https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8q7015v13o
Taxis to be allowed in Belfast bus lanes to tackle congestion
Some taxis will be permitted to use certain bus lanes to tackle congestion
Taxis will be allowed to use bus lanes in Belfast's Linen Quarter in a bid to tackle congestion, Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd has said.
It will be introduced as a temporary measure over the Christmas period, beginning at 06:00 GMT on Wednesday.
It comes after a meeting between the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and business leaders on Monday.
O'Dowd said he was "committed to bringing forward measures which will help alleviate the traffic congestion in the city centre".
Earlier this month, O'Dowd said that anyone driving into the city centre should "expect congestion", after motorists complained of weeks of heavy rush hour traffic.
The temporary traffic regulation will allow Class A and Class C taxis – categories that include private-hire taxis and Ubers – to use certain lanes.
O'Dowd had previously announced longer term plans to introduce a pilot scheme to permit taxis to use city centre bus lanes to ease traffic.
He said officials were continuing to carry out the necessary legislative work to implement this, with the consultation period to begin "early in the new year".
"In the meantime, I have asked my officials to urgently introduce temporary traffic regulations, as an interim measure, to allow Class A and C taxis to use a number of bus lanes," he said.
"Belfast is a thriving city and I would encourage anyone planning to travel to the city centre, especially over the Christmas period, to plan their journey, use public transport if possible and if travelling by car factor in extra time for your journey."
Long term solution
Chris McCracken, managing director of the Linen Quarter Business Improvement District, welcomed this initiative as a short term measure over the Christmas period.
"However, it should be reviewed in the new year to ensure bus times are not adversely impacted," he said.
"The long term solution for tackling congestion in Belfast City Centre remains better investment in public transport, including the North-South Glider, Belfast cycling network, the Gasworks walk-cycle bridge, and investment in new pavements, walking routes and public realm."
Which bus lanes are included?
Inbound towards the city centre
Shaftesbury Square
Great Victoria Street (Shaftesbury Square – Grosvenor Road)
Outbound away from city centre
Great Victoria Street (Howard Street – Bruce Street)
Bruce Street
Dublin Road
The move follows complaints about congestion in the city centre due to roadworks on the Sydenham Bypass and at the city's new public transport hub, Grand Central Station.
Questions have also been raised over Translink's demolition of the Boyne Bridge which is part of the redevelopment of the area around the new station.
The bridge closed in October and diggers moved in on 29 November.
However, documents seen by BBC News NI's The Nolan Show show that work to demolish the bridge began before a key planning condition was signed off.
In correspondence from October, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI)'s Planning Department told Translink that work could not start at Durham Street and the Boyne Bridge before traffic mitigation measures were "fully implemented".
The DfI told Translink its planning application was "unacceptable".
The letter said Translink had not outlined traffic mitigation measures to ensure that "the impact of the proposals [would] not adversely affect the road network".
Translink replied that it had met all conditions.
In a subsequent letter sent to the DfI on 26 November, Translink outlined traffic mitigation measures.
The Planning Department reviewed the information, described it as "robust" and approved the planning condition on 12 December.
Speaking to The Nolan Show, DUP MLA Edwin Poots called for an urgent meeting with O'Dowd and Gordon Lyons and said he wanted work on the Boyne Bridge to stop.
He said: "Essentially what we have here is a plan [to mitigate traffic impacts] that has come in after the work has started.
"So to all intents and purposes it would appear that this plan was submitted beyond the time whenever the bridge was closed.
"But the second aspect of it is we now have this letter from the DfI saying that the plan is good and the plan stands up to scrutiny.
"But the reality is something different.
"The roads are so congested now that the public transport is delayed, people are telling me they are waiting for half an hour on buses and they are not coming."
A Translink spokesperson said: "Dismantlement of the bridge has commenced, which will see key elements of the bridge re-purposed in the new civic space, Saltwater Square.
"Translink continues to collaborate closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment with each phase of the complex planning processes."
