Applicants to a bike bunker scheme in Dublin's north inner city are waiting up to two years to find out if their application has been accepted.
The scheme, which provides bike storage in communities where there's limited options available, quickly became popular with Dubliners when it was launched last year. In areas like Stoneybatter the prospect of bike storage has been touted to potential buyers in the area.
But local Fine Gael councillor Ray McAdam says frustrated residents in the area are being left out in the cold by Dublin City Council. Applications are taking too long to process and residents are left waiting to see if they can avail of the scheme.
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At a recent meeting of the Dublin Central Area Committee it was confirmed that a review of the scheme is underway by consultants hired by the council. They said it's underway to "provide strategic recommendations and possible future proposals".
Councillor McAdam said the council needs to get moving on the scheme. He said: "While I appreciate and accept the need to review schemes such as the Bike Bunker, we cannot allow a situation where applicants are waiting up to and more than twelve months for an answer or confirmation as to whether this initiative will be continued, let alone, whether their application will be processed. This is not the way to do business nor is it the way to treat Dubliners.
"Firstly, I want confirmation of the timeframe for the completion of the review and when the recommendations will be presented. Secondly, a clear road-map for the implementation of these recommendations and thirdly, an expedited process to examine and make a decision on existing applications for the further roll-out of the Bike Bunker scheme. There are times when I feel Dublin City Council is its own worst enemy. The failure to communicate with Dubliners and Councillors alike results in the creation of vacuum and gets peoples’ backs up unnecessarily so.
"As Chair of the Dublin Central Area Committee and a member of the Council’s Corporate Policy Group, I will be seeking to have this issue and the Bike Bunker team appear before the April meeting of the Committee, so that I and my Councillor colleagues can secure clear next steps in the effective delivery of what is an important initiative for Inner City families and households."
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