New bike share schemes

buffalo

http://cyclingindublin.com/2013/09/20/irish-regional-city-bike-share-to-carry-coca-cola-brand/

Is this serious? I find it unsettling that a brand so associated with sugary drinks and obesity is sponsoring a bike share scheme. I also hope they'll be known as Galway bikes, like Dublin bikes, rather than Coke Bikes.

OTOH, yay, more bike schemes!

D3PO

since your so appalled I assume you refuse to watch cycling on TV when on the off chance you see the pro riders grab a can of coke from the side of the road aswell ?

jimmycrackcorm

Coke Zero is not sugary. Don't see what the issue is.

ThisRegard

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Coke Zero is not sugary. Don't see what the issue is.

It tastes like shoite ?

Squidgy Black

buffalo wrote: »

http://cyclingindublin.com/2013/09/20/irish-regional-city-bike-share-to-carry-coca-cola-brand/

Is this serious? I find it unsettling that a brand so associated with sugary drinks and obesity is sponsoring a bike share scheme. I also hope they'll be known as Galway bikes, like Dublin bikes, rather than Coke Bikes.

OTOH, yay, more bike schemes!

Unfortunately, money is money to the government these days, long gone are the days of morals and common sense.

07Lapierre

Coke zero is like non-alcoholic beer...whats the point?

Idleater

buffalo wrote: »

http://cyclingindublin.com/2013/09/20/irish-regional-city-bike-share-to-carry-coca-cola-brand/

Is this serious? I find it unsettling that a brand so associated with sugary drinks and obesity is sponsoring a bike share scheme. I also hope they'll be known as Galway bikes, like Dublin bikes, rather than Coke Bikes.

OTOH, yay, more bike schemes!

As opposed to being sponsored by jcdecaux who can advertise insert flavoured sugary soft drink brand on bill boards throughout the city?

ThisRegard

07Lapierre wrote: »

Coke zero is like non-alcoholic beer...whats the point?

Erdinger promote their non alcoholic beer as an isotonic and post sports drink these days on the label and in publicity.

buffalo

D3PO wrote: »

since your so appalled I assume you refuse to watch cycling on TV when on the off chance you see the pro riders grab a can of coke from the side of the road aswell ?

I said unsettled, not appalled. I'm not ringing Joe Duffy here. And sponsorship of far-reaching bike schemes is a lot different than glimpses of a few riders drinking from cans in the middle of a 200km+ bike race. Let's tone it down a bit.

Idleater wrote: »

As opposed to being sponsored by jcdecaux who can advertise insert flavoured sugary soft drink brand on bill boards throughout the city?

True, but there's plenty of advertisement billboards out there already, they're easy to ignore. I fear the insidious introduction of "coke bike" into our everyday vocabulary.

07Lapierre

ThisRegard wrote: »

Erdinger promote their non alcoholic beer as an isotonic and post sports drink these days on the label and in publicity.

Non-Alcoholic Erdinger? I wouldn't touch the stuff myself! I use the Full Alcoholic Erdinger as a recovery drink...great stuff!

John_C

Will I be able to use by Dublin Bikes card on these or will I have to sign up separately?

Doctor Bob

Anyone unsure of the cynical, insidious nature of such sponsorship would do well to watch The Men Who Made Us Fat.

On the plus side, I'll eat my hat if the bikes ever get called 'Coke Zero bikes' by users. Far more likely that people will grab a CB/LB/GB into town.

Now we will have one of the world’s best marketing companies, not only investing financially in the scheme but also actively engaged in cycling promotion and provision in Ireland.

This is horse****. Coca-Cola is actively engaged in promoting Coca-Cola, and this deal plays into their hands by reinforcing the (fictitious and expensively manufactured) link between soft drinks and healthy lifestyles.

It is a major achievement, we had to think of an innovative way to make such a scheme attractive to a company such as Coca-Cola and I’m glad we did.

Any idea what this 'innovative way' was? Minister Kelly doesn't say... Perhaps the rumoured levy on soft drinks has been put on the even longer finger?

Efforts were made to introduce a “sugar tax” on soft drinks before the 2012 budget. However, these were thwarted when the soft drinks industry claimed the sector was being unfairly targeted.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/10-tax-on-junk-food-to-tackle-obesity-231653.html

But hey- free bikes! Amirite? :rolleyes:

the world wonders

or maybe coca-cola executives aren't cartoon supervillains and this is actually a positive thing for them to do despite their unhealthy products?

bambergbike

So can I take a Corkbike out in Cork and return it as an uncorked Cokebike in Limerick or Galway?

greenmat

enas

I do hate too the idea of calling them "Coke Zero Bikes". But I'm sure people will be imaginative and find a popular name. After all, in London they call them Boris Bikes, which is much funnier than "Barclays Cycle Hire" bikes. I'm out of inspiration for a similar idea... Any suggestion?

Yay more bikes. Hope it is integrated into the one card for Ireland though.

Dermot Illogical

Fizzy bikes.
What's not to like?