Cycling Facilities

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Buttimer, as a bheith linn chun an t-ábhar seo a phlé. Tá mé ag iarraidh an scéim roinnte rothar, mar a oibríonn sí i gcathair na Gaillimhe, a ardú inniu. The Transport for Ireland, TFI, bike-sharing scheme has been in operation in Galway city for a considerable number of years. As a member of the local authority there, I was always somewhat frustrated that the operation of the scheme had some link to the local authority but was mainly administered nationally by TFI or the National Transport Authority, NTA. I always found it difficult to get precise data on the usage of the scheme. The NTA always advised us that the scheme is being used widely but, as the scheme currently operates, the kiosks are limited to a number of city centre areas. The suburbs are not really serviced by the scheme. There is no kiosk for the operation of the scheme in Salthill, which is a tourism destination. Knocknacarra is a significant western suburb of the city with a population of over 10,000 but there was no kiosk there for the bike-sharing scheme. There was no kiosk at the Atlantic Technological University, ATU, on the Dublin Road in the Renmore and Mervue area, which would allow people to rent a bike in the city centre, cycle to those destinations and return the bike at a kiosk there. I always felt the scheme was not really fulfilling the needs of the population, who would be open to using it. We have seen investment in cycling infrastructure and want to see more. We have seen some enhancement and there are further enhancement proposals for cycling infrastructure in the city. It would be beneficial if this scheme was available. One of the issues with the scheme in Galway is that e-bikes were never a feature. They were all traditional pushbikes. Before I left the local authority, one of the last motions I proposed there was that the new scheme, as it would operate in Galway city, would include electronic bikes. It is often noted that Cork is an area where e-bikes were important because of the hills. There are also hills in Galway city where e-bikes would have made it easier to use the scheme. In September 2025, I got a response to a parliamentary question from the NTA. It advised me that under the current scheme, a number of e-bikes had been procured and were in operation in Cork for test use, and that another batch of the e-bikes would be available in early 2026 and would be put into operation in the other cities, including Galway, as part of the regional scheme. The reply stated that the current contract was due to run out in August 2026. The response also advised me, and this was very welcome, that following a review the NTA had undertaken of the existing scheme, the objective was to expand the scheme and increase the fleet size in each of the cities, so that bikes could be used by more people in more parts of the cities. As I outlined, in Galway the scheme was very limited, so that was particularly welcome. The response said that the NTA was particularly keen to improve coverage in those areas that are underserved. It also noted that, thanks to technological advancements, the use of kiosks for the return of the bikes was no longer seen as important or necessary. New technology would allow people to return the bikes without having to go to one of the kiosks that were only centrally located. This all seemed to be progressing well and the NTA advised me it was hoping to commence the operation of a full new scheme in summer 2026. Unfortunately, something has occurred. For some time, I have been trying to raise this as a Topical Issue to see where the current development of the new scheme lies, and when we might see the expansion of the scheme in Galway city and the inclusion of e-bikes. I am delighted the Minister of State is here today to debate this issue. I hope we can see it progress quite soon.

Ar an gcéad dul síos, gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Connolly as an ábhar seo a chur os comhair an Tí, a bhaineann le cathair na Gaillimhe. I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this important matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, who sends his apologies. I thank the Deputy again for his very insightful contribution. As he knows, the Government is committed to providing sustainable transport options that reduce reliance on private car use, support climate action objectives and offer convenient alternatives for everyday journeys. As the Deputy referenced in his contribution, research commissioned by the National Transport Authority has shown that every euro invested in active travel between 2021 and 2030 generates almost €4 in benefits to society when assessed over a 30-year period. We also know that walking and cycling remove up to 660,000 cars from the road each day in our five largest metropolitan areas of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. Galway in particular is a very congested area. We see resultant benefits to congestion levels, transport emission reductions and individual health. The Government is committed to making cycling a feasible transport option in our cities and towns, including Galway. We are encouraging a modal shift away from private car use. To this end, the TFl bikes rental scheme, a shared public bike rental scheme, has operated successfully in Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford. The scheme has grown in popularity, with more than 300,000 trips recorded across the network during 2025, representing a 40% increase on the previous year and exceeding pre-pandemic usage levels. The scheme has been in place in Galway since 2014 and is currently operated by Telfourth Limited, trading as An Rothar Nua, on behalf of the NTA. Having been canvassing in Galway in the by-election, I am fully conversant with and support the Deputy's views on Salthill, Knocknacarra and ATU as places for the kiosks. It makes eminent sense, given the volume of people and the potential usage. At present, the NTA is in the process of procuring a successor to the TFI regional bike schemes for Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford. The tender is currently live. It is imperative that we preserve a robust and fair procurement process. As such, I am limited in what I can say further at this stage. The successor scheme's objective is to deliver significantly expanded services with larger fleets, wider geographical coverage, as we have spoken about, and a substantially increased proportion of electric bicycles. I would love see the Deputy in Cork on an e-bike as well. A feature of this new approach is that docking stations are not a requirement for the new service, and that more flexible operating models, such as a mixture of docked and dock-free infrastructure, can and should be considered. This would allow bicycles to be parked at designated locations, enabling services to reach a greater level. The final model is still to be determined. Deputy Connolly specifically asked about the timeline for expansion in Galway. I am advised by the NTA that the tender process was well advanced and was expected to conclude this year. However, recent changes arising from the Government decision to pause funding for public e-scooter schemes, which formed part of the original procurement approach in certain cities, have necessitated a retendering of the project. The NTA relaunched the tender in September. Subject to the outcome of that procurement process, it is now expected that contractors will be selected in early 2027, with mobilisation and transition arrangements to follow. In the meantime, I assure the House that the current TFl bikes contract has been extended until August of next year to ensure continuity of service and avoid disruption for existing users while the procurement process is completed. In lieu of the fact that we have an active procurement process, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on commercial aspects but I assure Deputy Connolly that our objective date regarding the delivery of the significantly enhanced shared micro-mobility service in Galway remains 2027.

