Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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613. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the actions he will take to address the significant increase in cyclist injuries on our roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46372/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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We are all agreed on the need to prioritise safety on our roads.  This is particularly the case for vulnerable road users, including cyclists.  

The figures for cyclist deaths this year, at 11 as against 5 for the whole of last year, are concerning.  There is of course no single measure or factor which alone will deliver safety on our roads.  We are pursuing a range of measures, in line with the Road Safety Strategy (RSS) 2013-2020, in order to ensure greater safety for all users of roads, including cyclists.

The RSS contains a number of measures to ensure greater safety in cycling.  These include: education to promote use of personal protection equipment and high visibility clothing; developing a standardised road safety cycling proficiency training programme for schools; and evaluating the cost-benefit of reducing VAT on personal protection equipment.  

In addition, the National Transport Authority, which has responsibility for providing sustainable transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area and the regional cities, provides funding to local authorities for a range of schemes to benefit cyclists, including both infrastructure and other measures to improve safety for commuters under the Sustainable Transport Management Grants Programme.

I am keen to encourage cycling as a healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transport.  Making cycling safer is an essential part of achieving that goal.  As in all areas of road safety, this involves a range of measures, but, ultimately, it is also important that cyclists, like all road-users, take responsibility for their own safety.