Ourselves Alone (in a car): Sinn Féin councillor claims “crazy” cycle lanes are making roads more dangerous – and are designed for a “privileged” minority

Cycle lanes are for a “privileged minority”, negatively impact “ordinary people”, and are making the roads more dangerous, a Sinn Féin councillor has claimed during a debate on the potential continuation of a “Netherlands-style” active travel scheme in south Dublin.

A Green Party councillor, however, responded to claims that the existing bike lanes were “causing crashes and confusion” and increasing emissions by asserting that “we need to stop concentrating on how a car gets around the place and think about how everyone else gets around”.

The debate took place during a meeting of South Dublin County Council last week, where councillors debated the proposed next phase of the Castletymon Road Active Travel Scheme.

The project, which is currently at public consultation, will feature the installation of a further one kilometre of raised, protected cycling infrastructure, along with improvements to junctions and bus stops and short section of shared path to avoid removing car parking spaces, along Castletymon Road (while maintaining two-way road traffic), connecting it to South Dublin’s existing active travel network.

New cycle lanes along Castetymon Rd being built out at the moment. Looks like the Netherlands!

Great for connectivity to local schools, Basketball Arena, Tymon Park, Swimming Pool etc. pic.twitter.com/RTqpO18Eoc

— Kevin C. (@transportkev) March 1, 2024

However, it’s these existing cycle lanes which came under fire during the local authority’s recent meeting, only a month after a councillor claimed that another cycle route in the area amounted to “extremism”, Irish Cycle reports.

“The real situation out there at the moment is these cycle schemes are causing crashes and causing a lot of confusion out there,” independent councillor Patrick Holohan told the council, before claiming that similar active travel projects were increasing emissions – a claim for which he provided no evidence.

Meanwhile, after another councillor asked how many parking spaces were set to be removed to make way for the new bike lanes – three, came an official’s reply – Green Party representative Vanessa Mulhall said that the changes were necessary to increase safety for vulnerable road users.

“I really think we need to stop concentrating on how a car gets around the place and think about how everyone else gets around — as the pictures show here, there are spaces for cyclists, people to walk, and people to drive,” she said.

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“I’m for active travel and more cycle routes, but not at the cost of the majority of people,” replied Sinn Féin councillor Louise Dunne, whose party looks set to become the largest in Ireland at the next general election, emulating its current position in Northern Ireland.

“And no disrespect to Cllr Mulhall and her politics, but we’re not all privileged to go out in the morning and just go out on a bike.”

Dunne then complained about the cost of the proposed cycle lanes “to people who have to use cars”, while bemoaning the lack of “proper public transport” in the city and claiming that the infrastructure is seemingly being built for and dominated by quad and scrambler users.

“We’re coming up to an election now, and we’re all out at the doors; I can hear people’s frustrations,” she said.

“At nearly every household I go to, it’s about these cycle lanes, their frustrations, the lack of consultation and the impact it’s having on ordinary people in the community.

“And it is becoming more dangerous. For example, buses coming off Killinarden Hill down onto Firhouse Road, even trying to do the turn there… I’ve seen it, [the bus drivers] trying to take those corners, it’s absolutely crazy, it’s mental.

“Then you have the quad users and the scramblers using them. They are having a free-for-all on these cycle lanes – we might as well be building for them.”

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However, socialist councillor Leah Whelan, a member of the anti-austerity Solidarity party, criticised her Sinn Féin counterpart’s stance, which she described as a “little bit of hysteria”.

“If we really do want to tackle the climate crisis, we have to make radical changes in our own lives,” Whelan said. “I’m not saying somebody who has family or kids with additional needs that need that type of transport, they should. We need to ensure we are creating the space for all people.

“We do need to make sure there is safety, but I think, at times in this chamber, there’s a little bit of hysteria – no one is forcing you out of your car. We are just ensuring people who are travelling by foot, traveling by bike, and travelling by car all have equal access to the road.”

> Irish Transport Minister demands safer "cycling culture" that respects pedestrians and the law

The apparent anti-cycling attitude among political representatives in South Dublin comes in the same week cyclists in Ireland reported being left “disappointed” by Green Party leader and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan’s comments about bicycle riders apparently putting pedestrians in danger and lacking respect for the law.

Mr Ryan’s comments came at a meeting about the Dodder Greenway, an active travel route in Dublin, during which the minister suggested “conflict” could be reduced with the installation of more cycling and walking paths.

However, he also agreed with a local who said people were put in danger by cyclists “who don’t care about pedestrians”, saying they were “right” and that it is “very much incumbent on the cycling community to create a culture and an attitude” that respects pedestrians and the law, and is “enforced”.

One prominent Irish cycling social media profile, Righttobikeit — who shares video footage of near misses and dangerous driving experienced while cycling in Ireland — said they were left “disappointed” by the Transport Minister’s comments and added that he had been guilty of “entertaining the old ‘irresponsible cyclist’ trope”.