The arrival of Belfast Bikes to the Waterworks Park in North Belfast has been hailed as a great opportunity to promote cycling infrastructure and the local area.
Last week, it was announced the scheme would be arriving in the park at the end of this month, with Belfast City Council confirming the dock should be operational from the beginning of September.
It's understood the docking station at the Waterworks will be located at the park's Antrim Road entrance near Queen Mary's Garden. A new covered bike stand has also been added into the area, as part of a series of stands being installed across the city to enable more cycling.
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Green Party leader and local councillor, Mal O'Hara, said the extension of Belfast Bikes to the park is great news for the promotion of active travel in the area. However, he said it needs to be part of a wider move to extend cycling infrastructure into the area.
He told Belfast Live: "Belfast Bikes have had record numbers of people using them in recent years. More and more people are getting on their bikes now.
"If we put proper cycling infrastrucure in, more people will use it. If we put in bike stations, more people will use the Belfast Bikes scheme, so it's a win win. But we need the Department for Infrastructure to act.
"They need to bring cycling infrastructure into North Belfast as soon as possible. At the moment, it's 2025 before we can get any further cycling infrastructure in North Belfast beyond the proposed Cavehill/Limestone Road cycle lane.
"If you look at the constituency of North Belfast as a whole, almost half of households don't have access to a car or a van, so they need good public transport, good cycling infrastructure, and good walkability. Belfast Bikes being here means more people can use them, then we need the Department to act to allow people to use segregated cycling infrastructure.
"North and West Belfast are particularly disserved. We don't have the same level of infrastructure as South and East - I think that's part of the challenge."
Cllr O'Hara added that the government should be more ambitious with their plans for designing cities with active travel in mind.
He said: "During the pandemic, urban areas across the world really took the opportunity to totally transform. Our Executive completely missed that window.
"We put in less than 3km of pop-up cycling infrastructure; we didn't connect them, and we didn't rapidly transform our city. If we look at other cities and what they've done, we should have matched that ambition and totally transformed Belfast, particularly as so many people across the city rely on cycling and public transport."
The introduction of Belfast Bikes in the area is welcome news for local businesses, too. Coffee Essence, located right across the street from the Waterworks on the Cavehill Road, said they're hoping it will bring more people into the area.
Owner Alan Armenta Montes said they have seen more people cycling in the area recently, but it would be great to see this number increase further. He said it provides a great opportunity for tourists too.
"In the two years our cafe has been open, I've seen a lot of visitors coming to Belfast and stopping by here. They love being able to go further into local areas, they want to see a little bit more outside of the main landmarks," he added.
"They're stopping by here and having a coffee, and I'm able to tell them a little bit more about the area. I think Belfast Bikes here would be a great opportunity to offer this part of the city as a choice for people to visit."
Coffee Essence is part of Sustran's Pedal Perks scheme, a loyalty scheme that aims to encourage more people to cycle to local shops and cafes around Belfast.
Alan added: "We're seeing a lot more people around here cycling, it's amazing. We're part of the Pedal Perks scheme, so if people are on that they can come here and get discount, or we can give them a puncture kit for their bike if they need it."
Councillor Ryan Murphy, Chair of Belfast City Council’s City Growth & Regeneration Committee, said the installation of Belfast Bike docking stations is "great news for residents, visitors and businesses.
He added: "Since its introduction, the Belfast Bikes scheme has not only grown in size but also in popularity with rentals and users consistently increasing.
"It is so encouraging to see more people choosing a bike as their method of transport which clearly signifies that Belfast Bikes is an integral part of city life and in turn helps to create a better connected, low carbon, climate resilient city. I am really looking forward to Belfast Bikes continuing to achieve more success in the years to come."
Funding has been provided for the scheme through the DfI Sustainable and Active Travel elements of the DfC Covid-19 Revitalisation Programme Fund.
Belfast Bikes is sponsored by Just Eat with the sponsorship deal playing an important role in further developing the success of the scheme, ensuring it is affordable for users and the ongoing promotion of cycling across the city.
The Just Eat Belfast Bikes scheme has continued to grow in popularity since its inception in 2015 and currently boasts over 400 bikes with 49 docking stations.
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