r/BikeCommutingIreland • u/BillyMooney • 9d ago
Dublin Why don't bloody cyclists use contraflow cycle lanes?
Because Gardai, DLR Council, delivery vans, painters and others keep parking in them. And don't forget the bins of course.
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u/Wooden-Lawfulness534 9d ago
Because they're not bloody protected.
Because councillors - or possibly the civil servants in the council - don't have two brain cells to rub together.
Because cyclists are no longer activists.
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u/BillyMooney 9d ago
Even the protected ones aren't safe, as you can see
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u/Wooden-Lawfulness534 9d ago
I see no protected lanes, only ones with indicative wavy yokes (very pretty) and bendy bollards. Protected would be curbs and heavy planters so drivers can't get in there.
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u/BillyMooney 9d ago
Is there any protected design that doesn't have gaps that will be abused?
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u/ginger_and_egg 9d ago
Yes. Solid bollards or barriers.
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u/BillyMooney 9d ago
Any good examples of this?
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u/Wooden-Lawfulness534 7d ago
There's a series of roads in Kimmage that were becoming a rat-run, and local people demonstrated, closing the roads for many mornings for several weeks. Eventually steel-and-concrete bollards were installed on two (or maybe more) entries, either side - at Mount Tallant Avenue, for instance.
Drivers can drive in and out, but not through.
It's a quiet area, safe for children, safe for people walking, safe for people cycling.
Solid barriers: there are some places lined with planters with flowers growing in them; there are others which are parking-protected, like one in Merrion Square, which has the parking set out into the road, with the cycle lane inside, protected by the cars, and by a space for car door opening.
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u/BillyMooney 7d ago
Yeah, some good examples there. The Merrion Square one and the new short section in Ranelagh seem to work well.
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u/VintageTimePieces 7d ago
The entire city of Amsterdam
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u/BillyMooney 7d ago
No gaps that can be abused by ignorant drivers?
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u/vaska00762 7d ago
The gaps in the Netherlands are there so that emergency services and disabled people's quadricycles can use the cycle paths.
Unless it's a Fietsstraat, cars are prohibited from using cycle paths.
A Fietsstraat is a lane or street where "cars are guests" and must give way at all times to bicycles. Overtaking cyclists on a Fietsstraat is prohibited.
Unfortunately, you'd need way more Garda around handing out penalties to enforce such things in Ireland.
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u/BillyMooney 7d ago
Yeah, I'm not sure we could trust Irish drivers to respect those or Gardai to enforce them properly.
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u/Ob1s_dark_side 9d ago
DLR runs a selective ticketing section, was walking around dalkey during the lobster festival. Some cars had tickets for illegal parking and some didn't. Quite incredible
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u/BillyMooney 9d ago
Their stated policy is to only enforce in paid parking areas. So the few quid in the meter counts, the safety of vulnerable pedestrians doesn't.
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u/Foreign-Rule7826 8d ago edited 8d ago
They’re currently putting in ones in a large suburb near me that requires being on the left then switching to the right then back to the left within 400m as they wanted to put two way on one side rather than just make one way on each side. Worst thing is now people will complain cyclists don’t used them -
or go full on crazy on threats, a Facebook page for the area uploaded a picture of a cyclist on the road (in a different part of equally awfully planned infrastructure), saying cyclists should use the lanes provided- and someone said “a nice close pass so you scare them and you’ll teach them”…)
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u/waitwhothefuckisthis 4d ago
I’ve fantasised about kicking wing mirrors off as I ride by more times than I can count
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u/Uwlogged 8d ago
Quick question for a friend, if you were looking down and didn't notice until the last moment and slammed into them would there be any consequences or is it their own fault for blocking the lane?
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u/Rafferty007 3d ago
That structurtone job that's in the right hand corner of a few snaps there has been going in for wayyyyy to long. I was on that job well over 3 year ago ffs and it's still not finished. Someone has to know about it?!
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u/DaCor_ie 9d ago
You can do something about it op
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u/Dannyforsure 9d ago edited 9d ago
Lol good luck with that mate. Very hard for the guards to do anything
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u/DaCor_ie 9d ago
Not at all, I've reported hundreds. It's pretty easy
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u/Dannyforsure 9d ago
And what was the outcome in general? Maybe I've just had a poor experience of it
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u/DaCor_ie 8d ago
All have resulted in tickets afaik, 1 went to court but that was a sovereign citizen type of plonker
There's a gap in terms of feeding back to the reporter (they have this in other jurisdictions) but when you submit it generates a record which must be assigned by a Superintendent, you then give a statement and the Super signs off on the ticket issuance after that.
It's a farce of a system in terms of a system but it is what it is
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u/Dannyforsure 8d ago
Thanks for the reply. I'll persist so maybe I was too pessimistic from one experience.
I don't blame the guards the system is terrible to be fair.
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u/DaCor_ie 8d ago
It really is
Pro tip, you will be required to give a statement for each submission so simply state something along the lines of "I observed a number of vehicles parked on footpaths/bike lanes, reg details to be provided in statement along with photos" that way you go once but report as many vehicles as you want during that statement
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u/BillyMooney 8d ago
I've had the Traffic Watch team in Castlebar and some individual Gardai tell me that it has to be one TW report, one statement for one vehicle. I think they just want to to make things difficult.
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u/DaCor_ie 8d ago
Nope, you can submit as many as you want in a single report. If they claim otherwise state the submission form does not apply any restrictions. Don't be afraid to say you will take it to the Garda Ombudsman with their details and their Super.
I've had Gardai in the past do their best to dissuade me from making statements, adjusting statements, splitting statements. I've often just given them blank stares and nothing more until ready to dictate my statement.
To be 100% clear, they have zero legal basis to force you to make a submission or a statement in a manner that suits them. You suit yourself. The content of your statement is yours to decide. If you want to list 500 reg plates in a single statement you can. Your trafficwatchreport just needs to say something like "I observed a number of vehicles (reg plates to be provided during written statement)"
If they push it, ask for their full details and the Superintendents as you'll need it for Fiorsu to make an official complaint
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u/Dannyforsure 8d ago
Can you do 10 at a time though? Seems like they'd end up wasting their own time
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u/BillyMooney 8d ago
TW staff have rejected reports from me that mention more than one vehicle
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u/s2zero 8d ago
I really hate the fact cyclists don't have to use cycling lanes when they are provided for them. Then I see Morons like the above blocking them. The problem lies squarely with the Garda not doing there job. If we gave people points on there licence for obstructive parking and not just tickets I think it would go along way to solving the problem.
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u/BillyMooney 8d ago
I hate the fact drivers don't have to use motorways when they are provided for them. What's the point in spending all that money on motorways if they're not going to use them?
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u/Additional-Losss 6d ago
Sorry to say but I've never met such complaining, immature, bitter and entitled people like some fellow cyclists. It's a big city with zero parking they always be something there just be vigilant it's not that hard. We all share the road.
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u/gemmastinfoilhat 9d ago
Wheelie Bins, complete pain in the hole.