Bike Life Belfast 2017 3 Who Is Cycling?
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2017 Belfast There are substantial benefits Introducing to Belfast from people cycling 6.7 million trips made by bike in Belfast Bike Life in the past year Saving the NHS £392,000 annually, Sustrans, the charity making it easier equivalent to the average salary of 17 nurses to walk and cycle, is collaborating with seven cities in the UK – Belfast, Bicycles take up to 6,939 cars off Belfast’s Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, roads each day, equal to a 21-mile tailback Greater Manchester and Newcastle – Moving people to report on progress towards making £16 million total annual benefit to Belfast from Our vision for cycling in Belfast cycling an attractive and everyday people riding bikes for transport and leisure means of travel. Over the past few Greenway, a 9km linear park in east There is huge potential for years cycling has Belfast. However, there are still gaps in our more people to ride bikes... been enjoying infrastructure which must be addressed Edinburgh a resurgence in for a bicycle friendly city to grow. The 5% of Belfast residents usually cycle to and Newcastle Belfast. Greater recent public consultation on the ‘Belfast from work numbers of people Bicycle Network’ outlines the potential for Belfast travelling around the around 130km of convenient, comfortable, Greater Manchester 29% of people live within 125m of a cycle route city have discovered, continuous and coherent bicycle routes to Birmingham 54% would like to start riding a bike, or could or rediscovered, the bring good quality cycle facilities within the Cardiff Bristol ride their bike more benefits of using the reach of most people in the city. bicycle to get about This second publication of ‘Belfast Bike Life’, ! 30% think cycling safety in Belfast is good – easily, quickly and gives us a better understanding of the state healthily. Walking or cycling through the city Bike Life is inspired by the Copenhagen of cycling in our capital city. It sets out what centre at any time of day demonstrates that Bicycle Account, and is an assessment we have improved. It identifies what matters many people want to travel more actively. of city cycling development including to people who would like to cycle but have Belfast has wonderful potential for cycling – infrastructure, travel behaviour, ...and public support to make concerns about safety. Also it highlights the compact, friendly and reasonably flat (mostly) satisfaction, the impact of cycling, that happen things we need to focus on so that we can – but we can make it better. And we will! and new initiatives. encourage and help them to use the bicycle. Residents in Belfast think investing in more street The Programme for Government commits to This is the second report from Belfast space for cycling, walking and public transport is the Infrastructure is very important but it is only increasing the number of people travelling by following on from the original report best way to keep the city moving, improve people’s part of what is needed to transform the cycling sustainable modes – active travel and public published in 2015. The information in health, and reduce air pollution. culture of Belfast. We also need to support transport. The Department for Infrastructure is this report comes from local cycling people to make the change to sustainable 71% of residents say Belfast would be a better committed to encouraging more people to walk data, modelling and a representative and healthy ways of moving around our city. place to live and work if more people cycled and cycle for those many short journeys that survey of over 1,100 residents in This ‘Bike Life’ report has gathered some we all make every day – and to providing the Belfast conducted by ICM*. key data that will help guide the ongoing 74% of people would like to see more infrastructure that will give them the freedom development and operation of bicycle More details on all seven Bike money spent on cycling and confidence to do so. infrastructure and associated engagement Life city reports can be found at 65% of people would find protected roadside Since the first ‘Belfast Bike Life’, a number programmes over the coming years. www.sustrans.org.uk/bikelife. cycle lanes very useful to help them cycle more of flagship bicycle infrastructure schemes Our thanks to the people of Belfast have been built. These include city centre Peter May who took part in the survey and who 81% of residents support building more segregated routes like Alfred Street and the Permanent Secretary told us their stories in this report. protected roadside cycle lanes, even when completion of the Connswater Community Department for Infrastructure this could mean less space for other road traffic * Survey conducted May-July 2017. 