A Green Party councillor is calling for a secure bike facility in the middle of Belfast to help rebuild the city’s fortunes.
Lisnasharragh representative Brian Smyth says the move could help bring footfall back to the town in a way that won’t harm the environment and is suited to pandemic guidelines.
Cllr Smyth is bringing a motion on Monday (Nov 2) calling on Belfast City Council to “build a secured and serviced bike parking facility in the City Centre”.
He told Belfast Live: “There has been a rise in the number of bicycle thefts in the city centre recently and I’m responding to this by highlighting that Belfast, unlike other European cities, doesn’t have a facility like this to be used by the public.
“Instead, if you want to cycle into town, you either park your bicycle on one of the traditional Sheffield stands or on railings. Either way it is still vulnerable to theft or bikes being badly damaged in botched attempts.
“I want council to explore the possibility of using one of the many empty retail units in the city centre and convert it into one of these facilities. The city centre has taken a real hit in recent years through the rise of online shopping, then the Primark fire and now the Covid pandemic.
"You also have a reluctance with some people to use public transport during the pandemic, so we’ve got to look at alternative ways to attract people back in. This I believe can be one of them. Simply doing more of the same isn’t going to work and we need to be inventive with solutions.
“Simon Hamilton from the Belfast Chamber has been in touch with myself over this idea and is positive about it and wants to explore how we can proceed with it.
“We keep hearing people use the term ‘build back better’, and I honestly think this can be an example in that. It’s about meeting people’s changing needs and expectations and supporting our city centre as we move into the next few years.”
