THE popular Belfast Bikes schemes will be extended to the Waterworks/Antrim Road area of North Belfast later this month, Belfast City Council has confirmed.
A docking station was first proposed two years ago by Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister, who was then a North Belfast councillor.
The installation in North Belfast is one a number to be completed in the coming weeks across the city, including at Olympia Leisure Centre in South Belfast and the Kennedy Centre in West Belfast.
Alliance Castle Councillor Sam Nelson welcomed the imminent installation at the Waterworks/Antrim Road.
"I am glad to see the docking station at the Waterworks finally happening," he said.
"My predecessor Nuala McAllister proposed this at Council two years ago, and whilst it's a shame tit has taken so long I think it should be welcomed now.
"I will be continuing to work on creating more cycling infrastructure in North Belfast, we need to be serious if we want to see more people out of cars and using active travel and one way to promote that is through safe segregating cycle lanes.
"I've been in touch with the Department for Infrastructure to be updated on plans for the new cycle lane and how this will be connecting to communities and to the city centre.
"We need long term actions for North Belfast and I am committed to pushing this to happen."
Councillor Ryan Murphy, Chair of Belfast City Council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee, said: “The installation of new docking stations at locations in the city this month is great news for our residents, visitors and businesses, actively promoting cycling as a safe, healthy and environmentally sustainable form of transport.
“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.”
Mark Hoskin, Chief Commercial Officer of Belfast Bikes operator NSL, said: “In partnership with Belfast City Council, we are pleased to be helping to encourage people to use a more sustainable, healthier and greener mode of transport that delivers cleaner air across the city. We are looking forward to many more years of Belfast Bikes and its continued success.”
