The Government's plans to introduce a system of new offences and penalties for cyclists that mirror elements of the motorist penalty points system have been rounded on by former Minister for State Ciarán Cuffe.
The Green Party has strongly criticised plans by the Government to introduce a range of new offences specifically for cyclists accompanied by €50 on the spot fines and court appearances.
Former Dáil Deputy and Minister for State, Cllr Ciarán Cuffe said the focus should be on making the roads, especially in towns and cities, more cycling friendly instead of pursuing cyclists with a new system of offences and penalties.
He believed the fact the mooted fines for cyclists were €10 higher than for motorists who park in cycle lanes underlined where the Government's priorities were when devising the new idea.
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"This seems to be a ham-fisted approach at trying to solve the problem of dangerous cycling,” he said the Department of Transports plans for later in the year.
The new system targeting cyclists will mirror the fixed charge notice scheme introduced for drivers.
Like the drivers’ system, a small number of offences will be included in the new policy to target cyclists at first but more will be added, including newly created offences.
Cyclists found breaking the laws will be subjected to a fine when stopped by gardai.
Like the system for motorists, they will be informed via a notice in the post how much the fine is and when it is due.
A lack of reg plates means cyclists won't be as easy to detect as speeding motorists are via roadside cameras. Gardai will probably need to catch cyclists in the act.
They will have 56 days to pay and if the fine is not cleared another notice will be issued summoning them to court.
A spokesman for the Department of Transport said the existing fixed charge notice system used to inform motorists of infringements and to pursue them will be modified to handle the logistics of the new system for cyclists.
However, because cyclists do not need a licence, they cannot incur penalty points.
They will only be sanctioned by a fine and a criminal conviction if the case proceeds to conclusion in court.
Under the system for motorists, fines and court appearances also apply but the third sanction is penalty points.
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Motorists can be detected speeding and committing other offences via cameras on the roadside and then traced via their registration number.
However, because cyclists do not have reg numbers they would need to be caught by gardai in the act of committing an offence in order to face sanction.
The new system is to be in place as early as March.
While cyclists cannot be penalised with penalty points, they will be processed under the motorists' fixed charge notice system and will still face fines and court appearances in the same way motorists do.
Cllr Cufffe believes the approach the Government is taking needs to be turned on its head.
“As anyone who has cycled in a major urban centre knows, it's a nightmare to negotiate vehicles and careless pedestrians; a problem compounded by the dangerous road infrastructure,” he said.
"Many cyclists are rightly furious that the new €50 fines are larger than the penalties for parking on a cycle lane.
“This dangerous practice forces cyclists out into traffic and puts lives at risk.
“Tackling one dangerous behaviour while allowing another, more serious breach, to get less attention serves to show where the Government's priorities lie.
"We all agree that penalties need to be introduced to combat dangerous cycling, and that all cyclists must obey the rules of the road.
“But where is the accompanying plan to introduce safe road infrastructure that protects all road users?
“Despite years of waiting, towns and cities across the country are still awaiting contraflow lanes that would solve the problem of cyclists venturing the wrong way up streets, and cyclist-friendly traffic light systems are still absent despite their successful introduction in many European cities.
"Ireland is not a bike-friendly country, and until the Government acknowledges the many hazards and difficulties that cyclists face on a daily basis, these fines will do little to allay the problems we see.
“Minister Donohoe would be better off progressing plans to operate automated red light running detection equipment at traffic signals to penalise drivers who break the law."
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