Cyclists have described themselves as “not happy” with Irish Rail’s decision to ban bikes during rush hour in Cork. 

Signs put up at Cork Kent station reminding passengers that bicycles are not allowed before 10am and between 4pm and 7pm Monday to Friday. 

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, Irish Rail said there is “very heavy demand at peak times when standing capacity is needed” and they also have “safety concerns” about how bikes could stop people getting to an emergency exit. 

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Cork Cycling Campaign spokesperson Stephen Koch said they were disappointed to see the signs go up. 

“We’re not happy as a cycling advocacy group about this decision,” he said. 

“Getting the bike on the train is an ideal combination to [enable you to] leave the car at home, cycle to the station, to have access from a bit further afield and then take you bike on the train and cycle to your final destination at your leisure without waiting for a bus or having to walk a long time.” 

A cyclist in a bike lane in April 2020. Picture by: Macronomy / Alamy Stock Photo

Mr Koch said he can “fully understand it” from the perspective of Irish Rail but argued they should look at the bigger picture. 

“If you want to get more people out of the cars - and that is the ultimate goal of a sustainable transport system - you need to offer more,” he said. 

“You need to look at how people get from door to door; they don’t travel from station to station, they want to get from their home to their workplace or college or wherever they need to go. 

“The combination of bikes and trains is an ideal one.” 

A train pictured leaving MacBride station in Drogheda. Image: Anze Furlan / Alamy Stock Photo

The solution, Mr Koch believes, is for Irish Rail to increase capacity on their commuter services. 

“I think in the first place, they just need to increase capacity and that is what they’re doing right now,” he said. 

“I just saw a presentation the other day from a representative of Iarnród Éireann and it is just a bottleneck that they have,” he said. 

“They would love to run longer trains, they would love to have the trains more frequently on the Middleton, Cobh and Cork lines but they simply don’t have the fleet at peak times. 

“So, they’re waiting for the arrival of their new battery electric fleet which, as I understand, is designed to take more bikes on board.” 

As part of the Government's plan to cut carbon emissions, it has set itself a target of reducing the number of journeys taken by car from 70% in 2022 to 50% in 2030.

Main image: An Irish Rail train. Picture by: Keith Heneghan / Alamy Stock Photo