Cork city bike scheme ‘should be expanded to the suburbs’

A LOCAL election candidate has reiterated his call for the Cork city bike scheme to be expanded to include Blackrock and Douglas, as part of a new review by the National Transport Authority (NTA).

Figures released to Labour local area representative Peter Horgan show an increase in bike journeys in Cork from 116,009 in 2022 to 150,293 in 2023.

Speaking after he received the figures, Mr Horgan said that any expansion of the public bike scheme in Cork has to include the Blackrock, Ballintemple, Ballinlough, Rochestown, and Douglas areas as a priority.

“A 30% increase in bike trips in Cork is testament that the scheme is performing strongly, but we now need to see the expansion happen,” he said. 

“We’ve been calling for this since 2018. While it is welcome that a review is under way for the expansion of the scheme, it is vital that the review puts the South East Ward front and centre on the expansion priority list.

“What is critical is the expansion of the scheme southside towards Blackrock and Mahon and out to Douglas and Rochestown, creating a triangle of its own bike network. These areas have been described as low-hanging [fruit] in the past — well now it’s time to pick them.

“We also need to see the expansion of the scheme onto the northside, as has been advocated by my party colleague, Cllr John Maher, for years.

“We in Labour will continue to advocate for a fuller, bolder public bike scheme in Cork city that can serve everyone.”

In a recent response to a Labour Party parliamentary question, the NTA said: “The TFI bikes in Cork has seen a significant increase in usage across 2023 and a review of the system is currently being undertaken to assess the potential for expansion as part of the re-tender of the operational services in 2024.

“This review will also look at the bike station design with a view to making it similar and cheaper to provide in an expanded network.”