Belfast Glider: Decision time for planned new routes

It may seem like it has been there forever but Belfast's Glider bus system has been operating for less than three years.

Now a public consultation is under way to gauge opinion on an extension into the north and south of the city.

Has the Glider been good for business and will it see property prices skyrocket along the new routes?

Belfast Rapid Transport, or BRT, has been moving people across the city since September 2018.

The current network comprises the G1 service that runs from the McKinstry roundabout in west Belfast to Dundonald Park and Ride in the east via the city centre.

The G2 connects the city centre to the Titanic Quarter.

Plans for the extension include:

• An extension to the current G2 Titanic Quarter service to provide a loop with better access to Queen's University and Belfast City Hospital.

• A southern route along the Ormeau and Saintfield roads to Cairnshill Park and Ride on the outskirts of the city.

• A route leading to the northern edge of Belfast. There are two major options for the route. It could either run northwards along the Antrim Road or along the Shore Road.

The map shows how a future Glider network could criss-cross the city

There are potential variations on each of these routes, the most obvious being the choice between the main arterial routes out of north Belfast along the Antrim and Shore roads.

Having a Glider route built near your home won't make you a property millionaire overnight but the current service is seen as a selling-point by estate agents.

East Belfast estate agent Natasha Rodgers says it's hard to quantify if the Glider has had a direct effect on increasing house prices.

"We would certainly advertise that the property was on the G1 route," she adds.

The 18m-long vehicle can carry 105 passengers

Ms Rodgers says the service has made longer commuting distances feasible and that customers have increased their search area.

She has noticed more queries from potential buyers as far out as the terminus of the G1 line at Dundonald.

Customers have asked about the proximity of houses to the Glider and developers have started to mark the Glider stops on their brochures.

'Not a be-all and end-all'

Joe Duffy from the West Belfast Partnership took part in the consultation that was held before the current Glider service was introduced into his part of the city.

"It has been a positive introduction, but I wouldn't say it's a 'be all and end all'," he says.

Mr Duffy says people haven't given up their cars but the Glider "has made it much more convenient for people and made the city centre more accessible".

He points out that west Belfast has more of a mixed economy in public transport that includes the famous Black Taxis.

Mr Duffy says he'd like to see an "active travel plan" for the city and advises the Department of Infrastructure to "listen to the local residents and community groups".

Jason Shankey runs a business in Ballyhackamore in east Belfast.

A G1 Glider passes over the Albert Bridge headed for west Belfast

The G1 Glider service runs past his salon. He says it is a good bus service but he's not sure that it has actually helped businesses in the area.

And he has this warning for businesses along the proposed routes in the north and south of the city: "The building of it was an absolute nightmare and it drove footfall out of the village."

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon recently announced the public consultation on the first major extension of the Glider network.

She said it was "vital that we build on the success of Glider by expanding the service across the city".

"To date the Glider has been a hugely transformative project for Belfast, providing a modern, improved public transport experience for people who live, work, socialise in or visit the city."

Translink says that pre-Covid there were more than 45,000 additional passenger journeys per week on the Glider compared to buses and it is keen to proceed with the expansion of the network, as its chief executive Chris Conway explains.

"Glider has provided more reliable journey times for passengers and enabled cross-city journeys between east and west Belfast, improving access to key locations such as the Royal Victoria and Ulster Hospitals and connecting communities east and west.

"The system has helped to drive regeneration and has become a positive selling point for businesses and properties along the routes."

You can view the route proposals and make your views known on the Belfast Rapid Transport Phase 2 Consultation website.