Historic carbon-neutral local Laois journalism in Portlaoise on an e-bike

Since the Leinster Express was founded in 1832 its journalists have found all sorts of means of transport and technology to report on stories for its readers.

However, Tuesday, August 20 marked a historic day for one of Ireland's longest established news publications by using a brand new technology to help report a story to its readers.

We wanted to get some photos of roadworks on the Borris Road in Portlaoise which are being carried out to improve facilities for pedestrians and cyclists on what is one of Portlaoise's busiest routes.

The Borris Road is just a few minutes away from the offices of the Leinster Express / Laois Live so the first idea that came into my head was to walk up the road. It would probably take about half an hour to get there and back.

But as I was leaving the office Leinster Express / Laois Live sports reporter suggested in jest: "Why not go on one of the new Bolt e-bikes," quipped Gavin Cooper.

A seed was planted which didn't sprout shoots until this reporter was passing the bike rack at the end of Bridge St near SS Peter and Paul's Parish Church.

Standing in front of me invitingly were a half dozen of the Bolt e-bikes deployed over the summer with the backing of Laois County Council at locations right around Portlaoise.

Launched by the council in conjunction with the National Transport Authority and Bolt E-Bikes, the rental scheme has scene 50 of the eco-friendly bikes made available to local people at 40 locations around Portlaoise. MORE BELOW PICTURE

Conor Ganly on the rented e-bike on the Well Road in Portlaoise.

When launched at the end of July, the council said the aim was to boost connectivity and sustainable travel in and around Portlaoise, which is seeing a plethora of new bike lanes being installed, as part of funding for its national Pilot Low Carbon Town status in the National Development Plan.

The pedal-assisted electric bikes have a range of up to 60km on a single charge. Designed for short trips they have a maximum speed of 25kmph.

With all this in mind, I said to myself spontaneously why not have a go. I made my decision having never driven an electric are let alone used an e-scooter or e-bike. My own pedal-powered bicycle is gathering dust in the garage at home.

But how was I supposed to use it. Well I knew that you had to pay to use the bike and expected payment would have to be made in advance via my phone.

Fortunately one on the bikes parked on Bridge Street had what seemed a temporary tag attached via cable tie explaining what to do to sign up. Arguably there is plenty of room on the bikes for an information sticker. Alternatively, a sign could be located at the hub informing people who to do.

To use the bike, I had to download a Bolt app to create an account which I could link to my preferred payment method. It was relatively straightforward until I scanned the QR code on the bike to unlock it for use.

A message popped up stating that I was too young to use the device. It wasn't clear from the Bolt app how I could fix this so I simply deleted the account on my smart phone and created a new account with my correct date of birth.

A second attempt led to success. The app told me that I'd be charged 18c and a clock began counting the second. It was entirely clear to me what this meant or how much I would be charged.

I was subsequently fined out that rides cost 18c per minute with an unlock fee of 20c. The unlock fee will be waived for the first two months.

As for the ride itself, adjusting to the e-power kicking in when needed and then switching off was odd to start with but I quickly adapted. The brakes were good and added assurance that you weren't going to lose control.

The bike came into its own on the incline past St Francis National School on the Borris Road. Ascending required some pedalling but not enough to break into a sweat with the electric engine doing most of the work to propel me upwards.

There is a marked difference in weight between an e-bike and a normal push bike. Another criticism is the tyre pressure. I wondered was there concrete in the tubes instead of air. It made for a bumpy ride though this probably results in the rider taking it slower. While this made for safer trip, I'm not sure it was by design.

My little trip up the Borris Road and back to Bridge Street took almost 15 minutes for which I was charged €2.70. Being stationery did not stop the meter. 

It was certainly a very convenient way of getting around the town but for 15 minutes, it was a bit costly. I would use it again and encourage others to do the same in a town like Portlaoise where traffic is increasing at a rapid rate making short journeys a big inconvenience.

Just a note for anyone who wants to use them at night, users will be required to pass a safety test within the App for use between 10pm and 5am. The aim is to ensure riders are fit to cycle safely, benefiting cyclists and pedestrians alike.