Cyclist killed in Dublin was ‘full of life and loved cycling’

The cyclist who died in a collision with a cement truck next to St James’s Hospital, Dublin on Friday has been named by family friends as Neeraj Jain.

Mr Jain (34), who is originally from Faridabad, near New Delhi in India, moved to Ireland in 2018 to pursue a Masters degree in Engineering in UCD.

Last October, he began working with Deloitte in Dublin.

He has two younger siblings, both of whom still live in India.

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Ashish Jain, his brother, told The Irish Times he was flying to Ireland on Monday and he wanted to “bring my brother home as soon as possible”.

“He was very mature, full of life and ambitious, he always wanted to do better,” Ashish Jain said.

“He was very enthusiastic about cycling. He started recently cycling to the office and he loved it, he really enjoyed it.”

He added: “We really want Ireland to do something about the safety of cyclists. We don’t want any other family to have to go through this. It’s devastating.”

Mr Jain added the Irish embassy in India, Deloitte, and the Garda had been “very supportive”.

“I am flying tomorrow and hopefully we should reach him by Monday evening. We really just want to get him home as soon as possible,” he said.

Abhishek Chauhan, a childhood friend of Mr Jain, said the news was “very disturbing” for him.

Gardaí are investigating the circumstances of the fatality at the junction of the South Circular Road and Brookfield Road, at the rear of St James's Hospital.

Around 50 local residents and campaigners for improved cycling infrastructure attended a vigil for the deceased on Friday evening when he had to be identified.

The junction - described by local residents as “extremely dangerous” - is near the site of the new National Children’s Hospital.

‘Constant fear’

Construction works there have resulted in increased vehicles on the road, and Cathy O’Connor, a member of the South Circular Road Residents’ Association, said local residents had become increasingly concerned about the risk posed to pedestrians.

In emails sent to Kevin Street Garda Station, local residents detailed vehicles breaking red lights, exceeding speed limits, and near accidents over the last number of months.

While there there was no evidence of any such factors behind Friday’s fatality, residents said they were living in “constant fear” because of the road traffic problems.

Speaking at the vigil, Vivienne Brennan, from the Kilmainham Residents' Association, said the increased traffic as a result of construction work made pedestrians and cyclists more vulnerable.

“We have raised issues about the safety of the trucks going in and out of the main road,” Ms Brennan said. “A lot of the residents have highlighted the dangers, the lack of security and management in the area, and issues of cyclists and pedestrians and residents as well.”

Cathy McGennis, who lives adjacent to the junction with her four children, said the road had been “lethal for years”.

“When the planning permission for the hospital was first going ahead we made an objection based on a number of grounds, but the main one was traffic,” she said.

“We’ve tried to let people know that this is a risk. Anybody can see it here. It’s just absolutely lethal.”

Gardaí are appealing for anyone with information on Friday’s fatality, particularly any motorists who may have been on the South Circular Road between 8.45am and 9.15am and who may have dash cam footage, to come forward.

They are asked to contact Kevin Street station on (01) 6669400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station.