EXPLORING THE REAL STREETS OF BELFAST
Coca-Cola Zero Belfast Bikes
THIS SCHEME HAS NOT BEEN TROUBLE FREE
A public bike share scheme for Belfast City was launched on Monday 27 April 2015 as part of a physical investment programme and Coca-Cola Zero Belfast Bikes provided 40 bike docking stations in the city centre.
Early this year [2017] it was reported that more than 35% of the bicycles are out of action due to ongoing vandalism or theft and according to Belfast City Council over the 2017 Easter weekend 19 bikes were stolen and a further eight were vandalised.
When I first saw the Belfast scheme in 2015 I thought that everything about it was poor quality and badly managed. Many of my photographs showed a surplus of bikes at many of the docking stations and that many of the bikes that had been returned by users were leaning against walls, trees or street furniture.
Belfast City Council published financial figures relating to subsidies to the scheme. In its first year, the Council subsidised it to the tune of £173,000. From April 2016 to April 2017, this increased to £215,000, despite a Business Case showing subsidies would reduce from £56,440 (April 2015 to April 2016), £23,050 (April 2016 - April 2017) and return a profit of £10,730 (April 2017 - April 2018).
BELOW IS A LIST OF THE DOCKING STATIONS
Alfred Street / St Malachy's Church
Arthur Street / Chichester Street
Bankmore Square / Dublin Road
Botanic Avenue / Shaftesbury Square
Bradbury Place
Carrick Hill / St Patricks Church
Castle Place / Royal Avenue
Cathedral Gardens / York Street
Central Station / East Bridge Street
Central Station / Mays Meadow
City Hall
College Square East
Corporation Square
Cotton Court / Waring Street
Donegall Quay
Dunbar Link / Gordon Street
Duncairn Centre / Antrim Road
Europa Bus Station / Blackstaff
Gasworks (Cromac Street)
Gasworks (Lagan Towpath)
Great Victoria Street / Hope Street
Linenhall Street / Donegall Square South
Millfield / Divis Street
North Street / Waring Street
Odyssey / Sydenham Road
Royal Avenue / Castlecourt
Smithfield / Winetavern Street
St George's Market / Cromac Square
Victoria Square / Victoria Street
Waterfront
Writer's Square / St Anne's Cathedral
Queens University / Botanic Gardens
Queens University / University Road
Titanic Quarter
Belfast City Hospital / Lisburn Road
Royal Victoria Hospital
Mater Hospital / Crumlin Road
Girdwood Community Hub
Shankill Leisure Centre
CS Lewis Square
A public bike share scheme for Belfast City was launched on Monday 27 April 2015 as part of a physical investment programme and Coca-Cola Zero Belfast Bikes provided 40 bike docking stations in the city centre.
Early this year [2017] it was reported that more than 35% of the bicycles are out of action due to ongoing vandalism or theft and according to Belfast City Council over the 2017 Easter weekend 19 bikes were stolen and a further eight were vandalised.
When I first saw the Belfast scheme in 2015 I thought that everything about it was poor quality and badly managed. Many of my photographs showed a surplus of bikes at many of the docking stations and that many of the bikes that had been returned by users were leaning against walls, trees or street furniture.
Belfast City Council published financial figures relating to subsidies to the scheme. In its first year, the Council subsidised it to the tune of £173,000. From April 2016 to April 2017, this increased to £215,000, despite a Business Case showing subsidies would reduce from £56,440 (April 2015 to April 2016), £23,050 (April 2016 - April 2017) and return a profit of £10,730 (April 2017 - April 2018).
BELOW IS A LIST OF THE DOCKING STATIONS
Alfred Street / St Malachy's Church
Arthur Street / Chichester Street
Bankmore Square / Dublin Road
Botanic Avenue / Shaftesbury Square
Bradbury Place
Carrick Hill / St Patricks Church
Castle Place / Royal Avenue
Cathedral Gardens / York Street
Central Station / East Bridge Street
Central Station / Mays Meadow
City Hall
College Square East
Corporation Square
Cotton Court / Waring Street
Donegall Quay
Dunbar Link / Gordon Street
Duncairn Centre / Antrim Road
Europa Bus Station / Blackstaff
Gasworks (Cromac Street)
Gasworks (Lagan Towpath)
Great Victoria Street / Hope Street
Linenhall Street / Donegall Square South
Millfield / Divis Street
North Street / Waring Street
Odyssey / Sydenham Road
Royal Avenue / Castlecourt
Smithfield / Winetavern Street
St George's Market / Cromac Square
Victoria Square / Victoria Street
Waterfront
Writer's Square / St Anne's Cathedral
Queens University / Botanic Gardens
Queens University / University Road
Titanic Quarter
Belfast City Hospital / Lisburn Road
Royal Victoria Hospital
Mater Hospital / Crumlin Road
Girdwood Community Hub
Shankill Leisure Centre
CS Lewis Square
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