Safe bike boxes add to cycling infrastructure

CORK’S cycling infrastructure is taking a leap forward with the installation of two bike boxes in the city centre, which have been designed and manufactured by a firm in Passage West.

Euroforce Engineering Limited won a contract with Cork City Council to build the secure bicycle shelters which are now installed at locations on Patrick Street and the South Mall.

A spokesperson for Euroforce said they drew inspiration from designs in the Netherlands where the bike boxes are a common feature in parks and streets.

Euroforce has built three bike boxes so far, and two are in place. If they are a success, more boxes may be built, said a spokesperson.

Euroforce was established in 1990 and is a homegrown Cork success story, employing six people.

The company had not made bike boxes previously, but after manufacturing three, is now a leading Irish expert in their design.

The locks were imported from Italy but most of the materials come from Ireland.

“We did a lot of research on them,” said the spokesperson.

The boxes are aimed at housing cargo bikes used to transport goods.

In 2021, Cork City Council announced that businesses and community groups would be offered the opportunity to avail of a fleet of cargo bikes after the council received funding from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s Public Service Innovation Fund.

The cargo bike library project is aimed at encouraging active travel, especially in the retail and business sector, and is also intended to encourage use of cargo bikes in the wider private and public sector.

Under the scheme, suitable businesses and community groups were offered a cargo bike for six months on a trial basis to see if they could use a cargo bike on a daily basis as an alternative to less sustainable means of transport.

Cork Cycling Campaign welcomed the news that Cork City Council is supporting businesses and community groups to make the leap towards using cargo bikes for deliveries and trips in the city.