City councillor delighted as electric cargo bike found by Phoenix Park Rangers after apparent joyride

A cargo bicycle stolen outside a shop on Capel Street, while a Dublin councillor was inside, had been found in the Phoenix Park.

OPW Park Rangers found the bike near the band stand in the park and recognised it. It’s unclear if it was just dumped in the park after a joyride or if the bicycle became too hot to handle after attention coverage on social and from the media.

Cllr Donna Cooney (Green Party) said that nothing was damage other than the stickers were removed and contents — art and craft supplies — are gone.

The €5,000 bike is part of the Dublin City Council cargo bike trial for business and community groups run by Bleeper Bikes — Cllr Cooney uses the cargo bicycle for the Bicycle Heros programme and at the time of its theft she was buying materials for the bicycle section of the St Patrick’s Day parade.

Cllr Cooney said: “t’s wonderful to have it back and thanks to people for sharing in social media and then it was picked up by other media outlets. The OPW rangers recognised it and called me today. I have been lost without it.”

She especially thanked the Park Rangers Terry and Tommy for their help getting the bike back to her.

“The cycling network is amazing, so much solidarity and offers of help. Bike is serviced now and two new locks fitted also the GPS checked and working well again, so all is good and ready to take on all the challenges by bike again,” she said.

On Bike Heros, Cllr Cooney added: “Bike heroes works to empower young people to advocate for safe cycling and walking around their schools and neighbourhoods.”

As reported last year, Dublin City joined Rome and Lisbon in an EU-funded project that invites children to help reimagine their streets and design cycle routes and streetscape under a project called Bicycle Heroes: Youth Voices for Active Mobility, which originated in the Netherlands where the programme was founded by Amsterdam-based NGO, BYCS.