Ad space exchanged for 500 bikes

Dublin City Council has granted one of the world's largest advertising companies permission to erect some 130 advertising panels across the city for 15 years, in exchange for 500 bicycles and four public toilets.

The bicycles are to be available for the public to rent, at a fee yet to be decided, by the end of the year, subject to approval of the planning permission for the advertising by An Bord Pleanála.

The contract with advertisers JC Decaux will see free-standing panels ranging from 2sq m (6.5sq ft) - approximately the size of a bus shelter advertisement - to 7sq m (23sq ft) placed on prominent sites, including Henry Street, Liffey Street and Smithfield Plaza.

JC Decaux had originally applied for approximately 150 panels, including several on O'Connell Street, but withdrew a number of applications including all those on O'Connell Street, following a large volume of objections.

However, it is likely that a number of permissions approved by the council will be appealed to An Bord Pleanála, particularly those in the high-footfall shopping areas of the city.

The details of the contract have not been disclosed, but it is estimated that the advertising space sold on the panels would be worth at least €1 million every year to JC Decaux.

The council will receive no money from the advertising, but in addition to the bicycles and toilets, will get a number of signposts, freestanding maps and "heritage trail" posts. The council also has a commitment from JC Decaux that it will remove its large advertising hoardings from the city.

While it was a "small victory" that the company had withdrawn its application for the O'Connell Street panels, Labour councillor Emer Costello said she was very disappointed that permission was granted for most of the panels.

"It is particularly disappointing for Smithfield, where the whole point was to have an open plaza. It will deface the civic space to have the beautiful vista littered with these polls."

The deal struck with JC Decaux was not properly presented to the councillors before it was agreed, she said.

"This scheme wasn't properly debated with the city councillors and I will be a lot more mistrustful of proposals like this in the future. We have sold ourselves short for 500 bikes and a couple of toilets and I don't think it was worth it."

However, fellow Labour councillor and long-time proponent of a city bike scheme, Andrew Montague, said the bicycles could make a substantial impact on city traffic.

"I'm delighted that the council granted planning permission, it's the first step to getting this up and running."

JC Decaux was operating a similar scheme in Lyon in France and it had proved extremely popular, he said.

"In Lyon, the traffic in the city reduced by 10 per cent after the bike scheme was introduced. If we got half of that or and significant reduction in traffic, from my point of view, it will have been worth it."