A vicious cycle

Cycling to college is a common practice in Galway, as in any university town – buses are unreliable, and lecturers unsympathetic. If you don’t have the means to drive on your commute, bikes are a healthy, cheaper alternative that can save you from the awkwardness of sneaking in ten minutes late.

Naturally, there’s a catch; cycling presents a number of dangers, and in a city with a congestion issue as bad as in Galway (top 100 in the world congestion rankings), tempers are higher and patience lower – something that can cloud the most considerate driver’s judgement.

According to the Road Safety Authority (RSA), 2025 saw a general increase in traffic incidents. Unfortunately, Galway’s roads saw 17 fatal incidents, contributing to a national total of 190 deaths.

Unsurprisingly, due to their particularly vulnerable status, cyclists make up 8% of this national figure, the highest number since 2017.

Fionn Murray, one of the many students that cycle to University of Galway, said that based on his own first-hand experiences, these increases don’t surprise him.

While he reiterated that he loves cycling, he didn’t really sell the idea. He explained that near misses are a regular occurrence, setting pedalers apart from other road users in terms of the stress of commuting.

“I spend most of my time trying to stay out of the way of drivers,” he said. “Most of my troubles come from roundabouts – I feel like most drivers are less clear on the rules of using a roundabout.”

“I recently nearly got undercut by a driver, and since then I’ve realised as a cyclist it’s almost safer to just stick to the outside lane entirely.”

While this too is a breach of traffic rules, he pointed out that it only takes one party to undermine a rule and make it as useful as a glass hammer.

A first person look into what it’s like to be a cyclist really brings up the question of why anyone would do it – running a gauntlet between tonne-weights moving at 40km/h over a neglected patchwork of county council tarmacking seems like a less-than ideal start to a day.

However, it’s this attitude that many cycling advocacy groups try to counter – cyclists are equal road users, and the idea they should cease to exist for their own good is part of a bizarre cycle (pun intended) of victim blaming.

Once a cyclist dares to venture onto a road without everything short of a flashing amber light strapped to their helmet (there’s a man going about westside with one on his mobility scooter), the idea that a collision could be in any way the fault of a driver is thrown out.

This attitude places cyclists as unequal in their right to the road – like pedestrians, they are permitted access to them only at the convenience of cars that are no longer designed with their safety in mind.

Fionn’s one request is for more cycle lanes in Galway, something that seems very achievable when you see the way Dublin has been transformed over the last five years.

A report by the Irish Cycling Campaign (ICC) has suggested new speed limits across metropolitan areas as a way to reduce risk for cyclists.

The organisation, which is aimed at improving the Irish cyclist’s experience, called for a blanket 30km/h speed limit in urban areas based on reports by the Swedish Road Safety Agency.

It found that when a car is travelling at 50km/h, 8/10 vulnerable road users were killed in collisions. Contrast this with 30km/h, where 1/10 died and it’s a no-brainer.

It’s not just hypothetical – in Helsinki, a city with a population of 1.6 million, 0 pedestrians or cyclists died as a result of a collision last year.

This feat came as a result of the drastic measures they took to change how the city commutes – like our 30km/h blanket speed limit, as well as narrowing roads and building cycle lanes.

Galway City Council introduced a 30km/h speed limit in the inner city in 2023. They would do well to follow Helsinki’s lead and implement the measure in the wider metro area.

Until these changes are made, cyclists will continue to be at risk – but Fionn still thinks two wheels and the rush of the exercise are well worth it.

He explains that Galway’s size and frequent bumper to bumper congestion means cycling is the most convenient way to get from his house to the west bank of the Corrib.

“I’ve been cycling to my place of education for the bones of my life,” he said, explaining that his commute from Mervue isn’t that daunting a distance for him. “I can get anywhere I need to in town within 20 minutes,” he said.

He pointed out that as it stands, these factors (plus the enormous costs) mean it’s unlikely he’ll learn how to drive, at least for now. No harm considering the length of the waiting lists.