Sir, – It seems the housing crisis has deteriorated to a level where a married couple earning €60,000 each could not even afford a bike shed. – Yours, etc,
ROB LOCKE,
Douglas,
Cork.
Sir, – Let’s just hope that the 650 civil servants, TDs and Senators who work in Leinster House do not all start to cycle there. – Yours, etc,
DEREK POMEROY,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – If Flann O’Brien were alive, I’m sure he’d say there must have been an interchange of atoms between the plans for the bicycle shed at Leinster House and the plans for the national children’s hospital. – Yours, etc,
CHRIS FITZPATRICK ,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – The Leinster House bike shed doesn’t even have a solid wall to hide behind for a smoke or a snog. – Yours, etc,
TONY CORCORAN,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – First the national children’s hospital and now the bike shed. Could our politicians have a go at organising a session in Guinness’s brewery? – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN CONWAY,
New Quay,
Co Clare.
Sir, – I believe that the Government has acquired a new work of art.
Do you know when the public can view said work? – Yours, etc,
JOSEPH RYAN,
Cork.
A chara, – I couldn’t help but notice the irony in the recent controversy surrounding the construction of a bike shed at Leinster House. This Government has a reputation for “bikeshedding” – a term used to describe the act of focusing on trivial issues while neglecting more significant ones. First it was mobile phones in schools, then it was tickets for a middle of the road 1990s rock band and now it is an actual bike shed. I can assure our politicians that their “shock” over this bike shed is a fraction of my shock at the cost of our children’s hospital. Can we all now shift our focus to the larger, more impactful issues that truly deserve our attention and resources? – Yours, etc,
REAMONN O’LUAN,
Churchtown,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – Can someone shed light on why what is basically a bus shelter with steel racks for bikes should cost the taxpayer €336,000? Does OPW stand for the Office of Public Waste? – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL CULLEN,
Sandycove,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Is it any wonder that a three-bed house costs nearly €500,000 in most suburban areas of our main towns and cities when our Coalition seems to have no handle on cost management or control? – Yours, etc,
DAVID O’HALLORAN,
Howth,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – I can only assume that the cycle shed must be of the bespoke variety. –Yours, etc,
BRIAN McKENNA,
Dublin 5.
Sir, – The main Opposition party has proposed building affordable houses from €250,000. Whereas it cost us €335,000 for an 18-slot bike shed. – Yours, etc,
MARK KELLY,
Dundrum 14.
Sir, – I’m looking forward to viewing one of the world’s most expensive bike shelters, should the Open House project oblige the public in October. – Yours, etc,
PHIL CUDDY,
Dublin 15.
Sir, – What will the OPW’s budget be for the 19th bicycle space? – Yours, etc,
GERALDINE HOGUE,
Bayside,
Dublin 13.
Sir, – Congratulations to the lucky 18 people at Leinster House, who have secured the use of a new bicycle shed at a cost in excess €335,000. Here’s hoping the occupants of mica-affected houses will be granted similar “well-designed structures with an appropriate use of high-quality materials and finish”. – Yours, etc,
ANGELA FERRITER,
Laghey,
Co Donegal.
Sir, – A bike shed in Leinster House cost €335,000 to construct. A security guard could instead have been employed instead to watch the bikes for the next decade. Except Leinster House already has security at all access points.
Meanwhile, myself and fellow active travellers have for a decade now requested the disintegrated bike lanes that run in- and outbound from RTÉ to Donnybrook church be repaired and maintained. This has never happened; yet RTÉ is to receive a €725 million bailout on the back of its governance failings.
The common denominator is that the above waste is funded by us, the taxpayers, who see nothing in return. – Yours, etc,
STEPHEN McGOVERN,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Can a Government spokesperson explain why the taxpayer has been saddled with such an expensive bike shed? – Yours, etc,
PAUL MURPHY,
Dublin 9.
Sir, – The bicycle shed at Leinster House should be dismantled and re-erected as an art installation at the nearby National Gallery. Titled “Bike Shed”, the accompanying description should simply state: “Bike Shed, Leinster House, 2024, cost €336,000; Average House Price, €335,000″. – Yours, etc,
JOHN FINN,
Carrigtwohill,
Co Cork.
Sir, – For some reason I have been recently contemplating when a shed is actually a shed.
Can a structure with one wall really be considered to be a shed? – Yours, etc,
JASON MURRAY,
Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.