He was speaking after council agreed last night (3 Nov) to begin the tender process for the operating model, after the decision was previously deferred by Sinn Féin.
Cllr Long has said: "After originally proposing the specific need for Belfast City Council to provide EV charging points at all our facilities back in 2022, I’m incredibly pleased that we are now finally at the stage of looking to tender for the first phase of rolling this out.
“This decision sends a strong message that our council is working effectively to help people make changes to protect our planet. Speaking as a Lisnasharragh councillor, in our area we have several sites that have great potential as locations for these charging stations, such as Henry Jones, Orangefield Park and Cherryvale, and I look forward to seeing which sites are ultimately chosen.
“Until we have significant and reliable numbers of charging points, people will not make the switch to electric, and this will continue to make it harder to achieve our climate goals. The lack of facilities and adequate infrastructure in Belfast is also bound to discourage tourists and those visiting from shopping and enjoying our hospitality.
"For too many drivers, the current lack of charging infrastructure is the main barrier to going electric. The current level of provision in the city really is very poor and it is vital that council continues leading the way in changing this.”