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THE FAMILY OF a Brazilian woman Josie Ribeiro who died after being struck by a truck while cycling on Dolphin’s Barn Bridge last month has called for better and safer roads in Dublin.
The incident took place at around 12.30pm on 6 November. She was taken to St James’ Hospital with serious injuries and was later pronounced dead.
The family has issued a statement today through the Calm Crumlin Road campaign group and said it is their “deepest desire that her sacrifice helps the Dublin population to have better and safer roads”.
“We hope her memory and her tragedy makes people think twice about the everlasting consequences of not caring for each other,” the family said.
“She paid with her life so hopefully other people and families don’t have to go through such an intense and piercing pain,” they said.
The family thanked the public for the “love and support” that has been provided to them over the past three weeks.
They said the last three weeks have been “the most difficult time in our lives”.
“Josie was a one-of-a-kind woman, a truly remarkable human being. She made friends everywhere she went during the 36 years she was allowed to walk this earth. Her dreams were made of experiences and tastes, of different languages and foods, of human beings coming together despite the differences. Of spiritual bonding,” the family said.
“She had a thirst for adventure and a burning desire of being truly free. Her dream seeking adventures led her to New Zealand, Spain, France, England and Ireland. She could not be stopped, because her free spirit was so powerful that no one or nothing could ever stand on her way.”
They added: “May her beloved soul rest in peace and the memory of her beautiful heart helps the people of Ireland and Dublin to be more humane, and the rulers and administrators to take actions that would help keep our Irish brothers and sisters safe.”
Terribly sad.
What a beautiful tribute. May she rest in peace, so sad.
I’m a Dublin cyclist and also own a car (I cycle 90% and drive 10% of the time I using a road). I seem to be one of very few cyclists who bother to get lights for their bike and wear a hi-viz jacket. The amount of cyclists I see who either have no lights whatsoever or have a useless little LCD with a tiny dot of a red dot in the middle that’s squeezing the last bit of life out of the battery is mind-boggling. As for red lights and pedestrian crossings, forget about it. I firmly believe you should be stopped and fined €100 there and then or have your bike confiscated if it is dark and you don’t have a front and back light that is giving off at least 1000 lumens. Hands down the worst offenders on the road are cyclists. Anyone who says otherwise either doesn’t cycle in Dublin or is blind.
@Etcher: Not true. Drivers are by far the worst offenders. So many people on their phones while driving, break red lights, weave in out without indicating, drive in cycle & bus lanes and display a recklessness that’s lethal to other road users. What happens to them? Nothing. Cops glide on by without giving a second glance. Kill someone with your car? On ya go. Cyclist breaks a red light, often as it’s safer than getting mowed down as you take off, cops hop on it. Kill someone with your bike? Jail for you buddy. There’s a fundamental difference in how road users are treated based on how much metal they’re in control of unfortunately. All learner drivers should have to undergo instruction on how to treat others better & why it matters, instead they get you to reverse around a fuppin corner
@Etcher: a Garda would fine u way back for no lights or poor brakes. Used to hide in ditches & jump out & frighten cyclists. They had’nt alot to do in those days, maybe help fill in the census form with a nice cup of tea & whatever was going. Don’t seem to bother now with bikes that are not road worthy.
To quote Eamonn Ryan: cycling in Dublin is “fundamentally not safe” .
Addressing the Cycling and Society Symposium at Trinity College on Thursday, Ryan acknowledged that Ireland was currently in a “bad place” in relation to road safety, given the significant increase in road deaths so far this year compared with last.
The minister said Dublin city was “fundamentally not safe” for cyclists.
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And of course, when you encourage people in a ‘bad place’ for safety to engage in behaviour that is ‘fundamentally not safe’ people will be injured, and killed.
Funny how no one in the media has the backbone to ask why Ryan is encouraging behaviour he know will get people injured and killed.
Weird.
@Chris O’Brien: What a twisted and veiled view. The road safety issues have one fundamental root: cars. These make the roads unsafe for any road user, not just cyclists. We can tackle the issue at the driver level (enforcement, education etc), but the most effective way is really just to reduce the number of cars on the road. Fewer drivers, fewer people engaging in an activity that creates risk for themselves and others. This can be done in many places through a modal shift to walking, public transport and cycling.
@Chris O’Brien: using this article to spout your bile, shows what a lowlife you are
@Name not provided: Don’t mind Chris,he spends all day in here blaming everyone and everything except the root cause of every problem.He sums up a lot of Irish people.
@Name not provided:Cars aren’t inherently dangerous. I cycle past many parked cars and unless I do something stupid, they don’t cause me any danger or issue nor should they for any cyclist, pedestrian or road user.
However, put an aggressive or careless driver in one, then we start having issues and they become a threat. The same as a careless cyclist weaving in and out of traffic breaking red lights is a threat. The same as a pedestrian texting heads down crossing the road is a threat… Everyone needs to pay more attention and show more respect to the others using the road space. End of.
@Ckeego: I understand your point, but I’d have to somewhat disagree: I think cars are inherently dangerous given that they are driven. Just like how knives are inherently dangerous given that they are used.
