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My Guinness! Truck driver smashes down cycle lane wands, cuts across and parks on the pavement

The driver abusing the bollards separating the cycle lane was caught on camera by a Dublin cyclist

A cyclist in Dublin was an unexpected witness to a Guinness truck driver who seemed to completely ignore the cycle lane separator wands, as he drove over them and proceeded to park on the pavement, to apparently make unloading the beer kegs a little bit easier.

The cyclist posted the video footage from his 360 degree camera on Twitter, revealing the reason why so many bollards were smashed down on South Circular Road, also pointing out that the driver could have simply unloaded legally by driving just ten metres down the road.

Kevin Nolan, who is a lecturer at University College Dublin was cycling from his home to work when he came across this incident at The Patriot’s Inn pub on the corner of Kilmainham Lane. He stopped and told the driver: “Mandatory cycling lane! You cannot cross a mandatory cycling lane under any circumstances!”

However, maybe the directions were a little too subtle for him (or had the Guinness driver lost his ‘head’?), who according to Nolan, simply started making excuses. Nolan said that he unfortunately couldn’t hang back to argue with him as it would've otherwise kept his students waiting.

A few people under the Twitter post were defending the driver, bringing to attention the weight of the kegs. One person (with a Guinness profile and cover picture) said: “Have you ever tried unloading these barrels and rolling them a distance under time delivery pressure. People don't appreciate the effort it takes and being a few metres away makes a big difference.”

Nolan replied questioning how did that justify the crushing of public property, and pedestrians having to deal with trucks on the pavement. He also said that “if it’s so difficult, Guinness Ireland should provide suitable staffing and lifting and transport equipment”.

More people jumped to the driver’s defence, one person claiming that the “man is doing his job”, and “put absolutely nobody in danger”, to which Nolan again had to point out that he was actually breaking the law.

Nolan also mentioned that just ten metres down the road, the mandatory cycle lane with the bollards stops, giving way to the advisory cycle lane with the broken white lines allowing for setting down and unloading (which we think would still be unsafe).

And to top it all off, where there should have been a loading bay for the truck to unload all the heavy Guinness kegs, the pub seemed to have converted it into an outdoor seating.

> Cyclist hit by truck driver has compensation cut after judge says lack of helmet contributed to injuries

Guinness Ireland and the Dublin City Council have been approached for a comment.

In January this year, a cyclist who was hit by a truck driver in Dublin had her compensation reduced by €4,000 because she wasn’t wearing a helmet. She was injured in the hit-and-run incident in 2018, and the judge claimed that she contributed to her own injuries by failing to wear a helmet.

In a more recent incident from last month, a cyclist who suffered a “life-changing” brain injury after falling from his e-bike while riding in a protected cycle lane, hitting his head off a series of granite bollards, sued Dublin City Council in a multi-million euro claim.

However, the Guinness truck driver abusing the cycle lane is not the first of its kind in Dublin this year. In February, the council announced a special enforcement operation was underway to tackle the problem of illegal cycle lane and pavement parking on one of Ireland’s longest and busiest avenues.

Despite the council’s claims though, local cyclists posted images online appearing to show that the problem remains as bad as ever.

> Council commits to targeting motorists blocking ‘protected’ cycle lane and pavement near school – but illegal parking continues

The high levels of illegal parking, by motorists visiting friends’ house or on the school run, continued even as the council moved to install a 3.5km-long cycle lane on the road in 2020. Fine Gael councillor Naoise Ó Muirí had noted that more road markings were added outside the schools last week and that a concrete “separator” was due to be installed.

Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.

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12 comments

Avatar
ubercurmudgeon | 11 months ago
10 likes
Quote:

“The man is doing his job”

Ah yes, road safety legislation only applies to the middle class. If you have a grandparent who once used an outside lavatory, and might need to carry something heavy an extra few metres, then such petty rules don't apply to you. It's the same reason why if there's building works on your street then the pavements will be blocked by half-a-dozen white vans for six months, and the radio will be on max volume from 8am five days a week. Doesn't matter if they're actually on minimum wage, or independent contractors making really good money, they're entitled to be selfish.

