Belfast’s Functionality Impaired by Traffic Congestion, Councillor States

A local councillor has asserted that the city of Belfast is “isn’t functioning” due to persistent heavy traffic congestion. Gary McKeown indicated that significant delays experienced by individuals traversing the city were placing “severe pressure” on both commuters and their employers. He further commented, “It’s really, really difficult for anybody to plan anything and people are really at the end of their tether.” Translink announced on Friday afternoon that services were experiencing delays and disruption in the city centre because of substantial traffic. Many drivers and bus passengers encountered prolonged traffic queues when departing the city on Thursday evening. The situation was exacerbated by malfunctioning traffic lights at the intersection of Ormeau Avenue, Ormeau Road, and Cromac Street, which remained inoperative on Friday morning. Additionally, some city centre bus stops on three Metro routes were not served on Thursday evening “due to heavy traffic conditions.” For several weeks, commuters have voiced complaints regarding severe congestion when leaving the city during the evening rush hour. Speaking on Radio Ulster’s Evening Extra programme on Friday, a Belfast taxi driver remarked: “People are waiting over an hour on taxis, they’re getting frustrated, they’re leaving, they’re starting to walk – you can’t get moved in Belfast, it’s become a car park at the minute” He added, “Last night was the worst I’ve ever seen, obviously there were accidents on the Westlink on the M2 and traffic lights out.” The driver also predicted, “Tonight, it’s getting just as bad and then Disney on Ice is starting soon and it’s going to get worse.” In October, several fast food establishments reported that they had ceased attempts to deliver orders between 16:00 BST and 19:00 on weekdays. McKeown informed the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme that “The city just isn’t functioning, it is in gridlock.” He elaborated, “For example if you have childcare commitments and you need to get up the road before six o’clock and you’re stuck in traffic and can’t get there, that’s hugely stressful.” The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) councillor described the situation as having become “utterly frustrating for people.” During the same programme, Alliance councillor Michael Long identified the primary issue as Belfast’s reliance on a “car-centric” system. He contended that increased utilisation of public transport would be “one of the main answers” to the problem. However, he also claimed that some existing bus services were “not reliable,” lacked frequency, and that the vehicles were “getting snarled up” by private car congestion. Long stated, “A bus will be signed to come – it doesn’t turn up and then it disappears off the board.” Earlier this week, the programme interviewed bus passengers impacted by congestion and temporary alterations to bus stops. One passenger, employed at Ulster University, mentioned that her commute home from a city centre bus stop typically took approximately 25 minutes, but for the past month, it has extended to between one and two hours. Northern Ireland’s public transport operator, Translink, issued a statement saying: “As is the case in many cities in the run up to Christmas, traffic is very heavy in Belfast. “We continue to monitor timetables and capacity and adjust services where possible to minimise the impact on our customers.” Stormont’s Department for Infrastructure (DfI) attributed the busy city centre traffic to pre-Christmas visitors, alongside various incidents and events throughout the city. A spokesperson for the department added, “The Department is continuing to work with partners to undertake a range of mitigation measures to help ease traffic congestion in Belfast City Centre. The Department is particularly appealing to drivers to not block yellow boxes, as this only exacerbates the congestion.” The spokesperson also stated that considering alternative travel methods was “key to helping address the current situation.” The DfI is encouraging individuals to avoid congestion by exploring other sustainable and active modes of travel, such as public transport, utilising park and ride facilities, or walking and cycling. “The less cars on the road, the less congestion there will be, and therefore, less disruption to public transport timetables,” the spokesperson concluded. Last month, the DfI halted all non-essential roadworks in an effort to alleviate congestion leading up to Christmas.