Agenda item

            The Director of Economic Development provided an update on the performance of the Just Eat Belfast Bikes scheme in the first quarter (1 April to 30 June 2022) of year 7 of operation, together with an update on the installation of covered cycle stands in the city – Phase 1 funded by COVID Revitalisation Fund and Phase 2 by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Green and Blue Infrastructure Fund.

            The Committee was reminded that the Belfast Bikes scheme was launched in 2015 as part Belfast City Council’s physical investment programme. The Department for Regional Development had provided initial capital funding for the scheme as part of its Active Travel Demonstration Projects budget. The scheme was launched with a network of 30 docking stations and 300 bikes. The scheme had been operated by NSL continually since inception using bikes and supporting infrastructure from “Nextbike Gmbh”. The scheme currently operated with over 430 bikes and 49 docking stations.

            Regarding the expansion of the Scheme, the Director of Economic Development highlighted that, in May 2021, the Committee had agreed that an additional four Belfast Bikes docking stations would be deployed using DfI Active Travel funding. He confirmed installation had began in Quarter 1 and consisted of the following:

·        Docking station at Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre was installed on 7 July 2022 and was operational;

·        Olympia Leisure Centre – works had commenced with an expected completion date of early September 2022;

·        Kennedy Centre – works scheduled to commence in September 2022;

·        Waterworks – the illegal van and structure that were located on the site had been removed and work would be scheduled following a competition of the other two sites, with an indicative date of late September/early October 2022; and

·        An additional station at Titanic Quarter was completed in May 2022, funded by a developer contribution.

            He reminded the Committee that, at its meeting in June 2021, it had agreed to proceed with 15 docking stations outlined in the expansion proposal (Appendix 1). An investment of approximately £525,000 was required, based on cost estimates from previous network expansions. At the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in June 2021, it had been agreed that £500,000 be invested in the expansion proposal.

            He stated that a procurement exercise had commenced for the installation of eight stations in Phase 1:

·        North: Yorkgate and Shore Road;

·        West: St Mary’s College and Shankill Road;

·        South: Lisburn Road and Malone Road;

·        East: Castlereagh Road, Upper Newtownards Road; and

·       Seven stations would follow in Phase 2 the following year.

            As previously agreed by the Committee, agreement through Area Working Groups was required to determine the exact locations and consider those against the Site Expansion Matrix as outlined in Appendix 2. These site options and discussions were scheduled to begin with relevant Area Working Groups in the coming months.

            The Director of Economic Development provided an overview of the Operational Performance, which included the availability of bikes and the impact of replacement parts. He provided an update on Membership Levels, highlighting that there were 21,756 active Belfast Bike members at the end of Quarter 1, which was an increase of 67% compared to the same period in Year 6 (13,000). He advised that there had been 1,236,408 journeys since the scheme was launched and 38,907 journeys during Quarter 1 Year 7, pointing out that demand for bike rental had not returned to pre-pandemic levels, with the current cost-of-living crisis, reduced city centre footfall, remote working and competition from other means of travel all likely factors in the reduction in usage evidenced in Quarter 1. He advised, it should also be noted that there was an exceptionally high level of usage in 2021 that could have been due to a number of factors, not least COVID-19 restrictions.

            He reported that vandalism of the Bikes was an ongoing problem, which cost

£6,980 in Quarter 1, of which £4,077 was payable by the Council and community engagement initiatives with the PSNI continued to help decrease vandalism incidents.

            In relation to Subscriptions and Usage Revenue, the Director of Economic Development highlighted that income from subscriptions and usage charges at the end of Quarter 1 was £52,091. This was significantly below Year 6 amount for the same period, however, it should be noted that Year 6 was an exceptional year with usage significantly higher than average.

            He provided an overview of the marketing activity during Q1 which included advertising in City Matters magazine, social media posts and press releases.

