By observing a few simple rules, city cyclists can have a safer and more enjoyable experience every time
THE FIRST THING I learn from Anne Bedos, my cycling instructor for the afternoon, is that a bit of eye contact can go a long way. “People are car drivers, but they’re also people,” she says. “You say, ‘Oh the car was going so fast’, but it’s not just a car coming towards you. Someone is doing the accelerating. We need to let them know cyclists are people too.”
I’ve enlisted Bedos, a qualified instructor and the founder of the Rothar bike recycling workshop in Phibsborough, Dublin, to guide me through some safety tips and techniques for cycling around the city.
While the popularity of bikes has increased noticeably in recent years, many people can still be nervous about cycling in traffic, particularly if they haven’t been on a bike for a while. I’m used to cycling, but I can still find negotiating the city centre in rush hour a stressful and sometimes terrifying experience.
Bedos tells me the problem is that motorists, cyclists and pedestrians all try to use the same area but operate independently of each other. “The objective is to share the road,” she says. “At the moment there’s no awareness of sharing space with other road users.”
We meet at St Stephen’s Green and wheel our bikes up to Ely Place to practise manoeuvres in a quiet setting. First, Bedos inspects my bike for safety and concludes it could do with a service: my tyres are too soft, my brakes too spongy and I need to oil my chain once a week, which is about 52 times more often than I do at the moment.
Once on the bike, we start with positioning. “One of the most striking things in Dublin is how close people cycle to the kerb,” she says. “I always say, ‘You’re a road user, not a gutter user. Be assertive’.”
We cycle up and down a few times to highlight why you should always leave a gap of at least a metre when you pass a parked car. (It’s because people can open doors or step into the road between them). “Positioning yourself there also establishes your entitlement to the road,” says Bedos. “It makes traffic slow down and keeps you safe.”
She also says cycle lanes aren’t always the guarantee of safety that cyclists think they will be. “Sometimes cycle lanes aren’t safe enough. Everything that is dangerous is there: gravel, ice, wet leaves, broken glass, potholes.”
Next I learn how to start safely, stop quickly, signal correctly and cross multiple lanes of traffic without coming to harm. The principle is to see and be seen. “We need to do the job of being seen because other road users don’t look,” says Bedos. “That’s why lights are so important. They won’t help you to see anything, but they will enable you to be seen.”
We move on to emergency techniques such as how to stop suddenly and how to swerve safely around a hazard (the trick is to make a tight circle).
“Anticipation is key,” says Bedos. “Be aware that the bus is going to stop any minute. Anticipate when traffic lights are going to change. And if someone’s turning left in front of you, just let them go because they can’t see you. Traffic turning left is the most dangerous situation for a cyclist.”
Bedos, who is French, did her instructor training in London and brings an outsider’s perspective to the set-up for cyclists in Ireland. “When I moved here seven years ago, there were very few cycle lanes and very few cyclists. Things have become better. More and more people want to cycle, and the more they do, the safer it will get.”
What about equipment? Should I be wearing a helmet? A high-vis vest? Lycra? “It’s up to you – whatever makes you feel comfortable,” she says. “But I’m not keen on making people think it’s an activity you have to have a lot of gear to do. In France, we don’t wear helmets because cycling is so normal that it would feel strange to put special equipment on. Cycling is easy and it’s safe.”
I’m curious about what she thinks of cyclists who ride without lights. Do they give cycling a bad name? “It frustrates me because I know it’s dangerous and they’re not showing respect for other road users,” she says. And what about cyclists who sail through red lights? “Well, that’s against the law. And you should respect the law.”
As you would expect, Bedos thinks widespread training would make a huge difference in people’s cycling confidence. “In London, Hackney council gives two hours of free training to people who want to cycle. That would be great here.”
But can two hours really make a difference? “I can see a transformation in one to two hours,” she says. “Once you know the basics and what’s the right thing to do, you’re a better cyclist. And after a couple of hours, common sense kicks in.”
