Galway Bay fm newsroom – Galway’s public bike scheme is the most under-used scheme nationwide by a significant margin.
New figures show that users of the scheme in the city make an average of less than one journey a month.
The Coke Zero bike scheme was launched last November by Transport Minister Pascal Donohue, who said the scheme heralded a hugely important day for the city.
One year on, new figures call the Ministers statement into question, as it’s been revealed that Galway’s public bikes are mostly lying idle.
According to the Irish Times, each bike in Galway is used just nine times a month – just a fraction of the figure for Cork, which stands at 66, and almost half the figure for Limerick of 16.
The Galway scheme has previously been criticised for the short distance between stations – at present, the largest gap between stations is just one mile.
It’s expected that the scheme will be expanded next year, with stations set to be installed at NUI Galway, UHG, Claddagh, Westside, Dublin Road, and Galway Shopping Center.
Whether or not that expansion can bring the figures for Galway in line with Minister Pascal Donohues vision for cities nationwide remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, a new state of the art secure bicycle shelter has been established at GMIT.
The new facility is fully enclosed and provides protection from weather and theft, advanced entry and exit security, internal lighting and CCTV coverage.
The shelter can accomodate up to 100 bicycles and is located in the center of the campus between the old and new buildings.
Students and staff at GMIT can avail of the service free of charge.
The IT says it’s hoped the provision will encourage more students and staff to use more sustainable forms of transport.
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