I’d love to get Shane Ross out on a bike so he can experience what it’s like to cycle at rush hour

OSSIAN SMYTH’s up-to-now secret past as a petrol-guzzling biker is somewhat surprising for a Green Party housing spokesman. He also made a killing on Bitcoin and pioneered cryptocurrency political donations. Public transport use and cycling in Dublin has reached a record level. So cycling is sorted, then? Most bike lanes are rubbish. A line of paint down the side of the road or a shared bus lane is not safe enough. The test is whether you would feel safe letting your eight-year-old daughter use the cycle lane. Lots of fit adults are cycling, but the roads are still too scary for everyone else. We need safe, segregated cycle lanes before parents will let their children cycle or walk to school. Yet you want Shane Ross to cycle through Dublin on a bike in rush hour. Is this an attempt to get rid of the minister? We’ll pick a quiet time at first – we don’t want to kill him! You can only manage something that you have experienced it first-hand, so it would be great if he joined us for a spin. Maybe if cyclists started obeying the rules of the road, motorists would respect them more. Between jaywalking, driving while texting and cycling through red lights, there is a bad culture here of breaking road laws in general. The number of car commuters is still high at 61,694. So should we have a car tax like London? London’s public transport is far more advanced than Dublin, so I don’t think we’re ready for congestion charging before we get underground lines. What more should be done for bus transport? Buses take too long to load and unload and stop too often. Ticketing should be like the Luas, with no need for each passenger to deal with the driver. Why should consumers bother with all this ‘going green’ business? It’s hard enough to make ends meet without buying costly, ‘environmentally friendly’ products. Going green actually saves you money. Less bin charges when you recycle. Less fuel costs when you cycle. Less heating costs when you insulate your home. You’ve campaigned on affordable housing? Is there any such thing? Housing is unafforable because the Government left development to the market to sort out and land is being hoarded. The State needs to start building right away on its own land, just as it did in the past. What would be your top three green personal finance tips? n The best investment is education. nA small home near to friends beats a large one where you have to drive everywhere. n Join a car club. Your worst environmental sin? Ever swanned around in a gas-guzzling Jag, mowing down cyclists? Eh, no. But when I was single in my 20s, I bought a Ducati motorcycle, which made a lot of noise and smoke. Eventually it was stolen. What car do you drive? I’m in two car clubs so I can rent a car by the hour whenever I need one. A car club leaves cars around the city that members can book by the hour from a smartphone. There are two Irish clubs: Yuko and GoCar. Cars cost €8 an hour. I don’t have to shell out for insurance, tax, or servicing. Even the parking is free. I save money as I only use it when I need it. Your own biggest financial mistake? Not buying a house when they were cheap. And your best decision? I funded my election campaign in 2014 with bitcoin donations. Anything I collected at that time is worth over ten times more today. Nice! Now what was your most expensive fun purchase? I bought an electric bike for my wife which I seem to borrow a lot.

Finally, name three things you’d do if Government Minister tomorrow?

Bring in a refundable deposit scheme for plastic bottles to reduce litter.

End the school run by making it safe for every child to walk or cycle to school.

Insulate the homes of the poor and elderly to keep them warm in winter.