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Belfast Ciclovia_ pic by @NIGreenwaysBelfast follows Paris with three hour car free Sunday
Belfast was the latest city to close some of its city centre streets to motor traffic for three and a three quarter hours this morning so people could cycle and enjoy normally traffic-dominated roads.
Named Ciclovia, and apparently part of a "worldwide event", the initiative generated slightly less of a buzz than the recent traffic Paris sans Voiture, but seems to have been popular nonetheless.
So those on bikes could ride traffic-free Botanic Avenue, Shaftesbury Square, Dublin Road and Bedford St were closed to motor traffic for the event, which also featured music and other entertainment.
- First 'car-free' day in Paris sees massive pollution and noise drop
Some buzz @cicloviabelfast - the city has *never* been this busy on a Sunday morning 
#cyclingrevolution pic.twitter.com/nIEZEba5t3
— NI Greenways (@nigreenways) October 4, 2015
Inevitably, as with Paris, the event has turned local cyclists' minds towards the idea of permanently cycle-friendly streets, with some helpful designs offered to boot.
Safely cycling along Belfast's Dublin Rd was beautiful today - we *could* have a wee @cicloviabelfast here every day pic.twitter.com/mmipdgLfWv
— NI Greenways (@nigreenways) October 4, 2015
Event exchange Botanic Grds #SilverSunday each Sun in Oct & #cicloviabelfast - can we have it every Sun? @belfastcc pic.twitter.com/80ygbnxUam
— Sustrans NI (@SustransNI) October 4, 2015
In pictures: It's bikes to the future as #cicloviabelfast takes over the city http://t.co/T7Pb8mjMIc pic.twitter.com/oeMriSpC6Y
— Belfast Live (@BelfastLive) October 4, 2015
Enthusiasm was so great, in fact, there was a mild tendency towards exaggeration of the event's success.
A conservative estimate would put attendance at today's Ciclovia Belfast at around 3 - 3.5million people #roughguess pic.twitter.com/1NO1aH04NR
— NI Greenways (@nigreenways) October 4, 2015
Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.
Latest Comments
- S.E. 13 min 53 sec ago
Is the front wheel also locked, to make it so difficult to move them a few meters away?...
- IanGlasgow 18 min 35 sec ago
I used to cycle to school in the suburbs with those. They were useless....
- slc 1 hour 26 min ago
Joking aside, governments could require new cars to be fitted with smart ignition systems that operate only for a licensed driver. No doubt there...
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There are people out there who will make you the belt out of your old tyre.
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Furry dice and an air freshener for your helmet.
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Ah yes, those are hopefully not the 'master craftsmen' that has constructed a wide range of shoddy Italian cars and motorbikes over the years with...
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A SuperSix is definitely not an all-rounder....
- chrisonabike 11 hours 57 min ago
Just get them to walk a treadmill - or better, ride exercise bikes to power path lighting.
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8 comments
Most Sundays, here in Tokyo, they shut off some of the roads round the Imperial Palace for cycling from 10am to 4pm. These are wide carriageways with 4 lanes each way in one of the world's most populous cities and they manage it.
You still have to stop for Red lights (this is Tokyo!) but it provides a great area for cyclists of all ages to enjoy a few km's of open space
I was at this with my daughter today and it was absolutely fantastic. Thank you to the organisers, the volunteers, the marshals and all those who provided entertainment. Here's to the next one. Let's hope it's not too far off.
Great for the kids.
I remember coming back from watching the first London-Surrey classic on Leith Hill. On the A24 just out of Dorking, there was a small lad - maybe 4 or 5 years old - riding his bike on the dual carriageway. He was loving having so much empty tarmac to play with. Made my day.
Great to see people out enjoying it.
The three hour window is a bit miserable but from small seeds...
super stuff
super stuff
Its started, wont be long now till more cities follow suit. Wait till its one day a month, then one day a week..... Ok im now getting carried away with myself.
Belfast had regular traffic free periods for years. In my day they were called bomb scares.