LIMERICK’S inaugural bike festival, BeSpoke, was hailed as a major success with over 10,000 people participating in the various activities throughout the week-long programme of events.
More than 7,000 people visited the Limerick Smarter Travel Expo on O’Connell Street during the week, while 500 attended Sunday’s bike parade and a further 3,000 enjoyed other events throughout the city and county.
The festival began with three times winner of the Tour de France and twice world champion Greg LeMond giving a public interview at the Lime Tree Theatre and ended with the parade which saw hundreds of families take to Limerick’s streets for a cycling extravaganza.
The festival, run in conjunction with National Bike Week, was a Limerick Smarter Travel initiative which provided secure bike parking, information on Limerick Smarter Travel, bike maintenance and vintage bike displays on O’Connell Street.
Limerick City has been designated as one of three centres in Ireland that have become Ireland’s First Smarter Travel Demonstration Areas.
Limerick local authorities senior engineer, Pat O’Neill said: “Every year, Limerick’s Bike Week is enjoyed by all, and Limerick Smarter Travel is delighted that the inaugural BeSpoke sestival had such an amazing impact on the city.
“The Limerick Smarter Travel Expo was inundated with cycling enthusiasts, both amateur and professional. The response to bike week was amazing with thousands attending our events, particularly the expo and thanks to the success of BeSpoke, there may be a few novice cyclists taking to the roads”, he said.
Limerick’s submission to become one of Ireland’s First Smarter Travel Demonstration Areas was ranked first in the country, resulting in a €9 million funding boost from the Department of Transport and the European Regional Development Fund.
The funding will enable a range of measures and interventions to be rolled out over the next five years targeted at encouraging people to use more sustainable modes of transport.
