Garda Too Soft On Cycle Paths?

Greystones seafront

atest press release from Stephen Mathews TD, issued on Wednesday, Oct 5th 2022…

Green TD Steven Matthews has expressed his frustration in relation to the number of Fixed Charge Notices (fines) that have been issued in the last 3 years in relation to parking in cycle lanes.

Only an average of ten fines were issued weekly.

These figures were released to Deputy Matthews following his engagement with senior representatives from An Garda Síochána at the Oireachtas Committee on Transport. Other figures released related to the number of cyclists struck by a vehicle and the number of cyclists admitted to hospital due to injuries from a collision/accident.

Deputy Matthews has requested Wicklow specific figures but as of yet they have not been released to him.

Nationally, collision incidents were 1,574 in 2020, 1669 in 2021 and 1,071 so far in 2022. For cyclists hospitalised, the numbers are 584 (2020), 638 (2021) and 354 (2022), whilst fixed notice charges were 539 in 2020, 350 in 2021 and 344 in 2022. This year’s numbers are up to September 28th 2022.

Discussing these figures, Deputy Matthews said: “Unfortunately, while these statistics are hugely disappointing, both as a cyclist and as a public representative, they aren’t entirely surprising. The issue of parking in cycling lanes around Co. Wicklow is something that I have been raising long before I became a TD. The figures I have obtained from 2020 onwards represent a national level and show that we are looking at 10 fines per week nationally for parking in a cycle lane so far this year. I think it is fair to say that if you tried, you could find that many offences on any main street in any given day so the fact that so few fines are being issued is incredibly frustrating.

“The fact that we have had more cyclists hospitalised due to incidents involving other vehicles than we have had fines issued for parking in cycle lanes is a clear indication that we not only have a behavioural issue but also an enforcement one. I will be raising this very concerning statistics with the Guards at a local level but its clear that this failure to address what can potentially be a very serious road infringement goes way behind an individual station.

“I am seeking an urgent shift in emphasis from An Garda Síochána in their enforcement of cycling lanes and any other measures that offer greater protection to cyclists on our roads. I am more than happy to work at a local and national level in support of this, but any rhetoric or road safety campaign needs to be matched with action in terms of consistently issuing fines for anybody blocking a cycle lane, even briefly.

“The excuse of ‘I’ll only be a minute’ can’t cut it anymore,” concluded Deputy Matthews.