Stamullen

CYCLISTS.

According to the law and the rules of the road, cyclists are meant to have a bell on their bike, apparently so the bell can be rung when the cyclist or cyclists are approaching people, such as pedestrians, to alert them of their presence on the same stretch of road and/or street, park, whatever.

There had been a discussion on our national radio station a couple of weeks ago on the same issue with listeners expressing their views of being struck or near-misses by cyclists while they were passing walkers and joggers, who were totally unaware of their presence. Since the lock-down, many more folk are out jogging, walking and cycling, resulting in both streets and roads becoming much busier. Cyclists today are not like those of the past.

The cycles are much faster and move much smoother along the streets and roads and many pedestrians are completely unaware when a cyclist is coming from behind and suddenly you get a glimpse of some-kind of lycra colouring and the `swish` of the cycle as it passes you by; one wrong move by the pedestrian at that moment could result in a serious accident. It has also to be said that many walkers and joggers and other cyclists are also out wearing ear-plugs and listening to other sounds, making it even more difficult for all concerned on the roads as to their safety.

As more and more people are now back out following the lockdown and more and more people