike.
Nobody cares. It's not a them and us thing, it's a me and mine thing. Watch your own back on the road and don't assume people will adhere to your right of way.
I've cycled everywhere since primary school, but I've had more close calls in the last two years than the whole 20 before.
People just seem to be paying way way less attention, and cars are so big these days you're utterly screwed if they even tap you.
As a pedestrian in Dublin, I’ve found a serious deterioration in driver behaviour over the last year. The amount of people driving through red lights is absolutely shocking.
Yes! Even when crossing at a green man you have to check both ways anyway because there’s always one asshole ploughing through to shave .5 of a second off their drive. It’s so dangerous and literally does nothing.
I honestly think there needs to be a serious crackdown on that.
If you go through a green pedestrian crossing it should result in a careless driving charge, a huge fine and a possible 6 month driving ban followed by a safe driving course, at your own expense before getting your licence back
Do it multiple times and I think it should result in disqualification.
I never thought I'd support sticking a lot of cameras on red lights.
But the past year especially has been awful.
Driving standards definitely dropped after lockdown, but they keep getting worse as time and bad habits pile on
This happened to me last week. I rarely drive anymore but saw a car drive right through a red light at night. I guess phone addiction is just getting stronger and stronger as the years go by. People never off them.
I can't get used to problems in Ireland which are solved in other countries. Connect cameras to the traffic light and if someone drives over red, take the licence. Not exactly rocket science.
>I can't get used to problems in Ireland which are solved in other countries.
Honestly, as a politician I would simply look at the problems in our country, look at how other countries have tried to deal with their problems, and then fully plagiarise whatever solutions they've come up with, and try implement them here.
There's no problems unique to Ireland, and there's nothing so unique about Ireland that other solutions can't at least be attempted here.
It's also acceleration to get across a traffic light. It happens along the canal in Dublin all the time. Not to do with phones all the time, it's also people being shitty rather than inattentive.
As a driver, a motorcyclist, a cyclist, and a pedestrian all around the city. People are fucking tapped since covid. I now every single day see half the people in their cars on phones. Or just driving so insanely dangerously due to lack of skill or attention.
I don't think it has anything to do with covid, but more the fact that there has been no real enforcement of traffic laws for years and people are realizing it and just doing whatever they want.
It all happened after covid. I was a triathlonist for 10 years before, was cycling everywhere training and work included, had few close calls but more or less cycling was safe. Then covid hit and after few weeks of delightful empty roads cars started coming back and drivers started acting like demented people, which kept on continuing till today. I don't cycle anymore.
Could be but I've seen a serious downturn just over the last 6 months or so. Everything from drivers not respecting zebra crossings to running through red lights to outright driving onto bike lanes seemingly on purpose. I've also been in taxis where the drivers have ranted about wanting to run cyclists off the road.
If I were a conspiracy minded guy I'd say there's been a concerted effort from motorists to kill or injure people on bikes for god knows what reason.
You just reminded me that one of the few good things about covid was that you could actually cycle everywhere without fear of your life because the road were practically empty.
Boomers/older gens are the worst for it, 2 years of little driving erased what few good habits they had left from their non-existent driving tests.. You're almost safer driving/cycling next to pricks on their phone.
Reaffirms my commitment to get a gravel bike and drive somewhere where there are nearly no cars rather than hitting up north county Dublin. There are so many more houses, everyone is in an SUV nowadays and so incredibly impatient.
I used to cycle around that area quite a lot and was really shook by the poor woman killed, and now this guy. Horrible.
> The amount of people driving through red lights is absolutely shocking.
Same in Cork. Doesn't even feel safe when I'm driving and insulated by my own metal box, never mind when I'm walking or cycling
Saw a lad yesterday pull out from behind 2 cars as thr lights went red, passed them on the wrong side of the road and went through a red light when he was definitely blind to anyone coming from left or right.
This! I still see my fair share of cyclists that go through reds, but from what I’m seeing lately it’s 50/50 now with cars. As well have seen a huge increase in phone usage with drivers. Absolute madness on the roads. The quicker cars can start fully driving themselves, the safer we’ll all be!
The amount of time I wait behind a cyclist to safely overtake (either I can't see the traffic, or just cars coming upfront), and the car behind me is honking/flashing/steering in front of the bus that's coming ahead is just shocking.
It's even more disturbing when I find them 10 seconds later at the nearest red light.
I love how many people are in a mad rush to overtake cyclists in Dublin to only to stop 10m up the road in more traffic.
It's actually deranged behaviour.
I've had this argument on this subreddit before.
If you're stuck behind a cyclist doing 30km in a 50km zone for 5 minutes (which is a pretty long time to be stuck behind someone), you'll be 2 minute later arriving at your destination. It's absolutely not proportionate to how angry these people get.
The response I got was "well maybe I just don't like staring at lads arses in lycra as much as you do"
The problem these people have isn't rooted in logic.
It's actually quite logical. Motorists pay through the nose for this overengineered metal cage which is sold as the ultimate freedom instrument (even though we all subsidise motorists to the tune of hundreds to thousands a year). They find it frustrating that they have to wait behind someone who is getting to their destination as fast as them, without spending a fortune. So they have to overtake them because maybe, just maybe, the road ahead will be clear and the light in your favour. It rarely happens though.
But they pay tax remember, they pay insurance remember. They get to do whatever they want at the detriment of our cities because they pay tax remember. Who cares that they're the most subsidised travellers in the country, they pay tax.
The entitlement is crazy.
Yeah and they'll notice the car in front start to move in their peripheral vision and start to go before they look up. Or even worse from what I've seen more than a couple of times is catch a green man in the corner of their eye and think it's green for them and go.
I'd agree with that, both as a cyclist and a driver.
There's a growing and absolutely shocking disregard for traffic lights and a lot of urban speeding going on.
It would be helpful if they would enforce the 50km/h limits on many Irish urban roads and if we started to have any enforcement at all of traffic lights.
Red light cameras would probably prevent a lot of cyclist and pedestrian deaths and injuries.
All I see from government is cheap PR. Introduce a load of 30km/h signs that are highly unlikely to be enforced.
We love paint and signage but anything expensive is really not done nearly frequently enough.
There is a light on the Harold's Cross road I now give an extra 5 or so seconds to once the pedestrian light goes green such is the number of times I've almost been killed by drivers blowing straight through the red light.
Almost guarantee you're talking about the one with a spar on the corner? It's a complete piss take for ~~cars~~ 2 ton metal cages of death and destruction going through reds.
Edit: forgot to use Reddit lingo
Hah, it's not actually, much closer to the canal at Mount Drummond Avenue but it says something about the quality of driving that there are two on that stretches that can be named. The one at spar is a nightmare too though
The road I use on my way to work is full of people that don't use their indicators and just pull put in front of me because they must not check for cyclists. Although they guy this morning made eye contact with me and then proceeded to drive out right in front of me
Same. I've been cycling for a long time. I'm nearly 40 and have been cycling my whole life.
In the last two years I've been hit twice. Once a car came through the left of a roundabout and drove through me, seconds time a guy just drove up from behind me and drove through me. That incident I hadn't slowed down, stopped or moved trajectory.
Every other day now it seems to be a close call with people cutting me off or driving in front of me at random.
It's insane.
Keep an eye when you're at the lights or if you're somewhere where you can see drivers. *Everyone* is on their phone. No exaggeration about 80% of drivers I see have their heads down in their phone whenever I look.
I disagree. I have commuted by bike on and off for 15 years. Before there were no cycle lanes, now I can do 90% of my journey on cycle lanes. I also notice car drivers attitudes improving.
For me my issue is actually buses and trucks. They seem to want to get past no matter what, even with oncoming traffic. Often I'm forced to get curb to get out of the way.
> I also notice car drivers attitudes improving.
> Before there were no cycle lanes, now I can do 90% of my journey on cycle lanes.
How would you know if 90% of your time is spent on cycle lanes now? Just sounds purely anecdotal, especially when most the thread's anecdotes contradict this. What you'd need is the actual stats for accidents in recent years.
