Image caption The bike share scheme will initially include 300 public bikes, and up to 30 bike docking stations in the city centre

A new public bike share scheme is aiming to get more people cycling in and around Belfast city centre.

Free sessions providing on-road training have begun in the run up to the start of the initiative in April.

Anyone aged 14 and over who can ride a bike can apply.

It comes as figures are released by the road safety charity Brake which says safety fears are stopping young people walking or cycling.

Sustrans, which is organising the training say safety, is a top priority.

"What we're saying is you have to share the city centre," Gordon Clarke, director for Sustrans Northern Ireland said.

"If you're a cyclist or pedestrian, you're more vulnerable, so we want bus drivers - and we've been working with them, with DRD and with Translink - we want taxi drivers, all the drivers to think of each other and cyclists to be aware of drivers as well."

The bike share scheme will initially include 300 public bikes, and up to 30 bike docking stations in the city centre.