Belfast Bicycle Network - delivery update

 The Belfast Cycling Network delivery plan was released on March 31 in 2022.

The ~190km network is scheduled for completion in 2031.

Since then there's been no obvious progress on the ground. We asked the Department for Infrastructure for an update on routes 1–53 i.e. the uncompleted routes of the Belfast Bicycle Network.

Routes 54–57 i.e. Comber Greenway, Connswater Greenway, Lagan Towpath & North Foreshore Path have already been completed.

We asked for details on budget spend, metres completed and the delivery step of each route. We didn't receive the information in the format requested, but have taken the information provided and created a brief summary of where the network currently stands in terms of those 3 metrics, followed by a more detailed table with additional information on each route.

Budget

The delivery plan outlines how the £100 million budget will be allocated over the next 10 years as follows:

SCHEDULE YEAR BUDGET
Year 1 2021–22 £1M
Year 2 2022–23 £3M
Year 3 (current)
 		2023–24 £5M
Year 4 2024–25 £7M
Year 5 2025–26 £9M
Year 6 2026–27 £11M
Year 7 2027–28 £13M
Year 8 2028–29 £15M
Year 9 2029–30 £17M
Year 10 2030–31 £19M
£100M

Table 1

2021–23 budget summary

spend 21-22 spend 22-23 spend 23-24*
Proposed spend
as per delivery plan		 1,000,000 £3,000,000 £5,000,000
Actual Spend £322,758 £980,190 £490,000
Underspend £ £677,242 £2,019,810 £4,510,000
Underspend % 68% 67% 90%

 Table 2

*figures for 23–24 are not released yet. However, a letter fom DFI to Belfast City Council (Feb 23) detailed funding would be "in the region of £490,000" for 23–24.

Delivery Step

The delivery plan lists the 8 steps each route goes through before completion.

1. GUIDANCE
2. CONSULTATION
3. DESIGN
4. LEGISLATION
5. LIAISON
6. PROCUREMENT
7. CONSTRUCTION
8. POST PROJECT EVALUATION

2021–23 delivery step summary

Delivery Step Routes Total
1. Guidance
2. Consultation* 1,13,14,16,23,25,37,38,52 9
3. Design 2,3,5,10,11,14,15,16 8
4. Legislation
5. Liaison
6. Procurement
7. Construction
8. Post project evaluation

 Table 3

*DFI used the term "feasibility" to describe 9 routes, pending clarification we have interpreted this as "consultation".

Distance

Routes 1–53 are divided into short, medium and long term routes due for completion at different dates between 2021–31. Each route has a corresponding distance in metres (see table 5). The total distance of all 53 uncompleted routes totals just over 150km.

2021–23 distance completed summary

Total distance
when completed		 Metres completed
21-22		 Metres completed
22-23
Short term routes: 1-16 34,150metres
or 33,450 metres 		0 metres 0 metres
Medium term routes: 17–38 53,100 metres 0 metres 0 metres
Long term routes: 39–53 63,925 metres
or 63,255 metres 		0 metres 0 metres

Table 4

Routes 1–53 in detail

Scheme name Length m Metres
completed
21–22		 Metres
completed
21–22		 Spend
21–22		 Spend
22-23		 Delivery
Step
SHORT TERM ROUTES (2022–25)
1. Beechill Greenway (Lagan Gateway – Belvoir Road) 1800m 0m 0m £0 £0 Feasibility
2. Cavehill Road / Limestone Road (Phases 1 and 2) 2400m 0m 0m £29,323.00 £10,980 Design
3.Colin Paths (1 and 2), Lagmore Ave & Lagmore Dale 2750m 0m 0m £0 £18,700 Design
4. Comber Greenway lighting design Eastern
 £1,680 £0 Complete
5. Dublin Road – Botanic – Stranmillis Embankmt 1550m 0m 0m £0 £0 Design
6. Forth Meadow Greenway (Part 1) 5100m 0m 0m £0 £0
7. High Street – Castle Street: pedestrian crossing & 2 way cycle lane
 1050m 0m 0m £0 £35,651
8. High Street – Victoria Park: Middlepath St. alterations.
 550m 0m 0m £3,707 £0
9. Inner Ring (Gasworks – Belfast Transport Hub) 1300m 0m 0m £0 £0
10. Island Street: traffic calming 500m 0m 0m £15,557 £26,150 Design
11. Montgomery Road: cycle link 1000m 0m 0m £0 £36,220 Design
12. Ormeau Park Bridge – Ladas Way 2200m 0m 0m £0 £0
13a. Ravenhill Greenway (Phase 1): ammendment to traffic lanes at Ormeau Embankment 2700m 0m 0m £13,855 £0 Feasibility
13b. BCN Ravenhill Road: Cycle Scheme 0m 0m £0 £13,200 Feasibility
14a. Sydenham – Holywood Path OR 4850m 0m 0m £6,284 £20,320