Cars are heavy machinery, the operation of which is not really natural to humans. Ultimately the reason behind the insane amount of mechanical engineering and civil engineering done to keep the activity of driving somewhat within acceptable levels of risk. This risk is only accepted due to the normalisation of cars. Linked to any other daily activity, it would be completely unacceptable.
Finally, cycling and walking inherently comes with some risk too. Two big differences though:
1. cycling/walking is only a risk to oneself 99.9% of the time.
2. Cycling/walking becomes exponentially riskier in the presence of drivers, while driving becomes less risky (to the driver) in the presence of cyclists and pedestrians, the latter of whom slow traffic down to safer speeds and make drivers more alert.
@Ckeego: The difference is that the dangerous pedestrian and cyclist are only a threat to themselves. The dangerous motorist is a threat to all around them.
@Felix Price: rich very rich coming from you
@Name not provided: Zoom out…. its called ‘Transport Infrastructure’
You’d want to be off yer rock to be on a bike nowadays, putting yourself at the mercy of others on mobile phones and distractions both in and out of the car. It’s not Netherlands here. Folk will run over you, say sorry to your family and a few days later wonder who’s playing who in the Premier league. If you want to live use a car. May the poor girl rest in peace. God love her and her family.
@Caoimín Ó Muircheartaigh: ive seen parents with kids from 3 upwards behind them, frightens me
@Caoimín Ó Muircheartaigh: As a cyclist, I’ve never encountered any issues with drivers. In fact I’ve found some to be overly considerate and cautious. I do most of my cycling in rural areas though so maybe that’s why.
I don’t cycle in the city because I don’t want to have my bike stolen, but I have seen cyclists, mostly in the employ of Deliveroo and Just Eat, blatantly cycle down the middle of one way streets, blaze through stop signs, nearly hit pedestrians at zebra crossings, cycle along footpaths forcing pedestrians to step off.
Then there are the mid life crisis fuelled “pelotons of self righteousness”, most frequently seen on weekends, refusing to use the cycle paths and clogging the roads riding 3 or 4 abreast and anywhere from 10 to 20 deep.
Proper policing of the roads is the starting point for safer roads. Gardai are no where to be seen generally. And then they don’t enforce the rules of the road on all road users, only some! Add in the mess DCC/Gov have made of traffic management and what you get is chaos. This lady’s death was totally avoidable if the above were done properly.
@Fred Coloe: there’s not enough Gardai. And hasn’t been for many years.
Gardai number have only increased by 24% since the 1990s.
More police does usually equal more safety, but it’s just not an option. Neither is demanding people behave ie ‘personal responsibility’.
Right now the only option is death and disaster. Because of decades of incompetence and mismanagement.
Of course we could put away the bikes – because cycling is fundamentally unsafe in Dublin – and just deal with the unpleasant but not as bad as being a pedestrian crushed by a truck consequences.
But… Instead we’ll just have a lot more death and destruction.
@Fred Coloe: proper policing of Cyclists would be a good starting point
@Fred Coloe: Again,blaming everything but ourselves…..it’s always someone else’s responsibility when it comes to everything…..Are guards supposed to be on every corner?….You only have to look at the general road users to see where the problem is…..both vehicle and cycling behaviour is atrocious.
@John Terry: … because they know they can get away with it, won’t be caught
May she Rest In Peace. So sad for her family and friends and unfortunately many people start their journey not expecting their days to end in such tragedy. My thoughts go out to her family and so many more who have lost loved ones on Irelands roads
Ppl driving around koked off their heads, raged up on steroids, on their phones, speeding, not even qualified – forever on learners permits…not to mention the ‘new’ driving “culture” on our roads which is certainly not helping matters
Unless the driver was blatantly doing something wrong. This was just a unfortunate accident that most are lucky to avoid. That no one is to be blamed for. We all need to take responsibility for our actions and safety.
@J M: There is plenty that can be done to reduce the chances of these types of incidents and it shouldn’t be just brushed off
Just in case you did not know as a cyclist, in memory of this young lady who lost her life on our roads, terrible waste of life. Just in case you did not know you can get free high vis gear from the RSA free of charge, but use lights on bike. I really feel for the families who have lost loved ones on our roads, they can never be replaced. Just try and make cyclist more visible it makes the driver aware, gives more braking distance and reaction time to both driver and cyclist.
What’s going on with the comments?! You can’t comment on anything now!
So sorry a beautiful free spirt lost her journey here rip
Cyclists need to do a theory test and cycling test.
When they start knocking on doors ask them what are their ideas for the movement of people and goods… They wont have any.
The roads are designed by car-centric traffic engineers. Cars are designed to be operated by sober, attentive, and intelligent adults who are situationally aware. The latter not extant renders the former to be poor planning.
Cyclist
Beautiful Lady May you Rest in Peace
Terrible sad loss of life. I’m a car driver, Motorhome driver and a cyclist. Most of you cyclists are a danger to traffic on the roads. Stay in the cycle lanes provided ( I do) and keep off the roads as much as possible that way you stay alive. End of!
Very sad .Too many accidents involving bikes. Please don’t assume cycling is safe in the Netherlands either.Deaths on bikes last year 290.You are only safe when completely and physically separated from cars.
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