Irish Cycling Club Gets High Vis Gear

A cycling club in Ireland has taken the decision to order new club kit that features high visibility material.

The Irish Independent reported on the move by Ballisodare Bay Cycling Club, in County Sligo, which took the decision to invest in custom high vis clothing after speaking to its members about how to make them more visible to motorists.

Previously, the club’s jerseys were red and white, but now they have replaced the white with a neon green.

The newspaper noted that, so far this year, six cyclists have died on Ireland’s roads, which is why the club decided to take steps to make its members safer when they’re out on their bikes.

Dolores McCann, club PRO, commented: “Country roads, such as the ones that we cycle, can be particularly hazardous and we all have a responsibility to make ourselves better seen and to help avoid accidents.”

She added that one of the reasons the club has chosen to change the colour of its jersey is because some members have been reluctant to wear yellow high visibility bibs over their cycling jerseys.

Drivers also need to learn about etiquette when passing cyclists, giving them a minimum of 1.5 metres of space when they go around them, Ms McCann told the newspaper.

It’s not only in Ireland where there is a focus on cycling safety. In London, cyclists are calling for more to be done to improve safety for those on two wheels at some of the city’s biggest roundabouts.

A roundabout on Woolwich Road has been singled out, after a 37-year-old cyclist was hit and killed by a lorry there recently.