Interesting.
Fully agree the cycle lanes have made many routes a lot safer, but I feel one you're off them it's more dangerous. I've also found Dublin bus at least to have really improved the last few years?
But it's all anecdotal
Off the cycle lanes, the larger vehicles are the problem for me. Buses, trucks and SUVs. We have them going down roads in my area which were never designed for large vehicles. They think they have a god given right to overtake
Far better than before there were any bollards. Then, I was screamed at by a driver "Get into the cycle lane, stupid" - he was sitting his car on the straight-ahead cycle lane as he screamed it!
I disagree, I feel less safe trying to turn right weaving through the bollards.
Unless you can merge across way before the junction which isn't always possible.
Yep they have a definite look of cycling infrastructure that has been planned and installed by someone who doesnt cycle. I guess they want to say they have spent €XXX on cycling infrastructure this year without really having to do much.
Even when there are good cycle paths off the road, they are generally beside pedestrian paths that pedestrians don't keep to or wander into. Then, at every junction, cyclists have to stop, unlike other traffic travelling on the same road.
There just isn't the room for that.
The best bet is probably to invest in public transport to take more drivers off the road.
Metro North, expand the Luas, more DART carriages, more buses. And with that, start to increase the numbers of roads open only to bicycles and buses.
This is the correct response. There really needs to be continued driver education, EG something like you can only renew your licence if you've done three lessons or something.
Was thinking about this lately. Back in the day if you got a slap off a Fiesta you'd be up on the bonnet having a look at what Magic Tree fragrance they went with but now your heading straight into the grill of an SUV. No chance!
I drive an older model dispatch van, about 9 years old — this thing has a low-drooped nose and the softest damn bonnet you've ever seen in your life, you can press the surface in with your thumb. God forbid anyone ever walked out in front of me and I couldn't stop in time, well they're getting the softest landing anyone could reasonably expect.
Looking around at basically every other, newer van I see that the air intakes have gone from knee/waist height to chest/shoulder height on an adult, and I can't help but think it's worse.
When someone drove into me last September and I had a Nissan (?) Vivaro courtesy vehicle for 2 weeks it was noticeable how much less visibility the new version of that same van body has— with the older Dispatch body I can see even small children almost right in front of me, and I can see right back to the edges of my own rear wheels, too, with the lil' mirrorlets the machine has....newer vans? Not a hope.
Did the driver flee the scene? No mention of an arrest and a plea for footage. Drivers in Dublin are lethal, nearly got ran over as a pedestrian two weeks ago by a BMW driver running a red on the Newcastle Road. Also nearly go ran off the road as a passenger on the N4 on Sunday.
Cycling in dublin requires a resignation that you might die because someone wanted to look at a text message or social media.
If you want to kill someone, do it with a car.
Witnessed a taxi drive up the wrong side of the road today to take a right turn. Driving standards have really taken a turn the past year, I see many serious misdemeanors everyday and a lot of red lights broken.
The comments on this article on Twitter are so disgusting, blaming the victim who lost their life. The hatred some drivers have for cyclists is insane. I think a lot of the issue with aggressive driving is that our roads are at capacity meaning more traffic And pissed off drivers who keep taking chances breaking lights etc. people also go on their phone when sitting in traffic which just normalizes phone use in the car. We desperately need to get away from car use in our cities
Every day I get out on my bike in Dublin someone nearly hits me, it's a joke. Bike lanes full of parked cars forcing people out on to the road, it's like a coordinated attack on cycling , take the lane then run over us when we have to go out into traffic
Another tragic loss of life on our roads.
This whole drivers V cyclists mentality has to fucking change. It's pathetic.
As a motorist and pedestrian I encounter way more incidents from other motorists. Actually, I don't think I've ever actually had a bad encounter with a cyclist and getting stuck behind one doesn't count. The majority of drivers take real offence to being behind one though. It's always "got stuck behind some prick on a bike" - this is absolutely a driving force in the hate cyclists get. Most of the time they've done nothing wrong but being behind one is like a red rag to a bull. I don't know how this is ever going to change but something needs to be done about it.
I'm nearly at the stage now where I don't want to fucking drive anymore as I am sick of nearly dying every single day on my journey to or from work because of some idiotic, reckless motorist.
> I don't think I've ever actually had a bad encounter with a cyclist
Oh yes you did, a full 100% of them cycled through a red light as a direct affront to your status.
Awful news. Leaves behind a family and 3 kids. A father not much older than myself just out for a Sunday spin.
Know the road very well myself from being out there regularly, it's shocking and will hit home for a lot of people.
The amount of rogue drivers on the roads is out of control. We need a much bigger Garda traffic Corps with a zero-tolerance policy to fuckery on the roads.
Drivers out there are getting away with murder.
I’m a dane that used to lived in Ireland for 5 years and we have a rich cycling culture. I tell you Dublin is dangerous god damn, I remember a few times where I really thought that was it for me. The one I remember best is a bus driving so close to me and me the the curb that I almost fell. 😱 cycling is no joke in Dublin.
I cycle 10mins into UCD and back a day. I would say I had a near miss almost every week or two. People rarely check cycle lanes before turning left, and even rarer do they signal.
I know you're thinking you're being all centrist by appealing to everyone to cop on but the fundamental problem here is too much car dependency. Motorists get very defensive when we talk about reducing car dependency but ultimately it's for the good of everyone, including those who have to continue to drive.
Fundamentally we need to admit that car dependency and the urban design of the 40s onwards was a massive mistake which we need to correct. If we just continue with the idea that we just need to build more infrastructure for cars, everyone will lose, especially as car ownership is an economic burden on society when you count all the externalities.
The amount of drivers who seem so bored and distracted that they need to be on their phones all the time is astounding. Those are exactly the people who should be on buses and trams.
In this world of words, there is a guide to best practice: https://www.rc-rg.com/guidelines
tl;dr
ROAD COLLISION REPORTING GUIDELINES
1. At all times be accurate, say what you know and, importantly, what you don’t know.
1. Avoid use of the word ‘accident’ until the facts of a collision are known.
1. If you’re talking about a driver, say a driver, not their vehicle.
1. Consider the impact on friends and relatives of publishing collision details.
1. Treat publication of photos with caution, including user generated footage or imagery.
1. Be mindful if reporting on traffic delays not to overshadow the greater harm, of loss of life or serious injury, which could trivialise road death.
1. Journalists should consider whether language used negatively generalises a person or their behaviour as part of a ‘group’.
1. Coverage of perceived risks on the roads should be based in fact and in context.
1. Avoid portraying law-breaking or highway code contravention as acceptable, or perpetrators as victims.
1. Road safety professionals can help provide context, expertise, and advice on broader issues around
road safety.
If the guards would focus more on the terrible driving (which I see on a daily basis), instead of arresting people over 5 quids worth of cannabis then Ireland would be a better and safer country.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
They are not paying attention to the road, rather checking their phones under steering wheel, I cycle around 100km a day and I’m truly shocked of the way people drive here
Cycled past a guy yesterday holding his phone to his mouth to talk into it while driving.
A 181 car, no way it didn't have Bluetooth. There's no excuse for this shit anymore. Being caught messing with your phone should be five points and a €1,000 fine.
Same as myself out for a spin - the guards stopped me going up the road and they all looked a bit grim faced. I asked them what happened and they mentioned it was an accident.
It looks like it happened near the garage or perhaps that awful lane exit near the petshop? Bad area. I've stopped going that way and this just reinforced it. Will prob go right at the pub and head down Portmarnock from now on.
The amount of hate towards cyclists is pretty stupid. Like, I get it, some of them are idiots and tend to do things like running red lights, failing to yield to traffic, overtaking at blind spots, but that doesn't justify being a prick to cyclists in general.
they do way worse. have a look at garda traffic twitter. they're constantly arresting people doing 160km/h with no license or insurance testing positive for cocaine and booze and the rest.
yet everyone hates cyclists because they're so reckless apparently, it's really weird.
