# Using a moped in Dublin......?



## Mourinho (28 Oct 2005)

Apologies if this has been discussed before, couldnt find anything on the search.....

Thinking of buying a scooter/moped for a daily return commute into the city centre (IFSC area). 

Anybody with experience of using one in Dublin traffic? What is the story with parking one (do some car parks let you park for less or even free?)? etc

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.


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## ClubMan (28 Oct 2005)

I did two searches for the words "moped" and "scooter" and found a bunch of links.


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## Mourinho (28 Oct 2005)

Parking a scooter in Dublin - any comments?


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## Mr Flapjack (28 Oct 2005)

I drove a 250cc bike into the city for a couple of years and never once had a prob with parking. I used to park anywhere as long as I could lock it to something. 

With regards office block parking, security usually let you park`it where people park bycicles as they don't take up much room.

Great freedom. traffic becomes a problem of your past. But remember that one knock could really send you flying. take it from someone who's been there.

p.s. I now drive a car.


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## ClubMan (28 Oct 2005)

Can I ask why you switched to the car?


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## shipibo (28 Oct 2005)

Park your Bike anywhere , have never had problems and I drive a 1200 Bandit


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## Mr Flapjack (1 Nov 2005)

crashed into the back of a truck. By her own admission, a women driving a micra made an emergency stop because a car coming the opposite direction pulled into a driveway. I know! She caused the truck to pull up suddenly and ended up with me looking up at the trucks exhaust... was lucky to get away with it so I decided to quit while i was ahead. I'll have another bike some day but not for commuting!


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## ClubMan (1 Nov 2005)

You seem to be blaming the (woman) _Micra _driver or the driver who pulled into a driveway for this causing accident but surely the driver of a vehicle that hits another vehicle in front is generally or always primarily culpable as they were presumably not driving with due caution or in full control of the vehicle such that they could come to a halt without crashing?


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## DrMoriarty (1 Nov 2005)

Can't give any authoritative reference to back this up, but I believe I once read somewhere that 90%+ of motorbike _collisions _(as opposed to mad speeding bikers who just "wipe out" an empty road at 120mph) are deemed to have been caused by the other (car) driver — male or female. And I mean in terms of "natural justice", whatever about insurance-company-defined "liability". Unfortunately, that's not much help to the bikers. They're the ones who get creamed, either way... 

I drove a series of bikes for 10 accident-free years, until I had kids. In retrospect, tbh, the move to four wheels wasn't _just_ because the child's buggy kept falling off the sidecar  — it also had something to do with a vague sense of new paternal responsibilities/urge to self-preservation. I've no medical experience, but my-cousin-the-(other)-Doctor used to refer grinningly to me and my kind as "donors"...

Put another way — I miss the bikes terribly, but I'd also be sh*tting myself if one of my kids one day turned around and announced they were getting one..!

And yet — to come back to the OP's question — there is no question but that for a daily commute to the city centre, two wheels makes buckets of sense. A moped/scooter would cost a pittance to run, save you _hours_ of weekly commuting time and — provided it's not lashing rain/freezing cold— can actually be a lot of fun! Just be careful. Get proper lessons. Buy good raingear. Make sure you wear clean underwear every day...


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## Marie (1 Nov 2005)

This isn't very encouraging but it is honest.  I commuted by moped (a lovely classic Vespa) through heavy London rush-hour traffic to and from my job 15 miles away in Surrey for a couple of years.  I 'came off' on a number of occasions; on the last of which I was hit by a car turning right across me on a mini-roundabout and the bike was a write-off and I'd had enough of the daily risk just to earn a crust.  A moped has small wheels and inherently poor road-holding.  It has the disadvantages of a bicycle - you and it are narrow and car-drivers often don't notice you; you are very vulnerable on roundabouts. It has the disadvantages of a bicycle in terms of inclement weather PLUS because you're not pedalling you get very very cold.  Beware being sucked into the wake of large trucks, or riding open country roads in strong winds - the bike gets blown about.  Unlike bicycle-riding you can't mount the path to get out of the way of some murdering lunatic behind the wheel of a car, but like a bicycle-rider you have to adapt to the vagaries of not being able to keep up with adjacent traffic. Another nuisance with mopeds is if you're carrying anything you need a rucksack; apart from models which have a helmet-compartment mopeds have no stowage so cost in panniers as well as fluorescent waterproof top-gear.  

