Originally Posted by MrCjolsen
Look at it this way. If they're shouting obsenities at you, at least it means they see you and probably aren't going to run you down. I'm far more worried about the drivers who don't say anything because they're too busy talking on their mobile phones.
Do many people get around on bikes in Dublin? I don't remember seeing a lot of bikes there (but that was in my pre-cycling days, so I might not have noticed) and that most people just walked everywhere. I drove through the city center once and wouldn't want to do it again. And at that, I was just coming up from the south coast on my way back to Howth. All in all, I found driving in Ireland a rather hair raising experience. Is biking there much worse? How hard would it be, say, to bike from the city center to Howth?
Also can you take bikes on DART? What about Irishrail? My wife says we're not driving next trip.
I'm noticing a lot more cyclists since I've started cycling myself, but yeah, there are quite a few cyclists. I work in the univeristy, so maybe I see more cyclists in my part of the city than there would be elsewhere. The scary thing is that it seems like most car drivers do not cycle, threfore they don't seem to understand cyclists. Also, I think that most drivers here are scared of cyclists, because if there is a collision, the driver is usually to blame!
I still haven't cycled into the city centre, I haven't needed to yet, but I would be somewhat apprehensive about it. Then again, I'm a new cyclilst, so maybe I'm not qualified to give an opinion. cycling in Howth shouldn't be a problem though!
As far as i know, you can take bikes on the dart and irish rail, but maybe not in rush hour - it would just be awkward for you as well as other passengers. Not driving is probably a good idea if you'd like to stay sane while in Dublin!