Father responds to Twitter criticism over video of child cycling to school

Claude O'Donegan from Herenswood in Carrigaline published a video on Twitter which showed his 11-year-old son cycling in a 50cm hard shoulder in Carrigaline with traffic zooming past.

In a bid to highlight the lack of connected cycling lanes in the area, Claud took to the social media platform saying:

"So proud of my son who wanted to cycle to school this morning. 

"I had to escort him though as the route is not safe. 

"100km/h zone with a 50cm hard shoulder, maybe less, trucks flying around you! Some scattered cycle lanes have been put down, please connect them now."

Many people were quick to note that the child was not wearing a helmet in the video, a point that sparked debate on Twitter. 

In response to criticisms that his son was not wearing a helmet or high-visibility clothing, Claude told The Echo that other cautionary measures were taken and he didn't think a helmet would do much good in the unfortunate event of an accident. 

"I don't think cycling is a dangerous activity", he said, also noting that in other European countries such as The Netherlands helmets are far from ubiquitous.  

Claude is an experienced cyclist and accompanied his son to and from school.

Both bikes also had full rear and front lights. 

Although some work has been done in Carrigaline to make provisions for cyclists, Claude says more can be done. 

"I'd like to see cycle lanes connected and a reduction in the speed limit from 100km/h to 50km/h in the Carrigaline/Shanbally area."