Perhaps, if it were April 1st, there might be an explanation for reports emanating from Brussels that the EU is to hold motorists accountable for virtually any accident or encounter with cyclists.
But since this intelligence has been received in Ireland in the drear days of August it cannot be dismissed as a joke. The EU's aim is reportedly to harmonise aspects of transport regulations across the Union. In some EU states there is an onus on motorists in accidents with cyclists to prove that they have not infringed the traffic regulations. The proposals, drawn up by the EU's Internal Market Directorate, also aim to harmonise motor insurance across the member states.
Cyclists are highly vulnerable on the public roadway. They share space with motorised vehicles but they have little protection. They often travel at speed. An impact at 20 mph can have devastating consequences on the human body.Cyclists should have as much protection as the law can provide. But even if these proposals make sense in some EU countries they could not work in Ireland. In Stockholm, Brussels or Amsterdam cyclists obey the rules of the road. They rarely do so here. On mainland Europe cyclists stop at traffic lights, they give hand signals before turning, they respect lane markings. If a cyclist in Dublin is observed doing any of these, the probability is that he is an immigrant or a tourist.
Insofar as the Garda is concerned, cyclists may break the lights, cycle on pavements, travel unlit on dark roads and go against traffic on one-way streets. If a pedestrian or other road user has the temerity to remonstrate he or she may well be subjected to a tirade of abuse. The Public Relations Officer for the Dublin Cycling Campaign was quoted yesterday as saying that people have to realise they are in charge of a lethal weapon when they get behind the wheel. That is indisputable. But cyclists have to realise that they too are in charge of a vehicle which has the potential to cause great damage and distress.
The cyclist who crashes the lights, who turns without signalling, who weaves from lane to lane, who travels without lights or who uses the road under the influence of alcohol or drugs is as guilty as the motorist who commits such an offence. The daily evidence on the streets shows that the Irish cyclist who keeps the rules is a rara avis. To offer one category of offenders what amounts to legal immunity would be a monstrous injustice to law-abiding road-users.