Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe has said he removed cycling on footpaths from a list of fixed charge penalties to be introduced soon as he feared discouraging families and children from cycling.
Minster Donohoe told Newstalk Lunchtime that he chose to drop the act from a new list of Fixed Charge Notices (FCN) offences as he feared it would discourage families who cycled on the footpath for the child’s safety.
“I’m not going to change the status quo,” he said. “I’m aware of circumstances where an adult could be with a minor who is on a bike and they are ... on a footpath” for the child’s safety, Mr Donohoe said.
Cycling on the footpath will still be punishable by gardai however, with a broader offence included in the new FCN system.
“We will be bringing in a fixed charge notice for anyone who cycles in a way that is not safe for them or any other road user,” he said.
“I want to bring in fines and a system that makes sense and we can relate that to other measures that have been successful,” Mr Donohe said, adding that the new measures will mean that a trip to court will no longer be the only punishment open to gardaí when dealing with cyclists.
Listen to the full interview with Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe
The decision is sure to ignite debate, and on this morning's Breakfast the room was firmly split on the subject, with Chris saying "Paschal Donohoe has seen sense", while Ivan said, "this is shocking news and it's a mistake. The minister has really dropped the ball here."
Cyclists using footpaths were originally due to be included in the list of offences but the Minister removed them due to a concern over areas where cyclists are forced to use the path for safety fears, and also for families who cycle to school, using footpaths.
The offence is not totally free of potential censure however, with gardaí now able to prosecute cyclists on footpaths under the offence of 'Cycling driving a pedal cycle without a reasonable consideration' - which is an offence under the FCN system.
Other FCN offences include breaking red lights and cycling against traffic. The full list will be announced later this week.
