With only one bike hire station located in the east ward of Galway City, Councillor Shane Forde has called on Transport for Ireland (TFI ) to invest in his constituency.
There are 23 stations across the city with 195 bikes in operation, but the single bike stand opposite Galway Hospice on the Old Dublin Road is not enough to serve the population of Galway City East, says the Fine Gael councillor.
“This is yet another example of the city east constituency being ignored, and [indicates a] lack of public representatives championing important projects like these,” said Forde.
Forde says he has written to TFI asking it to increasing the number of Bike Stations, especially as new cycle lanes are being constructed, with more planned.
In particular, he says residents of Doughiska and Roscam might welcome stations in their neighbourhoods, while Atlantic Technological University and Merlin Park Hospital are other other obvious locations. Workers in Parkmore and Ballybrit might also avail of public hire bikes during the day.
“We must think of the whole picture when spending money in relation to bike lanes by providing bike stations in conjunction with these projects. We are trying to encourage people to exercise more, and use public transport, and facilities like bike stations are necessary to empower people to do so,” he said.
