Re: Re: Dublin’s Bicycle Clutter
@Service charge wrote:
Well you have both conveniently skipped over my points re tax.
Motor vehicle users contribute only a fraction of what it costs to build and maintain roads, provide Garda, fire and health services at accidents and general policing of traffic. Why should general taxation have to pay for this? Well because we all use the road network in some fashion.
Pedestrians similarly don’t pay a cent to use footpaths, crossings etc.
So why do you deem cyclists as different?
As for contributing to the economy cyclists actually do: every person that cycles to work reduces congestion, reduces wear and tear on road, and keeps fitter so is less of a burden on the health service.
If all the city’s cyclists were to drive the city would be gridlocked. The more we encourage cycling in this city the more the city has to gain.
As for every single cyclist breaking the law: a similar accusation can be leveled at car drivers (breaking lights, speeding, driving in cycle lanes etc) and pedestrians (jaywalking).
All in all traffic policing in Dublin is a shambles.
Under the Road Traffic Act a cyclist is classed as traffic. A pedestrian is not. An individual motorists pays 10’s of thousands of euro’s directly as a result of that mode of transport.
Cycling requires additional facilities not already in existence for which they will not pay one red cent. Those facilities are going to cost millions of my money. It’s going to come out of the pockets of people who can’t afford childminders or healthcare. There is no magic pot of gold that this bankrupt country has in storage from which ad hoc committee’s can line up to make funding requests.
Cyclists lobby groups are demanding changes to the law and expensive facilities specifically for cyclists. There is evidence to suggest that cyclists may use those facilities only when and if they feel like it and otherwise ignore them.
Motorists do break the law. Thousands of them get fined. As regards cyclists breaking the law it’s neither here nor there. Breaking the law is not a competition.
It’s a fact: cyclists in Dublin break every law every second of every day. The show no regard for pedestrians, other road users and endanger themselves. Nothing will be done about this. The only solution would be for cyclists to take responsibility for themselves and start showing consideration for others voluntarily. The shams who run the city are never going to come up with anything.
