When we opened our shop on the Ormeau Road in 1986, cycling in Belfast was a different world. The Troubles meant empty streets after dark. Infrastructure meant a painted line if you were lucky. And the idea that Belfast might one day be mentioned alongside cities like Bristol or Edinburgh for cycling? That would have seemed laughable.
Nearly four decades later, the picture has changed remarkably. Belfast isn’t perfect — we’ll get to that — but the progress is genuine, and it’s worth acknowledging how far we’ve come before discussing how far we still need to go.
What’s Actually Working
The greenway network has transformed cycling in Belfast. The Comber Greenway, Lagan Towpath, and Connswater Community Greenway have created traffic-free corridors that simply didn’t exist a generation ago. These aren’t token gestures — they’re genuine infrastructure that families, commuters, and leisure cyclists use daily.
The Comber Greenway alone stretches 11km from east Belfast to Comber, following the old railway line through Dundonald and past Stormont. On a Saturday morning, you’ll see everyone from racing cyclists in full Santini kit to parents teaching children to balance on their first bikes.
Belfast Bikes, despite some teething problems, introduced cycling to thousands of people who might never have considered it. The blue bikes became part of the city’s visual identity, and they normalised the idea of cycling as everyday transport rather than specialist hobby.
The Belfast Cycling Network continues to expand, with protected lanes appearing on routes that previously felt hostile to anyone on two wheels. The infrastructure along the Ormeau Road — our home turf — has improved noticeably over recent years.
Perhaps most significantly, attitudes have shifted. When we started out, customers sometimes felt embarrassed admitting they cycled to work. Now, cycling carries a certain credibility. It’s seen as smart, healthy, environmentally conscious. That cultural change matters as much as any painted lane.
The Numbers Tell a Story
Cycling levels in Belfast have grown consistently over the past decade. The Department for Infrastructure’s automatic counters show year-on-year increases on most monitored routes, with some locations recording double the traffic they saw ten years ago.
The Ormeau Bridge counter, close to our shop, regularly clocks over 1,000 cyclists on busy days. That’s not Copenhagen levels, but it represents real people making real journeys by bike in meaningful numbers.
E-bike sales have accelerated this trend dramatically. The customers buying Gazelle electric bikes and Giant e-bikes from us aren’t replacing existing cycling habits — they’re often people who’d stopped cycling or never really started. E-bikes have expanded who can cycle practically, particularly for hillier routes and longer commutes.
The Cycle to Work scheme has played its part too. We process more applications now than ever before, and the removal of the £1,000 limit in 2019 opened the door to quality bikes that genuinely suit daily use.
Where Belfast Still Falls Short
Here’s where we need to be honest. Progress has been real, but it’s been patchy, disconnected, and far too slow.
The greenways are wonderful, but they don’t form a network. You can cycle beautifully from Comber to the Titanic Quarter, but try to continue into the city centre and you’re suddenly sharing space with buses and lorries. The infrastructure stops precisely where you need it most.
Junction design remains poor. Most cycling accidents happen at junctions, yet Belfast’s major intersections still prioritise vehicle throughput over cyclist safety. The gyratories around the city centre are intimidating even for experienced cyclists, never mind someone tentatively trying bike commuting for the first time.
Maintenance is inconsistent. Glass, debris, and potholes accumulate on cycle lanes because they’re not cleaned or repaired with the same urgency as main roads. A sharp piece of glass that a car wouldn’t notice can end a cyclist’s journey instantly.
Secure parking remains scarce. Belfast has improved, but finding somewhere safe to lock a bike in the city centre still requires planning. If you’ve invested in a quality Specialised road bike or a Pinarello, you think twice before leaving it on a public stand all day.
And then there’s the weather conversation. Yes, Belfast is rainy. But so is Manchester. So is Glasgow. So is Dublin. Cities with worse weather than ours have higher cycling rates because they invested properly in infrastructure. Weather is an excuse, not a reason.
What Would Make the Real Difference
Having watched Belfast evolve over decades, and having spoken with thousands of cyclists about their experiences, a few priorities seem clear.
Connected routes, not isolated segments. Every protected lane that ends abruptly at a junction undermines confidence. Cyclists need to know they can complete a journey safely, not just part of one. This means thinking in terms of routes rather than individual road sections.
Protected infrastructure on arterial roads. The Ormeau Road, Lisburn Road, Antrim Road, Newtownards Road — these are the routes people actually need to travel. Painted lanes offer minimal protection. Physical separation, whether through kerbs, planters, or parking-protected lanes, changes behaviour for everyone.
Proper maintenance budgets. Cycling infrastructure needs year-round attention. Sweeping, pothole repair, winter gritting — these aren’t luxuries. A lane that’s unusable half the year isn’t really a lane at all.
Secure storage solutions. Bike hangars on residential streets, proper parking at transport hubs, and employer incentives for workplace storage would all help. People can’t cycle if they’ve nowhere safe to keep their bike at either end of the journey.
Lower speed limits where cyclists and vehicles mix. Where separation isn’t possible, 20mph limits make a genuine difference to both actual safety and perceived safety. Belfast has moved in this direction but could go further.
Learning From Others
We don’t need to invent solutions. Other UK and Irish cities have already tested what works.
Dublin’s push for segregated cycle routes along its quays shows what’s possible when political will exists. Edinburgh’s transformation of George Street demonstrates that even historic city centres can prioritise cycling. Smaller cities like Leicester have shown that consistent, joined-up investment delivers results.
Belfast could learn from these examples while adapting them to local conditions. We have advantages — a compact city centre, relatively flat terrain in many areas, growing public support for active travel.
The View From 1986
Looking back to when we first opened our doors, the change is undeniable. We’ve gone from a city where cycling felt marginal and slightly eccentric to one where it’s increasingly mainstream.
Customers who bought their first bikes from us decades ago now bring their grandchildren in. The conversations have shifted from “is cycling even practical here?” to “which bike suits my commute best?”
That’s genuine progress. It deserves recognition.
But we’re also acutely aware of how much further Belfast could go. We see customers who want to cycle but don’t feel safe. We hear about near-misses at the same junctions year after year. We watch as other cities accelerate past us in ambition and investment.
Belfast has the foundations. The greenways, the growing cycling culture, the public appetite for change — it’s all there. What’s needed now is the political commitment to connect the dots, fill the gaps, and create a network that works for everyone.
We’ve waited nearly forty years to see Belfast become a proper cycling city. We’d rather not wait another forty.
Eamon McConvey is co-founder of McConvey Cycles, Belfast’s independent bike shop since 1986. Located at 183 Ormeau Road, the shop has served generations of Belfast cyclists and remains committed to growing cycling culture across Northern Ireland.