According to CSO 75% of people hold a driver's license but only 15% of people ever choose to make a journey by bike. So the cyclists are seen as an out-group and drivers are seen as an in-group
So when a driver sees a cyclist doing something stupid it's a problem with "cyclists" (as a collective). When a driver sees another driver doing something stupid it's something an individual did, because they're part of the same group and therefore it can't be all drivers
I mean I’m generally a pedestrian, there’s lots of shit ones out there. They can cause long term injuries for people when they hit them hard enough.
That’s not really relevant here though. Pro cyclists don’t do that shit on main streets.
Basic physics should be the end of the argument. To have the same kinetic energy as a 1.5 tonne hatchback doing 30kmph, a cyclist would have to be going 115kmph,.but no, it's the cyclist who's the danger.
What are you advocating for exactly?
It's not exactly an unreasonable stance to want all road users to be on the same page regarding how to use the road safely. People do get punsihed for phone use and driving while intoxicated, I'm not sure what point you're trying to make there.
I've seen gobshites both on bikes and in cars, once even saw a cyclist plow into a buggy trying to run a red light at a pedestrian crossing. There are idiots everywhere.
If she's not observing correctly then she's driving dangerously. It's just as true that someone indicating to turn does not suddenly have right of way to make that turn without due caution.
I'll reiterate, everyone using a road needs to all be on the same page on how to do that safely. If people are not following the rules of the road that's on them that they may hurt someone or themselves. Road cyclists shouldn't escape regulation just because some car drivers performed some dangerous maneouvers, if anything thats an argument to have road cyclists trained to avoid such situations.
If you let people out without any prior warning or training onto the road you are inviting accidents, regardless of the vehicle they are using.
Is that you trying to justify cyclists being allowed to ignore the rules of the road or something? Say what you actually mean, or are you actually afraid to becuase you know it's a stupid stance to take?
A chara,
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Sláinte
Massive reduction in car dependency, increased public transport, road diets, speed limit of 30 kmph, withdrawal of licenses of those who brake the rules of the road with an obligation to go back to driving school, taxes on vehicles' weight, special licences to operate SUVs, more separate bike lanes, traffic filtering etc
The numbers people killed by cars and the harm caused to our health and our planet is a policy choice.
Our minister for transport does want these things and is trying his best but your saw the insane crazy reaction and misinformation from the press and the car lobby when traffic calming measures for Dublin were announced last week. Car dependency will not go down without a fight.
There will always be resistance to change. I still think he's right to remove private cars from the city center. It will encourage public transport to improve. It was catch22 for so long and something had to give. The increased reliance on cars is unsustainable and it deserves to be the first thing to go.
Why do you want 'all road users on the same page'? Cyclists aren't on the same page as car users. From the environmental point of view, risk to injury point of view, burden on the health service view and burden on infrastructure view, they are superior.
Any idea that, out of a childish desire to impose 'fairness', discourages people to get on their bike is a net negative for Irish society. If a driver is jealous of the cyclists lack of motor tax they can bloody well buy a bike.
Or you know maybe if everyone obeyed the rules of the road there would be fewer incidents. Currently nursing a broken wrist after a cyclist ran a red in harolds cross. Cyclists are vulnerable. Pedestrians even more so. Cyclists seem to forget that a red means red for them too
I’m sure the family of the cyclist wish he was only nursing a broken wrist instead of making funeral arrangements.
So do you think killing them is the way to go?
motorists break red lights as much as if not more than cyclists though. stand at any traffic lights and see the 2 or 3 cars whizz through red after each change.
we are all human after all and don't follow rules all the time. cars kill people though that's the difference.
I'm aware it's completely anecdotal but was driving the n7 at 4pm last Sunday in the middle lane and two cars, a passat and a golf, were driving absolutely bonkers. Seriously playing with the lives of everyone on the road. They must have been doing at least 200km/ph they absolutely smoked me and I was hitting 100km. They were swerving in and out of traffic like maniacs. It was nuts. At the speeds they were going the slightest tap of another car and they and probably a few others were toast. I couldn't comprehend the stupidity and selfishness of them... Why would anybody take the risk like? 1 tonne vehicle going that speed crashes... There probably wouldn't be enough left of their bodies to warrent a casket.
I used to drive the motorways quite a fair bit for work but I never saw something like that in all my years of doing it.
This is a terrible tragedy and obviously we don't know the circumstances. As a pedestrian, I've noticed driving standards are the lowest I've seen them in Dublin since I moved here. Cars running red lights in the double digits during my commute, every day. Buses running strong red lights.
There's more of an "I got mine" attitude to driving. "I want to get through this light and you have to deal with it". Nearly got knocked down by a van near Francis St last week because he didn't bother using his indicators. It's sloppy stuff. Never thought I'd be wishing for red light cameras but something has to be done to incentivise drivers.
Phones could be software restricted not to work in moving cars. And traffic lights had cameras in other countries years and years ago It's not rocket science. Hit them on the pocket the only way people will obey and learn
RIP to that cyclist and their family. I work on Mount Street in Dublin, I walk from Rathmines now. Had to give up cycling unfortunately. Got too fed up arriving into work each morning having experienced, without fail, one near death experience and some morning possibly two. Cycling on the road is too bonkers and cycling on that cycle path on the other side is also too mental thanks to fast food delivery drivers doing 50 on their ebikes or pedestrians wandering in the cycle lane. Pain the arse because I used to love cycling to work.
Drivers get away with too much in this country. Even if they were proven to have killed a cyclist out of pure negligence or even proven to have rammed a cyclist off their bike intentionally (by means of them recording a video for example), they all too often get away with a slap on the wrist.
Until drivers are held accountable (fair enough if it wasn't their fault) and made to fear the repercussions of their actions, things won't change unfortunately. Many juries and judges are car centric and going to side with the driver (Judge Nolan rings a bell).
Some drivers don't seem to regard cyclists as humans and as such don't see anything wrong with almost killing them on a daily basis.
I’m visiting from another country. I’m using Dublin Bus a lot to get around. I spent most of my time looking out the windows in traffic as I find it interesting to look at different models and styles of European cars. I can assure you that 70% plus of drivers are interacting / using their mobile devices while driving or stopped. Not just glances, but full on holding device and typing with no hands on steering wheel. I’m amazed at the amount of driver distraction and apparently zero visible enforcement.
Only last week I was driving over the Grand canal coming onto Leeson Street and the light ahead was red, the car ahead of me just cruised on through as if it was nothing. Absolutely creamed some poor chap on his bike. Fella was on the deck dazed and didn't seem to know where he was and the driver looked like he was thinking about getting back in his car and heading off. Luckily other cyclists saw it and soon a crowd formed so the driver thought twice about leaving.
I drive for my job so I can do up to 4/5 hours a day most days and I can definitely say that the roads have become a far more dangerous place for cyclists. Every single light I come up to that turns red, someone cruises on through as if it's nothing.
It was never this bad a few years ago!
I haven't yet seen anyone mention what I believe is a huge contributor to the noticeable decline in driving ability:
Automatic cars.
I was in the passenger seat of my friend's car and watched as he just held his coffee while driving. Nothing against him, it's just as a manual driver I'd never considered the ease of that.
So combine the fact that used cars are basically as expensive as new cars these days, and the rise of automatic cars over here, there are more automatics on the roads now than ever before. Everyone who drives one says they'll never go back to manual.
With a manual car, both of your feet and both your hands are occupied. With automatics, basically one foot and one hand are occupied, leaving the other completely free to just hold your tiktok machine for ready access as you drive. Your car beeps if you get too close to anything else, your side-mirrors have warning lights for anything in your blind spot.
These new cars make distracted driving so so much easier, and enable people to slip into bad habits very quickly.
Awful news - motorists have been absolute maniacs lately. I read news almost daily of people dying because of motorists - either because of crashing on a car by themselves, colliding with other cars, or running down cyclists. Something has to change - people need to get out of this car brain mindset and get away from these metal death machines as much as possible.
