It’s not the responsibility of commuters to resolve congestion – public transport is unreliable, expensive, disconnected and Belfast-centric - Emma DeSouza

For shoppers, commuters and tourists alike, Belfast’s congestion has descended into a nightmare. Attempting to navigate as little as two miles by car or bus can feel like a test of anyone’s patience and sanity.

The infrastructure minister and his department, alongside public transport provider Translink, are chalking the travel chaos up to the holidays but this is no fluke – Belfast has been one of the most congested cities in Europe for years.

What is unfolding is the outworking of decades of poor planning in infrastructure and public transport, compounded by over-investing and centralising services, opportunities and education in Belfast.

The 2021 census showed a 20.8% increase in Belfast’s population since 2011, in addition to the more than 140,000 people commuting to the city every day.

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In 2023, it was revealed that Belfast received more funding from Invest NI than the entire west, six times that of Derry alone.

The previous year, Ulster University unveiled its new Belfast campus to accommodate 15,000 students, alongside Queen’s University’s 25,000. UU’s Belfast campus cost £364m, while its Magee Campus in Derry remains underfunded.

The civil service, five of Northern Ireland’s largest hospitals, most private healthcare facilities and the largest event venues are in Belfast.

Policy and decision-makers, investors, companies and educational bodies are all guilty of being Belfast-centric without accounting for the inevitable impact on capacity and infrastructure.

In response to criticism of the Belfast gridlock, a Department for Infrastructure (DfI) official suggested that commuters should work from home one day a week. But it is not the responsibility of commuters to resolve congestion, it is the responsibility of the government.

In addition to placing an onus to work from home – a luxury unattainable to many – the department has urged more people to utilise public transport.

Public spending per person on public transport in Northern Ireland is the lowest in the UK, despite being a rural region.

The system is unreliable, expensive and disconnected; you might be able to get a Metro up the Ormeau Road, but getting across the city requires multiple buses.

People should have confidence in a publicly-owned transport company that is part-funded by Stormont and overseen by the Department of Infrastructure, but with services disappearing from boards, stops being removed at random due to traffic, or buses not showing up, relying on public transport to get you to work or an appointment is a risk.

In November a DfI oversight group that includes Translink, Belfast city council and the PSNI announced measures to address Belfast’s congestion: a review and optimisation of traffic signals, additional road signage, increased use of the social media channel Traffic Watch, improved public transport on limited routes, and increased police enforcement of traffic infringements – about as inspiring as watching gridlock crawl. None of these measures will have had a significant impact.

If decision-makers want to encourage the use of public transport, it has to be accessible, reliable and affordable.

In Germany a €49 monthly pass offers unlimited travel on local and regional public transport and, in some cities, there is free public transport for a year for drivers who give up their licence.

In Northern Ireland, public transport fares have increased. If Stormont is serious about increasing the use of public transport it has to work with Translink to create a financial incentive.

In addition to affordability, the entire services map needs to be re-evaluated to meet need.

Just last week I was one of a dozen people denied boarding a bus to Enniskillen, and not for the first time. There simply aren’t enough seats made available for the people who rely on them.

As a regular commuter between Fermanagh and Belfast I am struck by how poorly the county is serviced. Not only are there no rail lines, but the final direct bus back to Fermanagh departs Belfast at 7.20pm.

While additional late night services are announced on several routes for the month of December to encourage shopping and dining out, Fermanagh is once again left off the list – a familiar story for many rural areas.

The new Grand Central Station does feel like the first serious effort towards the modernisation of Northern Ireland’s transport system, but spending £340m on one building while entire communities are still left without adequate public transport, and the capital city is at a standstill, raises serious questions over the priorities of Stormont and Translink.

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