Road users advised to work from home to avoid traffic chaos

The Department for Infrastructure says Belfast’s road network is over capacity

BBC A long line of cars and buses are at a standstill in Belfast city centre. it is evening and all the brake lights on the vehicles are on. — The Department for Infrastructure says Belfast’s road network is over capacity

As heavy traffic congestion continues to impact across Belfast city centre, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has asked people to work from home one day per week.

The road network is over capacity and traffic congestion could be reduced by walking, cycling, taking public transport or working from home, the department has said.

Alongside these measures the DfI are looking at road engineering measures, public transport interventions and providing the public with information.

“There isn’t the physical space to try and put as many vehicles down these roads as possible so… the answer is to get more people onto public transport or to walk or cycle,” Colin Woods from the DfI told the BBC.

Road closures

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster’s The Nolan Show, Mr Woods responded to queries on various road closures across the city.

“If people would use public transport or work from home one day a week even, you would start to see significant reductions in congestion,” he stated.

Durham Street

“I have acknowledged that the closure of Durham Street has had a significant impact on traffic and so we have taken a number of actions to try and make changes where we can.”

Mr Woods said investments, such as Belfast Grand Central Station, are what will make a material difference to traffic congestion.

He described the new station as a “game changer” and said it is “precisely the sort of investment that is needed” when considering long-term solutions.

Sydenham Bypass

Mr Woods said the department was concerned that the Sydenham Bypass would need “emergency closures” over the winter if the work did not go ahead this year.

He continued: “We have delayed that work from previous years precisely because we wanted to try and avoid the traffic impact, but this year we did not believe we could wait.

“We will always act where we think it is necessary from a structural integrity perspective of the road and to protect safety.”

Mr Woods accepted it was challenging but said the department kept the closure to the weekends.

Mr Woods said investments, such as Belfast Grand Central Station, are what will make a material difference to traffic congestion

Queues of cars and buses are pictured in Belfast city centre. It is evening time and the lights of the cars as well as shop signs along the streets are lit up. — Mr Woods said investments, such as Belfast Grand Central Station, are what will make a material difference to traffic congestion

Grosvenor Road

Road users are now unable to turn left from Great Victoria Street onto the Grosvenor Road.

Mr Woods explained this is a “pedestrian safety” issue as the department had to remodel the junction “to cope” with the numbers of pedestrians leaving Belfast Grand Central Station.

He noted that it is under “close” review and that there are other routes onto the Westlink.

Dublin Road

When asked why the lanes on the Dublin Road were reduced from four to one, Mr Woods said that some of the measures have been in place for a long period of time.

He said that the cycle lane was introduced at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic to create “safe cycle routes for people”.

Mr Woods added that an additional bus lane was added to the road so that if there is congestion, buses can still travel along Great Victoria Street and through Shaftesbury Square.

There is now parking, a cycle lane, bus lane and a lane for general traffic.