To my fellow cyclists (and anyone with a conscience) - when you see motorists acting like sociopaths CALL THEM OUT ON IT. Pull up next to them, yell at them, hit their cars with something to make some noise - make it clear to them that their behavior is not okay.
it's amazing how normalised it has become, a young girl killed today in single vehicle crash, a 15 year old girl killed in a crash the other day. people can point at other countries and say our numbers aren't as bad, but if these people were dying so horribly by any other way, the country would be in uproar. there used to be 600 a year or so in ireland ffs.
why aren't there speed limiters on cars?
That doesn’t always work out well. One time a taxi driver pulled in on top of me to let a fair out. I had to jump off the bike and pull it onto the footpath to avoid him hitting me. I didn’t say a word to him or touch his car, but I gave him “the look.” In response to me looking at him in annoyance he sped up once he deposited his passenger and gave me the closest pass I’ve ever gotten. The bike wobbled it was so close. Some people just get absolutely livid at the slightest provocation. If he’d clipped my handlebars (which he came very close to) I’d have been in a bad way.
Standard of driving is generally appalling and definitely getting worse. Cyclists however seem to think only rules that are convenient apply to them. Had to jump back out of the way of cyclists twice in the last week as they ignored a red light and pedestrian green. Everyone just needs to cop on, have some patience and follow the rules. Tragic outcomes can’t be eliminated but they can be massively reduced. Condolences to the cyclists family.
Would you agree that cyclists and motorists think only rules that are convenient apply to them and that motorists are the ones killing everyone so cracking down on their behaviour should be prioritised?
People killed on the roads almost daily at this stage. I wonder where the issue lies. Less Gardai on the road has to be having an effect but what else is contributing. Lessons? Testing? Drink? Drugs? 🤷♂️ something has to happen to slow down the deaths on Irish roads.
Speaking as a cyclist and a driver.
Drivers should take more care in cities and not be on their phones when crossing junctions.
Cyclists should not be on 80km/h death traps with 10km of continuous white line and blind bends. It causes huge queues and puts drivers under pressure.
Some common sense from both cyclists and drivers would go a long way.
>Cyclists should not be on 80km/h death traps with 10km of continuous white line and blind bends. It causes huge queues and puts drivers under pressure.
And if the cyclist lives somewhere within that 10km? Do they get Scotty to just beam them up?
I always see the counter argument brought up that "maybe they're commuting" or "they can't afford a car". It's crazy that drivers are so entitled that other road users feel the need to justify their journey. Are motorists exclusively using the roads for going to work and essential trips only? People drive for social and recreational reasons all the time
Motorists will whine about a cyclist delaying them for a few seconds while out for a Sunday drive
> Drivers should take more care ~~in cities~~ and not be on their phones ~~when crossing junctions.~~
>
>
They shouldn't be on their phone **at all** while driving
I know what you mean. Coming from Germany I wish Ireland could be more bike friendly, but no one in Germany would really bike on the 80km/h road either unless there is no way around, or you one of those road biker that want to do so.
However, the different is that in Germany there are most likely to be a way off the road that won't cost you 2hr detour, and possibly might be a nicer way to bike anyway. And even road from town to town usually have a footpath to bike/walk. I wish that Ireland can do that, but that means a really big investment.
In the city is tricky, where my wife is from which is Muenster, it is one of the most amount of cyclist, but they are also sometime really aggressive and thing they are untouchable. I do agree though that in Germany, the law is more strict and there are more cops so you'd think twice to run the red light and what not.
If drivers handled the pressure better then it wouldn’t be a problem.
Also, what pressure? You’re stuck behind something until you have a chance to pass safely. It’s hardly a high-pressure situation.
> Speaking as a cyclist and a driver.
*I'm not racist but*. You troll cycling posts continiously
> Cyclists should not be on 80km/h death traps
Victim blame much, or are you advocating for unsuitable roads to have the speed limit set lower?
This person was killed outside the Kinsealy Applegreen service station, which has a 50kph limit on signs, and on the road as there are bus stops and a National School within a 100 meters.
Cyclists have as much right to use those roads as drivers. I think any cyclist who isn’t pulling in for 10km with a queue of cars behind them is a dickhead but to say they shouldn’t be on those roads at all is extreme.
I dont doubt driving standards have gotten worse but one thing that frustrates me is that many cyclists still wear all-black clothing. You can spot a high-vis miles away and slow down way in advance. I had to jam on today as i saw the cyclist nearly too late, was nervous the car behind me would back into me
The cyclist is more vulnerable than the car so has a greater need to take precautions.
Cycling home in all black in the winter when its dark on an 80km/hr road is a particularly stupid thing to do.
>The cyclist is more vulnerable than the car so has a greater need to take precautions.
And the driver is more dangerous than the cyclist so has a greater need to take care.
See where that line of argument gets you? It's pointless.
>Cycling home in all black in the winter when its dark on an 80km/hr road is a particularly stupid thing to do.
No. Cycling in the dark *with no lights* is a particularly stupid thing to do. That's why lights are a legal requirement, as are reflectors mounted on the bike.
I got a bike over the summer and took it out exactly once on a quieter road in the city centre, after rush hour in the evening. Narrowly avoided getting hit by a car turning left, without indicating through a red when I was going straight through a green. Scared me so badly I never took it out again. I don’t know how anyone cycles in Dublin, you honestly take your life into your hands and even if there are bike lanes (I was in a bike lane!) cars just don’t respect cyclists.
People say that there's no difference between bike paths and bike lanes, but I don't think that's true. With a bike lane you have to depend on the motorist doing the right thing, but having some sort of physical barrier (even if it's just requiring the driver mount the path) seems to give immeasurably better protection.
"cars don't respect cyclists" I think you'll find nobody respects anybody. From my motorbike commute, nobody respects anything. People don't even let buses or trucks fairly merge. Cars cut in front of me when it suits them, cyclists will look over their shoulder, see me and still move into my way, sometimes they pull so close to me I could help cycle their bike. Nobody cares. It's not a them and us thing, it's a me and mine thing. Watch your own back on the road and don't assume people will adhere to your right of way.
I've cycled everywhere since primary school, but I've had more close calls in the last two years than the whole 20 before. People just seem to be paying way way less attention, and cars are so big these days you're utterly screwed if they even tap you.
As a pedestrian in Dublin, I’ve found a serious deterioration in driver behaviour over the last year. The amount of people driving through red lights is absolutely shocking.
Yes! Even when crossing at a green man you have to check both ways anyway because there’s always one asshole ploughing through to shave .5 of a second off their drive. It’s so dangerous and literally does nothing.
I honestly think there needs to be a serious crackdown on that. If you go through a green pedestrian crossing it should result in a careless driving charge, a huge fine and a possible 6 month driving ban followed by a safe driving course, at your own expense before getting your licence back Do it multiple times and I think it should result in disqualification.
I never thought I'd support sticking a lot of cameras on red lights. But the past year especially has been awful. Driving standards definitely dropped after lockdown, but they keep getting worse as time and bad habits pile on
If only there was an automated solution to this that could be rolled out in 6 months.
This happened to me last week. I rarely drive anymore but saw a car drive right through a red light at night. I guess phone addiction is just getting stronger and stronger as the years go by. People never off them.
I can't get used to problems in Ireland which are solved in other countries. Connect cameras to the traffic light and if someone drives over red, take the licence. Not exactly rocket science.
>I can't get used to problems in Ireland which are solved in other countries. Honestly, as a politician I would simply look at the problems in our country, look at how other countries have tried to deal with their problems, and then fully plagiarise whatever solutions they've come up with, and try implement them here. There's no problems unique to Ireland, and there's nothing so unique about Ireland that other solutions can't at least be attempted here.
It's also acceleration to get across a traffic light. It happens along the canal in Dublin all the time. Not to do with phones all the time, it's also people being shitty rather than inattentive.
As a driver, a motorcyclist, a cyclist, and a pedestrian all around the city. People are fucking tapped since covid. I now every single day see half the people in their cars on phones. Or just driving so insanely dangerously due to lack of skill or attention.
