Not too late to join us to demand that the govt #StopKillingCyclists pic.twitter.com/Gqv3trEpYY
— I BIKE Dublin (@IBIKEDublin) November 6, 2019
This lunchtime.
Outside Leinster House.
Cyclists held a ‘die-in’ demonstration following the death of Neeraj Jain (top) who was cycling to work last Friday morning when his bike collided with a cement mixer at the back of the building site of the National Children’s Hospital.
Mr Jain, from Faridabad, India, moved to Ireland in 2018 to pursue a Masters degree in Engineering in UCD and was working with Deloitte in Dublin.
Last week in the Shankill area of Paulstown, Kilkenny, a cyclist in his 70s died after he suffered serious injuries following an incident with a parked lorry.
Today’s ‘die-in’ is the second such ‘die-in’ in as many days.
Meanwhile…
Neil Fox (above) – whose sister Donna (above inset) died when she was hit by a lorry turning left at the junction between Seville Place and Sheriff St Upper in September 2016 – has written a blog post about today’s “die-in”.
From this post…
“‘Die-Ins’ have a very clear purpose and the fact they horrify is the real reason for them, they bring the harsh reality across in a way nothing else quite can.
“As someone who had to wait days before I could see my sister, one might imagine I’d never need a reality check on the horror.
“But I do, and if I do, how much more others who have thankfully never been directly effected by the tragic brutal violent death of a loved-one in a cycling collision.
“I’ve recently been thrilled by the new dangerous overtaking of a cyclist regulation which Minister Ross will bring in next week, but of course the other key ingredient is: infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure, so I am in total solidarity with those protesting today in our shared vision for a safer Ireland, in particular a safe Dublin for cyclists.
“…I call on the Government as ever, to wake up, to do whatever possible to curb such carnage. Carnage, lives lost, lives destroyed. Real people. Not mere statistics.
“…I really hope some good comes of today’s demonstration. It is heartbreaking but perhaps a re-enactment, dramatic as it is, is needed to bring our government to act. Really act.”
Yesterday: Extreme Steps
Top pic: Muiris Ó Conchúir
the new dangerous overtaking of a cyclist regulation is unenforceable and therefore pointless.
How would you know if the details are not public yet? Is this just wishful thinking on your part?
How are you gonna prove it…
Handlebar mounted GoPros. Local CCTV. Not much doesn’t get recorded these days and there’ll be a lot more of that – totally enforceable.
Dash mounted cameras in cars,side and rear view mounted on coaches,trucks and vans will also be needed to counteract the ‘boy who cried wolf’ chancers on bikes…two way street.
It doesn’t seem to be an issue in countries where this type of law has been in place for ages. This conversation doesn’t have much to do with insurance, it’s kinda about trying to stay alive.
But rest assured though that if they go to the gardai to try to make a claim and a bike is involved they probably won’t prosecute anyone anyway: that’s how they roll! Pardon the pun.
I can’t find the link but Boris Johnson, when Lord Mayor of London campaigned at EU to have lorry doors redesigned to remove the “blind spot” that lorries have. My recollection of the article was replacing the lower part of lorry doors with glass and strategically placed mirrors eliminating “blind spots”. It’s surely a fact that most of fatalities on bikes occur at junctions? Boris was not happy his suggestions didn’t pass muster.
Direct vision is law now in London, check https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/deliveries-in-london/delivering-safely/direct-vision-in-heavy-goods-vehicles
Thanks Manolo. Very interesting .
The 1l5 metre passing distance is enforced in 42 jurisdictions. Are Irish cyclists more magnetic or something? Or are Irish drivers less numerate?
As long as they make it work both ways, and make it illegal for a cyclist to try and overtake a lorry if they do not have 1.5m of clearance
I don’t think you’re quite getting it. The 1.5 metre clearance is if you’re doing over 50km/h.
More to the point, we should simply build the Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network so people would be able to cycle safely in Dublin, and could get rid of the money pit that is the family car. Of course some people may not want to – people are fetishistic about their cars, and a fool and his money’s easy parted.
