Dr. Suzanne Meade:

On the question regarding safety around these users in particular, in the report mentioned by the Chairman, we refer to a safe systems approach. In road safety, we would look at everything, not just the infrastructure. A very pertinent point was made by Deputy O'Connor about education. It is not only about infrastructure and the vehicle someone will be using, be that an electric bike and so on, it is about driver education. I will answer the Chairman's question in general rather than be specific. The safe systems approach would examine every element, including other users, infrastructure and whether we are providing enough segregated infrastructure for the number of people that are using it.

On how one reconciles the use of bus lanes by cyclists and not e-vehicle users, in my response to Senator Buttimer earlier, I said that, perhaps, a case-by-case response is needed. In some cases, bus lanes are very infrequently used, while in other cases they are very frequently used. Perhaps in light of the comments made and the sheer frequency of buses, they are also not suitable for cyclists. My next point goes back to the point made by Deputy O'Connor that this is a relatively new piece of the transport infrastructure environment here. The question is whether drivers have caught up to it. E-mobility is a relatively new addition to our road space, so the awareness of other roads users is very important. Other countries would take education on board. In that regard, I refer to Dutch Reach. For the benefit of those who do not know what that is, it is about drivers opening a car door with their left hand such that they have to turn their head and check for cyclists.