Cycling, is it very dangerous? (1 Viewer)

[Scientician 0.8]

Since I'm currently attempting to do the impossible and give up the gargle I've also decided to go for broke and try to improve my general fitness. I would like to start up cycling but I'm worried about how dangerous it is cycling about Dublin. I'd be mainly cycling from Swords to Santry and the odd time on into town. I suppose the specific routes aren't that relevant. There seems to be cycle lanes most of the way I want to go but there are various obstacles that seem scary like half a dozen roundabouts. So anyway is cycling in this town dangerous, or very dangerous or only a bit dangerous? Your advice, anecdotes, horror stories etc of a cycling nature welcome.
Thanks .|..|

 

[Lefty Frizzell]

Just wear a helmet, get lights and a hi vis top. The rest is outta your hands really. I cycle for about 90 minutes a day. I've been doin that since june with no problem touch wood. I cycle from cabinteely into stephens green and back in the evenings.

Its grand, just stay relatively sharp. Actually something to remember about cycling in the dark is big bumps and potholes that are hard to spot. A few take me by surprise now and then. But its definitely not as dangerous as you seem to imagine, especially in open suburbs. But if you do get knocked down don't blame me.

Its a great idea. I used to always go for afterwork pints during the week which stopped when i started cycling. I spent 400 on the bike and all the bits and bobs and i've nearly saved that on busfare since june.

Best of all is you'll feel a lot better from it, more so if its regular and you're not getting any exercise at the moment. You'll have more energy, sleep/wake up better etc.

 

[inspector horse]

i find if you presume everyone is gonna do something stupid then your pretty much ready for it if it happens, its definately the best way to get around dublin

 

[avernus]

Everything is dangerous. On a bike anything can kill you. I tend to make crazy decisions on bikes.. and sometimes, you think you can't be touched. Then one day you cycle into a ravine. Look all I'm saying is be careful out there. It's a dangerous world full of crazy people and they're all trying to kill you in their own way.

Wear a helmet and a high vis jacket as Leftwald mentioned, and kill anything that moves in your way.

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

If your worried about traffic find alternate less busy routes. Just remember you can never be too safe and get decent lights etc. Starting in the winter could be tough,it'll be too easy to make excuses but get through it and no rain or cold will bother you again.

 

[Scientician 0.8]

This is probably an obvious one but is it a bad idea to listen to music while cycling? I imagine it is but was wondering what you more experienced folk thought.

 

[carbide]

This is probably an obvious one but is it a bad idea to listen to music while cycling? I imagine it is but was wondering what you more experienced folk thought.

i think it depends on how you use your senses - i find i rely a lot on my hearing because it works in all directions and i can watch out for more than i see, so i can't even cycle with a hat over my ears, but other people seem to do it without dying. i guess it's not necessarily more distracting than habitual daydreaming.

also. psst, tell nobody, but there's worse things than getting off and crossing at the lights at horrible junctions/roundabouts for the first while on a route. i did this for a while and i'm sure i looked like a total wuss, but it stopped me from scurrying back to public transportation in terror, and didn't really keep me late.

but, yeah, it's very dangerous and it's awesome, and once you start assuming every pedestrian is going to step off the path without looking and every taxi is trying to hit you for that 500 bonus points, it becomes obvious how to stay safe(ish).

 

[Lefty Frizzell]

This is probably an obvious one but is it a bad idea to listen to music while cycling? I imagine it is but was wondering what you more experienced folk thought.

I listen to music everyday. Just keep it a reasonable level and dont use those noise cancelling ones.

 

[hugh]

The thing about it is that the chances of being in an accident are pretty low if you're careful, but if you do end up in an accident it can be very very bad. Someone I know was hit by a truck last week (fucking hit and run) and she's got a broken pelvis, broken legs .. probably lucky to still be alive.

But I suppose you could get hit by a truck just walking across the road ...

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

I listen to music most days on my bike,it's probably not a great idea. I do try to keep my eyes on everything that's going on to make up for it. about once every week or two I don't listen to music,just so I can hear if any noises are coming from my bike.

 

[RoMaaan]

I thought listening to music would be quite dangerous, until I tried it. You can still hear pretty much everything unless you're blasting it. There are some junctions I always become a pedestrian for. As well as it being safer, it's quicker sometimes. I'd say on the whole it's safe enough around Dublin. But the odd time something comes very close to happening and it really wakes you up. Just stay alert. You'll get the hang what to be cautious of after a while.

 

[flashback]

I would only listen to choons on the bike when I am out on long spins in the sticks, where there is little enough other traffic.
Otherwise I prefer to hear whats going on. Besides, you cant really listen to the music properly in town on a bike. Well I cant anyway.

WRT danger and things, I mean, its not totally safe, but its not suicidal. You just have to have a decent road manner, sort of a mixture of being polite and being an asshole.

I used to do loads of tricks to get people to see me, and I would be an asshole to cars if I felt I was in a risky position. By that I mean, say if the road narrows, and you have no escape route, and you are worried traffic with clip you on the way past, then I will swing into the middle of the road etc. Just keep thinking about things that can go wrong, and how to avoid them.

Hi viz stuff is the man for Dublin evenings though. Get a pair of transparent glasses too, other wise you will be picking crap out of your eyes all day.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

When I cycled in Dublin I listened to music but found it distracting so I'd recommend avoiding it.

