Writes Ciaran Dineen
It was announced last week that Crosshaven is set to be one of the first places in Cork to trial a bike repair station, that will be free to use for members of the public.
The fantastic initiative was revealed by Crosshaven-based Councillor, Audrey Buckley (FF), who was thrilled to see that the seaside town would be one of the first to avail of the stations. It is set to be installed beside the outdoor gym near the RCYC, meaning that any cycling enthusiasts on their cycle along the greenway can have easy access to the facility.
The repair station not only caters for bikes but also can be used to pump up tyres on prams and wheelchairs, again very useful given that many families stroll along the walkway, particularly on the weekends.
Ulrick Ó Beirne: 'Training Wheels' (Cycle Coaching, Bike Mechanics, Community Outreach Programmes); Sue Walsh: One Green Village; Caroline Buckley & her son Cormac Ryan having his bike repaired, alongside Matt Jones: Cork Community Bikes & Joanne O'Sullivan: One Green Village, Crosshaven, Sunday 18th October. One Green Village environmental initiative to prevent bicycles from going to landfill sites & recycling bicycles back into the community by swapping, donating or taking one away. Photo Siobhán Russell
Each bike repair station is equipped with 10 tools to help repair bikes, whether you have to pump tires, repair a frame and more. The tools included are: Phillips screwdriver Flat screwdriver T25 Torx screwdriver Adjustable spanner, Skateboard tools, Flat wrench 8 x10 mm, Flat wrench 13×15 mm, Hex key set and Tyre levers.
Speaking to The Carrigdhoun Newspaper Cllr Buckley said, “I’m absolutely delighted to see that Crosshaven will benefit from receiving one of these fantastic facilities. Cork County Council have been great to support us, particularly Vincent Flourish, and the repair station will be extremely welcome. It’s a fabulous facility to have by the outdoor gym and a great addition to our wonderful greenway.”
It couldn’t come at a better time for the area. With gyms and indoor sporting opportunities now no longer an option for those looking to keep fit, getting outdoors is currently their only opportunity of being able to exercise. According to Cllr Buckley, the number of people in the last week, and during the first lockdown, cycling, walking and running along the greenway has been enormous.
“Since Covid the amount of kids on bikes has really shot up”, explains the Fianna Fáil Councillor. “Down the village now at any time you’ll see a load of teenagers on bikes and ironically it’s only a week ago when I saw my nephew pushing his bike up a hill because he had a puncture! So this will be a great feature to use so that bikes can be repaired and hopefully they’ll be installed in the next couple of weeks. It’s such a simple idea but yet so positive and we’re really looking forward to seeing it used”.
Audrey was also able to give an update on solar lights for the Crosshaven walk, which have been another brilliant addition, saying that she is hopeful that another set will be installed soon, allowing people to use the walkway into the evenings as the days become shorter.