Dublin Chamber, which represents businesses all over the capital city, says small and medium business will not be in a position to facilitate the anticipated cycling boom.
And it believes because those businesses won’t be able to
cater for their employees who want to cycling, the cycling boom will not happen
to the extent predicted.
The chamber has made a submission to the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19
Response, saying Dublin City Council’s prediction that cycling numbers will
triple will not be achieved.
“The National
Transport Authority has warned that reduced public transport capacity and the
impracticality of enforcing social distancing on certain modes means that
successful social distancing will rely upon dramatic changes in commuter
behaviour in favour of walking and cycling,” it
said.
“The Covid Mobility Programme for Dublin City is predicated on a 200 per cent increase in cyclist numbers from 13,131 in 2019 to 39,000," added Dublin Chamber, which represents over 1,300 businesses in the greater Dublin region.
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“However, most SMEs, unlike some larger firms, simply do not have the bike storage, shower, and changing facilities to accommodate a major shift to cycling by their employees.
“In the absence
of funding to address these constraints, it is unlikely the cycling target will
be met. In order to making the proposed modal shift more realistic, Dublin
Chamber recommends that in addition to new public bike storage, grant aid be
made available specifically for SMEs to cover the costs of new cycling-related
infrastructure on private commercial premises.
“We also
recommend that the Bike to Work scheme be expanded into a broader
Micro-Mobility scheme to include personal powered transporters such as
e-scooters.”
Dublin City Council believes cycling numbers will increase by 200 per cent because more people will turn to cycling as the capacity on public transport is reduced due to social distancing.
The council also
believes many people will view cycling as a much safer way to travel, with a
significantly reduced risk of catching Covid19 compared to those using public
transport.
And in a bid to
cater for the cycling boom, the cycling has been installing cycling infrastructure
– including segregated cycle lanes and more bike parking facilities.
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