Belfast Live readers give their verdict on city centre traffic congestion

Belfast Live readers say recent traffic issues in the city centre are putting them off shopping and socialising in Belfast over the festive series.

Readers were responding to a poll as part of our recent series on congestion in the city, where we asked people who have been impacted by the ongoing congestion what they would do to fix the traffic issues.

We spoke to some of those working in retail, hospitality, and public transport about what we can do to alleviate some of the congestion issues, especially in the run-up to Christmas.

READ MORE: DfI refuses to respond to our questions on Belfast city centre's traffic issues

READ MORE: Translink statement on tackling Belfast's traffic chaos in run up to Christmas

Recent weeks have seen traffic chaos in the city centre, with ongoing work surrounding the new Belfast Grand Central Station and a major resurfacing scheme of the A2 Sydenham Bypass contributing to serious congestion in the city.

The gridlock led to Translink advising of delays during the evening rush hour in recent weeks and prompted the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to introduce a moratorium on works from late November to early January, ahead of the busy Christmas trading period.

In a recent poll, conducted by Belfast Live, we gave you, our readers, the opportunity to have your say on transport in and around Belfast, in particular the city's ongoing congestion issues and the impact they are having.

The survey of over 2,000 of our readers found that most of you felt the current transport situation in Belfast would put you off shopping and socialising in the city this Christmas.

In total 2,144 readers said that yes they would be put off coming into the city at this time of year to shop or meet friends while 452 said no and 118 didn't know.

When asked how damaging the current roadworks are for city centre businesses, 2.242 of you said they were really damaging and should have been coordinated much better. A further 258 said the work has to be done and businesses should stop complaining while 195 felt that people will come to the city centre regardless of roadworks.

The survey was carried out just weeks after the phased opening of Belfast Grand Central Station with bus services only in early September, followed by the commencement of rail services in mid-October.

We also wanted to hear your early impressions of the new £340 million public transport hub and 1,216 of you said it wasn't needed and has had a negative impact on city centre traffic.

Meanwhile 1,019 of readers felt it's an improvement but were not sure it's worth the money. Only 465 of you viewed Grand Central Station as fantastic and a great asset to Belfast.

Last weekend, the Department for Infrastructure finally outlined a series of mitigations being undertaken to help ease traffic congestion in Belfast after it had refused to respond to a series of questions from Belfast Live on the issue.

A departmental spokesperson said: “The ongoing work in and around Belfast represents a significant investment, which will ultimately improve and enhance the cityscape, however we fully appreciate that this work is causing delay and frustration for motorists travelling through or to the city centre.

"Mitigating the congestion issues requires a collective approach, with everyone considering how they can play a part to help everyone better share out the limited road space available in a smarter way.”

Translink responded to our questions on how traffic issues in the city can be tackled ahead of Christmas, to encourage more people to visit the city centre.

Translink said it recognises the importance of the critical infrastructure projects in roads and utilities currently underway across the city and “continues to work with DfI to find solutions to help ease the congestion and keep people moving around the city.”

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