A councillor in Dublin was the subject of an intense row during a recent meeting, after he criticised \u201ckamikaze cyclists\u201d for \u201cbanging through\u201d shared spaces, claiming they need to be \u201cput off the road\u201d, eventually leading to the politician retracting his choice of words and replacing them with \u201creckless cyclists\u201d.<\/p>\n
Fine Gael councillor Danny Byrne made the comment at Monday\u2019s South East Area Committee meeting of Dublin City Council, during a discussion on transport and shared pedestrian and cycling spaces in the city, DublinLive<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of the kamikaze cyclists don\u2019t understand what a shared space means,\u201d Byrne told the meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cI would ask perhaps for signs stating this is a shared space, or for wardens to spend time there to slow down people on these huge e-bikes or whatever they are, motorbikes disguised as e-bikes.<\/p>\n \u201cI am really terrified something terrible is going to happen, especially for children, older people, and riders delivering food. They are just banging through and they don\u2019t seem to realise, and they need to be put off the road.\u201d<\/p>\n >\u00a0\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t see\u00a0cyclists doing that!\u201d Driver films \u201cwell-behaved\u201d cows in single file and says \u201cthey\u2019re better than any cyclist\u201d in viral clip \u2013 but viewers doubt he\u2019d \u201cgive the same space\u201d to people on bikes<\/a><\/p>\n Byrne\u2019s remarks were heavily criticised by opposition councillors, who accused him of victim blaming and called on him to withdraw his \u201cinsensitive\u201d phrasing.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s a very unfortunate and insensitive choice of words,\u201d Green Party councillor Carolyn Moore told Byrne during the meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody wants to get to a point where we\u2019re blaming cyclists and some of our most vulnerable road users for accidents that happen to them. Perhaps he wants to reconsider the use of that word and would like to withdraw it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan I ask that this committee note that this is not a term that we, as a committee, condone?\u201d added Moore\u2019s Green colleague Hazel Chu.<\/p>\n However, when asked to withdraw the use of the word \u2018kamikaze\u2019, Byrne initially refused to do so, telling the meeting: \u201cNo, perhaps I won\u2019t\u201d.<\/p>\n >\u00a0\u201cThis is pure gaslighting\u201d: Councillor claims bikes are being treated \u201clike children\u2019s toys\u201d after decision to turn popular bike route into \u201canti-cycling death trap\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n In an attempt to defuse the situation, and prevent proceedings being sidetracked by the ongoing \u201crow\u201d, council chair and Labour politician Dermot Lacey said: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t use the term to be honest with you.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s a lot of people who behave badly on the roads and they include motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists. All people should have a little bit more manners.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cThe issue of procedure and protocol isn\u2019t a matter for this committee. If people feel that a word or phrase is highly inappropriate it is up to the Protocol Committee to determine.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s insensitive at this moment in time, but it\u2019s up to the councillors to determine how they\u2019d like to behave \u2013 unless a formal complaint is made.\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually, Byrne told the meeting that the word \u2018kamikaze\u2019 had a \u201cmuch deeper meaning\u201d than he had initially understood, and, upon reflection, he had now chosen to replace the phrase with \u201creckless cyclists\u201d, bringing an end to the bizarre exchange.<\/p>\n >\u00a0“Some cyclists are abusing the situation”: Irish council considers cycling speed limit after reports of ‘speed merchants in Lycra whipping past’ pedestrians on popular greenway<\/a><\/p>\n Byrne isn\u2019t the only councillor in Ireland this month to take aim at the behaviour of cyclists on shared-use paths, however.<\/p>\n