The accident occurred at the junction between North King Street and Blackhall Place in the Stoneybatter area of the city at around noon.

A Garda spokeswoman said, "She was very badly injured and she died after being removed from the scene to the Mater hospital.

"The truck driver was also taken to the Mater hospital where he was treated for shock and minor injuries."

The deceased woman was in her 20s and gardai have not yet released her name. Investigating gardai are appealing to anyone who was in the area and witnessed this incident to contact them at the Bridewell Garda Station on 01 6668200.

Yesterday's horrific crash brings to 15 the number of people who have been killed on the country's roads in 2006.

Six of those deaths occurred in the last week and the number of fatalities is up by five compared to the same period in 2005, according to National Safety Council statistics.

The woman killed yesterday was the first cyclist to be killed on Ireland's roads in 2006, while seven of those people killed this year were pedestrians, six were drivers and one was a motorcyclist.

Meanwhile, public representatives for inner-city Dublin have called for improved cycle lanes in the area in the wake of yesterday's accident.

Local councillor Christy Burke said, "I do not know the details of what happened in this particular accident, but I have to say that the junction is particularly confusing for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike.

"Unless we have dedicated cycle lanes on all main arteries to the city centre, accidents will continue to happen. We need to take a long hard look at the safety of cyclists, particularly on inner-city roads."

Councillor Aodhan O'Riordain added: "I am a cyclist myself as I don't drive. I have always noticed that the Stoneybatter area is not very cycle-friendly.

"There are very few cycle lanes and I believe that if you are cycling in that area. and other areas in the city, that you are taking your life into your hands.

"Even O'Connell Street is very hard to cycle on at the moment, with all the construction work going on.

"We are always pushing for a more cycle-friendly environment in the city, as some areas are more conducive to the cyclist than others.

"We were promoting the idea of a free bicycle scheme in Dublin and it is very hard to be pushing that now when something awful like this happens."