TV presenter James May has hit out at cycle lanes, describing their expansion as “pedantic”. 

Yesterday, Dublin City Council announced further measures to reduce private car use in the city centre. 

From the summer, private cars will have only limited access to Westland Row and Parliament Street in the city centre’s southside. 

Public transport and cyclists will not be impacted.

On The Hard Shoulder, James May described himself as a “big fan” of cycling in cities but questioned whether so many cycle lanes are needed. 

“There is a case for making bicycle lanes and cycle infrastructure,” he said. 

“We’ve got tons of it in London but some of it can be a bit overdome, in my view, and also pedantic. 

“I think what’s happening here is people, they’re trying to control bicycles in the same way that they do motor traffic with endless lights. 

“So, we’ve got junctions with lights for cars, filters for cars, lights for pedestrians and another set for bicycles. 

“It’s very expensive, I suspect, and I think it’s too much. 

“I think you can leave a lot of this stuff; certainly where pedestrians and casual cyclists are concerned to the wit of humanity.” 

 

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Mr May said he feared that society has become “slightly enslaved by the idea of rules” which are not always needed. 

“They are to a certain extent necessary for cars, vans and trucks because they’re big and heavy and not that wieldy,” he said. 

“But I’m not sure it’s really necessary for people and bicycles and joggers and scooters and so on.” 

Cyclist on Nassau Street in Dublin. Photo: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

He added that not all the places he has visited put the same emphasis on traffic control. 

“I’ve been to plenty of countries where there are virtually no markings for these things on the road - namely, well, Holland and India, for example. 

“If you leave people to it, they work it out pretty well.

“The human computer is a remarkable device - better than an algorithm.” 

In the Programme for Government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael promised to, "Develop a connected network of greenways and cycle routes across
Ireland".

Main image: James May. Picture by: PA Archive/PA Images.