Cycle-logical measure geared to help reduce Limerick university's ‘huge car culture’

A NEW initiative at University of Limerick (UL) is offering students access to low-cost bicycles in an effort to get more people cycling around the campus.

The scheme is being run by city-centre social enterprise Chisel and Oak in partnership with UL's smarter travel campus co-ordinator Róisín Ní Gháirbhith.

The boss of Chisel and Oak Derrick Amrein is offering second-hand, upcycled bikes for €100, and brand new cycles for €240 - down from a retail price of €620 – due to the fact he buys them in bulk.

"The offer is we maintain the bike if they have any problems with it. It’s all included in the price. Then we’d buy it back if they are international students, or Irish students going abroad. The bikes are then rented out to tourists for the summer. It’s real circular economy,” said Mr Amrein.

"The campus is packed with cars at the moment, so it would be a real bonus if we could free up a few spaces,” he added.

Ms Ní Gháirbhith said: “I did a survey. We have 22,000 people coming into campus (among staff and students). There is a huge car culture as regard to everything in Ireland. When I got the job in UL, it reminded me of Amsterdam, as there is huge investment in cycling infrastructure."

However, she said this is only half the challenge, and behavioural change is also required.

Due to the accommodation crisis, it’s widely acknowledged that many students commute to UL from around the country by car.

The hope with this initiative is that once they are here, they can use bikes to get around.

“Cycling is one of the best ways to get around campus. You’re never stuck in traffic. You know exactly how long it will take you to get there, and Limerick City and County Council as a smarter travel city has invested heavily in cycling infrastructure. Loads of towns and cities would love to have this, so it would be a shame not to see people using it,” said Ms Ní Gháirbhith.

"When you see someone on a bike, that’s one less car.”

The smarter travel campus co-ordinator said many students still travel from very close distances to the college campus in Castletroy.

“We still have students driving from very close distances, and we want to slowly but surely give other people options. No one wants to sit in traffic for 40 minutes trying to find a parking space and pay for parking. Young people really care about the environmental side of it too,” she said.

The initiative has won the backing of UL Student Life, whose president Eva McCormack commutes from Sixmilebridge, Co Clare.

She is no longer driving all the way to campus, preferring two wheels.

“Having a bike means I can park on the Clare side (of the campus), cycle in, and not worry about traffic or being here at 7:30am for a parking spot. I can avoid the rush, it makes it a lot easier,” said the union president.

"Many students can’t bring their own bike down to Limerick, so having an initiative like this allows students easy access to bikes. So it made sense to support this,” added Ms McCormack.

Ms Ní Gháirbhith hopes Limerick can become a “mecca” for cyclists. "We are removing all the obstacles to cycling. You can cycle by the river all the way from UL to the city. UL is serious about this. They have invested in secure bike parking, bike fixing stations, and free cycle workshops on campus,” she said. 

"They’ve put their money where their mouth is.”