Active travel

Active travel across Belfast

One of the aims in our Bolder Vision strategy for Belfast is prioritising walking, cycling and public transport. This will improve wellbeing, create more space for people and make it easier to move between the city centre and surrounding communities. We have several active travel projects underway to achieve these goals: 

• Cathedral Gardens Active Travel Hub
• The Bike Yard
• Covered cycle stands

The Cathedral Gardens Active Travel Hub

We opened an Active Travel Hub, in partnership with social enterprise Big Loop Bikes (link opens in new window) and Sustrans (link opens in new window).

The Hub is housed in two refurbished shipping containers at Cathedral Gardens, beside the new Ulster University campus. Open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 4pm, the Active Travel Hub offers:

• cost-effective bike repairs, bike purchase and leasing schemes from Big Loop Bikes.
• a programme of activities, training and events delivered by Sustrans, including led walks and rides, on-road cycle training, journey planning support and active travel promotion to encourage and support more people to walk and cycle.

For more information, contact:

• Sustrans by emailing natalie.smyth@sustrans.org.uk or calling 07922 856 838
• Big Loop by calling 07716 642 264 or 07716 642 265, or emailing bigloopbikes@theturnaroundproject.org

This is a two-year pilot project to encourage more people to walk and cycle more often. The project is supported by the Department for Infrastructure, the Department for Communities, Ulster University and the Public Health Agency.

We want to encourage people to travel actively and sustainably in Belfast. We also want to make a positive contribution towards health and well-being and protecting our environment.

Active travel hub events

Check out forthcoming events at the Cathedral Gardens Active Travel Hub

The Bike Yard

We also opened The Bike Yard, a free, secure public cycle parking facility in partnership with CastleCourt Shopping Centre (link opens in new window), funded by the Department for Infrastructure (link opens in new window).

You can access The Bike Yard by the pedestrian access to CastleCourt car park from Gresham Street and Berry Street. There is step-free access from Berry Street.

This table shows The Bike Yard's opening hours.

The facility can house 24 bikes and offers all-day on-site security.

Located within reach of City Hall, the new Ulster University campus, and the site of Belfast Stories, set to become a world-class visitor destination, it’s in the heart of the city centre and accessible to all.

Secure cycle storage in Belfast - Expression of Interest

Our Bolder Vision for Belfast provides an ambitious blueprint, illustrating how a green, walkable, cyclable network of streets and places will improve health for all, revitalise the city’s economy and restore a sense of collective pride in the city centre.

We’re now exploring the market interest in expanding the provision of secure cycle parking sites throughout the city to help promote active, environmentally responsible travel.

The development of a network of secure cycle parking locations is supported by the Department for Infrastructure, which recognises the importance of walking and cycling provision within the city, as outlined in the recent publication: ‘Making Belfast an Active City – Belfast Cycling Network 2021’

We have secured capital funding through the Department for Infrastructure’s Blue Green Infrastructure Fund and are now inviting applications from operators to deliver and maintain safe and secure cycle parking provision on their site. These operators must be able to provide a self-sustaining operating model for the ongoing use of the facility.

The scheme will provide 100% capital support up to a maximum of £30K per site and must be delivered by February 2024.

We will consider Expressions of Interest from those seeking to provision through use of, but not limited to, carparks, multi-storey carparks and repurposing of vacant shop units.

Successful applicants will be responsible for the operation of the secure cycle parking provision, including, but not limited to:

• operation of service including provision of access and management of users
• adequate security and monitoring
• financial management
• customer service and support
• regular maintenance and cleansing

Applicants will be required to support their funding request with a comprehensive operating model, outlining how they intend to deliver and maintain, safe and secure cycle parking provision on their site.

Information session

We held an online and in-person information session on 10 May explaining the grant aims and criteria and highlighting the procurement route and timescales. You can watch our 15 minute video to find out more. 

Deadline for Expressions of Interest

Wednesday 31 May 2023 at 5pm

Covered cycle stands

We installed covered cycle stands to encourage people to use their bikes more to get around the city. Most of these have green roofs to help improve air quality and to encourage biodiversity.

You’ll find covered cycle stands at:

• Belfast Zoo
• Belmont Park
• Belvoir Activity Centre
• Gasworks
• Grosvenor Community Centre
• Inverary Community Centre
• Mary Peters Track
• Shankill Leisure Centre
• Waterworks

We’re working to install 20 more covered cycle stands across Belfast.