2 Bike Life Belfast 2017 3 Who is cycling? In Belfast, women and over 65s are under-represented when it comes to riding a bike. Age Gender Ethnicity Making 16-24: 22% 25-34: 25% Male: 70% progress White: 97% Provision and levels 35-44: 23% of cycling in Belfast 45-54: 16% Female: 30% 55-64: 9% Black and 34% in 2015 Minority Bike ownership in Belfast 65+: 5% Ethnic: 3% 5% in 2015 Belfast Bike Belfast Bike Belfast Bike 4% in 2015 residents riders** residents riders** residents riders** A bike gives people more choice for getting around, helping Car and adult bike For age and gender, the division of Belfast residents uses 2016 estimates. For ethnicity, it uses the 2011 census. them to reach jobs and services, and to see family and friends ownership by households more often. Bike only: 2% 45% in In Belfast, 46% of households have access to at least one bike. How often are people riding a bike? 2015 Almost three quarters (74%) of households with children have at least one child’s bike. 5-6 days a Once a week: 1% fortnight: 2% Less often: 10% Never - 69% Car and bike: 44% Over half of households with a car also own a bike. People use different modes for different journeys. Adult bike ownership by 2-4 days a Once a month: Car only: 41% households 1 bike: 19% 3 bikes: 6% week: 6% 5% 46% of Belfast households have access to a bike yet only Daily: 3% Once a week: 4% 14% in 5% in Neither: 13% 14% 2015 4% 2015 No bikes: 54% 2 bikes: 16% 4+ bikes: 6% of residents cycle at of residents cycle at Car and bicycle ownership refers to the percentages of all people living in households that own cars/bikes. least once a week least 5 times a week Note that census data is normally reported as the percentage of households with given numbers of cars. What’s available and who’s aware? Where are people cycling? from 102 Number of trips in the past year miles in 37% in from 719 2015 2015 in 2015 110 miles 38% 769 Leisure: of84% Belfast residents’ of cycle routes including of people are familiar public bike parking spaces 1,086,000 cycle trips are for work with the traffic-free in the city centre, equivalent from 50 or education or shopping miles in routes in Belfast to 64 bike riders per space Shopping and other purposeful trips 2015 & other 53 miles Work: 3,189,000 of routes physically purposeful trips: from 27% 1,770,000 5% in separated from vehicles 29% in 2015 56 2015 Includes protected bike lanes, shared of people live 5% footways and paths away from roads. railway station parking of Belfast within 125 metres spaces for bikes, School / College or residents of a cycle route equivalent to one parking University: 667,000 usually cycle space for every 274 to and from passengers per day work KEY Actual change: Statistically significant increase: No statistically significant change: Statistically significant decrease: ** Ridden a bike in the past four weeks when the survey was conducted in May – July 2017. 4 from xx in 2015 from xx in 2015 xx in 2015 from xx in 2015 Bike Life Belfast 2017 5 Creating dedicated cycling space in Belfast city centre Three new and improved bicycle routes were Developing opened in the centre of Belfast during 2016, including the new flagship segregated route Bike Life on Alfred Street. What’s happened in This high quality cycleway sets new standards in Northern Ireland, Belfast since 2015 learning from best practice abroad. It saw the removal of 19 on-street parking Since the publication of the first Bike Life report in 2015, the bays to create the space and the lane is continuously protected by bollards to help Department for Infrastructure, Belfast City Council, Sustrans cyclists gain confidence to cycle in the city. and other organisations have been delivering a widespread Two other city centre routes were completed, programme of activities to enable more people to get on along Durham Street/College Square North their bikes in Belfast. and Queen Street. These link existing cycle Connswater Community tracks from the south west of the city to Greenway the city centre and further plans are being The government’s Bicycle strategy follows a three pillar approach of Build, developed. Support and Promote. This includes the delivery of new urban cycling After a 10-year journey, the Connswater infrastructure either using greenways or on-road bicycle routes physically Community Greenway opened its final separated from motor vehicles and pedestrians. These are complemented section in spring 2017, creating a continuous by programmes designed to work with local communities and businesses to 9km linear park in east Belfast. encourage cycling and walking across the city. Since the 2015 Bike Life report, Belfast retailers are cashing in on the city’s growing bike culture by signing up £22.2m has been invested in to a new cyclist loyalty scheme to offer discounts and rewards to customers programmes to help cycling in arriving on two wheels.