Cycling in Dublin is regarded as being unsafe even by experienced cyclists, according to a recent study by engineers at Trinity College Dublin.
The report recommends education as the primary means of tackling the safety problem.
“To make cycling an intrinsic part of Irish mobility, it may be beneficial to introduce cycling education at the primary school level, increase the awareness amongst drivers through safety initiatives and provide improved infrastructure to attract new cyclists to the network,” said Dr Bidisha Ghosh of the TCD research team.
The report, titled ‘Perception of safety of cyclists in Dublin City’, found that careless or even reckless attitudes among drivers of cars, taxis and buses meant that a large majority of cyclists in Dublin believe cycling to be a more dangerous mode of transport than driving. Such beliefs may be negatively influencing individual’s choices regarding how they travel within Dublin, according to the researchers.
Led by TCD’s Anneka Lawson, the engineers teamed up with co-authors from UCC and the University of Hong Kong to question 1,954 cyclists in the greater Dublin area on their perception of the risks associated with cycling in Ireland’s capital.
While respondents were often critical of both driver and pedestrian behaviour, the report also examined the role of the cyclist in forming their own perception of safety.
“The new findings have shown that the compliance of cyclists with the rules of the road increase their safety experience, while the reckless and careless attitudes of drivers are exceptionally detrimental to their perceived safety,” according to the report.
Worryingly, an overwhelming 87.5 per cent of cyclists admitted to breaking the rules of the road on a regular basis, while the majority of cyclists considered a lack of cycling skills and poor bike maintenance to be a factor in many accidents. Factors including the poor condition of road and cycle lane surfaces, cycle lanes ending abruptly (for example at roundabouts), and the presence of pedestrians and parked cars in cycle lanes featured strongly in the survey.
Dublin’s ‘Road Rage’
Recent incentives like the ‘Bike to Work’ scheme have seen an increase in the number of cyclists on Dublin’s roads, while cycling has also become an increasingly attractive option for those most affected by the economic downturn. Despite increases in the numbers of cyclists on Irish roads, however, the number of cycling fatalities has continued to decline in line with overall road death figures.
The Irish Road Safety Authority reports that the number of fatalities on Irish roads has declined steadily in recent years: of the 212 deaths occurring on Irish roads in 2010, 5 of these were cyclists. While the figure may seem low, it also reflects the lower number of cyclists underway in Ireland each day relative to the number of motorists and pedestrians. TV advertisements depicting near-accidents between cars and bicycles have also served to further raise awareness of the importance of car and truck-driver vigilance, and to highlight the importance of mutual respect among road users.
“Campaigns to encourage cyclist-driver co-operation within the network may help combat Dublin’s ‘road rage’,” said Dr Ghosh.
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