Carlow chosen as one of three locations for a €40m mobility hub

CARLOW TOWN has been selected to be one of just three locations in the country for a new €40m ‘mobility hub network’.

A mobility hub is a prominent location that brings together different shared mobility modes such as e-bikes, e-scooters, e-cargo bikes and electric vehicles with all the related services. The project will see eight mobility hubs in the town, which is a location with two or more mobility options such as EV cars, e-bike or e-scooter and 40 mobility points, which are smaller network hubs with at least one shared-mobility option.

Director of services Padraig O’Gorman told last week’s meeting of Carlow County Council that last November the department wrote to all local authorities setting out its plans to set up mobility hub network in three locations. The other areas selected were Dublin city and Cork, with confirmation in recent days that Carlow was the third location.

Mr O’Gorman described it as “a huge opportunity for Carlow”, adding that the application saw input from various sections of the local authority and numerous meetings with the department. He added that Carlow’s Climate Action Plan and progress in this area had led to the county being seen as a frontrunner.

Mr O’Gorman clarified that legislation is now in place in relation to e-scooters and that these vehicles travel on the road, not on footpaths.

Cllr Brian O’Donoghue said it was “great news and really welcome”.

“It really shows that if you build it, it will come,” he said, praising the work of the council to date at locations like outside St Mary’s Cemetery and their “gumption and bravery” to take on such alternative transport projects, adding that there will “always be noise about it”.

Cllr Fintan Phelan thanked Padraig and his team, adding this had “massive potential for Carlow town”. He welcomed the various options that now will be available to the public and asked when the project will begin.

Cllr Ben Ward asked if there was scope to move to other towns, while cllr Willie Quinn asked about the prospect of having mobility scooters for older people as part of the project, which they could use to go around the shops.

Cllr Will Paton warmly welcomed the news, adding that “transport modes are going to change” and that it was “really important Carlow town strengthens its position as a transport hub”. He was critical of the “council bashing” that had been seen in relation to the work at St Mary’s Cemetery to create pedestrian and cycle lanes, describing these people as “deluded. In ten years, petrol and diesel cars will be gone”, he remarked. He called for transport hubs in Bagenalstown and Tullow, adding that scheduled transport options should be available for smaller villages into Tullow. “All citizens of this county should have true transport system,” said cllr Paton.

Cllr Michael Doran welcomed the legislation on e-scooters, adding that a lot of pedestrians and cyclists had concerns. He also asked about maintenance of cycle lanes and whether the correct infrastructure is in place.

Cllr Paul Doogue said this would put Carlow “light years ahead of other towns”. Cllr John Casin described it as “fantastic to be chosen” and asked about policing, adding: “Where do we sit on liability?”.

Mr O’Gorman said that it was a road-policing matter, as was the case with any other vehicle, and assured members that a maintenance programme would be in place.

In relation to the timeframe, he stated that the ‘memorandum of understanding’ on the project was still to be signed, then a business case made, followed by the statutory process. He expected the project to go to tender in the second half of 2025, with possibly one operator selected for all the locations.