Minister Leo Varadkar,
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.,
44 Kildare Street,
Dublin 2
Tel: 01-6041062
E-mail:
Dear Minister Varadkar,
I am writing to you as a concerned cyclist who hopes that you can help me to regain the right to be able to ride safely, and without fear of victimisation from the increasing number of motorists who feel that cyclists have no right to use the roads we all pay for.
It has become apparent to all of us that there needs to be more done to address deficiencies in the current overtaking laws in that motorists may come dangerously close to a cyclist while overtaking and at considerable speed, posing an undeniable risk, and yet breach no law. As part of Ireland’s cycling community I am requesting that you enact legislation to modify existing sections of the Irish Rules of the Road requiring that a motorist maintain a minimum safe distance of one and a half (1.5) metres between their vehicle and a cyclist whilst overtaking. While this would not be the panacea to all of a cyclists woes regarding road safety, it would certainly go a long way to making us vulnerable cyclists more secure. Such a measure will strengthen current laws with respect to cyclists.
This proposal, by providing clear boundaries, will better serve the interests of motorists and cyclists alike. Furthermore, this proposal would also reflect the fact that it is not necessary for a motorist to collide with a cyclist in order to endanger either life or health; an anomaly that must be addressed if your government is to reduce congestion and promote cycling as a viable alternative means of transportation.
Because of fuel costs and bike to work schemes etc., there has been a huge increase in the amount of bicycles on our roads, however there has been no worthwhile modifications to the current road rules to reflect this fact, and thereby, affording cyclists the protection by law that we deserve as vulnerable road users.
Our current Irish Rules of the Road state that 'you should give extra space when overtaking a cyclist' which is ambiguous and open to interpretation where they cannot afford to be when the lives of citizens are concerned. This law could be further strengthened by the use of the word 'must' which changes the phrase from a suggestion to that of a point of law. Such loosely formed rules pertaining to the overtaking of cyclists, place me at tremendous risk every time that I ride.
I’m sure that you and your Party Leader Mr. Enda Kenny, both avid cyclists, would be aware that the safe distance between a cyclist and a vehicle varies considerably depending on the speed and road conditions but certainly a motorist should not overtake a cyclist with less than a metre and a half to spare.
I am also asking that international standard ‘share the road’ signage be adopted and used in conjunction with the one and a half (1.5) metre rule change, to serve as a reminder to all road users of their responsibilities.
I urge you to heed the mounting calls for the inadequacies in the current road rules and take authoritative action to implement a Minimum Safe passing Distance rule for the sake of myself, my friends and my loved ones.
Yours sincerely