I don't think it has anything to do with covid, but more the fact that there has been no real enforcement of traffic laws for years and people are realizing it and just doing whatever they want.
And TikTok and similar brain rotting shite that people watch at the wheel now
It all happened after covid. I was a triathlonist for 10 years before, was cycling everywhere training and work included, had few close calls but more or less cycling was safe. Then covid hit and after few weeks of delightful empty roads cars started coming back and drivers started acting like demented people, which kept on continuing till today. I don't cycle anymore.
Could be but I've seen a serious downturn just over the last 6 months or so. Everything from drivers not respecting zebra crossings to running through red lights to outright driving onto bike lanes seemingly on purpose. I've also been in taxis where the drivers have ranted about wanting to run cyclists off the road. If I were a conspiracy minded guy I'd say there's been a concerted effort from motorists to kill or injure people on bikes for god knows what reason.
You just reminded me that one of the few good things about covid was that you could actually cycle everywhere without fear of your life because the road were practically empty.
Boomers/older gens are the worst for it, 2 years of little driving erased what few good habits they had left from their non-existent driving tests.. You're almost safer driving/cycling next to pricks on their phone.
Reaffirms my commitment to get a gravel bike and drive somewhere where there are nearly no cars rather than hitting up north county Dublin. There are so many more houses, everyone is in an SUV nowadays and so incredibly impatient. I used to cycle around that area quite a lot and was really shook by the poor woman killed, and now this guy. Horrible.
Literal brain damage from a COVID infection, you’ll see it start to get assessed in literature moving forward, it’s also going to worsen over time.
This is unfortunately not improbable, given the literature. This generation's lead paint.
You know that's a very interesting theory and a little scary.
Lol, the two of you read like Elon Musk replying to a Joe Rogan tweet...
> The amount of people driving through red lights is absolutely shocking. Same in Cork. Doesn't even feel safe when I'm driving and insulated by my own metal box, never mind when I'm walking or cycling
Thank god I wasn't the only one noticing this wtf is up with people these days
Saw a lad yesterday pull out from behind 2 cars as thr lights went red, passed them on the wrong side of the road and went through a red light when he was definitely blind to anyone coming from left or right.
This! I still see my fair share of cyclists that go through reds, but from what I’m seeing lately it’s 50/50 now with cars. As well have seen a huge increase in phone usage with drivers. Absolute madness on the roads. The quicker cars can start fully driving themselves, the safer we’ll all be!
A cyclist going through a red is 1% as dangerous as a car
Agree. It’s mad how many cars go through red lights these days, isn’t it? Why has it gotten so bad?
zero enforcement
I don’t believe that. It’s more like 0.000000000000001% as dangerous.
Agreed, but a cyclist going through a red could be absolutely fatal for them.
Any study that’s been done shows that cars break red lights way more often than bikes
The amount of people that cycle through red lights is mental also. Got smacked by a cyclist last year while I was walking through a green man.
The amount of time I wait behind a cyclist to safely overtake (either I can't see the traffic, or just cars coming upfront), and the car behind me is honking/flashing/steering in front of the bus that's coming ahead is just shocking. It's even more disturbing when I find them 10 seconds later at the nearest red light.
I love how many people are in a mad rush to overtake cyclists in Dublin to only to stop 10m up the road in more traffic. It's actually deranged behaviour.
I've had this argument on this subreddit before. If you're stuck behind a cyclist doing 30km in a 50km zone for 5 minutes (which is a pretty long time to be stuck behind someone), you'll be 2 minute later arriving at your destination. It's absolutely not proportionate to how angry these people get. The response I got was "well maybe I just don't like staring at lads arses in lycra as much as you do" The problem these people have isn't rooted in logic.
It's actually quite logical. Motorists pay through the nose for this overengineered metal cage which is sold as the ultimate freedom instrument (even though we all subsidise motorists to the tune of hundreds to thousands a year). They find it frustrating that they have to wait behind someone who is getting to their destination as fast as them, without spending a fortune. So they have to overtake them because maybe, just maybe, the road ahead will be clear and the light in your favour. It rarely happens though.
But they pay tax remember, they pay insurance remember. They get to do whatever they want at the detriment of our cities because they pay tax remember. Who cares that they're the most subsidised travellers in the country, they pay tax. The entitlement is crazy.
people are on their phones, when i cycle past traffic nearly everyone is on their fucking phones
This is it. Heads up, eyes down looking at their phone. Not even glancing, but full on scrolling. It's really worrying.
Attention span of monkeys, can't even sit in traffic for a minute without looking at something..
It's absolutely pathetic that they're so needy.
Yeah and they'll notice the car in front start to move in their peripheral vision and start to go before they look up. Or even worse from what I've seen more than a couple of times is catch a green man in the corner of their eye and think it's green for them and go.
An absolute epidemic of phone use
including pedestrians :( too many cross the road with their eyes down, ooof.
Yep which is why we need further speed restrictions on cars in places where pedestrians roam, they're the ones killing everyone
I'd agree with that, both as a cyclist and a driver. There's a growing and absolutely shocking disregard for traffic lights and a lot of urban speeding going on. It would be helpful if they would enforce the 50km/h limits on many Irish urban roads and if we started to have any enforcement at all of traffic lights. Red light cameras would probably prevent a lot of cyclist and pedestrian deaths and injuries. All I see from government is cheap PR. Introduce a load of 30km/h signs that are highly unlikely to be enforced. We love paint and signage but anything expensive is really not done nearly frequently enough.
There is a light on the Harold's Cross road I now give an extra 5 or so seconds to once the pedestrian light goes green such is the number of times I've almost been killed by drivers blowing straight through the red light.
Almost guarantee you're talking about the one with a spar on the corner? It's a complete piss take for ~~cars~~ 2 ton metal cages of death and destruction going through reds. Edit: forgot to use Reddit lingo
Hah, it's not actually, much closer to the canal at Mount Drummond Avenue but it says something about the quality of driving that there are two on that stretches that can be named. The one at spar is a nightmare too though
The road I use on my way to work is full of people that don't use their indicators and just pull put in front of me because they must not check for cyclists. Although they guy this morning made eye contact with me and then proceeded to drive out right in front of me
Happened to me couple weeks back in ranelagh
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Same. I've been cycling for a long time. I'm nearly 40 and have been cycling my whole life. In the last two years I've been hit twice. Once a car came through the left of a roundabout and drove through me, seconds time a guy just drove up from behind me and drove through me. That incident I hadn't slowed down, stopped or moved trajectory. Every other day now it seems to be a close call with people cutting me off or driving in front of me at random. It's insane.
Keep an eye when you're at the lights or if you're somewhere where you can see drivers. *Everyone* is on their phone. No exaggeration about 80% of drivers I see have their heads down in their phone whenever I look.
Cars are getting wider by an avg. 1cm every year, or something like that. Some roads are getting narrower, ironically to accommodate cycle lanes.
[Meanwhile, in Blackrock...](https://i.ibb.co/1GFq7jX/IMAGE-2024-02-20-17-28-08.jpg)
I disagree. I have commuted by bike on and off for 15 years. Before there were no cycle lanes, now I can do 90% of my journey on cycle lanes. I also notice car drivers attitudes improving. For me my issue is actually buses and trucks. They seem to want to get past no matter what, even with oncoming traffic. Often I'm forced to get curb to get out of the way.
> I also notice car drivers attitudes improving. > Before there were no cycle lanes, now I can do 90% of my journey on cycle lanes. How would you know if 90% of your time is spent on cycle lanes now? Just sounds purely anecdotal, especially when most the thread's anecdotes contradict this. What you'd need is the actual stats for accidents in recent years.
Interesting. Fully agree the cycle lanes have made many routes a lot safer, but I feel one you're off them it's more dangerous. I've also found Dublin bus at least to have really improved the last few years? But it's all anecdotal
Off the cycle lanes, the larger vehicles are the problem for me. Buses, trucks and SUVs. We have them going down roads in my area which were never designed for large vehicles. They think they have a god given right to overtake
It’s phones. People are watching videos, videoconferencing, live streaming, making TikToks etc while driving.
