Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Will the Minister assure the House that the Garda will continue to place importance on the visibility of cyclists, particularly in urban environments. I know that sounds strange because rural environments have less public lighting. Anecdotally, we know - I notice it occasionally when cyclists pass by Leinster House - that many cyclists do not have lights on their bikes. I understand that gardaí are under severe pressure in a variety of areas but traditionally down the country, gardaí were the bane of cyclists because if there was anything wrong with one's bike, one was done. I remember as a child that District Court cases were more about the fella not having a light on his bike when coming home from the pub than anything else. That issue appears to have gone down the list of priorities.

I appreciate gardaí have a very important job and I am fully supportive of them but in the context of this Bill, a number of cars have wonky lights. Cars will have one strong beam and one weak beam. We have the NCT but some issues arise between tests. It might not even be a car which is due to do the NCT but it might be negligence or a costs issue. However, it is certainly a safety issue. It is greatly irritating to drive at night and to find oncoming cars have one beam very high and another very beam low. Obviously, the balance is wrong.

I raise these issues in the context of Senator Barrett's amendments on driving licences. All of this, as the Minister would testify, is about improving road safety, saving lives and trying to ensure that motorists and cyclists comply with the law as much as possible. I wish to be reassured that gardaí have not allowed these issues to slip down their list of priorities.