Call for public funding for and major extension of the Dublin Bikes scheme
Since 2006, French advertising corporation JCDecaux has had a contract with Dublin City Council in which it operates the DublinBikes scheme in return for space for its street advertising installations. People Before Profit Councillors Conor Reddy and Hazel De Nortúin have expressed concern at reports that JCDecaux appears to have been using funding leverage over Dublin City Council to misuse public spaces to benefit its business.
Councillor Hazel De Nortúin said 'It has been reported in the Journal today that a Freedom of Information request to Dublin City Council has revealed that the Council has accommodated many requests from JCDecaux to make changes to the streets to favour JCDecaux’s advertising. This has included moving a parking sign, a bin and two trees in planters on Cork Street, Dublin 2. Many other requests were made but it's unclear what Dublin City Council did in response.
It is not acceptable that the DublinBikes is forced to be dependent on funding from the likes of JCDecaux, who then use their funding as leverage to promote their advertising business and its often ugly and energy intensive infrastructure.'
Councillor Reddy said 'DublinBikes are a great addition to Dublin City. Thousands of people use them every day - they're a cleaner, greener and cheaper form of transport. However, DublinBikes should be publicly funded to remove inappropriate and damaging leverage by corporations.
In addition, public funding should be made available to extend the scheme throughout the city. In 2010, plans to expand DublinBikes were announced that would have seen bike stations as far North as DCU and as far South as UCD. The Fianna Fáil-Green Party government of the day did not deliver and the plans were shelved. These plans should be re-introduced to ensure the DublinBikes scheme is extended right across the city, including to the likes of my own ward of Ballymun-Finglas.'