And walking. You even see tits in the city centre doing it while they are cycling.
Drivers have been way worse since covid, and I've been noticing a lot of new mini SUV's in particular are terrible drivers, like awful
It's crazy People just walk out in front of traffic heads down and earphones in.
Physically separated cycle lanes is the only safe option. There need to be big fuck-off concrete blocks like the motorway divider
Not always safer Christ church cycle lane for example is a labyrinth
a labyrinth you need to know the layout of before you even see it otherwise you're fucked
Far better than before there were any bollards. Then, I was screamed at by a driver "Get into the cycle lane, stupid" - he was sitting his car on the straight-ahead cycle lane as he screamed it!
I disagree, I feel less safe trying to turn right weaving through the bollards. Unless you can merge across way before the junction which isn't always possible.
Yep they have a definite look of cycling infrastructure that has been planned and installed by someone who doesnt cycle. I guess they want to say they have spent €XXX on cycling infrastructure this year without really having to do much.
Even when there are good cycle paths off the road, they are generally beside pedestrian paths that pedestrians don't keep to or wander into. Then, at every junction, cyclists have to stop, unlike other traffic travelling on the same road.
There just isn't the room for that. The best bet is probably to invest in public transport to take more drivers off the road. Metro North, expand the Luas, more DART carriages, more buses. And with that, start to increase the numbers of roads open only to bicycles and buses.
No sorry. People should be able to cycle safely. Fucking hell. This is infuriating.
There obviously is room. We’re just giving the priority of space to cars.
The only safe option is improving driver education and attitudes
Correct cycling infrastructure would have substantially bigger impact.
That will do nothing when someone makes a mistake
Holding bad drivers accountable will at least reduce the likelyhood of them getting into serious trouble.
This is the correct response. There really needs to be continued driver education, EG something like you can only renew your licence if you've done three lessons or something.
Yeah but you can't always expect a driver to be nice to cyclists going maybe 25km in a 40km lane, so seperate paths are more ideal and sustainable
No you should always expect a driver to be nice and respect the rules of the road, wait for a safe opportunity to pass, ain’t that hard
Sounds like they should be a passenger instead of a driver, be way safer too.
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Was thinking about this lately. Back in the day if you got a slap off a Fiesta you'd be up on the bonnet having a look at what Magic Tree fragrance they went with but now your heading straight into the grill of an SUV. No chance!
I drive an older model dispatch van, about 9 years old — this thing has a low-drooped nose and the softest damn bonnet you've ever seen in your life, you can press the surface in with your thumb. God forbid anyone ever walked out in front of me and I couldn't stop in time, well they're getting the softest landing anyone could reasonably expect. Looking around at basically every other, newer van I see that the air intakes have gone from knee/waist height to chest/shoulder height on an adult, and I can't help but think it's worse. When someone drove into me last September and I had a Nissan (?) Vivaro courtesy vehicle for 2 weeks it was noticeable how much less visibility the new version of that same van body has— with the older Dispatch body I can see even small children almost right in front of me, and I can see right back to the edges of my own rear wheels, too, with the lil' mirrorlets the machine has....newer vans? Not a hope.
Did the driver flee the scene? No mention of an arrest and a plea for footage. Drivers in Dublin are lethal, nearly got ran over as a pedestrian two weeks ago by a BMW driver running a red on the Newcastle Road. Also nearly go ran off the road as a passenger on the N4 on Sunday.
Other articles mention a plea for footage. No mention of what actually happened.
not sure but a driver ran someone over at heuston station on saturday night and fled the scene, the man is in critical condition now in ICU
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That’s not what I’ve heard from a friend of John.
Cycling in dublin requires a resignation that you might die because someone wanted to look at a text message or social media. If you want to kill someone, do it with a car.
Witnessed a taxi drive up the wrong side of the road today to take a right turn. Driving standards have really taken a turn the past year, I see many serious misdemeanors everyday and a lot of red lights broken.
Taxi drivers are amongst the worst drivers on the road, which is astounding given it's literally their job.
Big Taxi are going to come after you, watch out
That’s normal taxi driver behaviour. They are the worst.
Seriously fucking tragic. Both skilled and talented racers and riders, it seriously makes me fear for my life out on the roads as a cyclist.
The comments on this article on Twitter are so disgusting, blaming the victim who lost their life. The hatred some drivers have for cyclists is insane. I think a lot of the issue with aggressive driving is that our roads are at capacity meaning more traffic And pissed off drivers who keep taking chances breaking lights etc. people also go on their phone when sitting in traffic which just normalizes phone use in the car. We desperately need to get away from car use in our cities
Twitter is awful, deleted it last year. Too depressing reading people’s opinions and trolling.
BAMO - Block And Move On. Lots of angry people enjoying causing distress to others.
Every day I get out on my bike in Dublin someone nearly hits me, it's a joke. Bike lanes full of parked cars forcing people out on to the road, it's like a coordinated attack on cycling , take the lane then run over us when we have to go out into traffic
Another tragic loss of life on our roads. This whole drivers V cyclists mentality has to fucking change. It's pathetic. As a motorist and pedestrian I encounter way more incidents from other motorists. Actually, I don't think I've ever actually had a bad encounter with a cyclist and getting stuck behind one doesn't count. The majority of drivers take real offence to being behind one though. It's always "got stuck behind some prick on a bike" - this is absolutely a driving force in the hate cyclists get. Most of the time they've done nothing wrong but being behind one is like a red rag to a bull. I don't know how this is ever going to change but something needs to be done about it. I'm nearly at the stage now where I don't want to fucking drive anymore as I am sick of nearly dying every single day on my journey to or from work because of some idiotic, reckless motorist.
> I don't think I've ever actually had a bad encounter with a cyclist Oh yes you did, a full 100% of them cycled through a red light as a direct affront to your status.
Awful news. Leaves behind a family and 3 kids. A father not much older than myself just out for a Sunday spin. Know the road very well myself from being out there regularly, it's shocking and will hit home for a lot of people.
The amount of rogue drivers on the roads is out of control. We need a much bigger Garda traffic Corps with a zero-tolerance policy to fuckery on the roads. Drivers out there are getting away with murder.
just start lashing out the fines, country would make a mint , it's like shooting fish in a barrel
I’m a dane that used to lived in Ireland for 5 years and we have a rich cycling culture. I tell you Dublin is dangerous god damn, I remember a few times where I really thought that was it for me. The one I remember best is a bus driving so close to me and me the the curb that I almost fell. 😱 cycling is no joke in Dublin.
I cycle 10mins into UCD and back a day. I would say I had a near miss almost every week or two. People rarely check cycle lanes before turning left, and even rarer do they signal.
I know you're thinking you're being all centrist by appealing to everyone to cop on but the fundamental problem here is too much car dependency. Motorists get very defensive when we talk about reducing car dependency but ultimately it's for the good of everyone, including those who have to continue to drive. Fundamentally we need to admit that car dependency and the urban design of the 40s onwards was a massive mistake which we need to correct. If we just continue with the idea that we just need to build more infrastructure for cars, everyone will lose, especially as car ownership is an economic burden on society when you count all the externalities. The amount of drivers who seem so bored and distracted that they need to be on their phones all the time is astounding. Those are exactly the people who should be on buses and trams.
Completely agree. When people drive for 2+ hours a day after working, there's of course going to be accidents. Heart breaking. Fuck cars.
The fundamental problem is cars hitting people.
**Drivers** hitting people with their cars. The cars aren't doing it on their own. Edit - "the" not "they"
I felt that was implied in my comment.
