IT’S GOOD to note that a quiet revolution taking place in Irish life is gathering pace as the bicycle, in its various forms, is reinstated as a favoured means of transport.
It’s probably due to a variety of factors; the most obvious being convenience, useful exercise and pure enjoyment. Those 1950s cinema images of cyclists challenging motorists for road space on O’Connell Bridge in Dublin may never be replicated but the pushbike is certainly making a comeback. In less than three years, Dublin city has become home to the most successful on-street bicycle rental scheme in the world, involving close on three million journeys. That initiative appears to have sparked the growth of private rental companies in the city and guided bicycle tours.
Away from Dublin, the Great Western Greenway shows what can be done in terms of promoting cycling as a family-friendly, all-weather tourism activity. This 42 kilometre walking and cycling trail along the disused Midland Great Western railway line is estimated to have contributed more than €1 million to the local economy since it was opened two years ago. The section between Newport and Mulranny, once regarded as “the most scenic rail journey in these islands” has hardly changed and its off-road safety aspect provides an additional appeal. Electric-assist bicycles make it accessible to older visitors.
Energetic young people have embraced mountain biking as a challenging sport. Facilities are still under-developed here, compared with the neighbouring island, but progress is being made. Coillte, the State-owned forestry company, opened a purpose-built trail in the Dublin mountains last year to complement its four other facilities. Plans for three additional trails in Donegal, Waterford and the midlands are well advanced while a further eight projects are being considered. Some of the trails share their space with hikers but there has been an increasing emphasis on specific cycling needs. Safety is an important consideration for, with 18 million visitors a year to these woodlands, cyclists moving at speed can pose a hazard.
The return of the bicycle has been facilitated by many officials and planners who themselves use it, giving rise to a suggestion that the atomic theory of the bicycle, as put forward by Flann O’Brien in The Third Policeman, may have some validity. No matter. What is incontrovertible is that foreign visitors and the general public have re-engaged with this cheap, cheerful and healthy means of transport. As for value, €10 will buy an annual ticket for the 44 rental stations in Dublin city.