Feasibility

Design
14b. Sydenham Greenway (consultation on
priorities currently underway) 		or 4150m 0m 0m £0 £0

Feasibility

Design
15. Ulster University – Riverside Path: duct proving survey for Siemens/Yunex 700m 0m 0m £0 £1,084

Feasibility/

Design
16. West Belfast Greenway (Phases 1 and 2). Feasibility study. 5700m 0m 0m £0 £50,357 Design
TOTAL 34,150m (or 33,450m) 0m 0m £70,406 £212,662
MEDIUM TERM ROUTES (2025–28)
17. Beechill Greenway (Cairnshill P&R – Belvoir Road) 1,200m 0m 0m £0 £0
18. Belfast Transport Hub – Boucher Road – Finaghy Road North 6,100m 0m 0m £0 £0
19. Botanic Gardens – Royal Victoria Hospital 2,550m 0m 0m £0 £0
20. Cavehill Road (Phase 3) 900m 0m 0m £0 £0
21. Chichester Street – Wellington Place 950m 0m 0m £0 £0
22. Colin Paths (3 and 4) 3,300m 0m 0m £0 £0
23. Crumlin Road – Oldpark Road – Ballysillan 4,100m 0m 0m £0 £0 Feasibility
24. Donegall Place – Ulster University 1,150m 0m 0m £0 £0
25. East Bridge Street – Belfast Transport Hub 1,550m 0m 0m £0 £0 Feasibility
26. Forth Meadow Greenway (Part 2) 2,500m 0m 0m £0 £0
27. Grosvenor Road – Springfield Road 2,400m 0m 0m £0 £0
28. Holywood Link 1,000m 0m 0m £0 £0
29. Inner Ring (Belfast Transport Hub – Ulster University): Shankill gateway, Durham St.
 1,600m 0m 0m £0 £32,433
30. Lanark Way – Waterworks Park 3,000m 0m 0m £0 £0
31. Lockview Road 550m 0m 0m £0 £0
32. Montgomery Road – Braniel 1,050m 0m 0m £0 £0
33. North Foreshore (South) 3,750m 0m 0m £0 £0
34. North Queen Street – Grove Park 2,350m 0m 0m £0 £0
35. Queen’s Island paths 3,000m 0m 0m £0 £0
36. Shankill Road – Woodvale Park 2,400m 0m 0m £0 £0
37. West Belfast Greenway (Phases 3 and 4): Feasibility study 6,900m 0m 0m £0 £0 Feasibility
38. York Street 800m 0m £0 £0 Feasibility
TOTAL 53,100 0m 0m £0 £32,433
LONG TERM ROUTES (2028–31)
39. Ballysillan – Belfast Castle 4,500 0m 0m £0 £0
40. Beersbridge Road 2,500 0m 0m £0 £0
41. Castlereagh Road 3,400 0m 0m £0 £0
42. Falls Park – Colin 4,900 0m 0m £0 £0
43. Great Victoria Street 700 0m 0m £0 £0
44. Grove Park – Somerton Road 2,900 0m 0m £0 £0
45. Lisburn Road 2,175 0m 0m £0 £0
46. North Circular Road – Giant’s Park 3,750 0m 0m £0 £0
47. Outer Ring (Balmoral Avenue – Monagh bypass) 5,150 0m 0m £0 £0
48. Outer Ring: A55 Knock Road / Glen Road Junction 11,850 0m 0m £87,887 £0
48. Outer Ring - Signal Upgrade A55 Knock Road / Cregagh Road
£3,086
£245,000

49. Ravenhill Greenway (Phase 2)

 1,150 0m 0m £0 £0
50. Stormont Path 6,450 0m 0m £0 £0
51. Stranmillis Road – Shaw’s Bridge 3,400 0m 0m £0 £0
52a. Sydenham – Holywood Path 2,850 0m 0m £0 £0 Feasibility
52b. OR Sydenham Greenway or 2,150 0m 0m £0 £0 Feasibility
53. Victoria Park – Holywood (via harbour and coastal path) 8,250 0m 0m £0 £0
TOTAL 63,925 or 63,255 0m 0m £90,973 £245,000
Table 5