The Bike Library

Ziele/Ideen

The need for sustainable mobility solutions has become increasingly urgent as cities worldwide face the challenges of traffic congestion, carbon emissions, and inadequate public transport. Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland, is a distinct example of this, as it is one of the most congested cities in the world (TomTom, 2022) and the air quality standards are below good according to a recent European Environment Agency (EEA) report (EPA, 2022). The idea behind Bike Library is to address these barriers. By offering parents the opportunity to borrow various types of bikes and child transport options, the project aims to dispel common misconceptions, build cycling confidence, and facilitate the transition to bike commuting. The project is integrated with educational activities and engagement events, reinforcing the cycling community and fostering a culture of sustainable mobility.

Kurzbeschreibung

The Bike Library presents an innovative and practical initiative aimed at fostering a significant shift in transport habits among families in Dublin. By offering parents the opportunity to experience a variety of eBikes, eCargo Bikes, Folding Bikes, and different child transportation options like trailers and child seats, the project aims to provide them with hands-on experience of the advantages of eMobility, without the immediate financial commitment of purchasing an eBike.

Resultate

The most staggering result of the bike library is the gender distribution for the participants which seems to contradict all national statistics. According to the recent Census data, which also confirmed long term historical trends, there is an evident “gender-cycling-gap” at National level with the male cycling population more than double the female one.
The participants in the Bike Library were predominantly female, almost double the male participants. We conducted a series of interviews with the involved families and we realised that many females went back to cycling because both the e-bike (which is sturdier than traditional push bikes) and being involved in a sustainability focused initiative gave them the push to get back to cycling. This points to the fact that the Bike Library could be an effective policy which to make cycling more accessible to females as a means of commuting.

Partner

Bleeper active: operational support

University College Dublin