But not everyone in Dublin can afford the luxury of being within cycling distances of their work place or school. Some people have to drive. Some business need a truck delivery. We can’t all live in Terenure or Clontarf, and work 3 miles down the road. Cities need choice of transport for everyone. Look at Amsterdam, amazing public transport, super cycling facilities, yet lots of roads for those who have to drive, including in the city centre. A city must not just cater for the “I live close to work” middle class and fupp the rest. You should declare your interest in this regard.
If you’ve spent some time in Amsterdam you’ll realise that they have proper infrastructure for cycling on pretty much every road. They achieved this by adhering to the principle that pedestrians come first, then cyclists, then public transport, and cars last.
That’s literally all that Irish people are campaigning for. And aren’t getting.
I have spent time in Amsterdam. All forms of transport are catered for, not one lobby (although pedestrians seems most at risk from cyclists). The urban planning policy in this country (if you have looked) is also focused on pedestrians, cyclists, public transport with cars last. I again stress, that not everyone can walk or cycle.
@Hansel
not as simple as that.
you’re broadly correct on the ideals but the Dutch also recognised the need for serious public transport infrastructure to be built & they had one major advantage that let them do that – money – massive existing colonial & trading wealth. The Dutch were dealing in billions long before we even so much as heard the word. when we talk billions they talk trillions. they had the financial horsepower to achieve what you see today. the sad truth is we paint lines on roads & make up all sorts of virtuous rules while they build actual stuff that actually works. and we always will bodge because we’re not independently wealthy. when I arrive at Schiphol I can reach anywhere in Holland & Europe by rail without leaving the terminal. and I can cycle from one side of the country to another without my bike touching the roads. its something we can only dream of, aspire to. but it’s a 100 year aspiration and we have to spend money we don’t have to do it right.
Complete balderdash fellas, we spend around 2% of the transport budget on pedestrian and cycle infrastructure. The majority of the budget is still spent on cars. The Dutch didn’t “fix all de roads first” they started allocating correctly.
Ireland doesn’t.
Councils pay lip service to DMURS and the national cycle manual, but rarely does any of this finished infrastructure get used because surprise surprise, it’s not fit for purpose.
You’ll see this in any Irish city, the cyclists know not to trust many of the cycle lanes. We all lose out, because it’s an awful waste of taxpayers money. It also puts cyclists potentially under my car wheels when the cycle lanes unexpectedly fails and puts them at risk. I don’t want that. They should have proper infrastructure.
The Czechs were never rolling in dough yet they have great cycle paths everywhere.
city road layouts have been there for centuries and not designed in mind for congested traffic and cyclists to co-exist. many roads can’t accomodate enough space for everyone, then add to this that people who drive professionally in Ireland are by and large reckless. The only solution is to close off some roads to motor vehicles, but the gov. would never do that for fear of backlash from one of their shot callers in the private industry.
You are so 1 dimensional. Cyclist deaths caused by private industry interests? Seriously? What is the basis of this? Most cyclists appear to be middle class people, who actually commute / work.
You mean politicians might be afraid to stymie the wants/needs of the biggest advertiser in the country? I can’t see how that would possibly be the case.
This post was brought to you by Qashqai, proud sponser of Irish rugby.
Next up, we have the weather, sponsored by Jaguar and the news, sponsored by Kia Sportage, home of the seven year warranty. Are you sick of being stuck in traffic on the way to school? Then buy a Volvo XC90 and drive on the footpaths instead.
Yes, the bit about cars was deliberately longer than the original message to get my point across. Anyone who tries to tackle the car lobby is in for a savage beating.
Love yer man holding onto his bike for dear life in case it’s knocked off. YOU’RE DEAD MATE, LET IT GO.
It’s true that not everyone can cycle, nor should we expect everyone to cycle. But a huge proportion of people can and should.
Amsterdam is not unlike Dublin, and Amsterdammers fought hard to get their superb cycling infrastructure. Here’s how they did it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBdf9jYj7o
Advertisers do have huge power – look at the long fight to get tobacco addiction under control, against the lying, scratching, kicking fury of the tobacco interests. We’re in the same case with motor interests now. It will end.