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A Dublin shop assistant has been announced as the lucky cyclist
who took the one millionth journey on the capital’s Dublinbikes
scheme - winning a trip to Paris including flights, accommodation
and €2,000 in cash.
Vodafone employee, Joe Murray (25), from Clondalkin in west
Dublin, used
one of the bikes to cycle to the cinema after work
on Saturday evening (14th August). He said the bike scheme
was “really useful”.
“I use them about 5 to 10 times a week,” he said - adding
he was surprised and delighted to win the prize, which was
presented to him by the city’s lord mayor Gerry Breen.
The prize was paid for by JC Decaux, the advertising company
that funds the scheme
in exchange for erecting advertising stands around the city.
Mr Breen said the scheme had been very successful and that
he was “pleasantly surprised” by the low rate of vandalism.
This was attributed to the design of the bikes, care in choosing
public locations for the stands and high rates of use of the
bikes. A typical bike is used 10 times a day, he said.
Last month, the bike scheme won approval
for an additional four stations, 100 new bikes and 300 new
parking stands. They will be paid for by additional advertising
on the city’s streets.
Cllr Andrew Montague, who originally proposed the scheme
in 2004, attributed the high rates of usage to the scheme
being cheap to use. An annual subscription costs €10 in Dublin
compared to €30 in Paris and £45 (€54) in London.
Other cycling initiatives include a €10 million cycle lane
along the Grand Canal, which is due to be launched in early
2011.
Source - The Irish Times
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