Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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748. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the action he is taking to crack down on the road based offences which most contribute to accidents involving cyclists. [40903/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Policing Priorities I have set for 2013 include an emphasis on continuing to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads and An Garda Síochána has my full support in this regard. Insofar as collisions involving cyclists are concerned, I am informed by the Garda authorities that the Roads Policing Operations Plan 2013 includes targeted national and regional high visibility enforcement measures such as Operation Pedal Cycle, and the Dublin Metropolitan Region Casualty Reduction Campaign, as well as a continued focus on road user behaviour which presents significant risks to vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.

I am further informed that members of An Garda Síochána enforce the law on pedal cycling as part of their normal duties on an ongoing basis. In addition to the day to day enforcement of the relevant provisions of the Road Traffic Acts, breaches of the legislation in respect of pedal cycle behaviour are regularly targeted by way of specific Garda operations throughout the country. Where breaches of legislation are detected, members of An Garda Síochána, depending on the circumstances, may deal with the incident by way of advice or caution or by initiating criminal proceedings.

I can also assure the Deputy that An Garda Síochána is committed to working closely with all road safety agencies to maintain a roads policing focus and conducts specific awareness raising initiatives targeting vulnerable road users such as cyclists. The Garda authorities regularly give educational talks, including through the Garda Schools Programme, on road safety and road traffic legislation, including on pedal cycling, to young people and other identified high-risk road users to encourage increased compliance.