A Belfast lad has urged transport bosses to “push forward” on cycle lanes as his bike ride to school “can be extremely scary”.
Finn Bryan, 14, provided a youth perspective on car dependency at a Queen’s University led citizens’ jury at the weekend.
Twenty drivers from across the metropolitan area gathered at the MAC to come up with ideas to break our car habit in the “deliberative forum” supported by Belfast Healthy Cities and Involve.
Read more: The Earth's Corr: We need a citizens' assembly on what DfI is doing in Belfast
Belfast is the most car-dependant city in the UK and its third most congested, with 68% of journeys made by one person in a car.
Finn told us: “I have to deal with a lot of car dependency and a lot of the problems but it’s very difficult to challenge them as a youth.
“People say it affects your health, physically and mentally, how we get to school and our environment.
“I cycle to school and it can be extremely scary,” added the North Belfast boy. “I have to cycle on the path because there just isn’t the infrastructure in place so I can cycle safely but it’s also dangerous for pedestrians if I am on the path.
“The Department for Infrastructure needs to put in place adequate cycle lanes so we can all get to school and cycle safely.
“On the Limestone/Cavehill Road they promised they were going to put one in place. There’s some squabbles about [how] some people don’t want it. They just need to push forward, they need to just do it.
“A lot of people want them to and if they would put it in place you would see the amount of people [who] would use it.”
Finn’s mum, Meghan Hoyt, said “it’s very hard to let your kids go out and be confident it’s going to be safe”.
“There’s all sorts of little tiny things that prevent you from getting on your bike as a young person or as a family or someone with children. It would be great to see safer cycle routes connect the places people want to go - schools, shops, from your home.
“Greenways are lovely but it doesn’t actually help people get to where they want to go sometimes. I would not argue against greenways but that is not the only reason people are on their bikes.
“[Cycling] should be a vehicle replacement and for that we need real infrastructure.”
DfI first consulted on a cycle lane down Cavehill and Limestone roads in 2017. Former Minister, Nichola Mallon, approved its construction as an experimental scheme in February 2021 as part of the drive to increase walking, wheeling and cycling across the city.
We understand locals were consulted again in 2022 but five years on from the first consultation the lane has not been delivered. That’s despite being a key route to North Belfast with Limestone Road and also connecting to an orbital route around the city called ‘the middle ring’ in the 10-year Belfast Cycling Network plan published last June.
DfI has been contacted for comment.
The full QUB report on the citizens’ jury on Car Dependency in Belfast is due in November.
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