Home » Ramble on, Because it's good to rant... » Cycling in Dublin City, buses, taxis, danger, and the ballet of death
So over a year ago I decided to join the rank of file of cyclists braving the roads of Dublin City. Like any mode of transport there are dangers.....this post highlights some of those dangers...
So in one year I have:
For the record cyclists are no angels!!! I have seen probably more STUPID cyclists that I have motorists. I once saw a lady cycle through a red light on Dorset Street with 2 cars skidding to miss her. The funny thing is she continued up the road and broke every light she came to.....I guess some people are born stupid. I would imagine cyclists breaking red lights is probably the biggest complaint motorists and pedestrians have about cyclists?
So to draw up some "Dangers and Annoyances" that might help you out:
Motorists
There are more cars on the roads than anything else. It's no suprise that they top the dangers and annoyances list. I am a hypocrite of course, for a whole year I sat in my car....rage slowly building inside me as I watched cyclists whiz past me. I fought and jockeyed with my fellow motorists to gain an extra 2 feet closer to home. I toyed with the idea that driving into work was wayyyyy better than the bus, as at least it's my own space and i'm in control. But alas this simply is not true. Driving into Dublin City does one thing, takes years and years off your life. I can get home from town in half an hour on my bike. There is one other way to get home quicker....but i'm fairly sure that type of technology has not been invented yet.
So motorists top the list. I have seen motorists knock cyclists, and then look completely suprised when an angry cyclist bangs on their roof. The short of it....the majority of motorists simply don't see cyclists. The protection bubble a car creates isolates most motorists from the plight of their 2 wheeled overlords. Are you angry, then start cycling. You will be able to:
1. Spend less time commuting
2. Spend less money commuting
3. Loose weight and be healthier
4. Get to fly past 500 stationary cars on the Malahide Road with a big huge grin on your face
5. Dodge death on a daily basis
It's win win no?
Bus Drivers
I have found that the majority of bus drivers are quite aware and courteous towards cyclists. Given the fact that cyclists and bus drivers exist in the same space, it's not surprising that bus drivers would top my list of dangers and annoyances. Put simply, buses are large....and cyclists are small!!! When buses overtake cyclists they have a tendency to cut back into lane quite quickly. On more than one occasion I have been forced to stop for fear of being crushed. I have had bus drivers drive behind me beeping the length of the Fairview Road as I had dared entered the bus lane.....only problem was the cycle lane was closed due to road works. There is nothing more terrifying than a bus 2 feet from your back wheel driving behind you!!!
EDIT: I am 1 year more bitter....and now believe bus drivers are in league with satan, many of them hate cyclists...and from what I have seen go out of their way to put their lives at risk. (the cyclists)
Weather
Ice....rain.....pain. I recently cut myself up good on the Malahide Road. I skidded on ice...ending up with my head underneath a stationary taxi outside the UCI in Coolock. This is the first time this ever happened....and it was no fun at all. Not much you can do if its icey. The roads are usually gritted but as I found out (after emailing the Road Maintenance, Roads & Traffic Department) they can sometimes get overlooked due to the fact certain graded weather conditions must exist before the gritters head out. There is a grading from 1-5 depending on the weather....I guess I just missed out :(
Taxi Men
No surprise that taxi men/women show up 3rd. Firstly I will point out that taxi men are FAR MORE AWARE of cyclists than other motorists. This is due in part to the fact that they live in the same space as buses and cyclists! That said I think that many taxi men see cyclists as "obstacles" as they race around taking full advantage of the cycle lanes/bus lanes. While not as bad as being cut off by a bus, I have been forced onto the path on numerous occasions by taxi men.
Pedestrians
People walk out in front of you all the time. They look at you.....look at you again....look at you again....wait....wait....then stand out in front of you. This zombie effect is usually localised to certain areas where "they" gather.....so for the most part can be avoided injury free :)
Garda
Strange to list the Garda here, but on two occasions they have almost caused me to crack my head open. On one occasion while travelling down the Malahide Road a Garda pulled a car in (for a traffic offence) directly in front of me. I slammed on the breaks resulting in my break cable coming loose and me having to ditch. This was an extremely dangerous move by the Garda. He either forced me to swerve into the traffic out of my cycle lane....thus putting me in the firing line....or forcing me to skid to a stop and possibly crashing into the back of a car that is in the cycle lane?! On another occasion a motorcycle Garda pulled a car into the bus lane, the driver then opened the door in front of me. Again I would ask can the driver not be directed to stop in a safer spot?
