Bike safety event in Limerick this weekend

A BIKE-safety awareness event will take place in the city centre this weekend.

Organised by the divisional traffic corps in conjunction with Limerick Smarter Travel and Musgraves, an articulated truck will be parked at Bedford Row between for the duration of the safety event.

Members of the public who attend will get an opportunity to get into the vehicle to experience first-hand the blindspots which professional drivers encounter on a daily basis.

“We have a truck supplied by Musgraves and blindspot mats will be placed around the truck and we will have people in them. Our aim is to let members of the public into the driver’s seat so they can see what a driver sees,” said Garda Brian O’Dwyer.

Dan Slavin of Limerick Smarter Travel says the event will give people an insight into the challenges faced by truck drivers.

“It’s a great initiative especially in an urban setting where you have a lot of articulated trucks and lorries delivering to retailers so we see it as a great initiative to create awareness and to highlight the danger areas when cycling next to large vehicles,” he said. 

Pat Murray of Musgraves says people who turn up on the day will be in for a surprise.  “It’s a big eye opener actually to see what drivers can’t see and hopefully we can improve safey for cyclists and truck drivers,” he said.

Saturday’s event runs from 11am to 2pm.