The lethal pinch point on the East Link Bridge over the River Liffey. Cyclists and supposed to dismount here and walk as the wall of steel trucks whizz past (Photo - Citizen Wolf Twitter)
Here's a photo and video shared by social media users in recent days that really show how Dublin can still be a death trap for cyclists, despite the progress that has been made down the years.
The photo above hammers home that trucks can still be a major problem on Dublin's roads despite their being banned from the heart of the city.
The shot shows the entrance to the East Link Bridge close to the O3 arena.
There's a sign (pictured below) at this exact spot instructing cyclists to dismount and walk on the pavement across the bridge, presumably because there isn't room for them on the road.
Advertisement
But if you look at the proximity of the pedestrian in the photo to the truck and how narrow the pavement is, it's clear how dangerous it would be to get off your bike and start walking at this exact spot.
The video below is perhaps worse. It shows how heavy surface water was filling a hole that had been left when what looks like a temporary tarmac filling came out of a trench.
The trench had been dug in the surface of the road to facilitate road works; perhaps pipe or cable laying.
Some of the motorists obviously see the cars in front going into the trench and so they slow down in anticipation.
But others appear not to notice and drive into the hole much harder.
Related News
If a cyclist were to hit this one without seeing it or simply not noticing it because it was filled with water, the outcome could be very serious indeed.
TheJournal.ie first carried the video and they said when they went back to the spot this morning, Thursday, to check its status since the video was filmed on Monday night the hole had been filled in properly.
However, the woman who shot the video - Linda Byrne - said when her husband drove their car into it, the impact burst the car tyres.
So it’s scary to think what it would do to a bike and the cyclist on it.
It looks like a case of 'lots done, more to do' for Dublin City Council when it comes to making the city more bike friendly.
Hat tip to Mick McKillen Twitter and Citizen Wolf Twitter.
Huge hole in road
This is the road sign instructing cyclists to dismount and walk across the East Link. The sign is just beyond where the pedestrian is walking in the first photo above (Photo: Mick McKillen Twitter)
Topics
