Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 229: To ask the Minister for Transport his plans to allow for the carriage of bicycles during off-peak periods on the Luas. [5832/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The issue raised by the Deputy is a day-to-day operational matter for the Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, and I have no function in the matter. However, I understand from the RPA that the issue of the carriage of bicycles on Luas was considered prior to the commissioning of passenger services.

The view at that time — which is even more relevant now due to the higher than projected numbers of passengers using Luas, particularly during off-peak periods — was that only cycles which can be folded to the approximate size of a suitcase should be carried. Unfolded cycles carried on Luas would not only constitute a safety risk to other passengers, particularly in the event of an emergency brake application, but would also significantly reduce the carrying capacity of the Luas. The RPA informs me that it has installed approximately 180 cycle parking spaces in the vicinity of stops on both Luas lines to encourage better interchange between bicycles and Luas.