A mate was knocked down in Stillorgan a few years back. Ironically the car that hit him was being driven by a guy who owned a bike shop.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Easiest way to be safe is to get a decent bike that really moves and goes where you want it to go rapidly and to work up experience so you know what's going to happen on the roads before it happens. That way you can have the confidence to cycle like an arrogant cunt who owns the road. It's the only way to ensure some bastard in a car doesn't knock you down. The way I see it, if I am on my bike I am saving the enviroment AND decreasing traffic therefore i deserve extra leeway to get from a to b safely. As people have said, you really need to cycle in the middle of the road sometimes.

Oh and ALWAYS scream abuse at drivers who nearly hit you or generally inconvenience you in any way.......by reminding them that cyclists actually exist you might be saving the life of another cyclist they are yet to meet. Heroic.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

Oh and ALWAYS scream abuse at drivers who nearly hit you or generally inconvenience you in any way.......by reminding them that cyclists actually exist you might be saving the life of another cyclist they are yet to meet. Heroic.

Good advices.
I loved that part of the cycle - when you let fly at a selfish motorist / pedestrian. Give the pricks hell I say.

 

[flashback]

There is this thing called Looming, I robbed this:

It's called motion camouflage, and it's used deliberately in nature. Various predators use it, and it is the result of perspective in stereoscopic vision. An objects which is, for example, 100 yards away and travelling directly towards you is perceived by the brain as being of a certain size. The same object 20 yards away will be larger, but it won't be perceived as being 5 times bigger. Therefore there is an inbalance between the rate of travel towards you and the way the brain detects it, meaning that it is not flagged up to your consciousness as being important. Couple this effect with the fact that you're looking at something which isn't changing size, against a backdrop of non-moving objects (buildings, trees etc) and you end up not actually seeing what is really there. What then happens is that as the approaching object (be that a motorcycle, buzzard, vicious little git of an insect etc) gets *really* close, then the brain picks it up and it suddenly appears in your vision. This effect is called 'looming' and is the reason why people pull out and then stamp on the brakes as they see you at the last minute...

So, what you try and do on the bike is create any kind of angle at all between you on the traffic, even a small angle will make you look more visible.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

its not as dangerous as you`d think actually,was a cycle courier for years and only got hit once (by a bus).like someone else said though if you feel like yr in danger just do what you have to,id always stay at least a yard from the curb and if yr in heavy traffic get right in the middle of the road,always found it safer there.also watch for silly pedestrains crossing the road,its happened me numberous times,they look up and see you ten yards away bearing down on them but keep walking anyway.idiots.
good luck too

 

[brianoak]

Get clipless pedals so you can drag your cleats along the paintwork of any car that nearly hits you.They do deserve it. No dont,unless your under 18.

Me and my friends said it loads before but anybody who drives a car in dublin should have to ride a bike for six months around the city first but thats not likely to ever happen so keep your eyes open.

Also helmets and lights are not extras..they are essentials so include them in your budget.I have fallen off and broken 3 helmets,not all on the road admittedly but still.

 

[magicbastarder]

i used to do a 28 mile round trip every day - blanchardstown to leopardstown.
no way would i listen to music - not so much the reduction in ability to hear around you, it's as much to reduce distractions.
i was knocked down once, i was t-boned by a boy racer coming out of a side junction. this is one of the dangers you learn to spot quickly - drivers who don't see anything but cars, but it's also one of the dangers which is hard to counter.
another danger is the left hook - so as you're coming to a junction, move out into the middle of the lane so no-one can pass you by and then cut in on top of you. also, pull out in front of the car at the lights when sitting at a red - this way, you're in control, and can get safely through the junction at your own pace.

all that said, the health benefits of cycling outweigh the health risks by something like a factor of ten - you'll add ten times as much to your life with regular cycling, as the danger takes from it. plus, cyclists and pedestrians are exposed to less than half the level of airborne pollutants that drivers in (non air-conditioned) cars are, in heavy traffic.

i used to wear a smog mask, too - very handy, but would clog up with condensation after about 45 minutes cycling.

also, get as decent a bike as you can. don't bother with rear suspension, it takes energy to flex a bike, and there's only one energy source on the bike. so the more rigid the bike, the less it tires you, all other things being equal.

 

[flashback]

Oh yeah.
Clipless pedals. The man is right.
Get some SPDs or similar. They make a huge difference.

I have been "hit"... a number of times on push bikes, but normally didnt end up on the ground, it was normally a rub or a bang, you get knocked off balance, you have to jump the bike back upright, and try and get it back under control. Busses are cunts. Watch them.

I have to jump a bike up onto the pavement on the quays one time, into mobs of people, when a car knocked into me as it passed. I dont remember hitting anyone though. Not hard anyway.
I have been knocked to the ground maybe three or four times, and that hurts a bit. Being T boned is very unpleasant. You end up quite hurt from that.

I should mention that I raced bikes in packs since I was young, and there is a lot of leaning/ shouldering in/ hurly burly/ pushing/ punching/ pumps at dawn that goes on in those packs during races. So, I am sort of more accustomed than some at being shoved about on two wheels maybe.
I dont know how you train at getting used to being used at being pushed about. I suppose just riding miles.