Sir, - In your edition of August 19th, Joe Humphreys refers to a lack of information on cycle tracks and their associated regulations. The Department of the Environment is known to have been aware of serious safety problems with cycle tracks since at least 1975 and was reminded of these in a detailed and fully referenced submission from the Galway Cycling Campaign in April 1998.
Nevertheless, in July 1998 the Minister for Local Government sought to impose regulations forcing cyclists to use such structures, effectively seeking to coerce private citizens into behaviours associated with increased risk of accident, injury and death. Within 30 days he was informed by the GCC that in our view his actions had precluded the construction or use of "cycle facilities" within the Irish jurisdiction. The approach of the current Minister is also in direct conflict with EU policy which clearly states that bicycle users must be enabled to exercise their own choices in using all roads in towns and cities.
By 1999 the Minister had still failed to provide any response. The GCC therefore sought an intervention on the issue from the Garda Commissioner, who was asked to request the removal of all "cycle lane" markings from all roads in Galway city on the grounds of safety. This resulted in the eventual admission that the new regulations did not apply in the city of the tribes, a relief to all concerned.
As for the DTO's "cycle facilities" manual, this is based on previous Dutch practice under Dutch conditions. It is our understanding that the Dutch system is based on the underlying assumption that motorists are automatically held liable in the event of car/bicycle collision, regardless of the actual circumstances. The average Dutch town bike has no gears and uses back-pedal brakes; the DTO assumed a Dutch design cyclist travelling at speeds of 7 to 13 m.p.h. Irish bicycles generally have 10 to 15 gears and Irish cycle commuters can be expected to reach speeds of 20 mph - i.e. 30 to 60 per cent faster than the speeds assumed by the design manual. It would be virtually impossible for Irish cyclists to safely use the resulting "facilities" at normal Irish cycling speeds.
All this was brought to the attention of the relevant agencies by the GCC in 1999. It could never have been anything other than self-defeating to expect Irish adult cycle commuters to use such structures.
We now understand that this manual is now being modified to take account of Irish conditions. While all this has been going on a "cycle friendly infrastructure" design manual has been available since 1996, produced in full consultation with cyclists and based on the type of traffic law and conditions found in this country. It costs £16 and is available from the Cyclists Touring Club in the UK, the "Irish" manual costs £50 to purchase but the damage it has done may cost millions to undo (what it has already cost in terms of money, lives and injuries is anybody's guess). With friends like these. . . - Yours etc.,
Shane Foran, Safety Officer, Galway Cycling Campaign, Rahoon, Galway.