Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I fully understand the Deputy's request for more investment. I take his point. He is correct in that we do not spend enough money on cycling. We would like to spend more and we will spend more. There is no doubt about that. The Deputy will probably be aware that there are commitments in the programme for Government on this. More important, for the capital review that is coming up shortly, I have made a special application. I have prioritised cycling in my Department's application. It is very important and it should be addressed as a matter of urgency. Cycling is underfunded. I take the Deputy's point in that regard and I intend to address it in the mid-term capital review application.

The issue is not just one of cycling; it is also an issue of safety. All five fatalities this year involved crashes with motor vehicles. The point that the road should be made safe for cyclists is very important but it is even more important to make sure the roads are not peopled by dangerous drivers, who are the source of most cycling accidents. We are taking many measures on that basis from which cyclists should benefit. One cannot blame cyclists for the cycling accidents - far from it; one blames the infrastructure. To some extent, I blame the fact the roads are not safe because we have dangerous drivers on them. We have addressed that. That should benefit cyclists and also pedestrians, who are tragically being killed by reckless motorists on our roads. I will list some of the things we have done. It is only fair to note them because cyclists will be beneficiaries, as will drivers.

6 o’clock

The 2016 Road Traffic Act has just come in which addresses the issue of taking drug-drivers off the road. We are addressing the issue of naming and shaming and taking all sorts of measures to improve the roads as a matter of urgency. We recognise this is a crisis for everyone. Next week, I will bring another Bill dealing with road safety measures to pre-legislative scrutiny. I hope cyclists will benefit as much from it as will innocent drivers and pedestrians.

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