Should cyclists have to pass a test / be insured / be licensed ?

liaconn said:
I disagree re overtaking horizontal cyclists. With one or two you can get past without having to go right over to the other side of the road; with 3 or 4 on a country road this is not possible.
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If you're passing 1 or 2 cyclists (about 1.25m) in a car (about 2m) without going 'right over to the other side of the road', you are almost certainly not leaving enough overtaking space.

http://www.cyclemanual.ie/manual/thebasics/width/#

The RSA ask drivers to leave 1.5m overtaking space.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB9d-c-M7D0

A gust of wind, or a pothole, or a branch on the road can all cause a cyclist to wobble significantly. If you're closer than 1.5m, you may well end up getting to know that cyclist ( and their family, and their solicitor) much more than you intended. Leave room.
 
T McGibney said:


Does each driver have to check the web for events etc on road before every drive?
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yes that's exactly what I said.

However, if you're the type of person easily frustrated by traffic delays then given how easy it is to get immediate and accurate information on delays, then why not?

As someone who does hate delays I find Google Maps and Waze easy and accurate ways of checking for traffic or delays. Waze (now part of Google Maps) even has live updates. Or given that most (granted not all) organisers for cycling events alert AA Roadwatch, you could check there to.

The point being that as the information on the events or any delay is available, if it is such an issue to individuals five minutes checking a planned route isn't that much of an issue.
 
T McGibney said:


Does each driver have to check the web for events etc on road before every drive?
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Isn't that the reason for traffic reporting?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_message_channel#Ireland

[broken link removed]
 

Twice in two day I have wobbled on the bike: once when being overtaken in a combined bus/bike/taxi lane by a double decker bus which sped past giving me about 1.5cm clearance; I got such a fright I started wobbling before it was entirely past.

The second occasion was when taking a bend in the road and leaning over to the left, I was overtaken by a BMW with so little clearance that if I'd been upright his wing mirror would have hit me. I did remonstrate with him (calmly, although I had got an awful fright again) at the next traffic light and fair enough he did apologise. I think he got a fright when he realised the cyclist with the helmet and the fluoro jacket was in fact a middle-aged woman.

Dangerous driving is the cause of many more cyclist accidents than cycling behaviour!
 
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