If you _do _decide to commute by moped taking the motorbike training is a must; car-driving does not equip you for its peculiarities.  If you decide to commute on a moped remember that on those occasions when you come off it you are physically as vulnerable as coming off a more powerful motorbike; you will slither along the ground/gravel at speed so dress in proper bikers padded leathers (if you can afford them - fierce expensive!) or at the least, wear corduroy or denim which is very strong.  Whatever else you wear get good-quality leather biking gloves, a well-fitting crash helmet, and sturdy boots (never wear trainers - they are ripped off immediately you hit the ground). Oh - and buy a model with integral lock and alarm!


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## extopia (2 Nov 2005)

I've driven small motorbikes and I'd never go back. You don't necessarily have any advantage in traffic, although it seems the Gardai don't really police this very severely (bikers are not allowed in bus lanes or cycle lanes, for example, as far as I know). Weaving in and out of traffic is as illegal on a bike as it is in a car.

If you're within say 5-6 miles of the city centre I'd say a pushbike is probably a better option. Healthier too (as long as you don't have an accident of course).


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## Mourinho (2 Nov 2005)

Excellent comments and advice, cheers to all.

Definately more to think about that I first thought.


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## Beckster (2 Nov 2005)

I use a moped around the city and I find it fantastic. Dangerous at times, particularly in the wet, but the pros totally outweigh the cons. Its a buzz!


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## polaris (3 Nov 2005)

Just back from Rome and they're very popular over there especially for commuting to and from the suburbs. I think the more clement Italian weather makes driving them much more safer. They become much more dangerous to ride in the wind and rain of Ireland.


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## daltonr (3 Nov 2005)

If a single occupant stable vehicle (3 or 4 wheels) in which the occupant was shielded from the weather conditions were available do you think many people would use it instead of a car for commuting?

Let's say you could buy one for €3000

Let's assume that Motor Tax on it was minimal, and there was little or no VRT.  Let's go a step further and allow people to fuel it with the cheaper Agricultural Diesel.

Would a lot of drivers switching to a small single occupant vehicle like this do anything for the Traffic situation?  Forget for a second about the fact that such a small vehicle wouldn't be allowed on MotorWays.   

It seems to me that one of the problems with Big Cars is that they have too big a footprint for a single occupant.  Given that big chunks of the Commute are now at Walking Pace, it does seem silly to have all that horsepower gusling Fuel as you edge along.

-Rd


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## ClubMan (3 Nov 2005)

And also ... perhaps bring in a combination of carrot and stick to stimulate car pooling and more efficient use of all those many cars that currently carry a single occupant. For those that might be inclined to say "it'll never work" just look at how successful controversial moves like the plastic bag levy and workplace smoking ban were.


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## extopia (3 Nov 2005)

Allowing vehicles with 3 or more people to use the bus lanes would be a good start.


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## Marie (3 Nov 2005)

Didn't BMW introduce a classy moped with a transparent aerodynamic, spherical, open-sided shell to protect the passenger from the worst of the weather a few years ago?  A small 'footprint' all right but the design-flaw was the addition of the shell raised the centre of gravity even higher (usually it's in the vicinity of rider's bum on a moped) so the BMW was even less stable than the regular model.   Looked beautiful though!


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## SineWave (3 Nov 2005)

Marie. I remember the model. The price reflected the brand.

Being commuting on a bike for 3 months (after a break of 3 years) now and have almost become a cropper 3 times, due to bad car drivers. I think that the worsening traffic situation is causing car drivers to be more impulsive, pushy and agressive. If they see a queue up ahead they may impulsively decide to do a u-turn while in motion, break orange/red lights and silly things like that.

It saves me about ninety minutes of road time each day, but I'm seriously thinking of hanging up the keys and listening to 5-7 Live again.

Moped: wouldn't touch one as the wheel diameter slots perfectly in to most of our potholes and a few laws of physics ( body rotating around fulcrum etc) take over.


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## ClubMan (3 Nov 2005)

My brother used to work for some mobile phone delivery crowd and drove one of those around and used to get lots of funny looks. Come to think of he gets funny looks at the best of times anyway!


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## Carpenter (3 Nov 2005)

Marie said:
			
		

> Didn't BMW introduce a classy moped with a transparent aerodynamic, spherical, open-sided shell to protect the passenger from the worst of the weather a few years ago? A small 'footprint' all right but the design-flaw was the addition of the shell raised the centre of gravity even higher (usually it's in the vicinity of rider's bum on a moped) so the BMW was even less stable than the regular model. Looked beautiful though!


 
Didn't Pat Kenny have one?


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