Pedallers and pollsters:There was an interesting letter in this newspaper a while back from the chief executive of the Irish Heart Foundation extolling the virtues of cycling for commuters. Michael O'Shea points out that in these days of rampant obesity, cycling is not only environmentally friendly, but beneficial to our health, and by extension, our hearts.
I have to say I agree, except for one bit. I'm no expert in anatomy, but I suspect having your heart in your mouth can't be good for it. For that is where it'll be half the time. Dangerous business, city cycling. Potholes the size of Leitrim, kamikaze pigeons, cyclepaths that disappear like politicians' promises after election time and the complete disregard for our safety shown by some other road users make it a life-or-death struggle to get to work.
There was a time I'd retaliate for the treatment meted out to me by fellow road users, chasing after inconsiderate morons who'd bumped me into lampposts, swearing like a gangsta rapper with Tourette's and gesticulating like an epileptic cheerleader.
I soon gave up, not least because wearing your heart on your sleeve like that leaves it at grave risk of being lopped off by a van driver's wing mirror. Sure, some cyclists behave like bees on crack, buzzing through traffic, getting temporary doses of colourblindness at traffic lights. But they are the exception. Tarring all cyclists with the lunatic brush is like blaming all motorists for the antics of bumfluffed boyracers.
That said, I share my daily commute with more and more cyclists each day. Not, I imagine, because of any particular improvement in facilities. More out of desperation. When the alternatives are being stuck in traffic quicksand or trying to wedge yourself into overcrowded trains or buses, hopping astride a bike doesn't seem so bad after all.
The Dublin Transportation Office is working to increase cycle use to 30 per cent of short trips by 2016. Commendable indeed. But they'll need political support if they are to achieve their goal.
So what support are the various parties promising pedallers across the land?
Fianna Fail's transport policy is outlined in their The Next Stepsdocument. Oddly, there is no mention whatsoever of cycling. Cycling isn't taxable, so it doesn't count as transport, I'm guessing. Maybe if they could wangle a €40 stamp duty on puncture repair kits we cyclists would start to register on their radar, and they'd get their builder friends in to lay down more cyclepaths. But then, they'd probably line them with rusty nails to burst our bubble and maintain a constant flow of air from our tyres and revenue into their coffers.
Cycling gets a mere sentence in the Progressive Democrats manifesto. Presumably because bikes are for postmen and peasants in PD land. Similarly, the Fine Gael tome gives it a single line. Sinn Féin also gives cycling a cursory nod. All three parties promise to increase and improve cycling facilities.
The Greens, unsurprisingly, have grand plans for pedallers, including introducing a national cycle network and the setting of rules for the carrying of bicycles on all new modes of public transport. They lead by example, too. Often have I seen Eamon Ryan chugging through traffic on his way to Leinster House.
Labour has a hefty 10-point plan on cycling. Very comprehensive it is too, stuffed full of good ideas. At risk of sounding overly partisan, I couldn't have written it better myself. (Maybe the odd snide dig at their opponents, but that's just me.)
Oh, all right, since you asked, I'm hoping for a Cullen in Kildare Street after the big day. Whoops. Did I write that? Sorry, I meant to say culling. Silly me.
