The Dublin Cycling Campaign has described as inappropriate comments by a judge that cyclists in Dublin have "become a nightmare".
The group said the remarks reinforced dangerous attitudes towards a vulnerable cohort of road users.
The statement was made by Judge James O’Donohoe at Dublin's Circuit Civil Court yesterday, after he reduced the amount of damages awarded to a cyclist who suffered a brain injury after he collided with a motorbike six years ago.
Judge O'Donohoe decided the injured cyclist was mainly responsible for the accident that happened on a dark morning in September 2020 saying: "You never know with cyclists what they are going to do or anticipate what they are going to do."
He reduced the award for damages by 80%, from €50,000 to €10,000.
The Irish Cycling Campaign described the judge's remarks as inappropriate.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh, Una Morrison said she was "upset and concerned" about these types of sweeping statements.
People are seeing themselves through a windscreen and not putting themselves in the saddle, she added.
Cllr Karl Stanley of the Social Democrats, who is also a member of the Dublin Cycling Campaign, said he was shocked and concerned by the statement.
"I think it's dangerous to apply labels to a whole group of people who are just individuals. I think we have to be very careful, especially people who have that sort of position of power, that their language matters because it affects how other people see the people around them."
Co-chair of the European Green Party Ciarán Cuffe said he "nearly choked on his cornflakes" after reading Judge O'Donohoe's remarks.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Cuffe said that "actually cycling is much more of a nightmare" rather than cyclists. "We need to focus on making walking and cycling safer on our streets."
Mr Cuffe said he thought it was "absolutely incumbent on the judiciary to ensure that they have a broad perspective on what it's like to travel around the roads and streets".
"Having the perspective of looking through a windscreen, but also looking over the handlebars or holding the hand of a child as you walk down the street, we need to have a spectrum of experience in order to be well-informed about the challenges that are out there on our roads," he added.
However, the Irish Road Haulage Association said it agreed with the judge’s comments. Eugene Drennan, IRHA Deputy Vice President, said there was merit in what the judge said.
"Cycle lanes have empowered cyclists to positions that they have left safety behind in their own right. Once they're on the cycle lane they tend not to take cognisance or notice of the traffic or what's about them. They're either singularly focused on getting from A to B, or they have earphones in or they're on the phone and they feel a sense of entitlement that they're going to be in the right."
The Dublin Commuter Coalition says it was disappointed by the judge’s comments, saying it perpetuated a culture war about road usage.
"Tens of thousands of people cycle in Dublin every single day, and in doing so prevent traffic from becoming even more of a 'nightmare’ by choosing not to travel by car. Statements like these from people in positions of legal authority are perpetuating the on-going culture war that’s making roads more treacherous for active travel users."
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Cycling Ireland said it was concerned by the judge's comments.
The governing body for cycling said "language used in the comments made by the judge risks reinforcing harmful stereotypes about some of the most vulnerable people on our roads".
President of Cycling Ireland, Ciaran Cannon said: "It is disappointing to hear cyclists spoken about in this way. People who cycle are not an abstract group. They are parents, students, healthcare workers and older people simply trying to get home safely. They deserve to be spoken about with fairness and respect."
