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

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!”

Here’s why so many bollards are smashed @DubCityCouncil. @GuinnessIreland drivers abusing mandatory cycle lanes and footpaths when they can unload legally on the road just 10 metres down the road. @Pidge @SafeCyclingEire @DublinCommuters pic.twitter.com/YL3OxPfwcE

— Kevin Nolan (@nolankucd) April 9, 2023

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”.

So it’s okay to break the law? It’s okay to destroy public property? You’re so car blind that you think a truck mounting a footpath is remotely acceptable? pic.twitter.com/NdKNjsSwC0

— Kevin Nolan (@nolankucd) April 10, 2023

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.

He should unload legally all of ten metres down the road just past the bollards where the mandatory cycle lane ends and not on the footpath. Don’t try to make excuses for his laziness and lawlessness. pic.twitter.com/CKqknVaCrT

— Kevin Nolan (@nolankucd) April 9, 2023

This one right outside the pub that they’ve turned into outdoor seating? pic.twitter.com/pG3LCIeHnF

— Kevin Nolan (@nolankucd) April 10, 2023

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.