Traffic congestion has led to further delays to bus services in and out of Belfast city centre as road users tackle the ongoing gridlock.
On Friday Metro 7, 8 and 9 services terminated at Bruce Street during rush hour and operate outwards from Dublin Rd due to heavy traffic conditions.
Commuters have complained of a noticeable difference in their journey times to and from the city centre since the introduction of Belfast Grand Central station earlier this month.
Delays were also reported on Thursday evening as public transport users hoping to catch a bus home were unable to do so, as city centre traffic came to a standstill for hours.
A Department for Infrastructure (DFI) spokesperson said Thursdays gridlock was caused by ‘multiple vehicle collisions’ during peak rush hour.
They added it was in common with other major cities, the road network around Belfast can “suffer from capacity issues at peak times” and this is “particularly notable” on the strategic road network.
They added that a number of collisions occurred across the city on Thursday that “brought traffic to a standstill.”
“Both incidents occurred during the peak rush hour period and the time required to ensure that emergency services could attend, and the vehicles could be recovered also had a knock-on effect on some public transport services,” they said.
“We understand that traffic delays are frustrating, and we encourage travellers to avoid the congestion by considering other sustainable and active modes of travel such as public transport, using the park and ride sites or by walking or cycling. If you do travel by car, please plan and leave extra time for your journey.”
Road users have complained of ongoing congestion in and around the city centre citing a number of factor including roadworks and the development works around the new Grand Central Station.
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd recently urged commuters to consider public transport, instead of driving amid fears that the closure of Durham Street would lead to more congestion in the city.
It was hoped that the start of rail services from the new Grand Central Station in the city would encourage more people to use public transport.
Trying to get a Metro 7 home this evening? Don’t count on it! @Translink_NI staff telling us buses can’t get down Bedford St to pick passengers up but 6 buses have come that way in 5mins I’ve been at Howard St. Apparently been like this for 2hrs but no info on Translink App… pic.twitter.com/eFTaAFcSLh
— Cllr. Séamas de Faoite (@SeamasBelfast) October 17, 2024
SDLP councillor Séamas de Faoite was among those who had difficulty getting bus on Thursday night.
In a statement on social media he said the congestion crisis in Belfast “needs the Infrastructure Minister’s attention and intervention”.
He added that Translink’s funding model needs to change to incentivise people onboard.
“Grand Central Station isn’t to blame,” he said. “There will be temporary disruption from it, but we had this chaos before it opened too. Congestion in 2016 was as bad as Los Angeles.
#MET Until further notice, Metro 7/8/9 services will be terminating at Bruce Street and departing from Dublin Rd.
— Translink (@Translink_NI) October 17, 2024
Howard St/Bedford St and Great Northern Mall stops will not be served when heading out of Belfast.
Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause
“Despite initial efforts by Minister Nichola Mallon during the pandemic to reduce fares to create incentives, the Executive simply hasn’t grasped that cheaper to use public transport will get more people using it.
The Translink funding model doesn’t work,” he said.
A Translink Spokesperson said: “A number of road traffic incidents created knock-on delays for all road traffic in the city, including Metro and some Ulsterbus services, we apologise to passengers who were impacted by this.”
“Passengers are advised to check the website www.translink.co.uk or Journey Planner for live updates before they travel.”
