Parents, kids at 20 Dublin schools to get free bikes to encourage cycling | Sticky Bottle

*The pilot scheme at one Dublin school, which started last September, has been so successful it is now being rolled out to 20 more schools in the capital*

A scheme first launched at one school in Dublin last September - involving free bikes for parents and children - has proven so successful it is now being rolled out to 20 more schools. The plan means the bikes will be provided at 10 Dublin schools immediately, with a further 10 to follow later this year.

The bikes include cargo bikes, e-bikes and folding bikes. The selection is aimed at helping parents to meet their needs during their day, including using the folding bike for the journey to and from school and then taking it on public transport when they travel to work.

The new scheme - which was piloted at the Educate Together National School in Harold’s Cross, Dublin - is known as a ‘bike library’. It allows parents to borrow the bikes for long periods during the school year and then return them. It was devised by Francesco Pilla, professor of Smart Cities in University College Dublin (UCD).

The scheme is being run by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in partnership with UCD and has proven so successful in Harold's Cross that congestion around the school has plummeted. The number of children and parents cycling to school each day - mostly now on their own bikes - has increased so significantly there are regularly 150 children's bikes parked at the school.

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"Today my Bike Library was launched in 20 schools in Dublin with the amazing support of Transport for Ireland and Bleeper Active," Prof Pilla said on Wednesday. "It’s about giving families an alternative to their own private cars, in the hope they would cycle to school rather than drive."

Anne Graham, chief executive of the National Transport Authority said the scheme allowed families to trial different bikes and see which opened worked for them before buying their own bikes.

“Then they may consider leaving the car behind, investing in the bike, and using, ultimately, the cheaper option in the long term," she said. “The more active you are, the more health benefits. Our drive is to reduce carbon emissions from travel. If you use a bike and encourage your children to use a bike, then that means they might travel sustainably in the future."