Good Helen writes:
“I’m wondering if you can see if anyone was on the corner on Leeson st and Stephen’s Green [Dublin] this morning around 8.27. I am fuming. A no. 32X went through a red light – right through the pedestrian crossing when a number of people were crossing the road. Before you say, I have reported this to Dublin Bus. But I am considering going to the guards about this. It is a very busy junction and he could see what he had done and there were alot of school kids about. I’m sure they likely have cameras at the junction, and I will go to Pearse st with it, however , I’m unsure they would even do anything., I know this happens all the time over the city, but this morning, well it was so dangerous, people were on the road and had to back off it cos he broke the lights. Any advice welcome.”
Anyone?
(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)
Talk to Joe?
Hello caller, sure, sure, dey do be in an aaaawful hurry so dey do be.
The bus driver will still blame a cyclist.
A friend of a friend reported a similar dangerous-driving incident to the Guards. It WAS taken seriously and the culprit found. It will take a fair amount of your time and there is a possibility you’ll be laughed at….so prepare for that.
Crikey, they don’t make it easy for you.
A taxi ran a red light this morning as I was crossing, the green man changed to amber and off he went, cutting across oncoming traffic too. I didn’t get his number or reg, but figured its not worth the hassle.
I think it’s worth it for stats alone. Wouldn’t get any personal satisfaction from ratting but I really hate the “ah sure it’s grand, what’s the problem?” attitude on the roads.
I report these lunatics every time for dangerous driving, worth the effort.
Well done for doing your part.
Hey its Ireland…. your not supposed to care, everybody is just having the craic loike
As a cyclist I have the Trafficwatch number in my phone, I know other cyclists have reported incidents to Trafficwatch (being cut up/ knocked over by motorists etc) and there have been garda knocks on doors to the homes of the motorists.
Here’s the link to Trafficwatch http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=111
jaysis how many times has that happen to ya. if you have been cycling for a good while in the city you should be able to see the situations that could cause problems for you a mile off and avoid em. offensive cycling is the way to be, a cyclist is too vulnerable to be defensive.
knocked off my bike just the once, i learned the lesson very quick and can see the situations where it can happen again and just back off from them rather then take em head on, it leads to a much stress free cycle.
note to other cyclists, open your eyes a bit and avoid the possible bad situations and for the love of god stay out of vehicles blind spots. as a cyclist the most thing that shocks me is the other cyclists that have no clue of vehicle blind spots.
stay safe out there folks.
when a bus overtakes you part of the way and then pulls in running you into the kerb you generally don’t have any fore-warning, this has happened to me a lot, that and pedestrians stepping into the cycle lanes without looking are by far the greatest dangers.
Yes its right to ride defensively, no comfort in knowing you were in the right when you’re lying in a coffin but also remember to report every driver who is driving dangerously.
the bus stop up ahead is generally a sign that a bus most likely will pull in, while it is a big jerk move on the part of the bus driver to over take a bike just before a bus stop you gotta keep ur eyes open to avoid them situations.
What bus stop? I never mentioned anything about a bus stop ahead.
Or just harp on in a sanctimonious way. I’m a cyclist and not an idiot one either. I obey the rules of the road, don’t break read lights, and don’t get myself into blind spots. Despite this I am regularly ignored by motorists. This morning I nearly collided with a car who overtook me and then immediately decided to turn into a garage sharply just ahead of me to save himself 10 seconds. I went back to tell the guy what a moron he was and basically got told I was the one at fault. This is nothing new either, I’ve had cars pull across from the other side of the road on me when going through junctions with a green light or even when on the main road with no other traffic around. The point is, even being as careful as you can be, those being a wheel on the road are oblivious to the danger they can pose.
I reported an incident recently and to my great surprise they took it very seriously. Seems to be a new broom being swept through. Also with GPS and CCTV onboard (so this incident should be on tape) there is evidence now if they totally F it up. Get in touch, deffo give the Garda a shout too.
I was standing on the footpath waiting to cross the road (not in city centre) guy comes driving along, using his phone, mounts the footpath, misses me by a few inches, realizes what he has done, corrects himself and drives off.
The quality of driving in this country borders on shocking, hardly anyone indicates, no one obeys the speed limit, and the worst thing of all is, they get away with each and every time. You will of course get the occasional “garda thingy-me-bob” to catch some in the bus lane. And cyclists aren’t blameless either, learn the difference between red and green lights and one way streets.
Whilst you make good points, making sweeping statements like “hardly anyone indicates, no one obeys the speed limit…” doesn’t do your argument any favours. And what you were trying to say here, I will never know: ‘You will of course get the occasional “garda thingy-me-bob” to catch some in the bus lane.’
