Belfast’s hospitals are the latest locations to benefit from the city’s hugely successful Coca Cola Zero Belfast Bikes public share scheme.

Thanks to the Belfast Trust, two new docking stations are now operational at the Belfast City Hospital and Royal Victoria Hospital. A third station, at the Mater Hospital, will come online later in the summer.

“As part of the implementation of ‘Making Life Better’, Belfast Trust is supporting staff to improve their own health and wellbeing,” commented Chief Executive Dr Michael McBride.

“This expansion of Belfast Bikes will provide a congestion free and healthier transport option for Belfast Trust staff who frequently need to travel between our sites during the course of their working day. The shared cycles are available to everyone using our hospitals, and are a welcome expansion to the overall cycle network in Belfast.”

Welcoming the extension of the Belfast Bikes to the city’s hospitals, the Lord Mayor, Alderman Brian Kingston, commented:

“I am delighted that the Trust has come on board, with the addition of these three new stations, which I am sure will prove very popular with both staff and visitors to the three hospitals. It is exciting and very satisfying to see how popular the Belfast Bikes scheme has become in such a short time since its launch last April.

“These new stations mean that we have increased the number of docking stations, and bikes, by 20 per cent since the scheme was launched.

“We expect to announce in the near future that more than a quarter of a million journeys have been undertaken in just 15 months – a terrific achievement and a huge tribute to hard work and the commitment of our partners, including the Trust, in driving forward the scheme and making Belfast a healthier and more cycling friendly city.”

Dr McBride concluded: “Thousands of cycling journeys are made every day in Belfast and the number of people choosing to cycle for leisure and commuting is steadily increasing across Northern Ireland. The additional docking stations and bikes are great news for those wanting to integrate cycling into their everyday lives.”

The Coca Cola Belfast Bikes Scheme was officially launched in April 2015. The addition of three hospital sites will bring the number of docking stations to 36 by the end of the summer. A number of additional locations - including six docking stations within three of the Building Successful Communities (BSC) pilot areas of Lower Shankill/Brown Square, Lower Oldpark and Lower Falls - are currently being planned.