Cork’s own public bike scheme to enhance accessibility and promote physical activity – Buttimer

Cork South Central Fine Gael TD, Jerry Buttimer, has today (Friday) welcomed the announcement of a public bike scheme for Cork, saying that it will help promote healthier lifestyles while enhancing the accessibility of Cork.

“Public bike schemes have proven to be a success in many cities across the world. London, New York and Paris all have schemes that have been a hit with both locals and visitors, with the Dublin scheme being hailed as the most successful in Europe. Now Cork will get to join that club. From July 2014, we will all be able to unlock a bike from a docking station, ride across the city and return the bike to the most convenient station. This will make getting across the city so much easier, enhancing accessibility and encouraging healthy physical activity.

“In the Programme for Government there was a commitment to examine the feasibility of this type of scheme. Two years of consultations and sourcing a sponsoring partner have made this aspiration a reality. From next July, 315 bikes will be available across 31 docking stations. It is estimated that this scheme will have the potential to facilitate an additional 315,000 cycling trips each year in Cork.

“Along with Cork, Galway and Limerick will also be part of the roll-out of this scheme. Overall, this represents a capital investment of €4 million in another form of sustainable transport. This investment, and meeting the on-going annual operational costs of about €900,000 each year, has only been made possible through a partnership which will see Coca-Cola Ireland investing €3 million in the scheme.

“After two years of preparation for this project, it is great to see that it is about to become a reality. Just as the Dublin Bikes Scheme has been a success, I hope that Cork Bikes will be every bit as successful.”

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