Irish TDs are currently drafting a bill to make a 1.5-metre distance from cyclists mandatory for drivers.
New politics might have introduced us to historic levels of cooperation between those old Civil War rivals, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. And in Northern Ireland, the Good Friday agreement might have brought together implacable old enemies like Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness.
But when it comes to our roads, it seems an outbreak of peace between some cyclists and some motorists is still a long way off. That’s certainly the message you would get listening to some of the text messages into Today with Sean O’Rourke this morning.
Those doing the texting were responding to an interview with Ciaran Cannon, Fine Gael TD for Galway East.
Along with Government Chief Whip, Regina Doherty, he will publish a private members bill entitled (deep breath) The Road Traffic Minimum Passing Distance of Cyclists Bill 2017. (Phew!)
“It’s about protecting all of our cyclists on our roads. For them, knowing that the minute they go out on a public road, be it in rural County Galway or in urban Dublin, that there is a defined safe space for them on those roads.”
If the Bill becomes law, a driver who drives too close to a cyclist could face a fine of €80 and have three penalty points slapped on their license. How is “too close” defined?
“There are two minimum passing distances in the proposed legislation”, said Ciaran Cannon. “In urban settings with speed limits of anything up to 50 km/h, it provides for passing distances of 1 metre. In rural roads, a distance of 1.5 metres.”
According to Ciaran Cannon, the legislation is all about creating a safe place for cyclists who are as legitimate in their use of the roads as any other road user, including motorists. In the main, he says, our roads are not safe spaces for cyclists, something he is aware of from personal experience.
In defending the proposals of the Bill, he cited the example of Queensland, in Australia, a State with roughly the same population of Ireland.
Between 2013 and 2014, they lost 24 cyclists on their roads, before tackling the problem with well-defined, minimum overtaking distance between motorists and cyclists. Now, death rates among cyclists have halved.
For those in the motoring fraternity who feel cyclists can be just as much a cause of danger, Ciaran Cannon had this to say.
“A cyclist is exceptionally vulnerable. A motorist is driving a vehicle that is 1000kg in weight, travelling about 80 or 100km an hour. A cyclist is on his little bike, weighing about 10kg, doing maybe 20km an hour.
"In that battle, there is only going to be one loser.”
Unfortunately for the Galway East TD, many of those who texted the show were not buying it.
Listen to the full interview on Sean O'Rourke here.
