Fingal Tidy Towns Groups Clean Up with eCargo Bikes

Two west Dublin Tidy Towns groups have taken delivery of eCargo bikes from Fingal County Council as part of a new active travel initiative in the community.

Castleknock Tidy Towns and Clonsilla Tidy Towns have each been provided with branded eCargo bikes to use in their valuable community work, keeping Dublin beautiful and biodiverse. The bikes were presented to the groups during national Bike Week, which took place from May 11 to 19.

eCargo bikes have ample room in their cargo area for gardening tools, plants and garden waste to be transported and are ideal for use in towns like Castleknock and Clonsilla where Tidy Towns volunteers can now move materials from site to site without the need for a car or van. With the eCargo bikes these groups are choosing low-emissions active travel when cycling throughout the local area. The colourfully branded ecargo bikes also ensure that the community will recognise volunteers as they go about their work.

Mayor of Fingal, Councillor Adrian Henchy, says ‘The work of the Tidy Towns groups is invaluable. They give generously of their time and their skills for the benefit of everyone in the community. It’s fantastic to see active travel and tidy towns come together on this initiative as both care about the quality of our environment and quality of life in Fingal.’

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, says ‘We are very grateful to the many Tidy Towns groups that work so hard to keep Fingal beautiful and biodiverse. This initiative is an important chance to support the work of Tidy Towns while also promoting active and sustainable travel options. eCargo bikes are working for businesses and now in the community and I look forward to seeing more of them across the County as they continue to grow in popularity.’

David Storey, Director of Environment, Climate Action, Active Travel and Sport says ‘Using bikes to get around and to move goods can be a great option for local journeys and as Castleknock and Clonsilla Tidy Towns are doing all their work in the local area, eCargo bikes are ideal for their needs.’

Patricia Sheehan, Sustainability and Environmental Lead with Castleknock Tidy Towns says, ‘We are delighted to be part of this project and our volunteers are looking forward to using the bike. As part of Sustainable Castleknock, we see great potential for using the bike. We’ll transport green waste, leaves, and loam to our community composting bays, thereby reducing the green waste collected by Fingal County Council and lowering our carbon footprint while enriching local soil. Additionally, we’ll carry plants, tools, and watering buckets more efficiently, allowing our volunteers to make a greater impact on Castleknock’s sustainability and environmental initiatives. Our visible presence on the bike will hopefully have a ripple effect and inspire more e-bike users throughout the locality.’

Michelle Breathnach, committee member, says, ‘Clonsilla Tidy Towns were delighted at the news that we were part of Fingal County Council ecargo bike initiative. It’s great to see the bike being cycled through the village highlighting our local cycle network while dropping off the tools and equipment to volunteers on our clean-up and planting days. The branded cargo bike allows our group to gain visible recognition for the projects we have been involved in within our community. The cargo bike aligns with our ethos of caring for the environment, eliminating the need for travel by car to our meet up spot with all our equipment.’

The two Tidy Towns groups will enjoy use of the eCargo bikes for 12 months, with ongoing support from Fingal County Council’s walking and cycling officers. This initiative is the latest in a series of eCargo bike trials in the community as part of the effort by Fingal County Council to make active travel the first choice for local journeys. You can find out more about eCargo bikes in Fingal at https://www.fingal.ie/activetravel/mobility/ecargo-schemes