Belfast Chamber says it is hopeful that some measures to address the major traffic congestion issues in Belfast city centre will be introduced by the Department for Infrastructure before Christmas.
A delegation of Belfast Chamber members, led by President Gavin Annon and CEO Clare Guinness, met with Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd and his officers on Thursday afternoon to discuss the traffic problem. The meeting was arranged following concerns raised by the Chamber on behalf of its members.
Among the solutions proposed by Belfast Chamber are: a temporary relaxation of bus lane restrictions to permit taxis on bus lanes, simplification of the bus lanes times and turning restrictions along Great Victoria Street, having continuous bus lanes to make them more effective but also less in number, and free fares on park-and-ride services in Belfast city centre.
Speaking after the meeting, Clare Guinness, Belfast Chamber CEO, said:
“Belfast Chamber has been at the forefront of voicing the concerns of businesses around the traffic congestion issue since October. We have provided a number of practical solutions to help address the problems and it is vital that our members’ voices are listened to.
“We had a productive meeting with the Infrastructure Minister and we welcome the fact that he and his department have pledged to examine ways to introduce measures to alleviate the traffic congestion before Christmas and in the New Year.
“Our businesses have suffered enough in recent months, with the negative impacts of the congestion including prolonged travel times, disruptions to punctuality and productivity, reduced footfall, late appointments and no-shows, and a reluctance to travel into the city centre from shoppers and business clients seeking to avoid congestion.
“Belfast Chamber fully appreciates and welcomes the investment that has been made to improve transport throughout Belfast, but this must be managed effectively and proactively, and not to the detriment of the economy.”