Northern Ireland

Travel hub at Cathedral Gardens, beside Ulster University, opens

Director and Founder of Big Loop, Richard Good, Andrew Dougal, chair of the Public Health Agency, Lord Mayor Councillor Tina Black, Sustrans director Caroline Bloomfield and Anne Doherty, Ulster University.
Director and Founder of Big Loop, Richard Good, Andrew Dougal, chair of the Public Health Agency, Lord Mayor Councillor Tina Black, Sustrans director Caroline Bloomfield and Anne Doherty, Ulster University. Director and Founder of Big Loop, Richard Good, Andrew Dougal, chair of the Public Health Agency, Lord Mayor Councillor Tina Black, Sustrans director Caroline Bloomfield and Anne Doherty, Ulster University.

A NEW hub to encourage people to walk and cycle around Belfast has opened at Cathedral Gardens close to the new Ulster University campus.

Two refurbished shipping containers have been placed in the area as an Active Travel Hub, where people living, working, studying and visiting the city can buy, lease or repair bikes.

People can also sign up to activities and events, including walks, rides and road cycle training.

The Belfast City Council-led project is backed by the Department for Infrastructure, the Department for Communities, UU and the Public Health Agency.

Big Loop Bikes, the Queen’s University bike refurbishment and repair enterprise, and Sustrans, a walking and cycling charity, will manage the services at the hub, which will be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 10am and 4pm.

Lord Mayor Tina Black said: “Cathedral Gardens is a perfect location for the hub, especially given how close it is for communities at the north end of the city centre and the influx of new students attending the new Ulster University campus.

Minister for infrastructure John O’Dowd said he was “committed to increasing sing opportunities for active travel to help address the climate emergency and promote greener travel”.

The communities department involvement is through the Covid-19 Recovery Revitalisation Programme, Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey added.

"The hub will no doubt contribute to the area as a vibrant and engaging place for people to enjoy,” the minister said.

Prof Paul Seawright, deputy vice chancellor, UU said: “It’s fantastic to see the Active Travel Hub literally on our doorstep.

"The university already has an active staff and student cycling community with hundreds of staff and students regularly travelling to campus by bike and the Active Travel Hub will offer them valuable, additional support and will hopefully encourage more staff and students to get cycling."