Traffic congestion has been a major issue in Belfast city centre over recent weeks, linked to construction associated with Translink’s new Grand Central Station and worsened by the busy Christmas period.

Parts of the city centre have been in gridlock, placing pressure on the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to come up with solutions.

On Tuesday, Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd announced that taxis would be able to use city centre bus lanes in an attempt to “alleviate” congestion in the lead-up to Christmas.

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What do the changes mean?

Taxis and private-hire services, such as Uber, will be able to use the city-bound bus lanes at Shaftesbury Square and Great Victoria Street (Shaftesbury Square – Grosvenor Road) from Wednesday morning.

They will also be able to use the outbound lanes on Great Victoria Street (Howard Street – Bruce Street), Bruce Street and the Dublin Road.

Will taxis be able to use bus lanes after Christmas?

“I had previously announced my intention to introduce a pilot scheme to permit taxis to use city centre bus lanes to help support the industry and ease traffic,” Mr O’Dowd said.

The current temporary traffic regulations will be in place for the Christmas period while department officials “continue to carry out the necessary legislative work and the consultation period” for the Minister’s scheme to commence in early 2025.

How has the new solution been received?

Responses have been mixed – Infrastructure Committee Chair Deborah Erskine of the DUP said it was “welcome step forward” that she hoped would help ease traffic congestion and “send out a positive message for our retailers”.

“However, this would also have been helpful over the past few weeks since the problem was first highlighted,” she said.

Elsewhere, Alliance infrastructure spokesperson Peter McReynolds said he was “disappointed” by the decision.

“This approach will not address the congestion issues we are facing,” he said.

“Instead, it will only reduce the efficiency of public transport, increase danger for cyclists and cause confusion for motorists.”

What other solutions have been proposed?

Road expert Wesley Johnston, who is also against the decision, has previously suggested that reduced public transport fares, increased park and ride services and more investment could fix Belfast’s traffic problem.

DfI has also compiled a series of potential mitigation measures, as well as suggesting commuters could work from home at least one day a week or use public transport instead of driving.