I was driving home a couple of nights ago, in the hours of darkness, and turned right down a one-way street. Fortunately, it was reasonably well lit, so I had some warning of his approach - the dark and mysterious figure of the cyclist. There were no lights on his bicycle, back or front, and he was not wearing a helmet. He was also travelling, at some speed, the wrong way down a one-way street. Was he breaking the law? Search me. Who knows what rules apply to cyclists? Not the cyclists themselves who, in very many cases, seem to make them up as they go along, confident of their status as a privileged and politically correct minority.
I'd better say, at this stage, that I know this column will be unpopular. Some of my best friends are cyclists and whenever I have remarked, tentatively, on the cavalier attitude which many of their fraternity seem to have to the law, they respond, in no uncertain terms, with details of their own experiences with nasty motorists.
But this particular encounter with a cyclist coincided with the announcement of a new driving theory test for would-be motorists, designed to ensure they are at least aware of the basic rules of the road before they are let loose in a car. This new test has been warmly welcomed by road safety organisations.
Applicants will be required to reply to questions covering the rules of the road, good behaviour and how to deal with a series of driving hazards. The Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Robert Molloy, has described it as "a significant step in implementing the Government's strategy for road safety."
Anything which helps to reduce the appalling carnage on our roads must be welcomed. This test will prove effective if the theory is put into practice, and the rules of the road are enforced more stringently than happens now. It's just a pity there are no plans for a similar test for cyclists, although many of the questions apply equally to them.
It came as a surprise to me to learn from the Garda Press Office that a bicycle is a vehicle under the Road Traffic Acts. Cyclists are subject to the same rules that apply to motorists. They must stop at amber and red lights, have working lights at the front and rear of their bicycles, position themselves in the correct lane to turn left or right, and indicate clearly the direction they intend to take. There are other regulations which apply specifically to cyclists. It is illegal to use a bicycle on a pavement used by pedestrians, or to cycle more than two abreast on the road.
The problem seems to be that many cyclists do not know that these rules apply to them. Or, if they do, they are accustomed to a situation where they are permitted to ignore the traffic lights, believing the "No Entry" sign on a one-way street does not apply to them. The new driving theory test has been described as part of the campaign to change the existing culture of non-compliance with the rules of the road. Reckless driving, particularly when fuelled by drink, is what causes the deaths on our roads. Quite understandably, the main thrust of the Government's road safety campaign is targeted at educating the public.
But the culture of non-compliance is not confined to motorists. If other European countries are anything to go by, we are likely to see an increasing number of cyclists on our roads.
SO why is there no organised strategy to educate cyclists and to convince them that it is in their interests to obey the rules that apply to all road-users? The most obvious problem is that the cyclist often acquires his (or her) first bike while still in primary school. By the time he is a teenager, he has the freedom of the road. Who is to ensure that there are lights on the bike, or that the youngster does not ride on the pavement?
There are some attempts at public education. The Garda has a traffic school in Clontarf, which runs excellent road safety training courses for Dublin schools. But these are largely confined to primary schoolchildren and the emphasis, quite understandably, is on teaching them how to look after themselves in traffic. There are specialist groups for sports enthusiasts but these are more concerned with producing the next Stephen Roche than with inculcating the rules of road safety. What is missing is any official strategy to ensure that cyclists are subject to the same rules, for all our sakes.
Partly, this is a matter of law enforcement. The gardai say they do stop offending cyclists but this is not a high priority compared to dealing with motorists, who present a much more serious danger on the road. But there is another reason for this more permissive attitude.
Cyclists are widely regarded (and regard themselves) as more virtuous than other roadusers. The very fact that they pedal their way to and from work is a reproach to the rest of us. Morally, at least, it entitles them to ignore the inconvenience of red lights, "No Entry" signs or anything else which hinders their pollution-free progress.
P.S. Apologies to Frank, Andy, John, Kitty and many others. Nothing personal intended!