Irish Cargo Bike Championships likely cancelled due to lack of funding

A lack of funding will mean that the Irish Cargo Bike Championships will not take place at Bike Week this year unless the event gets sponsorship.

The family-focused event centred on a team-based cargo bike cycling competition. It included testing skill of load and child carrying capacity, manoeuvrability, balance, and some short sprints and relay races.

The championships has taken place in the Phoenix Park since 2013 and is pencilled in to take place on Sunday June 18 this year, but the of the event organisers told IrishCycle.com today that the event will not take place unless sponsors are found.

Organisers estimate that there is now between 100 and 150 cargo bicycles in use in Ireland — individual owners of the bikes use them for carrying child and a number of businesses use them for deliveries.

We reported last month that UPS plan to use cargo bikes in Dublin city centre. At least three other courier businesses in the city are already using cargo bicycles — Wheels Couriers, Cyclone and the Pony Express — while other businesses using them include Offbeat Donut Co, The Pig & Heifer Restaurant, the Bretzel Bakery, and Deliveroo. Many of the businesses are using more than one cargo bike.

An EU-funded research programme, Cyclelogistics, found that on average slightly over half of motorised trips in European cities involving goods could be switched to normal or cargo bicycles.

Meanwhile, groups Blackrock in Dublin, Clonakillty in Co Cork and Dublin City University have signed up to the Danish concept of Cycling Without Age, where nursing home residents are given the experience of the outdoors via being transport on a bicycle. The group in Blackrock have received their demonstration cargo bicycle, while the group in Clonakillty hope to get theirs soon.

National Bike Week is due to run from June 10 to 18, see bikeweek.ie for details.

MORE: facebook.com/IrishCargoBikeChampionships


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1 comment

  1. This is yet another one of those things that should receive funding from central government as part of it’s transport and/or health and/or climate mitigation polices.

    We have things such as the dumb (IMO) Gumball rally showing up in Dublin with lots of streets closed off and lots spent on Garda overtime etc. Who pays for that? Why is something like that funded, and yet a worthwhile outreach programme like the cargo-bike event not recognised for the good it does.

    SMH.

    Reply

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