The 'war' between cyclists and motorists is largely a sham, according to many motoring pundits. John Cradden looks behind the scenes
There are a number of factors that contribute to the long-held hostility on our city streets between those who like two wheels and those who prefer four, including disregard for traffic laws by both users.
But tempers were inflamed when a news item in August about a proposed European Commission directive sparked a flurry of stories in both the Irish and British media depicting a continuing 'war' on the roads between motorists and cyclists.
The Commission wants to make motorists automatically responsible for accidents with cyclists and other vulnerable road users.
In some EU states there is an onus on motorists in accidents with cyclists to prove they have not infringed the traffic laws. Making this an EU-wide law would bring us into line with France, Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium.
The proposal was greeted by the Sun newspaper's Jeremy Clarkson in his customary style: "They have already taken over a third of the roads with their green tarmac cycle lanes. Now the lycra nazis want to take over the whole lot! And they still don't pay a penny for going on the roads which the poor old motorists pay through the nose for."
At the moment, the chances of this directive becoming law in Ireland seems slim as, according to one motoring lobbyist, it relates to an aspect of European law in which the principle of subsidiarity applies - countries apply the directorate in whatever way they feel is appropriate.
This is one example of the kind of debate that often takes place where motorists complain that they are under siege from traffic policies designed to force them out of their cars while city councils and corporations bend over backwards to better accommodate bikes and buses. In the meantime, cyclists break traffic laws with impunity, they say.
In their defence, cyclists and the cycling lobby draw attention to the fact they share space with motorists but are not protected by a steel cage. So far this year, 12 cyclists have died on Irish roads.
Writing in The Irish Times earlier this year, columnist Mary Holland argued that the numbers of cyclists who routinely broke traffic laws had something to do with a culture of permissiveness here towards people who cycle.
"Cyclists are widely regarded (and regard themselves) as more virtuous than other road users. The very fact that they pedal their way to and from work is a reproach to the rest of us. Morally, at least, it entitles them to ignore the inconvenience of red lights, "No Entry" signs or anything else which hinders their pollution-free progress."
David Maher, public relations officer with the Dublin Cycling Campaign, is unambiguous in his condemnation of cyclists who routinely break traffic laws, but believes the central issue is enforcement.
"There is clearly a very low level of traffic law enforcement with correspondingly low level of compliance. Would anyone seriously suggest that this situation has come about due to the strength of the cycling lobby?"
He says getting tough on the road misdemeanours that actually kill people, such as drink driving, speeding and illegal parking, should remain the priority for the Gardaí.
Conor Faughnan, public affairs manager of the AA, agrees that cyclists are more vulnerable and that ensuring motorists' compliance with traffic laws is more important because, when motorists break the law, lives are at risk.
"But we've got to move away from a situation where we regard no lights on a push bike or a bike going through a red light as so minor a misdemeanour as to be not worthy of mention. Responsible cyclists recognise that's wrong too. Overall, we're a sloppy bunch on the road, whether it's two wheels or four."
Aside from the debates about disregard for the highway code, transport experts say that removing the distinction between motorists or cyclists when it comes to discussing city transport policies may help to diffuse the hostility on the streets between those who cycle and those who drive.
In the Dublin Transportation Office's 16-year integrated transport strategy document, for instance, the vision is that once public transport options improve and more cycle and bus lanes are built, most people travelling in and out of the city will often use more than one mode of transport - depending on which is the most appropriate.
In the document, the terms cyclists, motorists or pedestrians are never used. This might strike some as political correctness gone round the bend, but the point is broadly supported by organisations here such as the AA.
"You are basically talking about people, and moving them around and it's an artificial distinction to categorise one group as cyclists and another group as motorists and pit the two against each other," said Faughnan.
"There's no shortage of exasperated cyclists who seem to be ideologically driven to campaign against cars. Similarly, there are motorists who seem to be exasperated and ideologically driven to condemn cyclists. Neither of them is right."
The DTO's Employment Survey from Autumn 2001, which questioned commuters about how they get to work in the greater Dublin area, found that of the nearly 17,000 people (or 4.4 per cent of all commuters) who said they used a bicycle to get to work each morning, nearly half owned cars. In other words, over 8,000 people choose to cycle rather than take their car.
"These are drivers who are also cyclists," said Michael Hearn, senior engineer for traffic at the DTO.
"It's not one or the other. That moves towards the sort of norm you would see in Holland and Denmark and I think certainly drivers who are cyclists are more understanding of the needs of cyclists, and again with cyclists who are drivers."
In Copenhagen or Amsterdam, according to Marie-Caroline Coppieters, Secretary General of the European Cyclists Federation, around a third of all trips made into these cities are on bike.
She says there is a higher level of consideration among drivers for those who are cycling. "It is ingrained in the psyche of drivers to look out for cyclists when turning left or right. When we talk about how people travel in and out of cities, we don't talk in terms of the number of motorists who drive into the city or the number of cyclists who cycle," she said. "Rather, it is the number of trips made by car or the number of trips made by bicycle."
Referring to people as either cyclists or motorists confers a badge of identity that does not really register in most peoples' minds when it comes to choice of transport, said Coppieters.
Motorists who ignore those on two wheels may be in for a nasty surprise the next time they cut across in front of a cyclist.
With Dublin's gridlock getting worse, and after an absence of decades, pushbikes are re-emerging once again as a popular and effective mode of transport for gardaí on the city beat.
According to the officer with responsibility for the unit, Insp Collette Quinn, the number of officers who want to pedal their beat rather than drive has risen sharply since the decision to expand its current 30-strong mountain bike unit.
The unit is to be expanded into Dublin city centre, parts of the Greater Dublin area as well as Limerick and Galway, with other cities to follow next year. It will incorporate to up 100 officers.
Established as a pilot project in June 2001 for both the Raheny and Tallaght districts, it has proved hugely popular. The benefits of using bikes as part of city beats are easy to appreciate in terms of cost and wider cachment areas. It also beats the traffic.
"For a small investment you get a very high return," says Quinn. "You need four gardai on the beat to cover the same area as one garda on a mountain bike because of their ability to cover four times the area."
Other benefits include greater visability and approachability. "People felt that the gardai on mountain bikes were more accessible because they were just one step up from beat officers, but not as fast as motorbikes," says Quinn.
All the garda bikes are high-spec mountain bikes painted in white and equiped with front suspension forks, rear racks, mudguards and puncture proof road tyres. The frames are decked out in the garda livery. However, they are not equipped with blue flashing lights or sirens.