I thank the Minister of State for the response. I am glad there has been some level of explanation in this regard because we had previously been advised that the new scheme would operate in 2026. There is a rational explanation in the Minister of State’s response as to why it has been delayed. The contract initially included a public e-scooter scheme. Obviously, with the changes the Government has made to the use of e-scooters, there is a necessity to retender the project so that change is accounted for. I now understand why the scheme could not proceed. I welcome that clarity. In his contribution, the Minister of State reiterated a lot of what I said regarding the importance of encompassing the suburbs of the city, the tourism locations and the universities, including the technological university, in the new scheme. I welcome that this has been reiterated today. That is the type of scheme we need. I am somewhat disappointed, however, that we will not see a new scheme until 2027. We will not see the introduction of e-bikes in Galway city until that point. Those suburbs and other locations will not be serviced until that point either. However, I am heartened that we are proceeding and that it is being taken on board. I wish to raise a point that the Minister of State might bring back to the Department and the Minister, Deputy O’Brien. Galway is currently undergoing the review of the metropolitan area transport strategy. It is the last of the regional cites to have the review of the transport strategy. I would like the local authorities to be directly involved in that review, before the publication of the draft. I have a sense that the NTA is working on a draft metropolitan area transport strategy for Galway, which it will publish and then welcome contributions from the local authorities. The local authorities should be more directly involved than that, however. The data around the current bike scheme would be useful, both as a discussion point for the local authority and in the development of the new transport strategy. This scheme should be part of this new strategy. It should include bikes. Maybe we need to include areas beyond some of the suburbs in the scheme as well. I thank the Minister of State for his response.

The Deputy makes eminent sense. As a former member of a local authority, who knows a local area better than the officials and public representatives in the local authority? It is critical that the NTA engages on the metropolitan area transport strategy. It is absolutely an imperative. If it does not, it will lose the data available from the council. It will make the whole iteration of the strategy poorer. I will not stray into the process because I do not want to get into complications but the replacement scheme being progressed by the NTA represents a major opportunity to build on the success achieved to date, with a combination of larger fleets, a greater geographic coverage, which we spoke about earlier, and a new emphasis on the electric bicycle. That is important because more and more people are looking to use an electric bicycle, or e-bike. Of course, the new scheme for the city of Galway has the potential to make shared mobility available to more people. Deputy Connolly will be aware that Galway City Council received an allocation of €9.5 million this year alone for the progression of approximately 25 active travel projects, including funding for the TFI bike scheme. That includes initiatives such as the safe routes to school programme and the right cycle training, which is delivered in all counties, including Galway. There is also the whole overarching philosophy and theme of fostering sustainable travel habits among young people with a view to more people shifting away from the car. In my city of Cork, we have seen the success of the e-bike scheme. It is critically important. It is a vital part of the effort that we all use to encourage people to use and choose sustainable transport. I thank Deputy Connolly for highlighting the importance of the programme in Galway. I will ensure the matters raised are brought to the attention of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I look forward to further engagement with Deputy Connolly on the matter because the areas he spoke about, particularly Salthill, would benefit and be enhanced greatly from this scheme.