Taoiseach Micheál Martin has rejected the judge’s comments while the Labour Party has reacted with strong condemnation (Photo: D Ribeiro)

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he “rejects” the stereotyping of cyclists following comments by a judge who described as a “nightmare” and unpredictable cyclists in Dublin.

The comments were made by Judge James O’Donohoe as he reduced by 80 per cent damages awarded to a cyclist who crashed and suffered a brain injury.

During a hearing last week at the Circuit Civil Court, Judge O’Donohoe said he had experience of cyclists himself as he drove around Dublin, saying they were now “a nightmare”.

“You never know with cyclists what they are going to do or anticipate what they are going to do,” he said. “Cyclists have become a nightmare in Dublin.”

There has been significant push back against those remarks, from across the political spectrum and from cycling groups and Cycling Ireland.

And now Martin has told Dáil Eireann: “I reject any stereotyping or categorisation of cyclists. I do not want to breach any rule concerning the separation of powers but I am very clear that any general comment that impacts negatively on the perspective on cyclists is wrong.

“It should not be made. We should be very clear about the importance of cycling and about facilitating cyclists. Also, we should be very careful regarding contested space on our roads to ensure that we protect cyclists.”

The Labour Party has also submitted a formal complaint to the Judicial Council following remarks about cyclists made by Judge O’Donohoe.

Labour’s transport spokesperson, Ciarán Ahern TD, said the commentary by Judge O’Donohoe was “deeply problematic, and has exhibited a clear perception of bias against cyclists” in his decision-making.

“These comments were beyond what was necessary to determine the matter before the court, and what’s more, they have opened the floodgates around negative, uninformed remarks about cyclists,” Ahern said.

“I was appalled to see the Deputy Vice President of the Road Hauliers’ Association jump at the opportunity to punch down on cyclists and vulnerable road users; this demonstrates the influence of the judiciary in our society and the importance that is attached to all judicial utterances.”

The statement that ‘cyclists have become a nightmare in Dublin’ was an “untrue, unfair and frankly ignorant statement”.

“The reality is actually much the opposite – being a cyclist is often a nightmare with a lack of safe, segregated cycle lanes, dangerous junctions, poor lighting, poor maintenance of existing bike lanes and record levels of bike theft among some of the many issues cyclists face in Dublin and across the country.”

Ahern added 14 cyclists were killed on our roads in 2025 – the highest number of cyclists lives lost since 2017. He said 2025 was a devastating year on our roads, seeing 190 people lose their lives, adding “every road death is a tragedy for the families and communities impacted.”