Gardai and councils need to keep cycle lanes clear for people cycling to use, justice minister Charlie Flanagan has said.
“Cycle lanes must be kept clear for cyclists only. Gardai & local authorities must act to enforce the law. I intend convening a meeting with Ministers Ross & @MurphyEoghan to improve matters. This is unacceptable,” Minister Flanagan, said in a Tweet.
While making the comment, the minister retweeted an image from Ciarán Ferrie, one of the founders of I Bike Dublin, a group formed a year ago to highlight the issue of parking in cycle lanes.
Ferrie tweeted the above image and said: “Just a normal day on the 24 hour mandatory cycle lane on Upper Camden Street – three vehicles in total, several more parked in the bus lane on Lower Camden Street and six vehicles parked in the South Great George’s Street bus lane, but sure who cares, eh? #freethecyclelanes”
In reply to the minister, I Bike Dublin said: “, it is the culture in our roads and seen as acceptable by law enforcement. Only proper enforcement and stronger penalties can change this. We are counting on you.”
Last year campaigners from I Bike Dublin photograph more illegal parking in a week than Gardai ticket in a year.
While agreeing the lane in question was a 24 hour cycle lane, the Dublin Cycling Campaign said: “It could help simplify matters by removing time-plating of cycle lanes (and bus lanes) and making all of them 24/7. The current practice of part-time bike/bus lanes that become a free-for-all outside of operational hours reinforces the notion that they are at drivers’ disposal.”
The group added: “…the confusion surrounding time-plating has been put forward as an excuse for lack of enforcement in the past. A common 24/7 policy across a city or local area would, at least, remove such an excuse – pithy as it is.”
In a 2013 the vast majority of Dublin City councillor who responded to a survey said that they wanted part-time cycle lanes phased out.
Cycle lanes must be kept clear for cyclists only. Gardai & local authorities must act to enforce the law. I intend convening a meeting with Ministers Ross & @MurphyEoghan to improve matters. This is unacceptable. https://t.co/xZo89YPjx0
— Charlie Flanagan (@CharlieFlanagan) June 23, 2018
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nice to know someone would like the law respected and will tell minister Ross to attend to his own ministry and stop meddling in everyone elses business.