Another source of fury for the Tax Paying pedestrian. Why do so many cyclists feel that they have the right of way on the footpath? I know in some areas it can be too dangerous to cycle on the road, but even where there are cycle lanes provided I find myself being nearly run over by them. Please don't get me wrong, i'm very environmentally aware, and used to and would cycle myself and am not anti cyclist, per se. Also, legit cyclists tend to take to the cycle lanes. Of course the over subsidised scumbags of our nation, of which there are thousands, don't give a toss anyway.

What i hate are cyclists who run red lights at pedestrian crossings.... top of o connel street being a really bad spot. i've nearly been run ovr a couple of times.

Too many 4x4's on the roads to make cycling safe

Agree with all of yiz on this one

Those who do those sort of things give us "real" *ahem* cyclists a bad name. I personally will leave the bike rather than cycle without a light - but then, I've seen a few accidents in my time, including some fairly stomach-churning ones. And they were (mostly) caused by people either inadequately lit up or doing stupid things like running lights or coming off pavements
(where they shouldn't have been in the first place anyway) without looking around for oncoming traffic.

But the basic enforcement of the law i.e. running red lights, not having lights, cycling on pavements, is absolutely zero as far as I can see. Even with the increased Garda presence over Christmas I personally never saw one unlit cyclist (and I would say that about 50% of those cycling at night are unlit)being pulled in, even though there were Guards at major junctions and on motorbikes and so on.

What gets me is how, when you inadvertently step into the path of a bike, the cyclist looks at you as if it's your fault. "You're cycyling on a footpath, tosser."

Part of the problem is that some genius in Dublin City Council, presumably neither a cyclist nor a pedestrian, has put cyclepaths on footpaths.

There is a particularly spectacular one on the North Strand Road, which in one spot goes within 2 metres of the door of one of the busiest sub post-offices in the north city, and then a few metres later goes between a bus stop and the road. Lots of fun for grannies and pram-pushers.

newgrange

There's also a beauty down the Stillorgan Dual carriageway (where you really need a cycle path) coming towards Donnybrook, which is all on the pavement. I think that might have been one of their first attempts. Similarly going through Templeogue, just at the Morgue pub. I've actually come off the bike there a couple of years ago

And then there's the on-footpath one going across Matt Talbot bridge

Cyclepaths on Footpaths is quite common in other countries, especially Amsterdam and is simply overlaying one transport system on top of another. Its a simple matter of being aware of how it works and acting accordingly but does rely on mannered cyclists - cyclists who seem to forget they are road users just the same as a car or pedestrian but dont seem to think the rules apply to them - there rant over

All down to education and enforcement - when was the last time you saw a Gaurd pull a cyclist for no lights, cycling on a footpath or going the wrong way up a street.

Live in Cork.Patrick st.now done up brilliantly with super-wide footpaths,really pedestrian-friendly but----now those footpaths are at times like the finishing straight in a leg of the Tour de France.Guards all over the place at times but they never do anything.

I cycled in Dublin every day for 15 years and I fully support anyone who cycles on the footpaths. The roads and road users are out to kill cyclists and if the cost of saving a few lives is a bit of inconvenience to pedestrians, then it's good value!

Down here they are putting these cycle paths everywhere but where their needed, I cycle on the paths for my own safety as drivers don't see you when you're on a bike.

This annoys me.

I don't move out of the way for them.

I would welcome the Gaurds issuing them with a fine.

I think the law states that if you're a child aged 12 or under, you are allowed to cycle on footpaths for safety reasons. If you're over 12, you have to use the road or a cycle path where available.

When I go to visit my big sis in Holland I'm always impressed by their huge and excellent cycle way network and their strong culture of using your bike to get around.

Being an avid cyclist, I can see why sometimes, it is just safer to cycle on the footpaths although if there is a designated cycle path then cyclists should be using them!
It annoys the fuck out of me when I see cyclists in the road, when there's a perfectly good cyclepath.
On saying that, there are loads of cycle paths that pedestrians insist on walking in!
It must work both ways!

I've been cycling for many years in Dublin (26!) and I would strongly encourage cyclists to use the footpath on O'Connel street because the bus drivers WILL try to kill you.

I would also strongly recommend being right at the front of traffic and to cross the road when it is safe, at O'Connel bridge. That often doesn't mean waiting for the lights, because then you'll have all the arseholes in the traffic trying to kill you again.

Until cyclists are accomodated properly on the roads, you can't complain when they try to stay alive by breaking stupid laws.