In Tuesday's Irish Times, Fintan O'Toole wrote about Irish cyclists' poor behaviour and encroachment on to footpaths: "They hurtle round corners without looking. They freewheel down hills. They ride three abreast – I've seen elderly people and parents pushing prams forced out into the traffic. And when they crash into people, as they do, their usual reaction is to curse at the stupid pedestrian who was too slow or too thick to get out of their way."
The article drew more than 200 comments from readers (it doesn’t take much to start a slanging match between cyclists and motorists/pedestrians). One aggrieved cyclists responded that: “The cycling path network is for the most part rubbish. Often poorly maintained, full of broken glass with low overhanging trees and sometimes occupied with pedestrians and joggers.”
It is news to nobody that cyclists behave badly or that our limited network of cycle lanes is poorly designed. Mike McKillen, chairman of cyclist.ie, says: “The key question is why cyclists are up on the pavement. It’s because most of the facilities are crap. So why would a cyclist use them?”
McKillen and his colleagues collect photographs and videos of cyclists and drivers behaving badly. “We pay attention to drivers parking in lanes, builders putting skips on paths. We look out for poor design of cycle lanes.
“We’d contend that Ireland does not need more cycling infrastructure; what we need is more respect between cyclists and motorists. What we need is a cultural shift. We have to change the learning and testing regime for drivers, so there’s a defined module about dealing with cyclists. Cyclists need training too. And we may need to have fixed penalty charges for cycling on footpaths.”
In the interests of promoting harmony and respect between the two-wheeled and four-wheeled communities, The Irish Times invites readers to photograph and send us current examples of bad cycling infrastructure, and bad cycling behaviour on our highways, byways and bus lanes. Send in your evidence and we'll publish the best and worst examples. Email cyclepics@irishtimes.com. See The Irish Times next week for more material during National Bike Week.
