A new group of cycling campaigners, under the name ‘I Bike Dublin, successfully kept the contra-flow cycle lane on St Andrew’s Street clear for around an hour and a half at rush hour this morning.

The lane at St Andrew’s Street is well-known for illegal loading and parking on it, and as an example of chronic inaction by the Gardai and Dublin City Council.

Close to the pre-arranged time to finish the human protection of the cycle lane a truck driver driving a Nightline truck who wanted to park in the cycle lane refused to move and caused a traffic jam back onto Dame Street.

The truck driver would not listen to the cycling group or other motorists who asked him to move on. The cycling campaign group said that other trucks of the same size had passed and there was no issue of blocking the general traffic lane.

The protesters said they moved as it was past the pre-arranged time to finish.

“It was bizarre. He just chose to stay there and start giving out about helmets and bikes breaking red lights,” the group said on Twitter.

The group said it will hold similar events again. It said: “The I BIKE Dublin crew will be back on the same spot next Tuesday at 4.30pm. All cycling supporters are welcome to join and stay in touch.”

I Bike Dublin said in a statement: “The group was formed to help create public awareness of cycling as a legitimate mode of transport and to undertake some actions that could be seen as activism, though the initial group is intent on minimising conflict and intends that all of our actions are in accordance with the law.”

It added: “None of us want to be faced with court action or a court conviction, so all our actions are intended to be legal. We will aim to stop drivers from taking spaces intended for cyclists. We will not block drivers who are already on cycle lanes. We will encourage them to move off by direct requests and by making noise with good humour, something like the SF Bike Lanes movement.”

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