Dubliners handed 75% of all Irish cycle fines last year

Dublin cyclists were the most likely in any Irish region to be given a fine for cycling crimes, receiving 75 per cent of all on the spot fines least year.

In 2015, of the 588 tickets handed out for flouting the law, 444 were given to Dublin cyclists.

Penalties, which are a flat rate of 40 Euros, can be for jumping red lights or riding in pedestrian zones.

Garda told Dublin Live: "Cyclists are vulnerable road users and as such must take every precaution whilst on the road, in the same vein as pedestrians and motorcyclists.

"Cyclists must abide by all road traffic regulations and ensure they are visible to other road users at all times.”

This year appears to be no different, with 63 per cent of Ireland’s collective fines since the beginning of the year being issued in Dublin.

But the police say there are other success stories in cycling, with a drop from 13 cycling deaths in Ireland in 2014 to just two so far this year.

A spokesperson said: ”The more cyclists there are, the safer it becomes as other road users become more accustomed to seeing and interacting with them.”

Dublin has seen its fair share of cycling concerns in recent weeks, with just this week a cyclist dying from his injuries after colliding with a pedestrian in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

A 59-year-old man from Castleknock, was riding in the cycling lane of Chesterfield Avenue in the direction of the city at around 8.40pm on Monday. Between the Castleknock Gate and Áras an Uachtaráin he collided with a man in his 30s.

The cyclist was taken to Beaumont Hospital but died from his injuries on Wednesday night.

And while Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary can never be said to speak for all Dubliners, he was out and about this week making controversial remarks – his latest being a suggestion that cyclists should be taken out and shot.

The businessman made his comments in a keynote speech at the Creative Minds conference at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin this week.

At the event, organised by the US Embassy, he took aim at the city council’s ambitions to get more people cycling.

"That's all we need in Dublin is more blooming bicycles," he said. "In a country where it rains about 250 days a year, the way forward for Dublin is more bicycles.

“Let's just go back to walking altogether. Soon we'll be living in caves designed by Dublin City Council. Traffic won't work, there's nowhere to park the cars and yet this is a smarter way forward.

“We should take the cyclists out and shoot them."