Glider bus drivers being trained by Sustrans to share road safely with people cycling
Sustrans cycling instructor Martyn Jones trains Glider drivers to share road safely with people cycling
Bus drivers are gearing up for the launch of the new Glider service in Belfast by taking part in a Safe Urban Driving course aimed at improving safety for all road users.
We have joined forces with Translink to ensure all its Glider drivers pass the Safe Urban Driving course - a best practice training programme to help drivers deal with the increasing challenges of busy urban driving.
The accredited course is specifically designed to provide bus drivers with skills to share bus lanes safely with people cycling and to see the road from a cyclist’s perspective.
The course was originally developed by the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and Sustrans in partnership with Cycle Training UK (CTUK). To date hundreds of lorry drivers in Northern Ireland have taken part in the one-day course which is offered as part of Driver CPC training.
“ There is an onus on all road users to travel safely and respect one another. ”
Translink Glider Service Delivery Manager, Richard Anderson said safety is a top priority to the public transport provider:
“With more people looking for better ways to travel, growing numbers are choosing the bus or their bikes to get around; Glider is set to inspire even more people to choose public transport with bike interchanges at key halts along the route.
"We are pleased to once again work with Sustrans who carried out similar training for our Metro and Ulsterbus drivers in the past. There is an onus on all road users to travel safely and respect one another.
"This training will help give Glider drivers a better understanding of cyclist needs, potential blind spots and the adjustments to be made while travelling to ensure they travel safely on the road together.”
Protected cycle lanes call
Karen Mawhinney, Sustrans Cycle Skills Team Manager said:
“We are really pleased to work with Translink to deliver this training programme to ensure both drivers and cyclists can safely share road space. With the imminent launch of the Glider system, we want to minimise the safety risks of cyclists sharing bus lanes and also ensure people are not put off cycling in the bus lanes.
“Ideally Sustrans would prefer a separate network of protected cycle lanes and we will continue to lobby government for this. It is not just Sustrans that want this, the majority of Belfast residents, whether or not they cycle, support protected cycle lanes.”
As part of the course, a new ‘Travelling in Harmony’ with Glider leaflet has been produced highlighting safety tips for both bus drivers and cyclists.
Find out more about cycle training in Northern Ireland