DRD urges motorists out of city centre

Published Friday, 08 June 2012

Roads across Belfast city centre will be transformed in the next year to give higher priority to public transport, pedestrians and cyclists.

Cyclists and buses will be given priority over cars in Belfast on the Move. (© Pacemaker)

As part of the Belfast on the Move masterplan, more bus and cycle lanes will be introduced, roads resurfaced and traffic lights installed. There will also be changes to junctions, traffic flows and routes for Translink's buses, which will affect streets around the City Hall area.

Ciaran de Búrca, Department for Regional Development's Director of Transport Projects, said: "This is the first step in delivering a city centre where access by public transport is given a much higher priority and the street environment is tailored to the needs of pedestrians and cyclists rather than the private car.

"Around 30,000 vehicles per day travel through the city centre on the streets either side of the City Hall. About 60% of this is through traffic, with no final destination in the city centre.

"A full and comprehensive consultation process has been undertaken with appropriate legislation now in place for the delivery of all the measures being undertaken."

Roads Service are urging motorists to stay out of the city centre while the work is undertaken.

"There will be lane restrictions and in some cases localised road closures at off peak times,'' said Mr de Burca.

Work has been ongoing in the west of the city since January 2012 and work is now starting in the east of the City with a bus lane being introduced in Oxford Street, from Queens Bridge to May Street, May Street, Donegall Square South and Howard Street.

The roadworks, which are now starting on Oxford Street, will progress into May Street in mid June with the resurfacing of May Street, Donegall Square South and Howard Street, prior to the introduction of the bus lanes by early July.

Electronic signs will be put up at key points across the city to advise of road works and possible delays, while over the summer months Roads Service will erect signs to encourage through traffic to avoid the city centre.

In order to ensure the efficient operation of the new higher priority measures for public transport, there will be an increase in the level of bus lane enforcement throughout the city and particularly in the city centre.

Comments

12 Comments

Pedestrain looking forward to it in LURGAN wrote (375 days ago):

I agree with all these comments we need BADLY BETTER public transport .DART would be great However we URGENLTY NEED Better country transport routes BETTER BUSES for schools.Look at the greyhound buses in the states they even have toilets ! Additionally -We should have more cameras on country roads where most people speed ,do very dangerous overtakes, cyclists doing insane things like swerving at the last moment into the paths of vehicles,Tractors leaving piles of mud and dirt on the roads NEVER cleaning it up ,which I can confirm as I travel the country roads daily .Cars speeding over what they call TRAFFIC CALMING RAMPS ,which only serve to some drivers as as just another obstacle to drive over as fast as they can ,see earlier comment. Women putting make up on,and on the MOBILE !! School days between 0815 and 9am the worst ! I see it daily mums rushing to schools, kids every where, kids just jumping across the roads often missing cars by inches ! Pedestrians NOT EVER USING PROPER CROSSINGS often can not be bothered walking the extra 20 30 yards to USE a proper crossing! THEY SHOULD BE given on the spot fines for ENDANGERING them selves and other ROAD USERS NOTE here I say OTHER ROAD USERS not just cars! I welcome more Police If they are ever around the country roads in BANBRIDGE LURGAN PORTADWON MOIRA MAGHERALIN DOLLINGSTOWN WARINGSTOWN AREA they will fill a book in a day.But what do we get another DISTILLERY IN LONDONDERRY/Derry.like we need another reason to get more alcoholics to be a drain on the NHS and tie up the Police Ambulances doctors nurses etc

Tomc in Belfast wrote (375 days ago):

I live on a road where they've added bus lanes at times when buses aren't running! Pushing traffic into 1 lane making the journey longer for no good reason. We've cycle lanes and grenn areas at most crossings in the area - yet nobody cycles! Translink run a poor service, buses and trains are next to useless. Improve the roads for motorists before you cripple them. Less motorists = less taxes generated in fuel revenue. Can someone tell me what sense this makes in this backwater country??

Jules in Belfast wrote (375 days ago):

So, because I drive into Belfast instead of taking unreliable, overpriced translink buses, I will now have an even harder time getting in and getting parked? Why do I pay road tax if I can't park and can't drive anywhere I need to go? BAD PLAN DRD.

AndyB in Belfast wrote (375 days ago):

William, which routes do you want higher fares on to pay for cheaper fares elsewhere? Which buses do you want cancelled to pay for cheaper fares? That is the real cost of competition. Competition usually doesn't work in public transport, it just artificially cuts fares on one route so fares on another have to rise and services get cut elsewhere to pay for the cheap fares - either that or the competitor drives out the incumbent and that route is returned to being a monopoly (the natural state for a bus route) In any case, you have no excuse. BCH is a short walk from the City Centre, and if you're in East Belfast, you've almost certainly got a frequent bus service to take you that far. One of the few bits of competition that works is Eamon Rooney's express commuter service Rostrevor-Newry-Belfast. Far cheaper, but limited times. Vee, get the cars out of the way, and the buses will run on time. Simple as - if you're like me and don't need to drive to work, you shouldn't. If everyone who didn't need to drive to get to work reasonably conveniently took the bus or got a lift, congestion would be far better, and those who do need to drive would have a far easier time.

William in East Belfast wrote (376 days ago):

More Misery for East Belast motorists. I live 4 miles from BCH and it takes almost an hour each morning. This plan is a poorly thought out unmitigated shambles. Peopl forced on to unreliable and overpriced Translink services. Time for some competition and alternate bus companies to drive prices down and service standards up

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