Commuters urged to embrace pedal power

THE sight of Environment Minister John Gormley sleekly powering through the gates of Leinster House on his bike is a familiar one.

Living in Ringsend, his commute is short and flat. He wants to make Dublin a bike-friendly city, like Amsterdam or Copenhagen.

“Dublin used to be a cycling city in the 1950s, but growing affluence meant people took to cars and abandoned their bikes. But cycling makes so much sense in so many ways, especially in terms of health and energy conservation. Dublin is ideal for cycling as it is mainly flat. In Copenhagen, which has a similar population to Dublin, 43% of travel is done by bike. That is phenomenal but we need to aspire to that level.”