So in one year I have:
- Almost been crushed by a bus (on several occasions)
- Had a car door opened on me twice, once ending up rolling onto the path and crashing into some startled pedestrians
- Crashing down on the Malahide Road after hitting a patch of ice
- Crashed into a pedestrian who walked out in front of me at Connolly Street train station. That hurt real bad.
For the record cyclists are no angels!!! I have seen probably more STUPID cyclists that I have motorists. I once saw a lady cycle through a red light on Dorset Street with 2 cars skidding to miss her. The funny thing is she continued up the road and broke every light she came to.....I guess some people are born stupid. I would imagine cyclists breaking red lights is probably the biggest complaint motorists and pedestrians have about cyclists?
So to draw up some "Dangers and Annoyances" that might help you out:
Motorists
There are more cars on the roads than anything else. It's no suprise that they top the dangers and annoyances list. I am a hypocrite of course, for a whole year I sat in my car....rage slowly building inside me as I watched cyclists whiz past me. I fought and jockeyed with my fellow motorists to gain an extra 2 feet closer to home. I toyed with the idea that driving into work was wayyyyy better than the bus, as at least it's my own space and i'm in control. But alas this simply is not true. Driving into Dublin City does one thing, takes years and years off your life. I can get home from town in half an hour on my bike. There is one other way to get home quicker....but i'm fairly sure that type of technology has not been invented yet.
So motorists top the list. I have seen motorists knock cyclists, and then look completely suprised when an angry cyclist bangs on their roof. The short of it....the majority of motorists simply don't see cyclists. The protection bubble a car creates isolates most motorists from the plight of their 2 wheeled overlords. Are you angry, then start cycling. You will be able to:
1. Spend less time commuting
2. Spend less money commuting
3. Loose weight and be healthier
4. Get to fly past 500 stationary cars on the Malahide Road with a big huge grin on your face
5. Dodge death on a daily basis
It's win win no?
Bus Drivers
I have found that the majority of bus drivers are quite aware and courteous towards cyclists. Given the fact that cyclists and bus drivers exist in the same space, it's not surprising that bus drivers would top my list of dangers and annoyances. Put simply, buses are large....and cyclists are small!!! When buses overtake cyclists they have a tendency to cut back into lane quite quickly. On more than one occasion I have been forced to stop for fear of being crushed. I have had bus drivers drive behind me beeping the length of the Fairview Road as I had dared entered the bus lane.....only problem was the cycle lane was closed due to road works. There is nothing more terrifying than a bus 2 feet from your back wheel driving behind you!!!
EDIT: I am 1 year more bitter....and now believe bus drivers are in league with satan, many of them hate cyclists...and from what I have seen go out of their way to put their lives at risk. (the cyclists)
Weather
Ice....rain.....pain. I recently cut myself up good on the Malahide Road. I skidded on ice...ending up with my head underneath a stationary taxi outside the UCI in Coolock. This is the first time this ever happened....and it was no fun at all. Not much you can do if its icey. The roads are usually gritted but as I found out (after emailing the Road Maintenance, Roads & Traffic Department) they can sometimes get overlooked due to the fact certain graded weather conditions must exist before the gritters head out. There is a grading from 1-5 depending on the weather....I guess I just missed out :(
Taxi Men
No surprise that taxi men/women show up 3rd. Firstly I will point out that taxi men are FAR MORE AWARE of cyclists than other motorists. This is due in part to the fact that they live in the same space as buses and cyclists! That said I think that many taxi men see cyclists as "obstacles" as they race around taking full advantage of the cycle lanes/bus lanes. While not as bad as being cut off by a bus, I have been forced onto the path on numerous occasions by taxi men.
Pedestrians
People walk out in front of you all the time. They look at you.....look at you again....look at you again....wait....wait....then stand out in front of you. This zombie effect is usually localised to certain areas where "they" gather.....so for the most part can be avoided injury free :)
Garda
Strange to list the Garda here, but on two occasions they have almost caused me to crack my head open. On one occasion while travelling down the Malahide Road a Garda pulled a car in (for a traffic offence) directly in front of me. I slammed on the breaks resulting in my break cable coming loose and me having to ditch. This was an extremely dangerous move by the Garda. He either forced me to swerve into the traffic out of my cycle lane....thus putting me in the firing line....or forcing me to skid to a stop and possibly crashing into the back of a car that is in the cycle lane?! On another occasion a motorcycle Garda pulled a car into the bus lane, the driver then opened the door in front of me. Again I would ask can the driver not be directed to stop in a safer spot?
Write a comment
Required fields are marked with *.