The spokesperson added that dismantling work is expected to be completed in January.
A DfI spokesperson said the department was "aware of and considering the recent activity undertaken by Translink at the bridge".
by Dodecaheadwrong
31 comments
Taxis are handed concession after concession but are never held to account for their own performance and pricing.
I’m going to sign up to be an Uber driver but not take any passengers so I can use the bus lanes.
I feel like this probably has an obvious answer that I’m missing but how does letting taxis in bus lanes but not cars ease congestion?
We don’t have a frequent enough bus service in Belfast to justify keeping bus lanes only to buses, therefore widening their access makes sense.
We hear complaints about there not being enough taxis, so hopefully this will allow them to finish jobs more quickly and onto the next one sooner. Plus fares become lower because people aren’t paying to sit in a traffic jam watching meters go up.
The one thing I would hope is that there is some form of control to ensure that taxi drivers are actively working when in the bus lanes. They maybe have to have the meter running or people in the back, rather than just using it to go in to town to do their christmas shopping.
The ball bags are never out of the bus lanes anyway.
My cycle to and from work just got a whole lot more dangerous
Capital punishment for all rubbernecking following traffic collisions would greatly reduce congestion
Well how much did Translink spend on taxis again , they need to make sure they can get from a to b because their own buses are cancelled for no reason or simply a no show , and as bus lanes empty solution let taxis use them! The rational of public transport here is embarrassing
They use it anyway, this is pointless.
Taxis need to look out for cyclists and motorcyclists using the bus lanes
This isn’t ground breaking, they have done this in many English cities.
Hating taxi drivers aside
This is a half measure, kind of confusing that only some lanes are free to use, make them all free to use but with no stopping. There aren’t enough taxis in the city to cause an upset anyhow!!
With every word he utters I think john O’Dowd is as daft as he looks
I’m an illegal taxi. Happy days I’m using the bus lane
I don’t think this is going to tackle congestion. Getting the private cars off the road would do that.
Doing whatever taxis want seems to be the only solution to any problem. What percentage of vehicles are taxis at any given rush hour?
I’m sure this will delight the taxi driver I had last week who was foaming at the mouth over Translink robbing the average Joe whilst charging me £10 to run me 10 mins down the road 😂
I’m not as harsh on O’Dowd as others are here (if he can get the A5 completed) but ffs this is a stupid decision
Fuck taxis
So the taxis you can’t get are allowed in the part of the road used by the bus you can’t get cause they’re cancelled?
Phew, glad that’s sorted
O’Dowd and DfI coming up with another piece of shit policy.
Sure they may as well not even be taxis in Belfast they are all useless w⚓s . if you wanna go further than a 10mile radius of the city centre they try hit ya for 50+ quid. Hopefully Uber takes them out
DFI Minister, Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd, making reactionary policy under pressure from drivers… not much changes round here.
This is a contradictory transport policy and follows delays to cycling infrastructure. Only days ago he was telling people to use buses and trains, now he wants to fill bus lanes with taxis.
It undermines public transport and increases
danger to cyclists. It’s policy confusion and
political expediency over long-term planning!
https://www.greenpartyni.org/private_taxis_in_bus_lanes
Not them big bad taxi drivers again, whatever will we do with them, tut tut.
Maybe it’s about letting them earn some sort of a living and not traffic flow.
Dreadful decision that. How about you get the bus that can use the bus lane?
The buses using them would be a good start
John ODowd is such a great transport minister.
I was part of a traffic jam today and I didn’t see too many taxis in there with me. I don’t think this will make much of a difference
This won’t do anything. They should let us all use the bus lanes and that will reduce traffic
This will make public transport even more dreadful, guess it’s time for me to get a car.
lol some’s been handing out envelopes in car parks in hollywood.
Here’s me whattttttttttttttttttttttttttt.
I wonder how much effort and cost it is to get a taxi license. Then you can drive in all the bus lanes too.
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