From the early hours, key arterial routes including the Westlink, Ormeau Road and Lisburn Road were showing the signs of strain.
Traffic was significantly worse on the Malone Road due to NI Water works, which brought a single lane and temporary signals, causing huge delays.
Roads expert Wesley Johnston said this level of disruption is no surprise, calling it a clear sign of how fragile the city’s transport infrastructure has become.
He said: “At the basic level, we have a road network that operates beyond capacity. There is no resilience.
“There are more people on the roads; people are not leaving as early as they used to, from being out of routine in the first week of September.
“This is a lesson in the fact that the network needs to provide that capacity for faster-moving traffic.”
There are no engineering solutions in place without demolishing Belfast city centre
Mr Johnston said that many are on the road at once. He also believes there are far too many people driving, meaning that more engineering needs to be put in place to make roads wider.
“I think the network doesn’t have the capacity to stop congestion, nor is it going to,” he continued. “At peak times, there are more people trying to drive than we can accommodate, which makes the roads too bunged up.
“Since the 1990s, roads have given up more road space for more people driving.
“There are no engineering solutions in place without demolishing Belfast city centre to make for bigger road use. It could have the capacity if it demolished the city centre — and people don’t want that.”
Mr Johnston said he agrees with SDLP councillor Seamas de Faoite’s view on reducing bus fares coming up to Christmas: “Public transport needs to be cheaper than taking the car. If the fares were cheaper, that would encourage more people to make the switch.”
To reduce the congestion, SDLP councillors secured agreement that the council will write to Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins, pressing her to deliver a reduced-fare scheme before Christmas.
Mr de Faoite said this week: “Reduced festive fares on Metro services are a simple, practical step to tackle gridlock and make the city centre more accessible for everyone.
“Our city cannot afford another November and December locked in endless traffic jams that cause real and measurable damage to small businesses, hospitality and cultural venues.
“Affordable bus fares will encourage more people to switch to public transport and ease the pressure on our roads.”
Traffic at a standstill in Belfast (Photo: Peter Morrison)
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A DFI spokesperson said: “Belfast is a thriving city which is open for business. The department is currently preparing the Eastern Transport Plan which will set the framework for what transport will look like until 2035 for five council areas, including Belfast.
“The plan aims to re-balance the transport network in favour of more sustainable options and as such it will detail proposals to improve the active travel and public transport networks in the area. This will also create cleaner and greener urban areas for those who live, work and visit the city.”
Translink said public transport offers “a cleaner, greener way to travel and there are a wide range of convenient and modern bus and train services along with great value tickets”.
“More people choosing public transport is crucial to help reduce traffic congestion, while also delivering wider health and environmental benefits.”