Avatar
IanMSpencer | 11 months ago
17 likes

I think the highlight of the story is the abandonment of a safe loading area to provide seating which appears to actually be in the road. Somehow I don't see the truck driver riding over the tables to make his delivery.

I bet the drinkers don't wear hi-viz and helmets, though I suppose tif the Guinness has a decent head that might help.

Hope Dublin sends the delivery company a bill.

Avatar
OnYerBike replied to IanMSpencer | 11 months ago
1 like
IanMSpencer wrote:

I think the highlight of the story is the abandonment of a safe loading area to provide seating which appears to actually be in the road.

Being a bit pedantic, but there's no evidence that that space ever was a loading bay.

Looking at the Streetview imagery, in 2009 the road had an extra lane; then at some point prior to 2017 it was turned into a taxi rank with the pavement being built out at the junction (I don't think loading is permitted in a taxi rank, although not 100% sure, especially given it might be different in Ireland); then finally turned into extra space for the pub at some point in 2021 (initially without tables, although as far as I can tell the only purpose for the space would be more space for the pub's clientelle).  

Avatar
Fignon's ghost | 11 months ago
4 likes

Thanks for the up.
I'm conflicted. This is my favourite beverage. But I've come to a necessary compromise. I'm going to stick with Murphy's from now on. OK. It's not of the Lee but will do until they too start mashing cyclists.

Avatar
Type17 replied to Fignon's ghost | 11 months ago
3 likes

Don't worry, have whatever pint you fancy - having cycled in Dublin City for over 40 years, I can assure you that delivery trucks from all breweries are driven by a special class of 'driver' who will drive past inches away, park absolutely anywhere, once it's as close to the cellar door as possible, throw kegs down onto the footpath wherever they like (inches from pedestrians) and generally have special levels of DGAF that even eclipse London's Black Cab drivers (and I know that that is saying something, having cycled there too). I specifically avoid brewery trucks when cycling and driving.

Avatar
VIPcyclist | 11 months ago
13 likes

Look here we live in a capitalist society. Capitalists must be allowed, no matter what the circumstances, to make profit in an uninterrupted maner.
Public safety and welfare be dammed, profit must be made.

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to VIPcyclist | 11 months ago
5 likes
VIPcyclist wrote:

Public safety and welfare be dammed, profit must be made.

And it is.

Avatar
Morgoth985 replied to VIPcyclist | 11 months ago
1 like

I could be missing a whoosh over my head here, but I point the finger at laziness in this instance, not capitalism.

Avatar
cqexbesd replied to Morgoth985 | 11 months ago
8 likes
Morgoth985 wrote:

I could be missing a whoosh over my head here, but I point the finger at laziness in this instance, not capitalism.

I suspect the point is that the delivery driver will have unrelaistic work loads that are only acheivable by breaking the law. Probably not just this one. A bit of speeding here, failing to give way there, illegal parking in this case. If caught, the employer says they are shocked(!) one of their employees was up to no good and if flak is too bad, fire them. If the employee follows the law they don't make their quota and are sacked for that and the employer finds someone who understands what the job entails.

Many business seem to rely on that model from what I can see - and that is capitalism. If you wanted to. be a responsible business then your costs are higher and you will just lose out to your competitiors.

 

Avatar
RM replied to cqexbesd | 11 months ago
1 like

Has the driver not got a trolley to transport the kegs from the truck to the pub? I doubt very much he is lifting and carrying them by hand, so an extra 10 or 20 metres is going to make no difference to him. Maybe a couple of extra minutes,  tips. Less than the time he will stop at the red light down the road.

Avatar
VIPcyclist replied to cqexbesd | 11 months ago
1 like

Yep. You didn't miss the whoosh.

Avatar
VIPcyclist replied to Morgoth985 | 11 months ago
0 likes

You're missing the whoosh.

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