Eamon Carr, a journalist for The Herald newspaper, has written a bizarre column attacking cyclists in Dublin, and exaggerating the supposed menace of cyclists. Amongst the arguments Carr makes are as follows:
“As a committed pedestrian, I count 10 million chances of being knocked down by some over-enthusiastic twit unused to handling handlebars. Own up. How many times have you been nearly tipped into the canal by a two-wheeled tourist wobbling along as confidently as Shane MacGowan on a highwire? How often have you had to jump in front of a juggernaut to escape a demented wheelman treating the footpath as a personal velodrome?”
He also goes on to knock claims of the health benefits associated with cycling, as he seems to try and use humour to claim that cycling as an activity will inevitably lead to PED abuse.
“Spare me the old “healthy exercise” routine. Everyone knows that a bicycle fetish is a gateway to substance abuse. Just look at the cut of that Lance Armstrong.”
“And not once have I mentioned Lycra or middle-aged men striving to cope with a midlife crisis. It’s more buses we need. And fewer bikes. Dublin could be heaven if all on bicycles – couriers, High Nelly riders, rickshaw enthusiasts and Green Party members included – were sent to, say, Connaught.”
The article seems to use the usual tired arguments of exaggerating the number of incidents witnessed and the MAMIL-type cliches.
