Catching the 'bike bus' to school in north Belfast

Meghan Hoyt with her youngest daughter and bike bus traveller Aisling

For 11-year Astrid, there's a couple of big reasons to jump on the bus - the bike bus, that is.

For her, and many pupils and parents in north Belfast who gather together to cycle to school, it's fun and a way to "cycle alongside my best friend".

The "bus" sees a group of children cycle to school on an agreed route, flanked by parents and two PSNI officers.

It was all started by a group of parents in the area who wanted their kids to be able to bike to school safely.

Enter the bike bus.

The parent-led group in north Belfast was inspired by other bike buses - including the famous bicibus in Barcelona, Coach Balto's bus in Oregon as well as others in Scotland, England and the Republic of Ireland.

The group meets at 08:30 BST - then it's a 10 to 15 minute ride up to Cavehill Primary School.

"You have a starting point, an endpoint, and people can join along the way," organiser Meghan Hoyt told BBC News NI.

"It runs on a designated days at the same time, like a bus. So you can count on it."

The Cavehill Primary bike bus is one of two operating in north Belfast, both of which started under the auspices of the North Belfast Cycle campaign.

The other parent-led bike bus operates on the Cliftonville Road, with drop offs at two schools.

Meghan, a PHD researcher whose youngest daughter Aisling goes to Cavehill Primary, is originally from Canada but has lived in Belfast for 20 years.

She believes there is a lack of safe cycling infrastructure in the area.

"Children can't really cycle by themselves on the road, they're also not really supposed to be on the sidewalk (footpath), which is not particularly efficient or safe anyway with cars parking there.

"So you're stuck if you want to cycle with your child to school. How do you do it?"

Children and parents get ready to pedal off off

There are also serious environmental concerns about the busy traffic causing congestion, she added.

"The bike bus is a simple, straightforward way to do a tiny thing that would that would shift that dynamic a little bit."

Recent Department for Infrastructure statistics show that 65% of primary school children in Northern Ireland are driven to school by car and only 1% cycle to or from school.

There has been a increase in car travel to school in the last 10 years, going up from 59% to 65%, while the proportion of primary school pupils walking to and from school has decreased from 31% to 26%.

• Primary pupils cycle to school in bike bus

The volume of road traffic means the young cyclists have faced a few challenges from some motorists, with Meghan saying that cars can try to pass in unsafe ways.

The project, however, is being supported by police officers.

"Having a police officer at the front and back of the bike has helped us in a few situations where I think we, as civilians, would have struggled to stop the flow of cars," she added.

Bike-bus user Astrid with mum Bethany enjoy cycling as part of a group

For the children who use it, there is a community feel.

"The kids love it. I've had lovely feedback from the kids and parents who participate - even on rainy days," Meghan said.

Regular bike bus users Bethany Waterhouse-Bradley and her daughter Astrid agree.

"My best friend does it, so I like being with her and I like going places with her and cycling together," said Astrid.

"It's also a lot of fun, because you're with a group of people - so you feel much safer than just you, by yourself, or one other person."

The bike bus on the move

Bethany said the family started cycling more after coming back to school post-Covid lockdowns.

"We were trying to travel by bike as we live a bit far away to walk but aren't on a bus route, so cycling seems like quite a nice way to go."

'Phenomenal'

However she was worried about the busy road - so the bike bus was an ideal way to do it "in an environment that felt much safer".

She added that the scheme was a good way for Astrid to learn about cycling around the city confidently.

"It's intimidating thing to try to do on your own, especially with a child. So having that backup there is really phenomenal."

She added: "We have had some encounters where cars have woven around us, and it's been quite scary and you think: 'If they're willing to do that to this big kind of group, imagine what it must be like for a child cycling on their own?'"

Astrid and Bethany would like to see even more bike buses around Northern Ireland

While the project is independent, Cavehill Primary principal Stephen Orr is fully on board - he said the initiative came from "passionate parent cyclists wishing to offer an alternative means of travelling to school".

He said about 20 people who previously might have travelled to school by car are now not doing so at least one day per week.

This is helping to reduce pollution and congestion on the streets around the school, he added, and also "provides an opportunity for those attending to chat to others, fostering new friendships".

'Snail's pace'

However, Meghan Hoyt would like to see the authorities in Northern Ireland do more when it comes to safe, cycling infrastructure that facilities children getting to school.

She believes the Department of Infrastructure is "moving at an absolute snail's pace when it comes to active travel".

The bike bus runs every Friday

Some initiatives are in place such as the Sustrans Active School Travel Programme.

A spokeswoman for the department said that a "number of potential routes in the vicinity of Cavehill Primary School on North Circular Road and Castle Park have been identified within the Belfast Cycling Network Delivery Plan (BCN) for delivery in the long-term scheme category, between 2028 and 2031".

She also said that "good progress" was being made in some short-term Belfast Cycling Network schemes, including the Cavehill Road/Limestone Road in north Belfast, and that it had completed other schemes, such as lighting along the Comber Greenway, and was providing 50% funding to Belfast City Council for two greenway projects.

She added that the department has supported Cavehill Primary School in recent years to provide Cycling Proficiency and Practical Child Pedestrian Safety training to pupils.

Meghan, would like to see schemes such as school streets pilots, which create traffic restrictions during drop-off and pick-up times.

Meanwhile, Astrid would also like to see more - more bike buses or, even better, a mega bike bus in which "even more schools could join our bus".