Not by chance have West and North Belfast been left behind when it comes to the cycling revolution transforming the city.
South Belfast has reaped the benefits of being home to a pedal-friendly populace which was assertive in demanding safe bicycle lanes and able to create a critical mass of cyclists which couldn't be sidelined.
In East Belfast, meanwhile, a pioneering band of community leaders who were also bike-lovers pioneered a network of greenways which are the envy of many European cities. Up to £25m from the National Lottery and almost that amount again from government have made the Comber and Connswater greenways veritable cycling highways. 15 years ago, this paper broke ranks with Belfast City Council to back that application for Lottery funding and helped demonstrate the cross-community support needed to enable grant monies to flow. Today, when those greenways are open to all, we've every right to feel vindicated in our decision.
Just before Stormont broke for the May 2022 elections, MLAs did pass a Climate Bill which binds the Department for Infrastructure to spend at least 10 per cent of the transport budget on active travel. It's fair to say that instruction is honoured more in the breach than in the observance.
North Belfast, challenged by steep hills and shamefully low bike usage remains the poor cousin of the city's cycling resurgence. Once again, the area which suffered most during the years of warfare is last to enjoy the fruits of peace. Welcome recent efforts to improve cycling infrastructure in the north of the city are welcome but must not come at a cost to the livelihood of small retailers who are understandably concerned at losing business when cycle lanes are built.
Which brings us to West Belfast. Previously well off the pace, the area has made significant headway in creating a cycling network which might some day be the equal of East Belfast. The visionary $5.1m Forth Meadow Community Greenway, linking north to west via the Springfield Dam and Bog Meadow is a shot in the arm for the local bike scene. But it's the ambitious proposal for a greenway linking Colin to the city centre which is the greatest harbinger of a brighter, bike-led future. Kudos to the recently-established West Belfast cycling group, aptly named The Wheely Inclusive Cycling Project, which has done much to encourage local political leaders to move this proposal into the fast lane.
However, at present, part of this network is to run along a part of the Bog Meadow which is a sanctuary for wildlife — including the tiny sedge warbler which flies almost 3,000 miles from Senegal in Africa to enjoy West Belfast hospitality each spring — and the beloved kingfisher. The Bog Meadow is a treasure of Belfast and we are heartened to hear that all those involved in this new greenway realise the necessity to protect this environmental jewel as this cycle plan progresses.
As with most things, the lack of a functioning government — DUP take a bow — is putting a brake on active travel progress. The Belfast Cycling Network Delivery Plan was published last year but the Department for Infrastructure team tasked with its implementation is understaffed and underfunded. Just before Stormont broke for the May 2022 elections, MLAs did pass a Climate Bill which binds the Department for Infrastructure to spend at least 10 per cent of the transport budget on active travel. It's fair to say that instruction is honoured more in the breach than in the observance.
In the meantime, it's up to motorists to share the roads of west and north Belfast with cyclists who are doing more to save the planet, stay healthy and build a liveable community than most. For years, we believed a prosperous society was one in which the car was king. Over time, we have come to the realisation that some of the traditions ditched in the name of modernity, including cycling, are in fact exactly the societal behaviours which will propel us into the future - albeit on two wheels.
