Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue on UN World Bicycle Day. In February last year, the European Transport Safety Council published a report on cyclist deaths across the European Union. It revealed that Ireland had recorded the highest annual increase in cyclist fatality rates among all EU member states in the past decade. In fact, our rate had risen by an average of 8% per annum over that period, which was four times the rate of the next worst country. All of those deaths were avoidable.

I want to acknowledge the great work of the Garda and the Road Safety Authority, RSA, in making our roads much safer in general. When I was growing up, we regularly saw more than 500 fatalities on our roads every year. Fortunately, that figure is now well below 200 and trending downwards all the time. However, there is no reason to become complacent. We should be striving for zero unnecessary loss of life on our roads. We certainly should not be content with having some of the most dangerous roads in the European Union for our vulnerable road users.

A number of countries, including Ireland, have already committed to Vision Zero, which is a project that aims to reach zero road fatalities by 2050. The core principle of Vision Zero is that life and health can never be exchanged for other benefits within society. How do we achieve that? First, we need to develop a culture of mutual respect on our roads, setting out very clearly that there is no hierarchy of road users in this country. There is no category of road users with rights superior to others. I am going to say that again for absolute clarity: there is no hierarchy of road users. For cyclists on Irish roads and streets, however, a feeling of inferiority is something they have to contend with every day. They are deemed to be inferior road users simply because they happen to be on a bike, even though, rather ironically, they are using the most efficient, most sustainable and healthiest form of transport known to mankind. There is a reason the most sustainable cities in the world are giving more street space to cyclists every day. A child cycling to school, a nurse cycling to work or somebody simply out for a bike ride to get healthy all need and deserve that safe space on our roads.

I am deeply grateful to Mr. Phil Skelton who has campaigned tirelessly for the creation of that safe space. I am also grateful to the former Minister, Shane Ross, who in 2019 signed into law a new traffic offence, namely, the dangerous overtaking of a cyclist, which carries a fine of €120 and three penalty points. In announcing that offence the then Minister said: "Too many cyclists have frankly terrifying tales to tell of intimidatingly close passes and near misses."

This brings me to this evening's proposal. Right now, we have the opportunity to add hugely to the capacity of An Garda Síochána in policing our roads and streets in ensuring that those roads and streets become safe spaces for all road users, so that those terrifying close passes, those near misses and those tragic losses become a thing of the past. An increasing number of cyclists and indeed motorists are now using cameras on their vehicles which automatically record footage of every journey. Those cameras can become a valuable aid in enforcing all of our road safety legislation. They can become additional eyes on our roads and streets for the Garda and they can provide evidence that can be used in prosecuting road safety offenders. As such, I am simply asking that An Garda Síochána sets up a dedicated portal for the submission of video evidence by all road users and that officers would assess that evidence and bring forward prosecutions if necessary. It has been done successfully and there is no reason why it cannot be done here. Such a portal would set us on that road to Vision Zero, to a safer and indeed healthier Ireland.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for that very helpful response. All the good things that happen in this country, the ones which make it a better place to live in with a better quality of life, happen when we see Government Departments collaborating. This happens when a good idea is grabbed with enthusiasm by those leading in the Departments, when it is brought to fruition and made happen. There is no reason why the Departments of Justice and Transport could not collaborate to create the portal I am referring to. I mentioned in my earlier contribution that other countries have already set up a dedicated portal for the submission of video evidence. In the UK, the national dashcam safety portal was established three years ago in response to the ever increasing submission of video and photographic evidence from members of the public. It was set up with the simple aim of reducing road accidents and making the UK's roads safer.

In his response, the Minister of State referred to the Minister having concerns about the quality of the evidence being submitted and the quality of the evidence being submitted using dashcams, be they on bicycles or in cars. That evidence has already been accepted by numerous Garda stations around the country and successful prosecutions have already been brought. The issue here is the inconsistency of the approach when it comes to bringing forward these prosecutions. That again could be resolved by a portal manned by specially-trained officers in An Garda Síochána who have the skills and knowledge to determine whether or not an offence has occurred. When video evidence of unsafe driving is submitted to the UK portal, which is being used by virtually every police force across that country, it is reviewed by a police officer and depending on the seriousness of the offence, a number of options are available to the officer. These options do not always include prosecution; sometimes it a warning letter and sometimes driver retraining.

A competent computer science student could establish this portal over a weekend. Not doing this can only lead us to one conclusion: that we do not really care about the safety of our vulnerable road users. I would really like to think we are not that kind of country. This can be done and it should be done, with the greatest possible urgency.