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Dublin's College Green (source Paddy Smyth on YouTube).JPGIrish Government to bring in minimum passing distance law
Ireland’s transport minister has said that the government in Dublin will make a 1.5 metre minimum passing distance law on roads with a speed limit of more than 50 kilometres an hour.
On roads with speed limits of 50 kilometres an hour or less, a minimum passing distance of 1 metre will apply, reports StickyBottle.com.
The announcement by Shane Ross today follows lobbying by campaign groups including Stayin’ Alive at 1.5 for the legislation to be brought in.
It comes after a rise in the number of cyclists killed in the country with 15 people losing their lives last year, up 50 per cent from 2016.
“Clearly this is an intolerable situation which has to change,” Ross said. “Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy. And as Minister for Transport, I am committed to do everything within my power to prevent preventable road deaths.”
He continued: “If such awareness entails safer driving and fewer fatalities then it will be worth introducing the necessary legislation.”
According to StickyBottle.com, drivers breaking the law will face fines and have their driving licences endorsed with penalty points, and the legislation will be accompanied by an enforcement campaign by the Garda.
Ross’s announcement comes on a day when the country’s Road Safety Authority published a report recommending that instead of legislation being brought in, it was preferable to educate drivers about the need to pass cyclists safely.
The minister disagreed, however, saying: “It is not enough for me to say we simply just have an education campaign, my job is to introduce law and to make law.
“It is going to be done in the correct way by secondary legislation. We are going to go the extra mile in the pursuit of saving lives.”
He added: “We need more cyclists, we need less cars … If we make the roads a safer place there are likely to be more people getting out of their cars.”
While no timetable has been set for the law to be brought in, Ross said that the process of enacting the legislation would start straight away.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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13 comments
If they brought that in in the UK then the brand new road and the cycle lanes just built in in South Glos will mean no car could ever overtake a cyclist. The cycle lane is just about wide enough to cycle in without the handlebars protruding into the vehicle lane.
Also they just built new cycle lane that ends where cyclist using it have to cross a busy 40mph 4 lane dual carriageway.
Wide enough for the handlebars? Luxury! You should try some of the ones in bristol itself, where “wide enough for the tyres” is often considered sufficient (try the one up on the Clifton side of the suspension bridge)
If they brought that in in the UK then the brand new road and the cycle lanes just built in in South Glos will mean no car could ever overtake a cyclist. The cycle lane is just about wide enough to cycle in without the handlebars protruding into the vehicle lane.
Also they just built new cycle lane that ends where cyclist using it have to cross a busy 40mph 4 lane dual carriageway.
South Australia brought in similar laws a couple of years ago (minimums of 1m or 1.5m depending on speed limit for the road). Since then only around 25 drivers have been fined, with around 50 cautioned. SAPOL say it is usually too hard to prove. Meanwhile they're on course to issue AUD1.3m worth of fines (around 9,000) this year to cyclists, mainly for not wearing a helmet. Not sure the balance is right there! Having said that, at least at weekends when I ride, most motorists here are pretty respectful.
however they are also considering hi-viz laws, even for pedestrians (unlit roads)
These laws are only as good as the police who enforce them. We in the US have them in certain states and it is very rare anyone is ever fined. In fact, I was illegally passed by a county sheriff in North Carolina (a state that has such a law). The bar is very low but I hope police in RoI are better than those in Craven County, North Carolina.
More of this sort of thing!
Wow. That's brilliant news. Will the UK follow I wonder?
Hopefully but I won't hold my breath!
Should be a lot easier to prosecute with an objective test rather than 'reasonable distance' or similar.
But how easy is it to prove a car was within 1.5m of the cyclist? Unless it was detected with cameras and road markings, which doesn't seem feasible, it seems like a subjective test of careless/dangerous driving is more appropriate. Maybe the better way to do it would be to consider the victim, e.g. a manner of driving that caused the victim to feel, or where a reasonable person would feel, in danger.
edit: forgot about bar/helmet cameras...
Surely the fallback position would be careless/dangerous driving if there's no evidence to prove the pass was too close. It's much better to have an objective test rather than a subjective test as there's no real way for a driver to anticipate how a cyclist/victim would feel about a particular overtake. Obviously passing within a few cms would have a predictable effect, but some cyclists will feel nervous having a huge lorry passing at 1.5m and some will be fine with it.
I wonder if it can be used additionally for when the cylist is actually hit. I know from experience that some drivers will claim they did nothing wrong, despite contact being made. Whilst I should think there are other charges that should be brought, perhaps this will be a simple one.
Well, the forthcoming enquiry about dangerous cyclists will undoubtedly call for a minimum passing distance, to be imposed on cyclists who get in the way of drivers. Any cyclist adopting primary position will be prosecuted.
These killer cyclists must be stopped.