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Glider Breaks Belfast's Car Habit

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Glider Breaks Belfast's Car Habit public transport Glider breaks Belfast’s car habit Popularity of a new bus rapid transit scheme is helping to turn the tide on private car use in Belfast, with a second phase of the project now in planning. ravel behaviours in Belfast look to be shifting away from the Tprivate car in favour of public transport, as demonstrated by the success of a bus rapid transit (BRT) system introduced to the city seven months ago. The Northern Ireland capital’s new ‘Glider’ system spans the city on Glider services run along a 22km route across Belfast via the city centre TRANSLINK a 22km east-west corridor with an additional spur running north from Since its introduction in September, Lindsay Rainey from the project the centre to the Titanic Quarter – a the Glider has far exceeded team played a key role in stakeholder key employment site. expectations for patronage. In the engagement and is particularly proud The service operates much like first six months of operation journey of work that the Department did a light rail system with off board numbers are already hitting levels with the Inclusive Mobility Transport ticketing, large halts similar to those that the business case projected for Advisory Committee to make the used for the Luas in Dublin and 18m 2031. This amounts to an additional system accessible. long vehicles resembling trams. 40,000 passenger journeys a week “Small changes can make a huge But rather than installing rails in the “There was a compared to bus patronage along the difference for people with visual road Northern Ireland’s Department need to make route in 2017. The system is also helping impairment or wheelchairs,” says for Infrastructure opted for a less a step change to reduce emissions and increase Lindsay. “There has been a huge expensive BRT scheme – coming in at and bring about community integration. increase in people with disabilities £95M. This included installing new bus modal shift.” “I’m gobsmacked at how quickly using the service because it is Ciarán de Búrca lanes to allow the system to bypass we have reached our 2031 target,” says accessible.” peak time traffic congestion, which is Ciarán. “I thought it would be a slow In addition to road resurfacing the significant in the city, and resurfacing burn and people would gradually get project involved a package of upgraded the entire route. used to it, but they have come to it in footpaths, improved drainage, new “Private car use in Northern Ireland droves.” He adds: “A big problem now is public lighting and traffic signals is really high,” says the Department’s providing vehicles to meet demand.” and landscaping and environmental director for transport projects and Ciarán says the success of Belfast’s improvements. business services Ciarán de Búrca. He BRT system has been in part down New feeder bus services have been explains that during the Troubles a to extensive consultation and introduced for the Glider with a lot of people moved out of Belfast but engagement. “We spent a lot of money major park and ride site installed at continued to drive in for work. “The on communications and I think the Dundonald in the east and a transport difficulty then is that you have low project caught people’s imagination.” hub at Colin town centre in the west. density, which is the enemy of public transport. “There was a need to make a step Second phase in the pipeline change and bring about modal shift,” he emphasises, which required a public Calls are increasing in volume to bring the Glider But, says Ciarán: “There is an issue with decision transport service providing – most network to north and south Belfast with an extension making due to us not currently having a Minister.” crucially – journey time reliability. to Queen’s University and City Hospital, explains Northern Ireland has been without a Government Ciarán adds: “We are not anti-car, Ciarán de Búrca. since January 2017 when a power sharing this was about making the best use of Plans for this second phase are included in the arrangement collapsed. our road space. Some people objected proposed Belfast Region City Deal and a strategic A particularly challenging decision requiring a to us putting in the bus lanes but a full outline business case with preliminary design Minister will need to be taken on the route through glider vehicle carries the equivalent of options has been developed for a north-south route, north Belfast, where divisions between unionist and half a kilometre of queuing cars.” likely to cost £110M. nationalist communities remain sensitive. 18 transportation professional.
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