CYCLE PAIN
RTE Simon reveals his terror in Dublin after getting on bike for safety series
TV star Simon Delaney said he had the “bejaysus” frightened out of him cycling around Dublin for his new RTE show.
The father of four told how he saw shocking behaviour by cyclists and drivers while filming Now You See Me, a four-part road safety series.
Simon said: “It was scary. When I got on the bike in the city centre I didn’t know where the cycle lanes were.
“You have to know your route, just like driving, and I thought I was on a cycle lane and wasn’t. That freaked me out a little bit.
“I saw a lot of things like other cyclists going through red lights or cars making left turns without indicating, things I do as a driver which you don’t give a second thought to.
“But when you see it from the point of view of a cyclist you realise if the car hits me on the bike I’m in serious trouble.
“A couple of times vans pulled in front of me on the cycle lane and doors were swung open.
“I didn’t have to slam on the brakes but you have to have your wits about you.
“It’s also the conditions of the roads. They are in bits, with manhole covers and Luas tracks.
“I’ve had two friends come off their bikes in the rain on train tracks.
“In a car you never notice them, you drive straight over them, but on a bike if you hit them at speed and it’s wet you can be in serious trouble.”
The 48-year-old broadcaster and actor spent a week on two wheels to see what cyclists face every day on the capital’s streets. He said: “It was a real eye opener in the city centre which frightened the bejaysus out of me.
“I’m a lapsed cyclist like a lot of us. I cycled a lot in my youth and once I discovered cars I packed it in.
“It’s incredible seeing people go through red lights. It’s just taking a big risk. I wouldn’t roll that dice on a bike, not with the traffic on the roads.
“You are not going to come off better if you are in collision with a car. It’s deadly, absolutely deadly.
“I would be frightened but it’s about using your head, and making sure you are wearing a reflective jersey.
“The amount of people I saw without reflective gear on in the depths of winter was crazy. You see stupid things that we are all guilty of.”
The Dubliner added cyclists sometimes couldn’t use dedicated lanes because cars were parked in them.
He said: “There is not enough enforcement on the streets. Traffic police numbers have been cut in the last 10 years which isn’t going to help.
“You can build all the cycle lanes you want but if you are not going to enforce them they may as well not be there.
“I live in North County Dublin so it’s not practical to cycle to work. But since finishing the series I’ve kept it going.”
However, Simon admitted he wouldn’t dream of bringing his four boys aged 12, 10, eight and two into the city on bikes.
He said: “My heart would be crossways, not that I wouldn’t trust them or myself, it’s the other people on the roads that would worry me.”
■ Now You See Me is on RTE One tonight at 7.30pm.
I saw a lot. It was a real eye opener. It frightened the bejaysus out of me SIMON DELANEY
ON CYCLING IN CAPITAL