Credit Unions Lead the Way with Cork's Transport future

Community 2 min read

18 Sep 2020

A new initiative promoting the use of e-bikes across Cork was launched this week by both city and county Mayors, the first of its kind in Ireland.

Cork Credit Unions were approached to be the financial partners of the initiative and the group was pleased to become a stakeholder. While always looking out for their member’s needs, these needs are always changing. The e-bike initiative provides a great opportunity for local credit unions to meet these changing needs and reach out to communities across Cork.

A part of initiative is to incentivise the public to move towards e-bikes. As always, credit unions have stepped up to the plate to support this community initiative. A total of 27 credit unions in Cork are providing member owned financial services to help cover the costs of purchasing an e-bike. Additional equipment costs for the e-bike can also be covered with this loan.

The we-bike Cork initiative features seven e-bike ambassadors located throughout the city and county whose lives have been transformed by e-bikes. To find out more about their stories, visit we-bike.ie.

Sales of e-bikes and bicycles have risen in Ireland since March, particularly during the recent lockdown period, which saw many people return to cycling in preference to cars when making local journeys. Despite this, three in four journeys in Ireland are still made by car even though more than half of all trips are less than 8km, according to recent data from the Central Statistics Office. Cork’s new e-bike campaign hopes to further the positive changes in attitudes.

Luke Casey, Cork Credit Union Committee Member said “It has been great working with the other stakeholders from across Cork setting up this initiative. Great work has been done behind the scenes the past couple of months. It has provided the group with an opportunity to learn more about e-bikes and to develop the group’s professional network. There are very exciting things planned for the coming days!”

A variety of e-bike purposes will be targeted during the we-bike initiative, which coincides with Cork Bike Week, running from Friday September 19 – 27. By extending the range and flattening the hills, e-bikes enable people to cycle over longer distances and hilly areas, and offer a healthier and far cheaper way to travel than your car. Areas such as work and school commutes, leisure trips, reintroduction to cycling for retirees, health benefits and more are just some of the social advantages that the project hopes to impart to Cork’s public; in addition to lowering congestion, pollution and carbon emissions.

Speaking on this new initiative, Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Joe Kavanagh said: “People are becoming increasingly interested in e-bikes as they are a super way to keep us healthy, reduce carbon emissions, and not least, are a very pleasant way of getting around. Cork’s future is being built on sustainability and climate action so it’s great to see the city and county council’s climate action strategies bearing fruit”.

Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Mary Linehen Foley said "This initiative is a great opportunity to work with our colleagues at Cork City Council and other partners to highlight the benefits of moving towards e-bikes as part of a more sustainable future. We have seen many people from Cork and around the country enjoy the benefits of e-bikes over the past few months as it allowed them to see more of our beautiful county on a more personal level."

This fantastic initiative is supported by 27 credit unions across Cork, showing once again, just how important credit unions are to their local communities.