Sarah O’Toole has been commuting from Wexford to Dublin for work for about seven years now, and nothing surprises her on the roads any more, she says.
During her commutes, she says she has seen drivers watching videos on their phones and has witnessed van and lorry drivers watching TV on screens attached to their dashboards while driving.
Each day, the 36-year-old witnesses more near misses.
“It’s a scary experience to see how lax people are when driving at speeds of 120km/h.”
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Over the past seven years, she has seen a “significant increase” in cars on the roads, believing a large portion of these are commuting students who have been unable to secure accommodation in Dublin.
She was one of dozens of readers to share their experiences with The Irish Times as road users.
Michael Brierley, who also commutes from Co Wexford to Dublin for work, has been a road user for more than 20 years. Over the last 10 years, he believes the standard of driving has reached an “all-time low”.
“The vast majority of drivers are ignorant, belligerent and have little knowledge of the rules of the road. I have had multiple near misses of cars changing lanes without looking or indicating,” he says.
Helen Dunne, a driver in her 50s based in Dublin 14, encounters cyclists frequently in Dublin who, she says, expect to be “unimpeded in their journey and the road should open up like the Black Sea in front of them”.
Describing these “offenders” as typically being “the Lycra-clad middle-aged men version”, she argues that cyclists should have to register bikes and display registration plates.
“That way, the same playing field exists. That would likely change behaviours that currently have no repercussions,” she says.
Cyclist James Foley, who lives in Dublin, remarks how he has noticed road users in the capital becoming “more aggressive over the years”, believing the cycling capitals of Europe should be used as examples of calm co-existence.
“Having cycled in Copenhagen and Stockholm, you can see that respect and patience go a long way to solving the issues between the various groups,” he says.
Des Murnane, a cyclist and driver based in Dún Laoghaire in South Dublin, says he is “shocked by the irresponsible behaviour of many cyclists in urban areas”.
He describes witnessing cyclists change lanes without signalling, cycling on paths with “little regard for pedestrians” and “routinely ignoring red traffic lights”.
John McCann, a teacher in his 40s living in Dublin 8 who regularly walks and drives in Dublin city centre, has witnessed a “huge increase in bad behaviour by all road users” since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I find cyclists the worst. A lot just sail through red lights. As a pedestrian, I feel that it’s more likely that I would be knocked over by a bike than a car. They just zoom out of nowhere,” he says.
“I wish we could create awareness of each other and get rid of the arrogance and ignorance. This would include having cameras on lights to capture all the cyclists that sail through. As a motorist, I pay a lot in tax and insurance. How much are cyclists contributing to road upkeep? Where does the road tax go? Surely cyclists should be insured too?”
Barry Mahon, who lives on Sherkin Island in Co Cork, meanwhile, describes himself as a “long time ago Dubliner”.
He visits the capital a few times each year, he says.
“The traffic system is a shambles, walking is a mess and is an obstacle course of narrow pavements, road crossing anarchy and no politeness. I’m happy to get out of the city I was born in.”
