Freddie Mercury once sang “I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike” and the Galway City Council plans to have Galwegians cycling through the city by next summer.
The council is finalising plans to introduce a Rent a Bike scheme to the city in time for next summer. A similar scheme was introduced in Dublin last year and has been hugely successful.
It is proposed to have bike docking stations in Eyre Square, NUI, Galway, GMIT, Parkmore, the Ballybane Industrial Estate, and in Knocknacarra. These stations would use minimal space and have advanced secure locking system. The scheme would need approximately 200 bikes at the outset.
The bikes would be light, well designed, easy to handle with automatic lighting system, and each would have a unique identification. There would be 24 hour assistance and also a redistribution truck which would ensure there was enough of a supply at each station.
The Mayor of Galway Michael J Crowe is anxious to see a scheme, similar to that in Dublin, introduced for Galway.
“We are currently preparing expression of interest forms to test the water and see what exactly the market will offer,” he said. “Following that we will finalise tender documents and go to the market.”
Mayor Crowe said this can be done in a number of ways; a company can operate and run the service and be allocated advertising space elsewhere in the city - the set up and running costs would then be borne by the company. Alternatively, the council might take a more involved role.
“I believe that the Galway Rent a Bike scheme would bring many benefits,” he said, “including improvements in public transport, improvements in public health, a reduction in the theft of bicycles and would improve the general identity of Galway.”
