A DUBLIN shop assistant was announced yesterday as the lucky cyclist who took the one millionth journey on the capital’s Dublinbikes scheme.
He won a trip to Paris including flights, accommodation and €2,000 in cash.
Vodafone employee, Joe Murray (25), from Clondalkin in west Dublin, used one of the bikes to cycle to the cinema after work last Saturday evening. He said the bike scheme was “really useful”.
“I use them about 5 to 10 times a week,” he said, adding he was surprised and delighted to win the prize, which was presented to him by the city’s lord mayor Gerry Breen.
The prize was paid for by JC Decaux, the advertising company that funds the scheme in exchange for erecting advertising stands around the city.
Mr Breen said the scheme had been very successful, and that he was “pleasantly surprised” by the low rate of vandalism. This was attributed to the design of the bikes, care in choosing public locations for the stands, and high rates of use of the bikes. A typical bike is used 10 times a day, he said.
Last month, the bike scheme won approval for an additional four stations, 100 new bikes and 300 new parking stands. They will be paid for by additional advertising on the city’s streets.
Cllr Andrew Montague, who originally proposed the scheme in 2004, attributed the high rates of usage to the scheme being cheap to use. An annual subscription costs €10 in Dublin compared to €30 in Paris and £45 (€54) in London.
Other cycling initiatives include a €10 million cycle lane along the Grand Canal, which is due to be launched in early 2011.