Seanad debates

Friday, 19 July 2013

10:50 am

Photo of Catherine NooneCatherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----because we lead by example when it comes to cycling and such matters. Cycling is regularly done at weekends, when most people are free of ordinary work. With more and more cyclists choosing to commute, which is a great development and something I would like to see more of, these laws are necessary and will ensure that cyclists are safer. I would like the funds that will be collected to be put to use to build more cycle lanes, such as the one along the Grand Canal, where cyclists are safely and properly separated from the road by a small ridge and where they have their own traffic signalling facilities. Such funds raised could be invested to improve the cycling network.

From a legal point of view, I have regularly been involved in cases in which a cyclist was the real reason an incident occurred but because of our legal system and the way insurance works in this country, drivers are generally held responsible because they are the ones with pockets, so to speak, in term of litigation. Such cases result in the hiking up of premiums. Cycling is an important area to regulate.

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