“Die-in” likely to form part of vigil for cycling deaths outside Dail tomorrow

A “die-in” is likely to form part of a protest vigil outside Leinster House on Tuesday evening at 5.30pm — the a “die-in” as a form of protest was used by Dutch campaigners when the country had motoring-focused roads and higher cycling deaths in the 1970s and, in recent years, in London.

The Metropolitan Police Service in London views die-ins, which blocks roads, as an acceptable form of protest — it is understood that this is partly because the protest is limited to under 15 minutes.

So-far 13 people who were cycling on roads in the Republic were confirmed killed in collisions involving bicycles and motorists — two of those died in just over the past week.

The protest tomorrow is to highlight the lack of action on cycling safety measures.

The overall protest and vigil involves four groups — Dublin Cycling Campaign, Cyclist.ie, I Bike Dublin, and Saying Alive at 1.5 — coming together under the banner “Stop Killing Cyclists”. Although it’s unclear which groups will be involved in the die-in.

In London, the group called Stop Killing Cyclists have organised die-ins since the end of 2013.

In a statement, the Dublin Stop Killing Cyclists group said: “We are sick and tired of the inaction by government, both local and national, when it comes to cyclists’ safety. We have been calling for increased funding and resources for cycling, but those calls have fallen on deaf ears, and cyclists continue to be killed as a result.”

It added;: “This Tuesday, 21st of November, we are joining forces with our colleagues from I Bike Dublin, Staying Alive at 1.5, Cyclist.ie, Dublin Cycling Campaign to let the Government know that the issue of cyclists’ safety can no longer be ignored. Join us from 5.30pm as we hold a vigil in memory of the people killed while cycling on Irish roads.”

In the Netherlands, die-ins were used in the 1970s in Amsterdam (pictured above) and elsewhere in the country. Public protest are viewed by cycling experts as playing a large part in the country getting cycle paths. Before then, the country was experiencing a growing rate of cycling deaths as cars were being given the priority on streets.

READ MORE:Over 1,000 cyclists stage die-in protest outside Transport for London HQ

IMAGE AND VIDEO: From BicycleDutch’s video: How the Dutch got their cycling infrastructure

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