To ask the Minister for Regional Development what action his Department is taking to improve cycle lane connectivity.

My Department’s Roads Service is committed to providing safer roads for vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists. This is facilitated by the use of a range of measures, such as road safety education and engineering, traffic calming and enhancement of the pedestrian and cycling network.

The provision of bicycle paths or cycle lanes in Northern Ireland is led by Roads Service, through its Local Transport and Safety Measures and in accordance with the Regional Transport Strategy and the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan. These plans build on the Northern Ireland Cycling Strategy and recognise that cycling is an ideal form of transport for short journeys.

It is Roads Service’s intention to invest and implement, in so far as available resources permit, additional cycling measures which will complement the existing National Cycle Network and improve the connectivity of cycle lanes.