Making cycling safer

[myksav]

The cyclist who nearly runs me over will get a good thrashing from myself.

Excellent plan. I wish you well with it.

Hang on! You're going to assault a person for NOT doing something? Ok, if I ever come close to you while I'm cycling (highly unlikely as you sound like a total urbanite) I'll make sure to slam right into you. That way you won't have the excuse of me NEARLY running you over.


Damn, I forgot how stupid so many posters here are. No wonder I lost interest after that computer crash.

[myksav]

Can we explore this bike road tax notion for a moment - I pay 677euros on my car - so what would be fair for a bike?

Using very rough figures on the back of a fag packet -

Starting off with 677euros lets factor that to reflect the power of the propulsion unit - my car 139hp, me on my bike about .1hp, thats a 1390:1 ratio so that would be 49 cents(rounding up).

But to do this properly we should also factor in the road space occupied -

My car takes up 8m2 approx , me on my bike 1m2 - 8:1 ratio, so 49 cents becomes 6 cents(approx).

Now factor in the fact that the fuel used are very different and in the case of the bike are mostly home produced and the waste by-products are easily bio-degradable - I think a 2:1 factor would be reasonable, so that makes it 3 cents.

There are various other factors which should also ideally be factored in (general enhancement of health, social capital, community integration etc) but factoring below 3 cents would start to make things a little silly(in my opinion).

You could push that farther and end up with the State owing you the cost of your car tax in saved health costs, etc. Anyone ever see an obese cyclist?

[joemomma]

Jaysus Tommy you seem to have a personal link to more cyclists deaths than there are cyclists!!!!
Just out of curiosity, where did this fatality take place?
I ask because there was only one cyclist killed last year in Dublin. I know where it was and it does not seem to fit your description.

Provide a link to an article which describes it. Thanks.

I think it would be a shame if you were making up tragedies to fit your sick, twisted little agenda and your anti-environmental mindset. If your story is indeed true, it should be easy to find the report on the IT archive. And if you are stating that the cyclist was 100% at fault, you need to provide evidence. To slander the dead with no basis is sick.

I presume you're not expecting Tommy to actually substantiate his fantasies. He slandered many more dead cyclists on this thread and managed to ignore requests to withdraw his lies over 54 pages.

[bluefirelog]

Anyone see this today: Video: Bus driver deliberately swerves to mow down cyclist - Europe, World News - Independent.ie

Bus driver swerves to deliberately knock down cyclist with whom he had just had an argument...

[Fisherman1]

Now I am a cyclist when I am not walking. I have two Dawes Galaxies from 1978 and use one regularely.

However I HAD to giggle when I watched this.

It was so delightfully MALICIOUS. A really BIG bus swerving out and then back in to SQASH a little cyclist.

Maybe I should worry more about myself but I'm enjoying being alive SO MUCH. WWAAYY better than the alternative.

Anyone see this today: Video: Bus driver deliberately swerves to mow down cyclist - Europe, World News - Independent.ie

Bus driver swerves to deliberately knock down cyclist with whom he had just had an argument...

[He3]

Now I am a cyclist when I am not walking. I have two Dawes Galaxies from 1978 and use one regularly.

If you ever decide to let one of the Galaxies go to new home do let me know! Mine was nicked and nothing since compares.

[alloverbartheshouting]

Just my two cents worth....

In the context of this thread, I wear all three hats - cyclist, pedestrian and driver. My least favourite mode of transport is cycling, as I feel in fear of my life from cars turning left without noticing me (even though I'm lit up like a Christmas tree) and pulling out from side roads into cycle lanes forcing me to stop suddenly (and potentially get rear-ended by another cyclist) or veer around them, possible into a car. I used to cycled around London city centre (not exactly known for it's Amsterdam-esqe embrace of bikes) and didn't feel the same sense of vulnerability as I do in Dublin.

However, as a driver, I have to say that there is a very militant type of cyclist who believes that the road and footpath belongs solely to him or her - so long as they get to where they are going unimpeded, then Bob's your uncle. I think that it the behaviours of this minority of cyclists who make it difficult for those who do observe the rules of the road. This also affects pedestrians - ever seen the bus pull in opposite the Raddison in Mount Merrion and cyclists booting along between the bus and passengers? Granted, the fact that the bus lane and cycle lane are beside each other is ridiculous, but the attitude of some cyclists at this one spot is downright abusive.

Pedestrians are no angels either - as both a cyclist and driver, I've come across people who decide at the last minute to dash across the road and if I hit them, then I'll be to blame for their foolish actions. And I'll be the first to admit that I've done this myself (crossed at the wrong spot, that is) without thinking of the consequences.

At the end of the day, I would like cycling to be made safer for all concerned. It's a cheap and healthy mode of transport which creates no pollution, so what's not to like? However, I think that the whole driver/cyclist/pedestrian battle will only be sorted if everyone does what they're supposed to do, namely stick to the rules of the road.

[Super Snooper]

Anyone see this today: Video: Bus driver deliberately swerves to mow down cyclist - Europe, World News - Independent.ie

Bus driver swerves to deliberately knock down cyclist with whom he had just had an argument...

yer man on the bike was askin for it provokin the bus driver ridin real far out an actin the bollox!!!! should of been suspended sentence!!!!

[PeeOKneel]

I have come across one individual in my life who was definitely highly dangerous to cyclists on the road in particular,of course he was a danger to every other road user as well! Let's put it this way the personality type you would be dealing with WRT him was somebody you would not leave alone with a young child in a room! Hopefully, he will soon be caught drunk driving or end up dead alone on the road!

[RainyDay]

yer man on the bike was askin for it provokin the bus driver ridin real far out an actin the bollox!!!! should of been suspended sentence!!!!

Same for most of those rapists - right? Sure those girls were askin for it provokin the lads with their short skirts and skimpy tops - right?