THE popular Belfast Bikes scheme has enjoyed its biggest month to date, with more rentals in March than any other month in its six-year history.

In March 2021 there were 28,903 rentals. The previous record was in June 2017, which had 21,902 rentals.

There are 47 Just Eat Belfast Bike docking station locations throughout Belfast. 450 new ‘SMARTbike 2.0’ bikes with integrated GPS and QR code smart locking were recently brought in to replace the previous model.

South Belfast SDLP Botanic councillor Gary McKeown welcomed the new figures.

“As people start to get out and about more, news that March was the most successful month ever for the Belfast Bikes scheme is fantastic, and shows that people really want to build back better and use more sustainable forms of transport. This should act as a catalyst to encourage even more cycling," he said.

“I have noticed a lot more people out on the Belfast Bikes recently around the city, and this is borne out in the latest figures – there were nearly 29,000 rentals in March, a full 7,000 more than the biggest month previously. This is brilliant to see, and shows people getting active outdoors and exploring their local area, which is good for both physical and mental health after such a tough year.

“Belfast Bikes provides an excellent network of rental bike docking stations across the city, enabling people to easily access bikes for commuting or pleasure at a reasonable price. The bikes can be picked up and dropped off at any station.

“I would encourage anyone who hasn’t tried Belfast Bikes to give it a go – you can try it out with a pay-as-you-go option, and then decide if you want to take out a year-long membership.

 “This big interest in cycling around the city is being supported by Infrastructure Minister's Nichola Mallon’s commitment to enhancing cycle routes, such as through the pop-up cycle lanes around the city centre, commitment to developing new cycle and pedestrian routes in locations such as Belvoir Park Forest, and plans for the new pedestrian and cycle bridge connecting the Gasworks and Ormeau Park moving forward.”