Transport is key to city living

SLOWLY but, hopefully, surely the message is hitting home that there are better ways of getting around cities than by car, bus or train.

Many cities in Europe are changing, according to a new report which points to rapid changes in urban transport in some areas. While cycling is becoming the norm in some urban areas — though not yet in Ireland — traditional modes of transport are still major contributors to air pollution and noise, the report says.

There’s been an obvious increase in the number of bikes in Irish cities and towns and Cork is the latest city to approve a bike-sharing scheme of the type reported to be working successfully in Dublin.