E-bike campaign launches in Cork

The Lord Mayor of Cork has lauded e-bikes as an gratifying and eco-friendly transport choice on the launch of a brand new marketing campaign in Cork.

Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Joe Kavanagh and Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley have, in a primary for Eire, launched a brand new marketing campaign geared toward selling the usage of e-bikes throughout Cork. 

wE-bike is an initiative to advertise electrical bicycles as an on a regular basis commuting choice in Cork metropolis and county whereas displaying their economical and eco-friendly benefits.

Talking yesterday the Lord Mayor mentioned he was delighted to get entangled with the brand new marketing campaign.

“Individuals are turning into more and more keen on e-bikes as they’re a brilliant solution to maintain us wholesome, scale back carbon emissions, and never least, are a really nice method of getting round. 

“Cork’s future is being constructed on sustainability and local weather motion so it’s nice to see the Metropolis and County Councils working collectively on this modern initiative,” he mentioned.

Quite a lot of e-bike functions will probably be focused throughout the wE-bike initiative, which coincides with Cork Bike Week, operating from September 19-27. 

Gross sales of e-bikes and bicycles have risen in Eire since March, significantly throughout the current lockdown interval, which noticed many individuals return to biking rather than vehicles when making native journeys. 

Regardless of this, three in 4 journeys in Eire are nonetheless made by automotive regardless that greater than half of all journeys are lower than 8km, in line with current information from the Central Statistics Workplace. 

Cork’s new e-bike marketing campaign hopes to additional the optimistic modifications in attitudes.

“Cork is residence to stunning sights and surroundings and is the proper county to expertise whereas biking,” mentioned Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley. 

“This initiative encourages journey in a sustainable and environmentally pleasant method whereas reaping the advantages to well being and wellbeing and having fun with our stunning environment.”

E-bike battery know-how has additionally developed significantly in current occasions with most high quality e-bikes in the present day fitted with a lithium-ion battery. 

“In most bikes, the battery may be unlocked and eliminated by its proprietor for charging, however some don’t,” says Patrick Murray of Metropolis View Wheels in Cork, who’ve offered e-bikes for trial functions to marketing campaign advocates, Deirdre O’Shaughnessy and Stevie G. 

“For those who do not need entry to an influence level the place you retailer your bike, you will need to select a mannequin with a detachable battery,” he mentioned.

Sandy McGroarty, Coordinator of the Transport and Mobility Discussion board and wE-bike Cork, who’re one of many companions within the marketing campaign, mentioned she hoped different counties would comply with Cork’s lead in selling e-bikes.

“We really feel proud to be the primary devoted electrical biking advocacy group in Eire and hope to encourage different counties to comply with us in our pursuit to share the enjoyment of electrical biking,” she mentioned. 

In one other incentive for the general public to maneuver in the direction of e-bikes, 27 Credit score Unions in Cork are offering monetary providers to assist cowl the prices of buying an e-bike.

Further gear prices for the e-bike can be coated with this mortgage.

The e-bike initiative follows shortly after modifications to the Cycle to Work Scheme, the place there was an increase from €1,000 to €1,250 for pedal bicycles and €1,500 for e-bikes respectively. 

The interval of 5 years has additionally been decreased to 4 years, permitting individuals to use for the scheme once more each 4 years.

Chatting with earlier this month, Inexperienced Occasion councillor Oliver Moran mentioned Cork must set a “moonshot ambition” to turn into the electrical bike capital of Europe with 10 years.

“For me, Cork it has nice potential in the case of biking however there are apparent geographic challenges concerned.

“For many individuals too there’s the problem of biking and simply getting again on a motorcycle. 

“What an electrical bike does is it will get over an terrible lot of that.

“Cork has its distinctive geographical challenges of the hills and electrical bikes eat the hills,” he mentioned.

For extra info, go to we-bike.ie