It’s the “couldn’t care less” attitude that is rife in this country, I’ve lost count of the times I’ve had had words with cyclists going the wrong way down a one way street, breaking the traffic lights (Stephens green luas, if you want a live example) and to exasperate the situation, there are often guards standing there, ignoring it.
If they don’t enforce the rules, then why bother, what do the guards actually do?
As for making sweeping statements, why not, when you are standing on a roundabout waiting to cross count the number of cars that actually indicate signaling their intention to go left or right.
Or even better, count the number of cars that break red lights at busy junctions, is there a penalty for doing such a thing?
Cyclists also need to learn that footpaths are not handy extra cycle lanes.
This story has nothing to do with cyclists
I agree with you entirely and would like to add that joggers need to learn that cycle lanes are not fast lane footpaths.
Yes, I’m sure a cyclist caused this. Probably one of those magnetic bikes dragging the bus through the red light.
LOL!
They’re divils for breakin red lights goin over Portobello bridge towards Rathmines, absolute divils
Yup, every single day. Only a matter of time before someone gets badly hurt.
Why can’t an investment be made into camera technology for traffic lights like they have in the UK? With the amount of red lights being broken in this town, they would make their money back in a week from fines….
Great idea. Send it to the RSA. Their first camera could be aptly named after you ;)
Baggot Street is particularly bad too for this, whilst speeding too.
Cars break red lights for at least 10 seconds after the red is visible every morning right outside Sundrive garda station.
Every morning without fail.
Cameras with technology that automatically issue a small fine to the owner of the licence plate would be good; I’ve been told these exist in Germany.
No one obeys lights in this county, cars, buses,cyclists or pedestrians.
Cameras on lights would stop a certain ammount of it but a basic knowledge of the rules of the road and some consideration for your fellow citizens would also help.
thanks for the comments – don’t know why it all led back to cyclists, i was on foot and walking. Dublin Bus did say they would ring back, however, they very likely won’t. I did tell her i was reporting the incident but again, really doubt they care, usually i’d just tut and walk on but this morning, his blatant disrespect was incredible., you could see people crossing the road, he actually seen us, (you couldnt miss), and he still kept going, forcing us to move back onto the foot path or he would hit us. He was deffinitely not going to stop.
tweet this post and thread to Dublin Bus, they might be more responsive when its in public domain… I’ll re-tweet it for you :)
People won’t care about their reckless actions until they’re forced to, so good on you Good Helen for making sure this gets looked into. It’s all too easy for us to moan about others without actually doing anything to correct the bad behavior.
I’d also agree with sheila, use social media to let Dublin Bus know that they can’t just ignore or brush aside incidents like this.
I complained to Dublin Bus about something very different (a bus driver refused to let me on with a cat in a carrier, saying that “there’s children on this bus” – bizarre), I sent an email and they got back to me in less than 12 hours. Very nice, courteous and assured me that the driver would be identified and informed as to the actual by-laws on pets on buses.
So hopefully they will take something like this even more seriously.
the right turn off nassau street at the lights, buses break the lights there every single morning i walk past. ive thrown the odd kick into bus sides over it. which is more than the gaurds have ever done, after being blue in the face reporting it.
Im a cyclist, and the one way street thing is beyond stupid. Really grinds my gears, so to speak.
The worst / best example is at Merrion Street Lower / Lincoln Place, between the Davenport and the Mont Clare hotels. Total nitwits taking on 4 lanes to get on to Westland Row.
I was nearly knocked down at the same junction by a taxi flying through the green man. He was going too quickly to see his reg. thanks for the traffic watch info I will definitely keep this number for, because there unfortunately will be, future incidents.
It’s unfortunate that the Traffic Watch ‘lo-call’ number is a 1890 one, which is expensive to call from a mobile.
The bus driver might get fired for dangerous driving. Then he will go to his union rep and get his job back + €30k+ for hardship and unfair dismissal. So in the end everyone wins, except Dublin Bus and anybody this driver might hit in the future.
I got almost run over by a Dublin bus when I was crossing St. Luke’s avenue across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I wasn’t paying much attention – really needed to get to the loo an I was close to home, so I started crossing as soon as my light turned green. Another pedestrian pulled me back as a Dublin bus zoomed by. I was too shocked to get the number, so I didn’t report it. Next time I’ll try to pay more attention.
…well don’t keep us all in suspense, did you get to the loo in time?
I did. My cheeks clenched so hard that I not only made it home but ended up producing diamonds.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=234_1409132105
“Any advice welcome”
Any?
All right. Change the name.
You’re not a one dimensional character or simpleton are you?
There’s good and some bad in all.
You’re welcome.