Cycling is an increasingly popular mode of transportation in many cities around the world, and Cork, Ireland, is no exception. The reasons for choosing cycling as your preferred means of transport are manifold and compelling, making it a smart choice for those looking to enhance their daily commute and overall lifestyle.
Cycle to Work Scheme
Do you want to start out and buy a bike? To encourage you to cycle to and from work there is the Cycle to Work Scheme.
Under the scheme your employer can buy a bicycle and safety equipment for you. This benefit will not be taxable. There are three limits, depending on the type of bicycle purchased.
- €3,000 on cargo and ecargo bikes
- €1.500 on pedelecs and ebikes
- €1,250 for other bikes.
The above limits include related safety equipment. Read more here: Revenue.ie
Cyclists are healthier
Based on all the media attention given to every serious cycling accident, you would think that cycling is extremely risky.
Certainly, cycling in Ireland could be safer. But the real story is that, all things considered, cyclists are much healthier and live longer than others. A major 5 year study of 263,450 UK commuters found that people who cycled to work had far fewer serious health incidences and deaths from all causes, especially cancer and cardiovascular disease, compared to drivers and even those who walk to work. Read the study here: the results strongly suggest that driving to work is associated with higher rates of death and disease than cycling.
Cyclists are wealthier
The AA estimated the average cost of owning and running a car in 2019 was €10,691.12. That’s an enormous proportion of household’s disposable income.
Most cycling households own and drive cars too. But many of us are able to save thousands of euros every year by being one, not two, car households and cycling for regular trips to work, school, or the shops.
Journey times are predictable
Enjoying all the time you spend stuck in traffic? Cyclists avoid most traffic congestion, removing much of the stress and annoyance of driving.
Parking is free, conveniently located, and easily found
Finding a place to lock your bike near where you want to go is usually pretty easy. It’s free too! So, you won’t need to wake up extra early, just to beat your colleagues to that last, precious parking spot at work. Although with the strong uptake of cycling, we need much more and better quality bike parking in public and company grounds all over Cork.
Cyclists are happier
Is it the endorphins we get from moderate exercise? The absence of stress in finding parking and getting around? Perhaps it’s that sweet feeling of zipping past traffic jams? Or the knowledge that we’re saving bundles of money? The satisfaction of making an effective choice to reduce our environmental impact? Who knows! Whatever the reason, the simple fact of the matter is that cyclists are happier.
Cycling doesn’t harm the environment
Transport accounts for an enormous proportion of climate-warming gas emissions. And cars, buses, and trucks emit toxic gases. Cycling doesn't. While electric vehicles are much better than petrol and diesel cars in their impact on air quality, their emissions are only slightly better. In fact, about 20% of a typical petrol or diesel car’s total lifetime emissions go into its manufacture and disposal; in absolute terms, these manufacturing and disposable emissions are even higher for electric cars than internal combustion engines. Your bicycle, on the other hand, requires little energy to manufacture and almost nothing to use (even if it’s a e-bike).
Do you care about the environment and the world your children will inherit from you? Cycling is probably the most effective personal choice you can make to reduce your energy use and environmental harm.
Great books about cycling!
If you would like to find out more about cycling, from sustainableurban mobility, history & economics of cycling, travel guides, adventure and more, check out these fantastic books now available in Cork City Library.
This collection of books was donated by the Cork Cycling Campaign to Cork City Library to celebrate UN World Bicycle Day. We donate books on an ongoing bases, with your donations.
Author: Ruth Oldenziel
Why did some capitals and business centres become real cycling cities and others not? Cycling Cities is for everyone interested in sustainable urban mobility. It is an invaluable resource for the growing global community of policymakers, social groups, students, and teachers.
Author: Ralph Buehler & John Purcher
A guide to today's urban cycling renaissance, with information on cycling's health benefits, safety, bikes and bike equipment, bike lanes, bike-sharing, and other topics.
Author: Ralph Buehler & John Pucher
How to make city cycling—the most sustainable means of travel—safe, practical, and convenient for all.
Author: Dervla Murphy
Originally published in 1965, it is the diary of her bicycle trek from Dunkirk, across Europe, through Iran and Afghanistan, over the Himalayas to Pakistan and India.
Author: Jools Walker
Jools Walker rediscovered cycling aged 28 after a decade-long absence from the saddle. When she started blogging about her cycle adventures under the alias Lady Vélo, a whole world was opened up to her.
Author: Hannah Ross
In this gloriously celebratory book, Hannah Ross introduces us to the women who are part of the rich and varied history of cycling, many of whom have been pushed to the margins or forgotten.
Author: Pete Walker
Millions of us find ourselves frustrated by the motor mentality and fighting for our rights to ride. This brilliant, shocking investigation will prepare you with all you need to know to confidently claim your place on the road.
Author: Elly Blue
A surprising and compelling new perspective on the way we get around and on how we spend our money, as families and as a society
Author: Janette Sadik Khan
An empowering road map for rethinking, reinvigorating, and redesigning our cities, from a pioneer in the movement for safer, more liveable streets.
Authors: Chris and Melissa Bruntlett
As the world's foremost cycling nation, the Dutch have built a cycling culture accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or economic means. Chris and Melissa Bruntlett share the incredible success of the Netherlands through engaging interviews with local experts and stories of their own delightful experiences riding in five Dutch cities.
Authors: Chris and Melissa Bruntlett
In Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives, Melissa and Chris Bruntlett chronicle their experience living in the Netherlands and the benefits that result from treating cars as visitors rather than owners of the road.
Author: Pete Jordan
Pete Jordan tells the story of his love affair with Amsterdam, the city of bikes, all the while unfolding an unknown history of the city's cycling, from the craze of the 1890s, through the Nazi occupation, to the bike-centric culture adored by the world today.
Cycling Fallacies
The Cycling Embassy of Great Britain offer an excellent debunking of myths about cycling, from “cycling isn’t safe” and “it’s too expensive to provide for cycling”, to “bus lanes provide conditions for cycling” and “people should wear helmets while cycling” (and many more). Whether you’re a motorist, an irregular cyclist, a politician, or a road transport engineer, this great website provides food for thought on the many benefits of catering properly for cycling in our cities and towns. Click here to go their website.
Cycling in Cork
Learn more about cycling in Cork here.