Sir, – I am disappointed at the facilities offered to cyclists travelling with Irish Ferries. While booking a recent trip from Dublin Port to Holyhead I was surprised to be charged €10 (each way) to bring a bicycle. Considering the space taken up by a bike I thought this was somewhat rich, however I was willing to pay the fee on the basis that I would be well catered for.
On arriving at the port, there was a total lack of signage for cyclists, with signs to guide foot passengers and motorists only. Having eventually found my way to the terminal, I was told that I needed to check in at the ferry building with foot passengers, however I was not allowed bring my bike into the building (this is the only port in the world where I have been told this). On boarding the boat I was amazed to find there was no bike racks or dedicated bike parking: I was simply told to lean it against a pipe. This is not acceptable. Overall I found the experience of bringing a bike on the ferry to be quite stressful; the staff at the port and on the ferry, while friendly, are clearly not equipped or trained to cater for cyclists.
At a time when cycling should be encouraged more than ever it is disappointing that one of Ireland’s leading transport operators should be so far behind the times. – Yours, etc,