Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 31: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the initiatives being taken to support further development of public urban bike scheme similar to that in place in Dublin. [8612/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Recognising the success of the Dublinbikes scheme, the Programme for Government commits my Department to look to extend the scheme to other cities and integrate the scheme more effectively with public transport links.

Following an analysis, carried out at my request, on the potential for the extension of the Dublinbikes scheme to other cities, consultations on the potential for and means of securing new city bike schemes were launched in November 2011 with symposiums held in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Galway to inform and involve key business and civil stakeholders.

My Department and the National Transport Authority are currently considering the responses to those symposia, including how to address key issues identified such as the changed commercial environment to that which existed when the Dublinbikes scheme was negotiated and different characteristics of scheme provision in smaller cities. This will enable us to identify how best we can secure public bike schemes in other cities.