A Bicycle Strategy for Northern Ireland
31st August 2015
The Department for Regional Development in Northern Ireland
has published a Bicycle Strategy for Northern Ireland.
In the foreword, the Minister for Regional Development, Danny Kennedy, says that 1 in 6 journeys in Northern Ireland are less than 1 mile, and another 1 in 6 journeys are between 1 and 2 miles. When commuting these distances, 80% of journeys are 'rain-free'. He describes travel by bike as simple, straightforward, healthy, cost effective, and enjoyable, and says it can ease congestion, lower pollution, and reduce wear and tear on our roads.
Kennedy explains that the aim of the strategy over 25 years is to give people the freedom and confidence to use the bicycle as part of their every day routine. To achieve this, Northern Ireland will need to build a comprehensive network for the bicycle, support people who travel by bike, and promote the bicycle as a mode of transport for every day journeys. These three themes - build, support, and promote - recur through the document.
The strategy document is called 'Changing Gear', and has been produced following a public consultation between August and November 2014.
Vision
Kennedy's vision for cycling is 'a community where people have the freedom and confidence to travel by bicycle for every day journeys.' The strategy document also asks, 'What does a vibrant cycling society look like? It is a society which values, nurtures and celebrates cycling in all its forms - on road, off-road, commuter, recreation, journeys to education - every day and every way cycling.'
Objectives
The objectives of the strategy include making urban areas more accessible for people using bikes, improving public health, increasing the safety and perceived safety of using a bike, and improving opportunities for social interaction. In respect of the last point, the document points out, '...cycling is a social form of transport. It allows people to interact and engage with their surroundings, their community and their neighbours. This can help build a sense of community and contribute to personal well-being and social inclusion.'
Use of the bicycle should help build a more dynamic, prosperous and inclusive society.
Making the connections
In a section titled 'making the connections', the strategy explains that certain factors can encourage bicycle use, and that increased bicycle use can in turn have a positive effect on these factors - so it is a two-way relationship.
The factors include health improvement (including better mental health, lower levels of obesity, and fewer sick days), benefits to the local economy (with safe, direct connections between residential areas, employment areas, and retail centres), environmental benefits (reduced congestion, improved air quality, and less pollution), regeneration, learning and skills, services and facilities, sports and recreation, and tourism and culture.
Practical approach
The strategy document accepts that in many cases, current cycle infrastructure is poor quality and disconnected. 'We appreciate that many people feel that provision is frequently fragmented and of varying quality.'
A comprehensive network is needed. Therefore, they will begin with a focus on 'a small number of areas where we will develop detailed proposals for cycling schemes and pilot projects.' The first area they will concentrate on is Belfast.
The Department will use careful planning to set about building high quality infrastructure - integrated and coherent routes, including radial routes, quiet routes, and greenways. 'Creating a network of high quality, direct, joined up routes is a key element of delivering the vision.'
The greenways will be traffic-free, and could, for example, provide routes between urban areas, or reach out into more rural areas. They can sometimes use the routes of dismantled railways and canal towpaths. The document gives the example of the Great Western Greenway, which brings in around €7.2 million per year to the local economy.
In rural areas, some cycle tracks and lanes have already been provided on main roads. On minor roads, the document recognises the challenges, and says they can be met through investment in infrastructure, in combination with improved respect and understanding between all road users.
The department recognises the importance of maintaining cycle lane surfaces to the standard of roads, and of sweeping them.
Common standards for design
The Minister intends to develop a 'common standard' for cycle infrastructure design, based on existing practice and innovative approaches elsewhere. This should give cyclists confidence that their safety is being taken seriously.
Road User Hierarchy
Also related to safety, and making road users feel safe, is the Road User Hierarchy, which is based on the principle that all road users have an equal right to make thier journey, but some road users are more vulnerable than others - for example, pedestrians on a shared use path, or pedestrians and cyclists on the road. The Hierarchy isn't designed to give priority to pedestrians and cyclists, but to ensure that their needs are fully considered and provided for.
Support for people who choose bikes
The document draws attention to the Active Travel (Wales) Act,
and the way it suppports people who travel by bike. Northern Ireland is
'...keen to explore options for developing active travel legislation...'
Another way to support people is to manage traffic speeds, especially in urban areas, to create '...spaces which are dominated by people not cars.' Measures include speed bumps, chicanes, and 20mph limits - which a study shows reduce road casualties by 40%, with the greatest percentage reduction in younger children.
Promoting the bicycle as a mode of transport
Promoting the bicycle as a mode of transport will include working with retailers, businesses, and service providers, as well as organising annual events such as Bike Week, Cycle to Work Day, and one-off events.
Also under this heading, there'll be a bi-annual report on cycling in Belfast, called 'Bike Life', inspired by the Copenhagen Bicycle Acount, which will provide information on cycling, and publish data and comparative statistics so that the effect of the Bicycle Strategy can be judged. The first Bike Life will be published in October 2015.
Funding and delivery
The document mentions as an example the figures of £10 per head, rising to £20 per head, which appeared as a recommendation in the All Party Parliamenty Group of Cycling's report on cycling in Great Britain. A similar level of funding per head in Northern Ireland would give approximately £12.5 million per year within 5 years, rising to £18 million per year within 10 years.
'Given the current fiscal constraints in Northern Ireland, these are highly ambitious figures. However, the Minister is committed to making the case for cycling investment in Northern Ireland, both at the Executive table and in Europe. Already this has resulted in an allocation within the Interreg V programme of some €40 million for sustainable transport, with a significant emphasis on cycling.'
The next step is to produce a Bicycle Strategy Delivery Plan for 2015-2020, which is to be published in the autumn.
Ambitions
Perhaps because the funding is not in place, the document sets out ambitions, rather than targets. These include:
- journeys of less than a mile being cycled - 20% by 2025, and 40% by 2040
- journeys between 1 and 2 miles being cycled - 10% by 2025, and 20% by 2040
- journeys between 2 and 5 miles being cycled - 5% by 2025, and 10% by 2040