Journalism and Cycling 2: the difficult second album

Sharing the roads

A chara, – On my daily commute in recent times, it has been remarkable to witness the number of people driving at far above the speed limit, driving at high speed through red lights, and driving at high speed while using a mobile phone.

This all happens on residential streets where other people are attempting to move safely on foot or by bicycle.

I know from daily experience that even when people cycling have all the requisite lights (and wear a helmet and hi-vis clothing, neither of which are a legal requirement) and obey every rule of the road, some other people overtake them dangerously and illegally in their vehicles, all so they can get to the next red light a few seconds sooner. Neither does personal protective equipment for people cycling prevent other people from parking their cars on footpaths and cycle lanes, forcing vulnerable road users to mix with fast-moving motor traffic.

It is decidedly uninspiring that so many people do not understand where the real dangers on the roads lie, and that some road users prioritise their own convenience over the safety of others. – Is mise,

SIOBHÁN McNAMARA,
Dublin 12.

Transport in the capital

Sir, – Transport Infrastructure Ireland has said that congestion spilling out of Dublin port could quickly disrupt traffic into the tunnel and the road network across the Dublin region (“Brexit border checks may cause Dublin traffic problems”, News, November 20th).

Has Dublin City Council (DCC) taken this into account with its proposal to close one lane of Strand Road (which leads directly to the port area) to facilitate a cycle path? We understand from DCC’s account that this is an “unorthodox and experimental” plan and by creating traffic chaos it is hoped that motorists will modally shift to bicycles.

How can trucks and lorries shift to bicycles? Perhaps they can employ the use of cargo bikes and rickshaws. – Yours, etc,

ALAYNA JOSEPH,
Sandymount,
Dublin.

breezy1985 wrote: »

So if there is a massive backlog of trucks because of Brexit it's cyclists the cyclists fault too. People never seem to cop that the extra lane won't mean less trucks