Dublin City Council has recruited three social media influencers to try to persuade teenage girls that cycling can be cool and fun.
Amber Arkins, Kasey Campion, and Éadaoin Fitzmaurice are all based in Dublin and across TikTok and Instagram have over a million followers between them.
They have been posting paid content showing themselves cycling around Dublin and talking about how much they enjoy it.
The social media campaign has cost €30,000, which the National Transport Authority paid because the two councils have cooperated on the project.
Teenage girls are the most reluctant cyclists in Ireland. The 2022 Census found that more girls in the 13 to 18 age group were driving themselves to school or college than cycling there.
Teenage boys are much more likely to get on the bike.
Walking and Cycling Officer for Fingal County Council Emma Court said the gender split is stark.
"Data shows that one in every 250 girls cycles to school, while the number for boys is about one in 25 boys that cycle," she said.
The Cycling and Walking Officer for Dublin City Council Lucy Hayes said there are many reasons for this.
"Teenage girls are looking to be social and spend time with their friends, and so if their friends don't cycle, they tend not to cycle themselves," she said.
"But also, I think it's important that the infrastructure is right for them too, and that they feel safe, and it can be to do with clothes and image as well."
RTÉ News met Ms Hayes and Ms Court at Fairview Park with some teenagers they have been working with and the girls expanded on those themes.
Evie Kenny said image is a big factor.
"There's the whole thing about helmet hair and thinking you're going to come up to school looking a little bit rough," she said.
"And I think that's just something we all need to get over and realise that girls can cycle too and we can look good doing it."
Lily Fitzgerald from Rush has done her own research.
"A lot of them just feel embarrassed," she said.
"They feel socially pressured. They don't like the feel of the sweat afterwards.
"And also, a lot of schools enforce a skirt-type of dress code, and it's quite hard to cycle in a skirt."
Safety can also be a problem with Sofia Corpu saying some areas need better infrastructure.
"It's kind of hard to weave your way around the cars, especially in town when it's really busy, but in the outskirts of town, like around here, where there's a new cycle path and stuff like that it's really it's handy to cycle," she said.
"I think for people who are coming from afar and going into town it's not as handy to cycle; they tend to take public transport."
Anna Sijo, like many teenagers, used to cycle more when she was younger.
"I kind of got out of it because I used to do cycling as a free time kind of thing," she said.
"But then I had less time for free time, so I just completely stopped cycling in general."
Cerys Haines says girls often do not want to stand out from the crowd.
"I think it's to do with the lack of role models of teenage girls cycling as well, there's not many girls who do," she said.
Lily said she believes the Dublin influencers' campaign is a "really good step forward".
"I don't know if it's going to be the final step, but it's a step forward," she said.
Sofia agrees. "I think it's really good." she said.
"I think it's a good way to normalise cycling, get rid of the stigma around it because it is something that we should do.
"It's environmentally friendly, and it's a handy way to get around. It's good cost-wise."
