Road rage: cyclists have rights too
He says cycling in groups must be stopped or make the clubs pay road tax. What tax band? Would it be based on emissions?
He says it is disgraceful that motorists are endangered by cyclists in large groups, that measure the width of a car, pushing motorists onto the other side of the road to pass.
He should read page 204 of the Rules of the Road, and also the RSA website, where there is a good video about how we should all share the road in a way that minimises accidents.
Please help to keep cyclists alive by simply giving them the same amount of respect and room as any other road user, and assist in creating a safe environment for all.
It would also help if the media played their part by not printing headlines like ‘dangerous cyclists’.
Maybe ‘vulnerable cyclists’ would be more appropriate, as a car weighs in at more than 500kgs, and the cyclist and their bike may weigh in at 90kgs.
I leave it up to you to decide who would come out worse off when there is a collision between the two.
Please drive and cycle with respect and vigilance for all road-users, including pedestrians.
Re the letter complaining about overtaking a group of cyclists on the other side of the road (Letters, Sept 5), I wish to make the following points.
Firstly, most Irish country roads are not wide enough to overtake a cyclist and not cross into the other lane.
A cyclist is supposed to be given 4.5ft in passing, a distance some motorists don’t respect.
If the outer edge of a cyclist is 3.5ft from the edge, this makes 8ft.
As no car is three feet wide, it is not possible to pass in the same lane.
Secondly, there is no problem passing on the other side, as long as you are not approaching a bend, in which case you shouldn’t pass.
It is safer for cyclists to hog the lane coming up to a bend, because it discourages the motorist from passing where he shouldn’t.
Awful accidents occur where a motorist, or a lorry, overtakes a cyclist, coming to a bend or to the brow of a hill, only to find someone coming against him. In the worst case, the cyclist is killed.
Yesterday, I was cycling side by side, on a quiet country road, with a friend. We were honked at repeatedly by a van behind us, which eventually overtook us. This was one of those eejits who thought cyclists were not supposed to be two abreast.
These indignant people don’t know the rules of the road.
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