Sir, – I recently took up cycling in Dublin only to find our cycle lanes begin and end in a haphazard manner. Some have a red surface-dressing (largely worn away), and some don’t; some end with a “Yield” triangle, and some don’t; and some taper off at the end, and some don’t. The cycle lanes are abused in a cavalier manner by vehicular traffic – buses, taxis and cars swerve into them with the expectation that cyclists will take avoidance measures, and vehicles park on them at will. There is almost invariably a vehicle parked on the cycle lane beside the bike shop on the Rock Road, while the informal taxi rank on the double yellow lines outside Bellamy’s Pub in Ballsbridge presents another challenge.
The only other city in which I cycle is Chicago. One might expect cyclists there to be third-class citizens, but the opposite is the case. Chicago’s cycle lanes are well laid out, well maintained and well respected. – Yours, etc,