A political party leader in Ireland has said they get "more abuse, week in, week out" on the roads while cycling than as a politician.
SDLP leader Claire Hanna, an MP for South Belfast and Mid-Down, said the fact being a cyclist generated more abuse in her life than her political work undermined the significant progress that still had to be made in changing the culture on the roads.
“People talk about the abuse politicians get; I get more abuse, week-in, week-out, on my bike than I do in my work,” she said.
“I don’t know whether people are jealous that the cyclist is moving faster than them but I have taken really serious abuse from people for what they perceive as minor infractions.”
Ms Hanna made her comments following the death of cyclist Gary McMahon (58), who died in a crash involving a truck driver in Belfast last Thursday.
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“I think it will have genuinely made a lot of cyclists and their families very, very frightened because there are pinch points in everybody’s journeys that you know are iffy, no matter how cautious or competent the cyclist,” she said.
Mr McMahon's death would "unfortunately, deter more people” from cycling, she said, as she extended her sympathies to the dead man's family and loved ones.
“There’s slithers of great infrastructure," she added. "And I know we’re probably more spoiled than others in south Belfast with the towpath, where it is a joy to commute by bicycle, as I do most days."
I spoke to BBC Evening Extra following the awful loss of a cyclist on our roads, about the dire situation of underinvestment and prioritisation of cycling here. We also discussed the irrational attitudes of some drivers to those trying to reduce congestion by using bikes pic.twitter.com/UWXar3mNyt
— Claire Hanna (@ClaireHanna) November 22, 2024
