Cyclists across Ireland face a “safety crisis”, because the majority of respondents to a new report published today by Cycling Ireland “now feel the roads are becoming more dangerous”.
The Cycling Ireland Road Safety Report found 53.1 per cent of respondents experienced a “close pass” on most of their rides. 51.1 per cent reported a collision or serious near miss within the last year.
More than half of respondents believe roads have become more dangerous, with 65.3 per cent rating current infrastructure as “poor”, “very poor" or “non-existent”.
The report surveyed 2,191 cyclists, with 96.5 per cent of respondents classifying themselves as experienced or very experienced.
It concluded that 58 per cent of cyclists who classify themselves as “very experienced” see cycling on their local roads as more dangerous than a year ago.
The report said this is “significant” because “the people best positioned to assess road conditions through years of accumulated experience are the ones most concerned”.
37 per cent of “very experienced” cyclists said the level of danger is about the same and 5 per cent said it is safe.
Cycling Ireland says a critical factor is that 96.7 per cent of respondents hold a driving license, making them “dual road users”.
The survey also found women who cycle experience road safety “differently from men – in almost every measure”.
“Female respondents report higher rates of close passes on most rides (58.5 per cent vs 51.9 per cent for men), and feel significantly less safe: 28 per cent of women say roads have become ‘much more dangerous’ compared to 18.5 per cent of men,” the report said.
The report also found that only 11 per cent of respondents reported an incident to An Garda Siochana or the PSNI.
“This represents a massive gap between the lived experience of cyclists and the official record of road safety incidents,” Cycling Ireland said.
Most people who reported an incident were “very dissatisfied" with An Garda Siochana or the PSNI.
Cycling Ireland said one of the most common answers respondents gave about reporting an incident was “nothing happened” or they were told to “get a camera”.
The report includes 13 recommendations, based on the survey data, across four categories: campaigning and lobbying; member engagement; policy and partnerships; and internal capacity, to establish an annual road safety survey. You can read the full report and recommendations here.
Ciarán Cannon, president of Cycling Ireland, said: “What we are hearing is consistent, widespread, and deeply worrying. These are people who understand the road, most of whom both drive and cycle, and they are telling us clearly that our roads are not safe enough. When more than half have experienced a serious incident in the past year, that is not a marginal issue, it is a systemic one.”
“This is not just about individual incidents, it points to deeper problems in how our roads are designed, how behaviour is managed, and how incidents are reported and addressed. But the report also shows a community that is engaged, constructive, and ready to be part of the solution. The evidence is there. The question now is whether we are prepared to act on it,” added Cannon.
Tim Farmer, chairperson of the Cycling Ireland Road Safety Commission, said: “Although this report paints a stark picture and provides evidence to the dangers we are seeing, especially on close passes and high incident rates.
“It shows the areas where small changes can make a significant difference. A whole of system approach will make our roads safer for all users, with improved planning and policing we can achieve safer roads.”
The report follows an ongoing debate in Ireland over cycling safety and proposals to make the use of hi-vis mandatory.
