Retail chief criticises DfI’s ‘communication and coordination’ as traffic chaos hits Belfast

Belfast’s traffic congestion is having a serious impact on the city’s retailers at the most critical time of the year for their survival, a business chief has said.

Sunday was one of the year’s biggest shopping days, with thousands of cars flocking to the city and causing long tailbacks.

Large traffic queues formed on all main routes into the city, with some drivers turning away as far as two miles outside Belfast.

Matters weren’t helped when an industrial compressor caught fire on Donegall Quay.

Thursday was also a nightmare for rush hour drivers, with the the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) blaming severe congestion on several road traffic collisions on busy roads in and out of the city, causing a knock-on effect for commuters, as well as high-profile events such as Disney On Ice at the SSE Arena.

Some commuters claimed they spent over two hours attempting to get home.

Speaking on BBC’s Sunday Politics with Mark Cuthbert, Retail NI CEO Glyn Roberts criticised DfI’s lack of “communication and coordination” on the city’s recent infrastructure projects, adding that Belfast’s congestion has had a broader impact on the entire Northern Ireland economy.

“The congestion is having a very serious impact on the retail sector. People shouldn’t forget that Belfast city centre is not just another city centre; it’s a regional economic driver for the whole of the NI economy,” he said.

“We have seen continuing problems with congestion, resulting in people going to the big out-of-town stores or, indeed, to other towns. I think the key point here is that the communication and coordination of the Department for Infrastructure has been very poor.”

Mr Roberts questioned the decision to schedule two major infrastructure projects — the Belfast Grand Central Station and Sydenham Bypass upgrade — at the busiest time of year for the retail and hospitality sectors, but emphasised that Belfast city centre is still “open for business”.

“Christmas is the harvest season for the retail and hospitality sectors. It’s the time of year when our members make a significant amount of income, which sustains their businesses throughout the rest of the year,” he said.

“We’ve had lots of new retailers located in the city centre, new hospitality businesses, so they have a good competitive offer this year. Belfast city centre is open for business and has a lot to offer consumers.”

Mr Roberts added that while there is an oversight group that has been set up with Translink, the Department of Infrastructure and the council, “as far as I’m aware, business is not represented or communicated to us”.

“The most basic thing they need to get right is good communication, coordination and working with businesses and other stakeholders,” he said.

“We believe the transport hub will be a game-changer for our transport infrastructure, and the Sydenham Bypass certainly needs to be upgraded. We want to see people use public transport as their first option, not last.”

Michael Stewart, Belfast’s night czar, encouraged visitors to take advantage of the seasonal night-time public transport, describing it as a “strong argument” to present to Stormont for making these services permanent.

“Belfast was very busy on Thursday in hospitality. One of the big differences is that hospitality operates throughout the day and the evening, probably having a bit more impact during the day for venues, but less so during the night because the traffic eased,” he said.

“Part of the problem here is that there is not enough communication, not enough joined-up writing, and when that task force does come, businesses need to be represented on that so that we know what’s happening down the line.

“I’ve been in hospitality for 39 years and, no matter what, certain people of a certain age go out with military precision. They want to know how they’re getting there, where they’re going, who with and, most importantly, how they’re getting home safe.

“Currently, Translink has a late-night bus and train service operating for Christmas until December 21. People need to use that, because if they do, we can get to the real crux of this, where we need a transport system that’s fit for purpose 52 weeks of the year.”

Mr Stewart added: “The hospitality industry is very stoic. We came through Covid, we came through the Troubles and we came through Storm Darragh yesterday.

“People are out to have a good time. We talk about the harvest period for Christmas. There’s a golden quarter, which is October, November and December. That’s when the impact hurt harder in October and November. But at Christmas, people are out and will continue to come out.

“Belfast is absolutely open for business. I would encourage people to utilise the late-night buses and trains. We really need to get those in use, because that would be a great argument to go back to Stormont and say we need buses and trains 52 weeks of the year.”

The DfI said last week it is continuing to work with partners to “undertake a range of mitigation measures to help ease traffic congestion in Belfast city centre”.