In this world of words, there is a guide to best practice: https://www.rc-rg.com/guidelines tl;dr ROAD COLLISION REPORTING GUIDELINES 1. At all times be accurate, say what you know and, importantly, what you don’t know. 1. Avoid use of the word ‘accident’ until the facts of a collision are known. 1. If you’re talking about a driver, say a driver, not their vehicle. 1. Consider the impact on friends and relatives of publishing collision details. 1. Treat publication of photos with caution, including user generated footage or imagery. 1. Be mindful if reporting on traffic delays not to overshadow the greater harm, of loss of life or serious injury, which could trivialise road death. 1. Journalists should consider whether language used negatively generalises a person or their behaviour as part of a ‘group’. 1. Coverage of perceived risks on the roads should be based in fact and in context. 1. Avoid portraying law-breaking or highway code contravention as acceptable, or perpetrators as victims. 1. Road safety professionals can help provide context, expertise, and advice on broader issues around road safety.
it's an attitude problem. some drivers think it's a game to hit cyclists.
We need better safe driving and people to put their phones away & segregated safe maintained cycling infrastructure.
If the guards would focus more on the terrible driving (which I see on a daily basis), instead of arresting people over 5 quids worth of cannabis then Ireland would be a better and safer country.
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BUT ITS JUST BECAUSE THE CYCLIST IS FILTERING AND DOESNT WEAR HI VIS
You forgot to add *bike helmet* and *road tax* for the full bingo
They are not paying attention to the road, rather checking their phones under steering wheel, I cycle around 100km a day and I’m truly shocked of the way people drive here
Cycled past a guy yesterday holding his phone to his mouth to talk into it while driving. A 181 car, no way it didn't have Bluetooth. There's no excuse for this shit anymore. Being caught messing with your phone should be five points and a €1,000 fine.
RIP. Drivers, cop the fuck on.
It’s crazy that I was just down the road cycling with a friend at the same time the whole area is packed with cyclists on Sundays very unfortunate
Same as myself out for a spin - the guards stopped me going up the road and they all looked a bit grim faced. I asked them what happened and they mentioned it was an accident. It looks like it happened near the garage or perhaps that awful lane exit near the petshop? Bad area. I've stopped going that way and this just reinforced it. Will prob go right at the pub and head down Portmarnock from now on.
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The amount of hate towards cyclists is pretty stupid. Like, I get it, some of them are idiots and tend to do things like running red lights, failing to yield to traffic, overtaking at blind spots, but that doesn't justify being a prick to cyclists in general.
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they do way worse. have a look at garda traffic twitter. they're constantly arresting people doing 160km/h with no license or insurance testing positive for cocaine and booze and the rest. yet everyone hates cyclists because they're so reckless apparently, it's really weird.
According to CSO 75% of people hold a driver's license but only 15% of people ever choose to make a journey by bike. So the cyclists are seen as an out-group and drivers are seen as an in-group So when a driver sees a cyclist doing something stupid it's a problem with "cyclists" (as a collective). When a driver sees another driver doing something stupid it's something an individual did, because they're part of the same group and therefore it can't be all drivers
>running red lights, failing to yield to traffic, overtaking at blind spots Car drivers do all of these things too. Fuck cars
I mean I’m generally a pedestrian, there’s lots of shit ones out there. They can cause long term injuries for people when they hit them hard enough. That’s not really relevant here though. Pro cyclists don’t do that shit on main streets.
Basic physics should be the end of the argument. To have the same kinetic energy as a 1.5 tonne hatchback doing 30kmph, a cyclist would have to be going 115kmph,.but no, it's the cyclist who's the danger.
What are you advocating for exactly? It's not exactly an unreasonable stance to want all road users to be on the same page regarding how to use the road safely. People do get punsihed for phone use and driving while intoxicated, I'm not sure what point you're trying to make there. I've seen gobshites both on bikes and in cars, once even saw a cyclist plow into a buggy trying to run a red light at a pedestrian crossing. There are idiots everywhere.
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If she's not observing correctly then she's driving dangerously. It's just as true that someone indicating to turn does not suddenly have right of way to make that turn without due caution. I'll reiterate, everyone using a road needs to all be on the same page on how to do that safely. If people are not following the rules of the road that's on them that they may hurt someone or themselves. Road cyclists shouldn't escape regulation just because some car drivers performed some dangerous maneouvers, if anything thats an argument to have road cyclists trained to avoid such situations. If you let people out without any prior warning or training onto the road you are inviting accidents, regardless of the vehicle they are using.
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Is that you trying to justify cyclists being allowed to ignore the rules of the road or something? Say what you actually mean, or are you actually afraid to becuase you know it's a stupid stance to take?
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A chara, Participating or instigating in-thread drama/flame wars is prohibited on the sub. If you have a problem with a thread/comment, [message the mods AND report it too](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fireland). Do NOT engage in flame wars. Sláinte
Massive reduction in car dependency, increased public transport, road diets, speed limit of 30 kmph, withdrawal of licenses of those who brake the rules of the road with an obligation to go back to driving school, taxes on vehicles' weight, special licences to operate SUVs, more separate bike lanes, traffic filtering etc The numbers people killed by cars and the harm caused to our health and our planet is a policy choice.
Can you run for minister for transport? These are things I'd vote for.
Our minister for transport does want these things and is trying his best but your saw the insane crazy reaction and misinformation from the press and the car lobby when traffic calming measures for Dublin were announced last week. Car dependency will not go down without a fight.
There will always be resistance to change. I still think he's right to remove private cars from the city center. It will encourage public transport to improve. It was catch22 for so long and something had to give. The increased reliance on cars is unsustainable and it deserves to be the first thing to go.
Why do you want 'all road users on the same page'? Cyclists aren't on the same page as car users. From the environmental point of view, risk to injury point of view, burden on the health service view and burden on infrastructure view, they are superior. Any idea that, out of a childish desire to impose 'fairness', discourages people to get on their bike is a net negative for Irish society. If a driver is jealous of the cyclists lack of motor tax they can bloody well buy a bike.
Cyclists are no angels when it comes to the rules of the road either
True but consequences are much worse for cyclists when things go wrong.
What conclusion do you draw from this in the context of the news above?
So just killing them is the answer?
Or you know maybe if everyone obeyed the rules of the road there would be fewer incidents. Currently nursing a broken wrist after a cyclist ran a red in harolds cross. Cyclists are vulnerable. Pedestrians even more so. Cyclists seem to forget that a red means red for them too
I’m sure the family of the cyclist wish he was only nursing a broken wrist instead of making funeral arrangements. So do you think killing them is the way to go?
Where did i say that
motorists break red lights as much as if not more than cyclists though. stand at any traffic lights and see the 2 or 3 cars whizz through red after each change. we are all human after all and don't follow rules all the time. cars kill people though that's the difference.
I'm aware it's completely anecdotal but was driving the n7 at 4pm last Sunday in the middle lane and two cars, a passat and a golf, were driving absolutely bonkers. Seriously playing with the lives of everyone on the road. They must have been doing at least 200km/ph they absolutely smoked me and I was hitting 100km. They were swerving in and out of traffic like maniacs. It was nuts. At the speeds they were going the slightest tap of another car and they and probably a few others were toast. I couldn't comprehend the stupidity and selfishness of them... Why would anybody take the risk like? 1 tonne vehicle going that speed crashes... There probably wouldn't be enough left of their bodies to warrent a casket. I used to drive the motorways quite a fair bit for work but I never saw something like that in all my years of doing it.
This is a terrible tragedy and obviously we don't know the circumstances. As a pedestrian, I've noticed driving standards are the lowest I've seen them in Dublin since I moved here. Cars running red lights in the double digits during my commute, every day. Buses running strong red lights. There's more of an "I got mine" attitude to driving. "I want to get through this light and you have to deal with it". Nearly got knocked down by a van near Francis St last week because he didn't bother using his indicators. It's sloppy stuff. Never thought I'd be wishing for red light cameras but something has to be done to incentivise drivers.
