A number of cycling clubs
based in Donegal have come together to call for changes to a very dangerous
stretch of road in the county where one of their own was almost killed when hit
from behind by a driver.
That crash, on October 2nd
last, resulted in the injured cyclist being hospitalised, while their bike was
also destroyed. The rider was still recovering from multiple injuries he sustained and
the “mental trauma” that resulted in the months following the crash, which was
no fault of his own.
Finn
Wheelers added the crash, which involved one of its members, had impacted the
victim’s ability to work and to be able to help with his young family. The crash occurred on a treacherous 750m section of McGrory’s
Brae, which is between Ballybofey and Donegal Town
Now
Finn Wheelers and other Donegal cycling clubs – including Donegal Bay Cycling
Club, Four Masters Cycling Club and Strabane Lifford Cycling Club – are
highlighting the fact that stretch of road has no hard shoulders and demanding
it be reconfigured to make it safer. Members of the clubs met at the scene
yesterday to unveil roadside posters highlighting how dangerous the area was.
“The
horrific accident on October 2nd has awoken our club once again to how
vulnerable we are once we mount our bikes and proceed onto our county roads,”
Finn Wheelers said in a statement launching its campaign.
“We
are literally putting our lives in extreme danger due to numerous areas that
are not suitable for all modes of transport. This incident has frightened many
people who are now less enthusiastic about cycling as a form of exercise.”
It added while the Government was trying to promote cycling, it must also work to make the roads safer. The clubs also called for Donegal County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to play their part and prioritise McGrory’s Brae.
The area was the only part of the road from Ballybofey to Bundoran without a hard shoulder or cycle path and they believed that needed to be addressed immediately.
