The deputy secretary in charge of Northern Ireland’s roads has explained why drivers are now unable to turn left from Great Victoria Street in Belfast onto the Grosvenor Road as he discussed the ongoing traffic chaos in the city centre.
The change in road layout has led to large delays at rush hour in the area as drivers attempt to travel into north Belfast or access the Westlink.
In an interview with BBC Radio Ulster’s The Nolan Show, Colin Woods, who is currently acting deputy secretary within the Department for Infrastructure in charge of roads and rivers, said roads in Belfast are “over capacity” and said the issue on Great Victoria Street comes as a result of Translink’s new transport hub Belfast Grand Central Station.
He explained it was an issue of “pedestrian safety” due to a remodel of the junction between Great Victoria Street and Grosvenor Road due to the change of exit to the new transport hub.
“When the previous station was there, most people came out through the Great Northern Mall in the middle of Great Victoria Street, and now we’re seeing pedestrians, reasonably enough, exiting the station and coming down Grosvenor Road.
“When you remodel that junction in order to make it wider to cope with the number of pedestrians and stop people getting densely packed on the footpath, unfortunately that means we can’t also fit in the left turn for vehicles.
“We are keeping that under review and we are taking observations on how many people are waiting at that crossing. We acted to keep them safe as they wait to cross the road.
“I accept that there are choices. One of the choices for people trying to access the Westlink is to use one of the other routes.”
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When asked about the “chaos” that is currently engulfing Belfast’s road system, Mr Woods said that the “long term answer has to be a switch to public transport or walking or cycling.”
“We hear the frustration people are expressing,” he said.
“There is not enough space for vehicles trying to use (the roads) and we can see the impact on people’s journey times.
“It’s always been the case that Belfast traffic will always move slowly when there are things like collisions and accidents on the M2 or Westlink, this is not a new phenomenon.
“But there is no doubt the closure of Durham Street has had an impact, which is part of investment into Belfast Grand Central – but we have to remember there are no planned road works on at the moment and we as a department have been looking at things which will make a positive result.”
Due to various changes in Belfast’s road networks, several commuters have expressed frustration at the level of traffic across the city at rush hour, with some drivers claiming it now takes them hours to travel home.
Mr Woods said in particular junctions and journey planning are being focused on as ways to ease traffic, while the Department is also looking at issues like drivers blocking yellow boxes.
“But we have to remember it’s Christmas, as people coming into Belfast for shopping and dinners, but I accept there are delays in the city centre. But the bigger issue that underpins this, is the network of streets in Belfast were laid out when horses and pedestrians were the only people using them and there isn’t the space to put as many vehicles as possible.
“The answer is to get more people onto public transport or to cycle.”
When questioned if the traffic in Belfast was at an all-time high, Mr Woods reiterated the congestion was typical around this time of year.
“What I am saying is we are seeing particular pressure on the network at the moment, and we have taken a number of actions to make changes where we can but the network is over capacity. We need to think about our choices, and we need to consider other means to get in and out of the city,” he said.
Mr Woods added that the Sydnham Bypass was closed as there was a “fear it would need emergency work” over the winter months and there is “never a good time” to close the road.
He also said the work around Belfast Grand Central Station was a “game changer” for future road investment in Northern Ireland, but acknowledged that not everyone is able to use public transport.
“We are trying to balance the needs of everyone,” he added.
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