Issue 75 - Belfast BT4 • BT5 • BT16
DRINK DRIVING AMONG NI MALE DRIVERS AN ISSUE
The latest PSNI data on motoring offences, analysed by CompareNI.com, showed that from the 1st September 2023 to 31st August 2024, males accounted for 29,267 of all motoring offences committed in Northern Ireland. In comparison, women accounted for just 6,730 of all motoring offences during the same time period – meaning 8 in 10 of all offences were committed by men. Drink driving remains within the top five motoring offences, an issue of concern as the festive season approaches. These recent figures for drink or drug driving show 2,355 offences by men and 584 by women. A recent survey by CompareNI, Northern Ireland’s largest price comparison site, revealed nearly a quarter of drivers, 24%, say drink or drug drivers is their biggest fear on the roads this winter. Last Christmas, the PSNI recorded nearly 300 arrests for drink or drug driving in just one month,
A new bike dock has recently opened at Titanic Quarter
Titanic Quarter gears up for increased active travel with new secure bike dock A new state-of-the-art bike dock has opened in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter - the third secure cycle facility to open in the city this autumn and the first of its kind in NI to be accessed via an app (Spokesafe). Like recent additions at Queen’s University Belfast and Finaghy Primary School, this latest facility has been supported by Belfast City Council, with additional funding from the Department for Infrastructure. Delivered by Titanic Quarter Ltd, the TQ Bike Dock, located at the junction of Queen’s Road and Olympic Way, provides secure cycle storage for standard and
non-standard bikes to those living, working, visiting and staying in the Titanic Quarter and augments the cycle infrastructure already in place nearby. The dock is also fully step-free, making it accessible to all users visiting Titanic Belfast, the Titanic Hotel and other attractions across the Titanic Quarter and Maritime Mile. James Eyre, Chief Executive of Titanic Quarter, said: “Titanic
Quarter are proud to see this secure cycle facility completed and operational with the support of Belfast City Council and the Department for Infrastructure. “Our ambition in delivering this facility is to encourage the use of sustainable transport by way of cycling, providing an alternative to car travel for our employees, residents and visitors to Titanic Quarter.”
Peter McParland , Deputy Director for Active Travel with the Department for Infrastructure, said: “It is great to see this new facility in the heart of the Titanic Quarter and I’m pleased that the Department was able to contribute some funding towards its delivery.” For more information on council initiatives to support active travel in Belfast, visit www.belfastcity.gov.uk/ activetravel
from 1st December 2023 – 1st January 2024, 83% of which were male. The highest number of arrests were made in Belfast (65), Derry City and Strabane (37) and Mid Ulster (36) - while Fermanagh and Omagh experienced the largest decrease in arrests when compared with the same period last year (from 31 to 9). Over half of those arrested were between 30 and 49 years old. A rising issue is the lack of awareness of drug or drunk driving the following morning. A good night’s sleep, coffee, breakfast or a cold shower will not actually help drivers sober up*** – only time will reduce the alcohol in the body, with one in five drivers convicted for drink driving caught the next morning.