Cycling campaigners have criticised remarks made by a judge who labelled cyclists in Dublin a “nightmare”, saying the comments fuel negative perceptions of vulnerable road users.
Ciarán Cuffe, co-chair of the European Green Party, said he “nearly choked on his cornflakes” when he read the remarks made by Judge James O’Donohoe, reports RTE.
Judge O’Donohoe made the comments yesterday while addressing the Circuit Civil Court, stating that cyclists had become a “nightmare” in Dublin.
His remarks came as he reduced by 80% a €50,000 damages award to a cyclist who sustained a brain injury following a collision with a motorcyclist, reports RTE.
“You never know with cyclists what they are going to do or anticipate what they are going to do,” Judge O’Donohoe said, reports RTE.
“Cyclists have become a nightmare in Dublin,” reports RTE.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Cuffe said that “actually cycling is much more of a nightmare” rather than cyclists themselves.
“We need to focus on making walking and cycling safer on our streets,” he said, reports RTE.
Mr Cuffe added that he believes it is “absolutely incumbent on the judiciary to ensure that they have a broad perspective on what it’s like to travel around the roads and streets”.
“Having the perspective of looking through a windscreen, but also looking over the handlebars or holding the hand of a child as you walk down the street, we need to have a spectrum of experience in order to be well-informed about the challenges that are out there on our roads,” he added, reports RTE.
During the Circuit Court hearing, the judge said he was entitled, as a city driver, to take judicial notice of his own experiences as a motorist.
The injured cyclist accepted that he was not wearing a helmet or high-visibility vest, had no lights on his bicycle and did not signal his intention to turn right from a bus and cycle lane into the path of oncoming traffic, reports RTE.
Dash-cam footage from the motorcyclist showed evidence of negligence on his part, and his solicitor agreed with the judge that the footage demonstrated contributory negligence by the cyclist.
Mr Cuffe said he was disappointed by the strong focus on high-visibility clothing and helmets, noting that neither is legally required, reports RTE.
“I certainly don’t believe that a cyclist should be required to dress up like a Christmas tree,” he said, adding that obeying the law is important, reports RTE.
“I think we should be encouraging walking and cycling. And certainly, my perspective is that we should be able to normalise these activities and wear normal clothing, albeit ensuring that we obey the law and have lights and a bell on our bike,” reports RTE.
“But I don’t think we should truss ourselves up as if we’re working for US Immigration and Customs with all kinds of body armour and such like in order to go out on the streets of our cities and towns,” he said, reports RTE.
A spokesperson for the Irish Cycling Campaign said Judge O’Donohoe’s comments reinforce negative attitudes towards a vulnerable group of road users.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh, Una Morrison said she was “upset and concerned” by such broad statements, reports RTE.
She added that people tend to view the roads from behind a windscreen rather than imagining themselves on a bicycle.
However, the Deputy Vice President of the Irish Road Haulage Association backed the judge’s comments, reports RTE.
Eugene Drennan said roads are shared spaces and that responsibility for safety lies with both cyclists and motorists.
He said that if a truck is ahead of a cyclist and indicating a left turn, the cyclist cannot simply put their head down and insist on right of way, but must remain aware of the associated safety risks, reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.
