"Bicycles cause no pollution. They are silent, economical, discreet, accessible to all members of the family and, above all, faster than a car over short urban distances."
As a result, bicycles represent "a solution that fits perfectly into any general policy which seeks to enhance the urban environment".
It was not the Dublin Cycling Campaign which expressed these sentiments, though it has long been pressing for better facilities for cyclists in the city. It was not the Green Party, which has been pro-cycling since it emerged on the Irish political scene 10 years ago. The words quoted above are those of the European Commission.
The Commission now believes that the promotion of cycling is "one of the key features of sustainable transport systems" in urban areas and last June it published an easy-to-read, illustrated handbook, Cycling: The Way Ahead for Towns and Cities, which demolishes some of the prejudices associated with bicycles.
One of the oldest canards, as it notes, is that bicycles are "dangerous" in urban areas. While cyclists are relatively slow and somewhat vulnerable compared to heavier road users (cars, buses and trucks), statistics show the most dangerous mode of transport in a city is the car.
The handbook cites numerous studies across Europe which show that a reduction in speed limits to 30 k.p.h. (less than 20 m.p.h.) "would benefit all urban dwellers and would encourage the use of bicycles" as well as reducing the accidents attributable to cars involving pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
"A speed limit of 30 k.p.h. is compatible with the many activities which have to co-exist in a town. At this speed, trips in cars hardly take any longer . . . . motorists are better able to perceive their environment, can react more swiftly to unexpected events, traffic accidents are less serious and the traffic is altogether calmer."
It also points out that more than 30 per cent of trips made by cars in Europe cover distances of less than three kilometres and 50 per cent are less than 5 kilometres. "For such journeys alone, bicycles could easily replace cars, thus satisfying a large proportion of the demand and contributing directly to cutting down traffic jams," the handbook says.
According to the European Commission, "we cannot afford to ignore the potential of cycling, whether for daily trips to school or to the workplace, which account for 40 per cent of all journeys made, or for other reasons (60 per cent of journeys are to do with shopping, services, leisure pursuits and social activities)".
A recent EU-funded study highlighted the fact that a "very high proportion" of car journeys could "perfectly well be made using another mode of transport without any significant difference in journey time door-to-door". This is especially true in the congested conditions that Dublin suffers.
One of the main obstacles to a more pro-cycling policy in cities and towns, the handbook says, is the fear among politicians that they will come up against "massive opposition" from well-organised motoring pressure groups. But it says that, in fact, towns that ignore their protests quickly gain support from the population.
It notes that the AA in Britain is now "wholly in favour of persuading its members to step up their use of bicycles", declaring that cycling is "an environmentally friendly mode of transport . . . and constitutes an appropriate alternative to the car for some trips". The Confederation of British Industry has also recognised the potential of cycling.
"By combining measures to promote cycling and public transport, towns can succeed in lowering the car-use rate," the European Commission handbook says. "Motorists can be persuaded to cycle regularly - still keeping the family car - while people who used to be transported by car (such as schoolchildren) become autonomous by riding a bicycle."
It points out that cycling is also healthier, citing a British Medical Association report which "refutes the tired old excuse which is often trotted out by those in power - that cycling should be encouraged if it weren't so dangerous, because its advantages for public health far outweigh its disadvantages as regards the risk of accidents".
Noting that the risk of heart disease for a person who takes no regular exercise is equal to that of smoking 20 cigarettes a day, the handbook says that cycling is as beneficial as swimming and much easier to do. "Two trips of 15 minutes by bicycle a day are enough to guarantee a healthy heart," it says.
A study in Washington of 600 men and women found that the rate of heart problems was only 42.7 per thousand among cyclists as against 84.7 per thousand for non-cyclists. Equally remarkable reductions were noted in cyclists for high blood pressure, chronic bronchitis, asthma, orthopaedic problems, varicose veins and diseases of the sebaceous glands.
The European Commission's handbook suggests that a "relatively low cycling rate" of up to 10 per cent of all trips is "without doubt within the reach of most European towns" with rates of up to 25 per cent "quite possible".
Most of the time, it says, cycling is associated with two countries - Denmark and the Netherlands, notably the cities of Copenhagen and Amsterdam. It is not so common in southern Europe - and in Ireland - where cycling is seen as "an archaic mode of transport, a toy for children or as an item of sports equipment".
Ireland has one of the lowest number of bicycles per thousand inhabitants at 250, compared to 900 in Germany, 980 in Denmark and a staggering 1,010 per thousand in the Netherlands. Only Spain and Greece have lower numbers than us.
As for the perceived disadvantages, such as steep gradients, strong winds and heavy rain, the handbook says that objective conditions favourable to cycling "are in fact met more often than is usually imagined" with car drivers cycling to work for the first time "often pleasantly surprised by the qualities of the bike".
Sweden is a cold country - yet 33 per cent of all journeys in Vasteras (population 115,000) are made by bicycle. Switzerland is not a flat country but the equivalent figure in Basel (population 230,000) is 23 per cent. Even in Britain, described by the EU as "a wet country", 27 per cent of all journeys in Cambridge (population 100,000) are made by bicycle.
In London, no less than 100,000 commuters regularly use the bicycle as their preferred mode of transport, though this represents a mere 2 per cent of the commuting population. Cycle lanes in the city are patchy at present but when the full network is in place by 2005, it will cover more than 3,000 kilometres at a cost of £70 million.
Under its short-term action plan, the Dublin Transportation Office expects to complete a 180-kilometre network of cycle ways within five years. The objective is to double the use of bicycles, which account for a mere 3.3 per cent of peak-hour trips in the Greater Dublin Area - though it is fair to point out that the DTO's area includes parts of Meath, Kildare and Wicklow.
Within the canal ring, however, the proportion of commuters cycling to work is much higher, at around 10 per cent. In 1960, it would have been five times that figure but we were poorer then and owning a car was the luxurious exception. Nonetheless, there is growing evidence the bicycle may be about to experience a renaissance.
Planning conditions now specify that a much larger proportion of the more limited parking space attached to new office buildings must be allocated to bicycles. Great strides are also being made by Dublin Corporation and other local authorities in providing new cycle tracks and a multitude of secure on-street parking bays.
Though motorists who have never considered cycling will be persuaded only by active promotional campaigns, the European Commission says a large number of car drivers are already thinking about the possibility of switching to cycling; all they are waiting for is "a sign from the public authorities" that proper facilities will be provided.