Belfast bus lane times to be extended and roadworks paused

Under the new plans, bus lanes on Ormeau Road, Botanic Avenue, Malone Road and part of Lisburn Road will have their operating times extended

Several bus lanes in Belfast are to have their operating hours extended next month as part of efforts to improve traffic flow before Christmas.

A pause on roadworks in the city council area is also being brought forward to begin earlier in November.

Details of the plans have been outlined by Stormont's infrastructure minister in a letter to business groups seen by BBC News NI.

It follows complaints of bottlenecks last year amid roadworks and diversions around the new Grand Central Station public transport hub.

The nearby Durham Street - a main thoroughfare which has been closed for nearly a year - is set to reopen in November.

Bus lane times

Under the new plans, bus lanes on Ormeau Road, Botanic Avenue, Malone Road and part of Lisburn Road will have their operating times extended.

They will operate from 07:30 to 09:30 BST and 15:30 to 18:30 BST on both inward and outward journeys.

In her letter, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said the plans aimed to give buses "enhanced priority" so that they "can turn up on time without being snarled up in traffic".

"Where the buses share road space with general traffic, I am hopeful that the reopened Durham Street will help ease the general traffic flow around the city," she added.

Roadworks

Kimmins said roadworks are important, but acknowledged they "can be contentious, especially on the run up to Christmas".

The Sinn Féin minister said she had decided to "bring forward the roadworks embargo to 10 November within the Belfast City Council area".

This was in recognition of the "level of congestion that occurred last year, and that Durham Street is not likely to be reopened until later in November".

Kimmins also said new "smart sensor technology" is being introduced this month to provide real-time traffic data at key locations in the city.

She said this would help roads officials to make "responsive, agile traffic management decisions".

The minister said it was "inevitable that we will experience increased traffic volumes" in the run-up to Christmas.

But she said "positive steps" were being taken to help ensure "visitors to Belfast can be confident of an enjoyable festive experience".

It is the latest move by Stormont's Department for Infrastructure to try and address traffic congestion concerns in Belfast.

Car journey times in parts of Belfast more than doubled during peak periods before Christmas last year, according to figures obtained by BBC News NI.

And on some occasions fewer than a quarter of Metro bus services arrived on time.

Since last December, more taxis have been permitted to use some city centre bus lanes in an effort to ease congestion.