Greens welcome boost for Dublin City cycling

Green Party Leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley TD has welcomed the launch of ‘dublinbikes’ today as the latest boost for cyclingin the city.

Minister Gormley said: “Dublinbikes is the type of scheme that the Green party has been advocating for years, and it is great to see the bikes finally arriving on Dublin’s streets today. I would like to see a considerable expansion in the dublinbikes scheme from its current level of 400 cycles. It needs to be spread out farther throughout the city and into its suburbs.

”The Green Party Leader said the scheme was the latest indication that cycling is going mainstream in this country, and is a realistic, healthy, low cost and green way of getting about.

“According to the annual traffic census from Dublin city, the numbers cycling in the city have increased by more than a quarter since 2006 and this is in no small part down to the initiatives and measures being pursued by the Greens in Government.”

Some of these initiatives include:

Cycle to Work scheme – which has been an enormous success and hasprovided thousands of workers with bicycles and cycling equipment tax free.

Extra funding for cycling - Minister Gormley’s department along with the Department of the Transport has provided €5 million for the repair of cycle lanes and the construction of new cycle paths. €10 million in funding for cycle paths through the city centre was also announced by the Department of Transport last week.

Full time cycling officer – based in the capital and sanctioned at Minister Gormley’s request

Sustainable Transport Action Plan – the Government now for the first time has a action plan for the country, with alternative forms of transport like cycling at its centre.

“Much much more needs to be done to promote cycling, not just in Dublin but throughout the country,” said Minister Gormley. “Cycling is no longer a niche interest. People realise that it is in many instances a real alternative to the car, especially in our cities. It is now our responsibility in Government to roll out the new National Cycling Policy and to ensure that the infrastructure, support and services so that people can feel safe and confident when they choose two wheels over four.”