Dr. Damien Ó Tuama:

In countries like Germany and the Netherlands, e-bike sales would be approaching 40% to 50% of all bike sales at this moment - they have really shot up. The big advantage is that it is enabling older people in particular to extend their cycling lives and enabling people to cycle longer distances and cycle in hillier places. The advantages are multiple. The bike-to-work scheme currently has a limit of €1,500 for the value that can be written off against tax. For a good electric cargo bike, we are probably talking closer to €2,500 to €3,000, so it would be worthwhile taking a close look at those figures.

As I said earlier in the discussion, it is about the creation of safe cycling routes, both in urban areas and rural areas, the reallocation of road space, the design of high-quality junctions and pre-green signals for cyclists at those junctions. It is about the creation of a safe environment for people of all ages and abilities, including children and women, who are the missing demographic in cycling in Ireland at the moment. It is really the creation of the conditions where people feel safe to jump on the bike, and that is the No. 1 thing.

The other point I was making is around intermodal trips through creating high-quality, high-capacity cycle parking facilities at all bus and train stations. If anyone is ever in Utrecht in the Netherlands, it is worthwhile to check out its underground multistorey, high-capacity bike park, which I think has 16,000 spaces at the moment and that would include many electric charging points.

On the point on electric buses, I was in Warsaw last week. It has 130 articulated electric buses and they are recharged using the pantograph at the bus depots, and each of those buses can carry 133 passengers. There are some very good examples out there of cities using electric buses. For inter-urban trips, it is slightly more difficult technologically with electric buses but there are some good examples out there on electric buses as well.