Comber Greenway celebrated by European Award

One of Northern Ireland's most popular cycling and walking routes, the Comber Greenway, has received international recognition.

Its coordinator, sustainable transport charity Sustrans, was awarded first prize in the Mobility Category of the IV European Greenways Awards organised by the European Greenways Association.

The award aims to promote the best of Europe's routes designed to take non-motorised traffic, otherwise known as greenways*. The Comber Greenway was selected from twenty one nominations from 10 countries.

The judges particularly liked the quality of the route, environmental protection measures applied during construction and the links that were made with the communities. During the development of the Greenway and since then, Sustrans has worked with schools, communities and workplaces to encourage people not just to use the routes but to feel that it belongs to them.

Since its official opening in November last year the Comber Greenway has been used for thousands of journeys yet the its future remains in the balance as proposals for a bus rapid transit (BRT) to run along the route are still under discussion. In response to this threat Sustrans proposes its vision for the future of local transport in the East Belfast. The charity supports the need for improved public transport but believes it should not be at the expense of existing and future levels of walking and cycling and we assume the number of people using the Greenway will drop if the bus route goes ahead.

Sustrans is proposing a range of improvements and new initiatives in the area including:

* The development of a wide greenway network linking the Comber Greenway, the Connswater Community Greenway and the riverside paths along the Lagan.
* Upgrading the Comber Greenway to include lighting in the urban area, improvements to road junctions to improve safety and links to schools, shops, churches, medical centre and key centres such as the Stormont Estate, Ulster Hospital and the Titanic Quarter.
* A first rate public transport system. With better and more frequent bus services running along prioritised routes, more buses to key areas and changes to the road network and public space to improve walking, cycling and bus access at the Holywood Arches.
* A regeneration and transport masterplan which lays out land use plans that will make is easier for people to make their ever by foot and on bike for their everyday journeys.
* Programmes to encourage and enable people to change the way they travel for the benefit of their health and the environment. Evidence from Sustrans' work shows that offering tailor made information to help people get around on foot, by bike or by public transport can reduce car trips by an average of 10 per cent.

Sustrans believes that BRT along the Comber Greenway will reduce levels of walking and cycling. The likely width and quality of any replacement path running alongside BRT will provide a much less pleasant environment and Sustrans believes this will discourage people from using the path. The speed of the BRT, up to 60 mph, will be off-putting to less experienced cyclists and children, and wildlife along the Greenway will also suffer. It will also be much more difficult to get on and off the path, the speed of the BRT will mean fewer crossing points which will make it less convenient for people to use for shorter journeys.

Director for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Steven Patterson says: "While BRT may bring public transport benefits for some people for a limited time during the week, we think that investing in a wide-ranging transport plan for East Belfast will bring much greater benefits to many more people. Our proposals would require significant investment but nothing on the scale proposed for BRT. We would like government to carry out a cost benefit analysis assessing this proposal to assess different transport initiatives.

"We believe that this would provide definitive evidence that alternatives to BRT make sense financially, as well as bringing environmental and health benefits and improving the overall quality of life for the people of East Belfast.

"And the European Greenways Award comes at just the right time, showing that this route has significance not just locally but on an international level. We are delighted to be receiving it but the Comber Greenway's success would not be possible without the support of our many partners, volunteers and the local community. So we share the Award with them all."