cycle lane question

BoycieIRL

Newbie commuter here guys -just a quick question - if there is a bike lane present are you legally obliged to use it.
Reason i ask is i seen a motorist hurling abuse at a cyclist for not using the cycle lane this morning even though if he had bothered to look he would have seen the path was strewn with glass - broken plywood and all types of debris.
On my journey to work most of the cycle lanes i cross are full off stones etc pushed into the roadside from passing traffic or full of parked cars or just a white line dividing a footpath which pedestrians seem oblivious to.
Im really not to pushed on cycling these on my road bike and increasing the chances of getting a puncture and prefer to take my chances on the main road.
Just wondering the legal aspects of this and if it is a legal requirement surely the local authorities should be bound to maintain cycle lanes to keep them fit for purpose.

petethedrummer

Currently you are legally obliged to use them. But the government should be revoking that law before the end of the year. Just ride where its safe.

Bunnyhopper

petethedrummer wrote: »

Currently you are legally obliged to use them. But the government should be revoking that law before the end of the year. Just ride where its safe.

+1

Do a quick search and you should find plenty of discussion on here in the past about what actually counts as a cycle lane (does it have the right signage etc.), but like pete I'd prioritize safety.

tomasrojo

petethedrummer wrote: »

Currently you are legally obliged to use them. But the government should be revoking that law before the end of the year. Just ride where its safe.

That's it in a nutshell.

I think that according to the letter of the law, it's only those lanes that are marked with the blue sign saying Cycle Track/Raon Rothar that are mandatory. The other lanes (the ones with the sign showing a bicycle juxtaposed with a parent and child) aren't cycle tracks, and so aren't mandatory. I'm sure this was just an oversight and Bobby Molloy and his crew meant all classes of lane to be mandatory, but they aren't. Not a lot of thought went into the legislation, I think.

I don't think anyone has ever been booked for ignoring these (largely) preposterous facilities, and hopefully the mandatory requirement will be history before the year is out. Unless the fight over NAMA brings down the government, I suppose.

BoycieIRL

Thanks guys - the forum is a great supply of hints and knowledge for those venturing out into the great unknown of irish roads.