The cycling lobby does itself no favours by engaging in tribal finger-pointing in an effort to excuse bad cycling behaviour … read more
Tag Archives: Behaviour&Legal
Any legal or Gardai related issue; also road user behaviour: cyclists, motorists & pedestrians
Majority of commuters still turning to the car
Despite Government efforts to get more people to walk, cycle, or use public transport, three out of every four journeys are still being made by car, according to a new overview of the country’s transport sector.
More than half of drink drivers escape conviction
Only 40 per cent of drink driving cases listed before the country’s District Courts since January 2013 resulted in convictions, new figures show. Read more
Congestion Charges & Cycling
This ECF evaluation shows that three of the four cities (London, Milan, Gottenburg & Stockholm) applying a system of congestion charging use part of the revenues from their respective schemes for measures related to cycling, especially London & Milan.
Cycling too dangerous? Our justice system shares the blame
So 70% of parents think cycling in London is too dangerous. With this week’s acquittal of Aslan Khayardi, you can see why. Apparently it is acceptable for a driver to
- break the 30 mph speed limit by over 20mph on a road “shared” with vulnerable road users, while
- overtaking a cyclist at less than half the recommended safe passing distance.
FAQ: Why do you ride like that?
“Biking in the middle of the lane like that sure looks dangerous.”
Driving in the middle of the lane actually protects cyclists against the most common motorist-caused crashes: sideswipes, right hooks, left crosses, and drive-outs. A bicycle driver’s top safety priority is to ensure he or she can be seen by motorists with whom they might potentially be in conflict, and bicycling in the middle of a lane is one of the most effective ways to do that. Most overtaking crashes involve a motorist who attempts to squeeze past (illegally) in a lane that is too narrow to share. Read more + video animation
Cyclists Set out their Demands ahead of Election 2016!
With the general election just around the corner, cyclists have set out their political demands!
Our vision is for everyday cycling to be normal part of life for all ages and abilities (the ‘8 to 80’ cohort as it is sometimes put) – very similar to the ways it is in many northern European countries. Remember also that #COP21 is a game changer – we need radical reductions in CO2 emissions from the Irish transport sector!
We want all political parties to commit to these two overarching aims:
- Allocate at least 10% of transport funding to cycling
- Implement the NCPF in full (initiated in 2009 it has only four years to run – time is ticking on actions/objectives not realised so far)
Additionally and more specifically, we must:
- Achieve at least 10% of all journeys by bike by 2020 [It is currently only at 1.6% at a national level]
- Appoint a National Cycling Officer in the Dept of Transport [This is a crucial step in being able to implement the NCPF effectively.]
- Make 30km/h the default urban speed limit
- Introduce a legally enforced 1.5-metre gap for overtaking cyclists; more information
- Provide for contra-flow cycling on one-way streets
- Retrofit the top 50 most dangerous junctions in Ireland
- Fund high quality cycle infrastructure
- Upskill An Garda Síochána to understand cycling so as to address (1) dangerous overtaking (2) illegal parking in cycle tracks; see #free-the-cycle-lanes
- Provide mandatory cycle training in all primary and secondary schools
- Introduce compulsory certificate of professional competence (CPC) for all taxi/hackney drivers by end 2017
Over the coming weeks, election candidates will be knocking on your door. Please relay the above points to them, explain why everyday cycling makes so much sense, and do feel free to share, tweet and post our graphic to get its message out there.
Cyclist.ie and its constituent local campaigns, and festivals will be working hard to ensure that all political parties understand the issues and see the value of putting the bicycle at the heart of transport and public health policies. If you support our work representing cyclists, please considering joining Dublin Cycling Campaign or, if you are outside the capital and not resident near a local campaign group, Cyclist.ie – the Irish Cycling Advocacy Network. This support makes a real difference is enabling voluntary organisations with their work. Thank you!
China Cups and Butterflies; Options and Ethics
Vulnerability and risk. Statistics and ethics. Solutions or fixes. Top-down interventions or individual actions. These are the core issues in the long-running bike-lane (or cycle track)-versus-integration argument and in the book Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (better known for his previous book, The Black Swan). Antifragile is a long and complex read, but the author managed to summarize it while metaphorically standing on one foot: “Everything gains or loses from volatility. Fragility is what loses from volatility and uncertainty.” Read article
Trains, planes and automobiles – how we got around in 2014
The number of people choosing to get around the capital on the public bikes system increased significantly, as passenger journeys jumped to over 3m in 2014.
Passenger journeys peaked at 355,155 in October of last year, almost 200,000 more than the number of users from the same month in the year prior. Public transport services all around the country – bus, rail and Luas – saw an increase in passenger numbers throughout the year.
Fixed Charge Notices issued Jul – Sep 2015
Number of Fixed Charge Notices issued for the offences listed for the period 30 July 2015 to 30 September 2015
Parking in a cycle track during its period of operation (Contravention of requirement to remove vehicle parked on cycle track (RRM022 or 023) after commencement of period indicated on information plate contrary to Section 35(5) of the Road Traffic Act, 1994) 112
Invading an Advance Stop Line by failing to bring vehicle to a stop behind a primary stop-line (Failure to stop in advance of traffic sign number RRM 017 (Stop Line), contrary to Section 35(5) of the Road Traffic Act, 1994) 16
Failure to stop in advance of Traffic Sign (Failure to stop in advance of traffic sign for number RRM 017 (stop line) where traffic sign number RUS 027(stop sign) was also provided contrary to Section 35(5) of the Road Traffic Act, 1994) 60
Dangerous Overtaking (Overtaking another vehicle in a manner which wold endanger or cause inconvenience to any other person contrary to Section 35(5) of the Road Traffic Act, 1994).
Please note that it is not possible to provided a breakdown between overtaking pedal cyclists and mechanically propelled vehicles, therefore the figure provided relates to all manners of dangerous overtaking.