How can you hack your city to make it better for walking and cycling?
Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure will shortly launch its draft Belfast Bicycle Network Plan for public consultation. Early talk of four cross-city routes will hopefully manifest into obvious corridors between centre and suburbs with orbital routes to link around the city. This will be the main attraction in Belfast’s developing Cycling Revolution.
DRD's 4 planned cycleways in Belfast (N/S E/W NE/SW NW/SE) can't see any issues cropping up#OhMyGod pic.twitter.com/mCLcX1s5Lp
— NI Greenways (@nigreenways) February 10, 2014
But alongside the necessary traffic-free space on our existing roads and streets, there are opportunities to create something entirely new. Little short-cuts and innovative pathways which get people from A to B in quicker, more direct and more interesting ways than the current street grid. Restitching areas which suffer from disconnection and barriers to being filled with people and life.
With big transport plans like Belfast Rapid Transit, the Belfast Transport Hub and taxi reform in the air, and a new direction being set for the city over (at least) the next 10 years, it’s a good time to look at some brand new ideas for traffic-free routes and connections. And so Bikefast brings you Restitching Belfast, ten innovative suggestions for giving active travel the priority it needs to become more attractive than car travel for certain journeys.
Site investigation work for the traffic-free Dunlop/Hume (Gasworks) Bridge in Belfast 🙂 http://t.co/pZgfDBcAQx pic.twitter.com/EcWx6phUDn
— NI Greenways (@nigreenways) December 1, 2014
Some of these ideas are already in motion, some are the result of excellent contributions from consultants, students and others, and some are brand new suggestions from Bikefast.
Some may be achievable as standalone projects right now, some may be waiting for an ideal world. But some are advanced in their planning and only need the stroke of a pen (on a cheque) to become reality.
The most important policy a city could write to become a #cityforpeople, according to Jan Gehl at @citiesforpeople. pic.twitter.com/CjdDIHIKFN
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) June 1, 2016
It’s important to continually look for chances to improve our urban environment and imagine new ways to link areas and promote active travel. I hope you’ll take the time to comment on the project ideas being published over the next few weeks, or suggest your own ideas.
We should all take the time to imagine a better Belfast.
[…] Restitching Belfast: ten innovative ideas to create new traffic-free routes, cut-throughs and connections. […]
[…] Restitching Belfast: ten innovative ideas to create new traffic-free routes, cut-throughs and connections. […]
[…] little more visionary is available along the southern side – a future proposal in the paused Restitching Belfast Series will provide the detail – but running a cycleway from the Westlink Crossing along Roden […]