COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, December 08, 2014

MOTION NO. 17

MOTION: Councillor R. McMahon

That the Council consider introducing a similar bike scheme to the very successful bike scheme that is operated in Dublin City, to one of the towns in the county on a pilot or permanent basis.

REPORT:

Irish transport policy seeks to reduce private car dependence from 65% to 45% for commuting by 2020 and to increase cycle mode share from 2% to 10% nationally. Increasing cycling and walking will also be pivotal to achieving some of the goals in national health policies to promote physical activity. A public bike scheme is an innovative scheme of rental or free bikes in an area. It can provide an additional public transport mode for users of the transportation system. A public bike system can provide an effective substitute for at least some of the many short trips made by single occupancy cars in urban areas and it can also form the last part of a trip to work or education along a public transport corridor.

The success of “Dublin Bikes” has prompted the consideration of introducing similar Bike Sharing Schemes elsewhere. A number of studies have been prepared by the National Transport Authority (NTA) to assess the potential of introducing public bike schemes in four cities; Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, resulting in a number of reports including the following:

-          Proposals for Introducing Public Bike Schemes in Regional Cities - Technical Feasibility Study June 2011

-          Proposals for Introducing Public Bike Schemes in Regional Cities –Funding and Procuring options report, June 2011

 A further draft report titled 'Report on the feasibility of providing bike rental schemes within the Metropolitan towns outside Dublin City Centre’ was prepared by the NTA in 2012.

This report identified Tallaght as a potential location. A public bike hire scheme in Tallaght could generate greater use of, and vibrancy within, the town centre by providing easy access between origins and destinations such as Tallaght Hospital, Tallaght IT and the retail / commercial core. It is envisaged that this project could contribute to national policy to create a strong cycling culture in Ireland so that cycling will become a normal way to get about, especially for short trips, and the bicycle will become the transport mode of choice for all ages.

South Dublin County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council received funding from the National Transport Authority (NTA) to prepare a feasibility study examining the possibility of introducing a Public Bike Hire Scheme in Tallaght and Dun Laoghaire. Accordingly the services of a Consultant was procured in accordance with the “Framework Agreement for Consultancy Services to provide Design, Construction Management and other services for Transport Projects Funded by the National Transport Authority” to carry out a feasibility study into the provision of a Bike Hire Scheme for each of the towns of Dún-Laoghaire and Tallaght in 2013 and 2014. In particular the brief included the following in relation to Tallaght:

 This report is now complete and outlines a number of options in relation to the provision of a public bike hire scheme in Tallaght. Meanwhile the public bike hire scheme is being rolled out in the regional cities. Following discussions with the National Transport Authority, they have indicated that they wish to complete the roll out of the regional cities public bike hire scheme and allow for its assessment and will then consider funding a similar scheme in Tallaght.