Dundalk councillor welcomes plans for bike share scheme in Dundalk

Cllr Marianne Butler says she is "really excited" about Louth County Council's plans for a new bike share scheme in Dundalk. Councillors were informed at the Dundalk Municipal District March meeting that the local authority planning to go to tender for a pilot scheme on Friday 10 March.

Senior Engineer at Louth County Council, John O'Hagan, told members at the March meeting of the intention to go to tender. The local authority is proposing to make Bye-Laws for the regulation of the operation of on-street bike hire and for the imposition of fixed penalty payments for enforcement purposes.

"I am really excited about Dundalk's bike share scheme", Cllr Butler told the Dundalk Democrat. "This one-year pilot initiative has the potential to transform our town's transport options and reduce congestion on our roads. I have no doubt it will become a permanent fixture in our community."

The Green Party councillor continued, "as we work towards creating a more sustainable future for our town, the bike share scheme will work in tandem with our planned active travel networks, making cycling an easy and convenient choice for locals of all ages. Key locations such as the bus and train station and DKIT need to be included in the scheme to make it a success."

She added, "in the coming weeks, Dundalk Municipal District members will get sight of the plans for the new active travel scheme to link up our bus and train stations, and plans for the Dublin Road from Ladywell to Xerox are due out in a number of months." 

The planned Bye-Laws will be in respect of the administrative area in the Borough District of Drogheda and Dundalk Municipal District, the two towns in which the bike share scheme will be located. The Consultation Process for the Draft Bye Laws were advertised for both administrative areas in local newspapers this week.

A copy of the Draft Control of On-Street Bike Hire Bye-Laws 2023 will be available for public inspection during normal office hours at Louth County Council offices from Wednesday 8 March to Friday 7 April inclusive, with the deadline for submissions closing on Friday 14 April, 2023.