Minister Of Transport Asks About The Expensive Bike Shed

Minister of Transport, Eamon Ryan, asks the Office of Public Works (OPW) about the expensive bike shed installed at Leinster House.

The bike shed was installed at the Leinster House with a cost estimate of €335,000. Mr Ryan said that the shed is believed to give shade to 18 bikes which is “incredibly expensive”.

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He said the OPW needs to answer some serious questions about the cost of the shed. “I look forward to listening to the OPW and talking to the OPW as to why it was so expensive”, Mr Ryan said.

He was of the view that OPW staff might have their own reason for such high costs, however, Mr Ryan was utterly shocked to see the price details as the country needs to curb the expenses.

Mr Ryan explained that spending public money wisely is what the government should focus on as the cost of the shed is unexpectedly high. All over the country, things should be done at a reasonable cost, the minister of transport elucidated.

Also, the minister said that an escalated number of people are now using public transport for which a greater number of bus shelters are in need. Rather than building expensive bike sheds, the needs of the public should be prioritised, the minister remarked.

Although Mr Ryan took the shelter as a great example of the public sector using strategies for climate action, the minister delved deeper into the requirements of archaeological advice while the shelter was being installed.

Minister of Transport inquired about the cost breakdown

The breakdown of costs showed that OPW spent €322,282 on the main construction along with the entire installation charges.

Not only that, a further cost of €2,952 was incurred for gaining archaeological services whereas €10,816 was paid for quantity surveying services and “contract administration services”.

When the high costs raised eyebrows from all sides, OPW stepped in to explain that a high-quality structure was required due to its placement at a sensitive location.

When the minister asked for a copy of the expenses, OPW said that none was needed, hence, there is no copy available at the moment.

An information note released by OPW said, “The work referred to was carried out…as part of the ongoing essential maintenance and upgrade works that are undertaken within the Leinster House Complex and other OPW-owned buildings”.

OPW clarified its position on the matter that this is the sole responsibility of the firm that whenever essential fabric and upgrade is needed, the OPW team is accountable for taking things into their hands and “working with Oireachtas Facilities”.

Talking to the media, OPW elucidated that since Leinster House is a historic building that has a “protected structure of national importance”, the new addition of the bike shelter needed to be of the same quality and finish that required well-designed construction of the same parameters.

OPW further rationalised that the shelter was constructed in accordance with the specifications of the Part 9 Planning application. It made use of materials like steel, glass and Irish granite.

Keeping in mind the historical landscape and its importance besides the national parliament, OPW said that the grounds on which the protection of the structure stands are immense. Therefore, the costly work was carried out to justify the need for such significance.

A special cantilevered canopy was utilised for designing the stand to make it secure against the prevailing northerly winds. It is not fully structured to be an enclosure but it is believed that it is strong enough to keep the bikes safe and prevent them from being too exposed to the weather.