The Gardai are going to cause traffic accidents on Dublin streets. at RunningWithBulls.com

The Gardai are going to cause traffic accidents on Dublin streets.

Published by bbt May 5th, 2005 in bernard, irishblogs, personal, politics/world affairs

So I am cycling to work this morning minding my own business.

I am travelling up D’Olier street on the way to Pearse street to get to our office on Grand Canal Dock, and I see a huge artic. truck in front of me. So I decide to slow down a little and give him plenty of space.

Just as we go around the corner of D’Olier Street to the start of Pearse Street, by Mona Pizza, the truck starts to move into the right hand lane.
I stay in the left hand lane, becuase thats the lane I always stay in.
Just as I am level with the back of the trailer of the truck, he (I presume its a he) has to swerve quickly into the left lane (i.e. MY lane), almost squashing me.

I am abit pissed at this, and try to find out why. So I go to the other side of the truck (the lane he came from) and what do I find?

I see this fuckin fuzzwagon parked on DOUBLE YELLOW LINES (DYL)! Right outside the back entrance of the Pearse street Fuzz shop.

This really pisses me off big time. Police cars are ALWAYS being parked on streets on DYL.
And i have to say, I am not a police basher, but the only sane and plesant members of the force, are those who cycle bikes on the streets of this fair town.
My hat (bicyle helmet of course!) goes off to them.

So, is there any chance of getting the four wheeled fuzz members to cop on and stop causing unnecessary hassle on the roads?

I think I am going to start documenting these obstructions that they put in place. If anyone wants to join me in this fight, please do. Upload your images to Flickr and tag them with the tag “irishpolicecockups“.

Maybe we’ll get the message across?

*sigh*

5 Responses to “The Gardai are going to cause traffic accidents on Dublin streets.”

Feed for this Entry Trackback Address

1 Shane Dempsey May 5th, 2005 at 9:00 am

Polemic (n): A controversial argument, especially one refuting or attacking a specific opinion or doctrine. Bernie you sure are a police basher. While I understand that you’re upset about this particular issue, the police are authorised to park on double yellow lines outside their own garda station in the pursuit of police activity. We, the ordinary people of this great country are not to know what greater purpose was served by obstructing the natural traffic flow. The bottle neck effect in pearse st could have caused untold numbers of joy riders and ner-do-wells to be apprehended as their plans were foiled by the ingenuity of the gardai. I’m sorry for your trouble but I can only view this as another fine example of the inspiring young men and women of our police forward going the extra mile (in failing to go the extra 10 yards) to protect the good citizens of dublin, Sean O’Phobaill
2 site admin May 5th, 2005 at 11:31 am

Sir,
I know your just stirring the shit. Please put your spoon down.

I also know that those bast^^ police members are allowed to park where the fuck they like, but I doubt that will extend to dangerous parking.

Is mise le meas,
Bernie
3 Doylie May 5th, 2005 at 4:30 pm

I have always maintained that the cops are the single worst drivers on the roads. I’ve witnessed a few incidents but the one that really sticks out was in Athlone a few years ago. I was driving down church street as a cop walked onto the street and stopped traffic from both directions. He then waves out a cop car which reverses out of a one way street untill both lanes of church street were blocked! Then the cop on the street leans in the window and has a full FIVE MINUTE conversation! With lunchtime traffic building up on both sides! And I know it wasn’t work related either, cos’ you’d never see that much joking and laughing on a police report
4 Evie May 5th, 2005 at 6:47 pm

I drive home everday via the outh Ring Rd in Cork. Twice this has happened to me.
I’m in the fast lane, passing out somebody slower. doing 100km on the nose and a garda car drives up my bum for the entire duration until I pass the slower car out and pull into the fast lane. The garda car then roars past me doing at least 120km and heads for the hills.
I know that they have their jobs to do but both times, neither cars had their sirens on or lights flashing.
Correct me if I’m wrong but they’re not above the law, they just enforce it right?
5 bbt May 5th, 2005 at 10:51 pm

Hea Evie,

Firstly, thanks for stopping by. You’re welcome.

Secondly, I agree 100%. The police are there to uphold it. That doesn’t mean they can park on double yellow lines at 8:45AM, during the high-peak of traffic congestion, in this already congested city.

I thought it was part of their jobs to make sure no-one parked on double yellow lines and therefore obstructing traffic.

I do of course accept when they are in pursuit of a criminal, are trying to catch a criminal in the act, etc, that they need to step outside the law that you or I would have to uphold, but I don’t accept that they can park their fuzz_mobile outside the back entrance of the Pearse Street station at 8:45AM for now good reason.

On the beautiful and I am sure (!) web-standards compliant website, under the pedestrian news section, they release this lovely little fact:

“Twenty four pedestrians died on the roads in Dublin during 2004, which compared with eleven in 2003. A significant number of fatal traffic accidents involved trucks or buses (67%) and/or persons over 50 years of age (62%).

In an effort to counter this trend, An Garda Siochana (supported by its partner agencies listed below) today (26.4.05) launched a Pedestrian Safety Awareness Campaign in Dublin.

This campaign is aimed at raising the awareness of pedestrians generally regarding road safety and in particular the ‘blind spot’ that drivers of trucks and pedestrians must contend with.”

Further down:

” Partner Agencies involved in this campaign are;
An Garda Siochana…”
…and more.

Its a pity the Garda Siochana couldn’t make their members aware that they were supposed to be making roads and street safe for pedestrians (and therefore other road users too).

But, to be honest, we ask too much from An Garda Siochana. Leave them to their important world of crime fighting….

I will check again tomorrow morning it there is any fuzz_mobile parked there.

And I do ask everyone to contribute to the “irishpolicecockups” Flickr tag.

time for bed,
b