Video: Irish father cycling his son to school prompts a lot of shock

This boy was recorded by his dad cycling to school. The reaction was mixed - there was plenty of positive with the negative. But the negative comments were sad to see

A video recorded of a father and son cycling to school
has prompted mixed reaction, with lots of those responding to it voicing criticism
of the footage.

There were plenty of positive reactions; lots of Twitter
users responding well to the footage and wishing father and son safe cycling.

However, in the negative commentary it is clear to see
that many members of the public regard cycling as a very dangerous pursuit.

And they also see helmets and hi-vis – even during
daylight cycling – as the key features, rather than the lack of a cycle lane
and almost non-existent hard shoulder.

These are perhaps not surprising views considering the
messaging from the Road Safety Authority which effectively puts hi-vis at the
centre of cycle safety campaigns.

Claude O'Donegan
from Herenswood, Carrigaline, Co
Cork, shared the video on Twitter. It shows his son, aged 11 years, riding to
school by the roadside in Carrigaline.

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"So proud of my son who wanted to cycle to school
this morning,” he said. "I had to escort him though as the route is not
safe. 

"100km/h zone with a 50cm hard shoulder, maybe less,
trucks flying around you! Some scattered cycle lanes have been put down, please
connect them now."

After many negative comments – some of which we have included below – Claude took to Twitter again to make further comment, including a link to this video of cycling in Holland.

“So sick of people preaching about
the use of helmets and high-vis clothing,” he said.

“How many helmets and fluorescent
clothes you see in this video, showing kids cycling to school in the
Netherlands. Just normal people going about their own lives...”

The initial tweet...

The reaction...

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