            He advised that NSL continued to operate the Belfast Bikes scheme, with a contract renewal available until 2024. Council staff were reviewing the scheme and would make future recommendations for the management, operation and potential expansion of the scheme as part of a new procurement package. Considerations include:

·        Planned network improvement and expansion;

·        Anti-vandalism measures;

·        Inclusion of e-bikes;

·        Potential inclusion of e-scooters (subject to legislation), cargo bikes and adapted bikes/tricycles;

·        Application of discounts;

·        Application of user rewards;

·        Links with social enterprises and co-operatives;

·        Integration of sponsorship into operator package;

·        Marketing activity;

·        Community and education engagement activity;

·        Employability and skills training; and

·        CoMoUK accreditation.

            The Director of Economic Development updated Members on the Motion, in the name of Councillor O’Hara, which had been agreed by the Committee in March 2020 to investigate “as part of the current strategic review of the Belfast Bikes Scheme, consideration be given to granting free access to young people 25 years of age and under to the scheme”. He stated that NSL did not currently collect age data of users, however, the operator had confirmed that ‘Date of Birth’ could be added as an essential registration criterion for new users. He explained the process and highlighted that this might be subject to a cost which was being sought via the operator. The Director went on to draw the Committee’s attention to additional considerations of providing free access to Bike Users:

·        With free access, there was no impetus to redock the bike after usage, which would likely lead to reduced bike availability for all users, including paying users. Additional bikes might have to be purchased, at a cost, to ensure all users could be serviced. Further costs would be payable by the Council to the operator to handle increased bike numbers;

·        With free access, there was no impetus to redock the bike after usage, which would likely lead to theft and/or vandalism, which seemed to be primarily from the younger age market (as evidenced on social media). Repair costs payable by the Council to the operator would increase;

·        It should be noted that some other schemes, including Edinburgh, Derby and Cardiff, had previously closed due to high levels of vandalism, theft and associated costs; and

·        It would be difficult to reduce fraudulent activity on a free offer for young people or example adults signing up as a young person, leading to further reduced income.

            The Committee was informed that alternative proposals would be explored and proposed in a future report, including discounted rates for certain users, for example: 18-to-24-year age group, students; senior citizens and corporate discounts.

            In relation to covered cycle stands across the city, the Director of Economic Development explained that, whilst the Covered Cycle Stands initiative was not part of the Belfast Bikes scheme, both initiatives were aligned to the Bolder Vision with a focus on improvements in the active travel provision and infrastructure across the city. Covered Cycle Stands were part of the Active Travel Enablers project.

            He advised that under the DfI Sustainable and Active Travel elements of the DfC Covid-19 Revitalisation Programme, 10 covered cycle stands were funded city-wide. Phase 1 locations had previously been agreed by the Committee and after a procurement process a supplier was appointed and the design of the cycle stands as well as the agreements for the specific locations progressed over the following nine months. He confirmed that production had started during Quarter 1 on the following areas:

            He reminded the Committee that, regarding Phase 2 of the initiative, it had received an update on the DfI funding for the Active Travel Enabling Projects in March 2022 that outlined the projects, budget and timeframe for delivery.  In terms of the covered cycle stands, officers had drawn upon the priority areas identified by Sustrans, and these locations were also assessed in terms of the deliverability within the timeframe as well as the key criteria aligned to cycle infrastructure provision. Following a procurement process a supplier and contractor were currently being appointed for the next 10 covered cycle stands being delivered in-year.

            During discussion, one Member suggested the scope for free usage of Belfast Bikes for those on benefits and asylum seekers could also be investigated. The Director of Economic Development explained further the consultation process which took place with landowners before bike docking stations were put in place, together with the timeline phasing of the initiatives.

After discussion, the Committee:

·        Noted the update of the Just Eat Belfast Bikes performance for Year 7 Q1 (April to June 2022);

·        Noted the update to the notice of motion regarding free access for young people;

·        Noted the update of the installation of covered cycle stands in the city;

·        Noted the progress with regard to phase one phase two expansion; and

·        Noted that a report be submitted to a future meeting to provide further detail on the potential for discounted rates for certain users, to include those on benefits and asylum seekers.