CYCLISTS SHOULD BE handed on-the-spot fines for breaking the rules of the road, one Dublin TD has said after a survey showed many were flouting traffic regulations.

Labour’s Kevin Humphreys said the behaviour of a “significant minority” of cyclists was giving the group as a whole a bad name. He added that at the moment the only way to sanction rule-breakers is with a court summons, which makes enforcement difficult.

A cycling group today backed his call for better enforcement, but said on-the-spot fines could cause difficulties in practice.

Will Andrews of the Dublin Cycling Campaign told TheJournal.ie that it was “not a majority” of cyclists causing problems, but said: “Enforcement needs to be increased. There’s a problem with cyclists and pedestrians mixing.”

Andrews called for the introduction of a “code of good manners” to govern the behaviour of cyclists. He added that current legislation provided for cyclists to be fined in district courts, and this could be used more widely.

Humphreys was responding to a survey of around 200 cyclists yesterday from tyre manufacturer Semperit Ireland, which found that 21 per cent were using footpaths, 19 per cent broke red lights and 14 per cent went against the flow of traffic.

“The use of footpaths by cyclists is particularly dangerous to the elderly and it is a constant issue in many areas of the city,” he said.

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