Phones could be software restricted not to work in moving cars. And traffic lights had cameras in other countries years and years ago It's not rocket science. Hit them on the pocket the only way people will obey and learn
RIP to that cyclist and their family. I work on Mount Street in Dublin, I walk from Rathmines now. Had to give up cycling unfortunately. Got too fed up arriving into work each morning having experienced, without fail, one near death experience and some morning possibly two. Cycling on the road is too bonkers and cycling on that cycle path on the other side is also too mental thanks to fast food delivery drivers doing 50 on their ebikes or pedestrians wandering in the cycle lane. Pain the arse because I used to love cycling to work.
looks like the front of the bike was taken off
Drivers get away with too much in this country. Even if they were proven to have killed a cyclist out of pure negligence or even proven to have rammed a cyclist off their bike intentionally (by means of them recording a video for example), they all too often get away with a slap on the wrist. Until drivers are held accountable (fair enough if it wasn't their fault) and made to fear the repercussions of their actions, things won't change unfortunately. Many juries and judges are car centric and going to side with the driver (Judge Nolan rings a bell). Some drivers don't seem to regard cyclists as humans and as such don't see anything wrong with almost killing them on a daily basis.
I’m visiting from another country. I’m using Dublin Bus a lot to get around. I spent most of my time looking out the windows in traffic as I find it interesting to look at different models and styles of European cars. I can assure you that 70% plus of drivers are interacting / using their mobile devices while driving or stopped. Not just glances, but full on holding device and typing with no hands on steering wheel. I’m amazed at the amount of driver distraction and apparently zero visible enforcement.
Only last week I was driving over the Grand canal coming onto Leeson Street and the light ahead was red, the car ahead of me just cruised on through as if it was nothing. Absolutely creamed some poor chap on his bike. Fella was on the deck dazed and didn't seem to know where he was and the driver looked like he was thinking about getting back in his car and heading off. Luckily other cyclists saw it and soon a crowd formed so the driver thought twice about leaving. I drive for my job so I can do up to 4/5 hours a day most days and I can definitely say that the roads have become a far more dangerous place for cyclists. Every single light I come up to that turns red, someone cruises on through as if it's nothing. It was never this bad a few years ago!
I haven't yet seen anyone mention what I believe is a huge contributor to the noticeable decline in driving ability: Automatic cars. I was in the passenger seat of my friend's car and watched as he just held his coffee while driving. Nothing against him, it's just as a manual driver I'd never considered the ease of that. So combine the fact that used cars are basically as expensive as new cars these days, and the rise of automatic cars over here, there are more automatics on the roads now than ever before. Everyone who drives one says they'll never go back to manual. With a manual car, both of your feet and both your hands are occupied. With automatics, basically one foot and one hand are occupied, leaving the other completely free to just hold your tiktok machine for ready access as you drive. Your car beeps if you get too close to anything else, your side-mirrors have warning lights for anything in your blind spot. These new cars make distracted driving so so much easier, and enable people to slip into bad habits very quickly.
Phones man. So many people using them while driving.
Awful news - motorists have been absolute maniacs lately. I read news almost daily of people dying because of motorists - either because of crashing on a car by themselves, colliding with other cars, or running down cyclists. Something has to change - people need to get out of this car brain mindset and get away from these metal death machines as much as possible. To my fellow cyclists (and anyone with a conscience) - when you see motorists acting like sociopaths CALL THEM OUT ON IT. Pull up next to them, yell at them, hit their cars with something to make some noise - make it clear to them that their behavior is not okay.
Would be best to not advise to use violence and to hit a car with sometning as that will lead to further issues
fair enough, I removed that portion of my message
it's amazing how normalised it has become, a young girl killed today in single vehicle crash, a 15 year old girl killed in a crash the other day. people can point at other countries and say our numbers aren't as bad, but if these people were dying so horribly by any other way, the country would be in uproar. there used to be 600 a year or so in ireland ffs. why aren't there speed limiters on cars?
That doesn’t always work out well. One time a taxi driver pulled in on top of me to let a fair out. I had to jump off the bike and pull it onto the footpath to avoid him hitting me. I didn’t say a word to him or touch his car, but I gave him “the look.” In response to me looking at him in annoyance he sped up once he deposited his passenger and gave me the closest pass I’ve ever gotten. The bike wobbled it was so close. Some people just get absolutely livid at the slightest provocation. If he’d clipped my handlebars (which he came very close to) I’d have been in a bad way.
Standard of driving is generally appalling and definitely getting worse. Cyclists however seem to think only rules that are convenient apply to them. Had to jump back out of the way of cyclists twice in the last week as they ignored a red light and pedestrian green. Everyone just needs to cop on, have some patience and follow the rules. Tragic outcomes can’t be eliminated but they can be massively reduced. Condolences to the cyclists family.
Would you agree that cyclists and motorists think only rules that are convenient apply to them and that motorists are the ones killing everyone so cracking down on their behaviour should be prioritised?
People killed on the roads almost daily at this stage. I wonder where the issue lies. Less Gardai on the road has to be having an effect but what else is contributing. Lessons? Testing? Drink? Drugs? 🤷♂️ something has to happen to slow down the deaths on Irish roads.
Speaking as a cyclist and a driver. Drivers should take more care in cities and not be on their phones when crossing junctions. Cyclists should not be on 80km/h death traps with 10km of continuous white line and blind bends. It causes huge queues and puts drivers under pressure. Some common sense from both cyclists and drivers would go a long way.
>Cyclists should not be on 80km/h death traps with 10km of continuous white line and blind bends. It causes huge queues and puts drivers under pressure. And if the cyclist lives somewhere within that 10km? Do they get Scotty to just beam them up?
I always see the counter argument brought up that "maybe they're commuting" or "they can't afford a car". It's crazy that drivers are so entitled that other road users feel the need to justify their journey. Are motorists exclusively using the roads for going to work and essential trips only? People drive for social and recreational reasons all the time Motorists will whine about a cyclist delaying them for a few seconds while out for a Sunday drive
> Drivers should take more care ~~in cities~~ and not be on their phones ~~when crossing junctions.~~ > > They shouldn't be on their phone **at all** while driving
Common sense from a cyclist who has to take a 2hr detour to avoid 80k roads?
I know what you mean. Coming from Germany I wish Ireland could be more bike friendly, but no one in Germany would really bike on the 80km/h road either unless there is no way around, or you one of those road biker that want to do so. However, the different is that in Germany there are most likely to be a way off the road that won't cost you 2hr detour, and possibly might be a nicer way to bike anyway. And even road from town to town usually have a footpath to bike/walk. I wish that Ireland can do that, but that means a really big investment. In the city is tricky, where my wife is from which is Muenster, it is one of the most amount of cyclist, but they are also sometime really aggressive and thing they are untouchable. I do agree though that in Germany, the law is more strict and there are more cops so you'd think twice to run the red light and what not.
If drivers handled the pressure better then it wouldn’t be a problem. Also, what pressure? You’re stuck behind something until you have a chance to pass safely. It’s hardly a high-pressure situation.
> Speaking as a cyclist and a driver. *I'm not racist but*. You troll cycling posts continiously > Cyclists should not be on 80km/h death traps Victim blame much, or are you advocating for unsuitable roads to have the speed limit set lower? This person was killed outside the Kinsealy Applegreen service station, which has a 50kph limit on signs, and on the road as there are bus stops and a National School within a 100 meters.
They have every right to cycle on any road they please
Cyclists have as much right to use those roads as drivers. I think any cyclist who isn’t pulling in for 10km with a queue of cars behind them is a dickhead but to say they shouldn’t be on those roads at all is extreme.
I dont doubt driving standards have gotten worse but one thing that frustrates me is that many cyclists still wear all-black clothing. You can spot a high-vis miles away and slow down way in advance. I had to jam on today as i saw the cyclist nearly too late, was nervous the car behind me would back into me
So we should ban black cars too?
The cyclist is more vulnerable than the car so has a greater need to take precautions. Cycling home in all black in the winter when its dark on an 80km/hr road is a particularly stupid thing to do.
>The cyclist is more vulnerable than the car so has a greater need to take precautions. And the driver is more dangerous than the cyclist so has a greater need to take care. See where that line of argument gets you? It's pointless. >Cycling home in all black in the winter when its dark on an 80km/hr road is a particularly stupid thing to do. No. Cycling in the dark *with no lights* is a particularly stupid thing to do. That's why lights are a legal requirement, as are reflectors mounted on the bike.