Letters to the Editor: Railing against the inequities of e-cycling

'The use of e-bikes/scooters is on the rise, and the e-bikes in particular are now being advertised as part of the bike-to-work initiative.' picture: iStock

Re: the letter to the Editor, ‘If we’re going to cycle more, we need to emulate countries such as Denmark'.

While I mostly agree with it, I would like to add that it appears to be younger people dressed all in black or wearing balaclavas who are using e-bikes or e-scooters.

It also appears that a high percentage of people on e-bikes and e-scooters are also looking at their phones, no hand signals, no high-vis, and cutting in and out of the traffic like a circus, and flying through red lights, putting their own lives and others at risk.

I am a cyclist and I cycle an e-bike to work. I am not saying I am perfect, but I do try to be careful and vigilant of my surroundings while on the road, day or night.

I would also include cyclists who think they are in the Tour de France and also have no respect for pedestrians or their surroundings.

I wish to also highlight that the use of e-bikes/scooters is on the rise, and the e-bikes in particular are now being advertised as part of the bike-to-work initiative. Fantastic. However, a discussion needs to be had as it also appears that companies are increasingly refusing to permit staff to lock the e-bikes or scooters on-site, and are even offering to separate the battery from the bike while on shift. This situation is becoming ridiculous.

While I understand the risks with lithium batteries, this is a high risk when they are abused or left charging.

I have tried to locate a safe place to lock my e-bike and it also appears that unless you are near a
Q-Park, you have no other safe choices. DCC offers bike hubs, however you must apply and pay €100 per year. You can put all the cycle lanes around the country you like, but if a bike cannot be secured and a plan put in place to reduce the risk of damage or theft, this in time will — like everything else in the country — fall by the wayside.

It’s about time people who actually work are given consideration for cycling, and investment is offered for more than just a rail.

Please stay safe and try to keep others safe too.

Lisa Farrell, Dublin 11

Driverless solution to Cork traffic woes

With self-driving vehicles now becoming a reality, the cost of taxis is going to drop, so who is going to bother with the Cork Luas in 15 years’ time (if it’s even ready by then)? Most people won’t walk to a Cluas stop when they can call a cheap robo-taxi to the end of their street or front door.

The main reason Dublin Luas works well is that they fully removed cars from its path. Why not do the same in Cork, and the current bus service would immediately dramatically improve?

Long term, the ideal solution is medium-sized driverless vehicles with room for eight to 15 passengers, picking people up relatively close to their homes and dropping them relatively close to their destinations. Imagine driverless minibuses picking people up in residential areas every morning and driving directly to workplace areas such as Ringaskiddy or Little Island, then home in the evenings. City traffic levels would plummet.

William Horgan, Innishannon, Cork

Picturing the horror of Gaza genocide

I want to commend you for putting a photograph of a Palestinian boy, 11, from Gaza, who had both of his arms amputated, on the front page of the Irish Examiner. The boy’s arm was severed in an airstrike and the other arm was badly mutilated.

I found this photograph upsetting. However, it is important that we do not stop talking about the genocide. I want to thank you for putting the photograph on your newspaper, because the Irish media, in general, have forgotten to cover the horrors of this first ever live-streamed genocide.

We owe it to our Palestinian brothers and sisters to never stop talking about what is happening.

Sinead O’Brien, Dublin

Driving test delays are not acceptable

I am writing to raise awareness about the serious challenges faced by rural residents due to extremely long waiting times for driving tests, particularly at the Skibbereen test centre in Co Cork.

I have been on the waiting list for a driving test at Skibbereen for months, with no clear indication of when I will be scheduled.

This is not just a personal inconvenience — I live in a small rural village where public transportation is nearly non-existent, and having no access to a car is deeply affecting my ability to commute to work and carry out basic daily tasks.

The Skibbereen test centre, one of the few options available in West Cork, is severely under-resourced. The number of test appointments is far too limited for the demand in the region.

This situation leaves rural residents like myself effectively stranded, without access to mobility, independence, or employment opportunities.

These long delays disproportionately affect people in isolated communities, who are already struggling due to poor transport infrastructure.

I urge the relevant authorities to allocate more resources to the Skibbereen test centre, expand availability, and prioritise test appointments for rural residents who depend entirely on driving as their only viable means of transportation.

Ahmet Burak Okay, via email

Consultation on memorialisation

Reading Ann Murphy’s article, ‘Government should do better’ on local mother and baby home memorials, says campaigner, has infuriated many.

Firstly, the Working Group on Actions Involving Local Authorities has had little to no engagement with survivors.

I belong to the Bessboro Mother & Baby ‘Home’/Institution Support Group. We have over 700 members, and for the past 11 years we have organised the annual commemoration. We engaged with one meeting about three years ago; we never received any feedback whatsoever.

One small survivor group such as CSSA (Cork Survivors and Supporters Alliance) cannot decide on memorialisation alone — there should be consultation with all groups/family members and agreement on how memorialisation should be carried out.

According to the parameters cited by the department responsible for these memorialisation grants, all survivor groups must agree on the type of memorialisation. Until all those buried in these plots are identified, it would be morally wrong to memorialise only the ones that are documented.

All who are buried there must be remembered. These memorials must be done properly, and until all those buried there are acknowledged, we, the Bessboro Group, strongly object to CSSA getting any grant.

The situation with Bessboro is that some children were buried on the grounds which are privately owned, and before we can memorialise we need to put the grounds out of the reach of developers by compulsory purchase order.

The motion for CPO was put before Cork City Council last October, and we are awaiting a decision from the Corporate Policy Group before going forward.

Carmel Cantwell, Cork

Insult to tourists

Regarding the proposal to tax hotel guests and raise millions to clean Dublin (April 17): Tourists pay enough for accommodation in Dublin. It’s an insult to charge them more. The majority of rubbish dumped in the streets of Dublin is by lazy residents, not by tourists. Charging tourists extra will discourage tourism. A city should be proud of its appearance and cleanliness and should be encouraging tourism. I, for one, would never visit a place that wanted me to clean up its mess.

Dublin City Council — go after the people causing the mess, fine them heavily, and do your job. Stop looking for scapegoats. Resign and let people in that will enforce policies regarding litter, illegal dumping, and fly-tipping.

Stephen Egan, Drumlish, Longford

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