Sir, – Brian McArdle (January 22nd) suggests that cycling would be perfectly safe if not for inconsiderate motorists. As someone who uses our roads as a driver, cyclist and pedestrian, might I suggest that ignoring traffic lights, manoeuvring without hand signals or looking and disobeying basic road markings and signs may also be causes of peril for many cyclists.
A case of pot/ kettle perhaps? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Brian McArdle (January 22nd) asserts that a move to make cycling helmets mandatory is scaremongering and that the danger to cyclists is primarily from drivers. As both a cyclist and a driver, I have to admit his assertion runs contrary to what I witness day in day out in Dublin’s city centre.
I have seen pedestrians legitimately trying to cross the road knocked over by cyclists who have ignored a red light. I have been verbally abused while proceeding on a green light by a cyclist who bombed through a red light ten seconds after the light changed. I regularly see cyclists listening to headphones, pulling erratically out of cycle lanes without any hand signal.
As for Mr McArdle’s reference to the Australian and Canadian experience, the conclusions reached by these authorities was that the increase in accidents was related to cyclists exhibiting less caution while wearing a helmet, and as for the overall decline in the ratio of cyclists, this could also be explained by a number of socio-economic factors such as increased gym membership.
There are many measures that could be adopted to make our roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike. It is indisputable that a helmet will mitigate the potential for injury if a cyclist happens to be in involved in an accident, whether at fault or not. That seems like a reasonable starting point. – Yours, etc,