The Department for Infrastructure has published its Transport Strategy 2035 and launched a public consultation on the first phase of the Eastern Transport Plan, setting out proposals to reshape travel across Belfast and the wider metropolitan area over the next decade, says The Brief NI.
The plans cover five council areas: Antrim and Newtownabbey, Ards and North Down, Belfast, Lisburn and Castlereagh, and Mid and East Antrim. They form the first stage of a wider programme intended to deliver transport plans across all 11 council areas in Northern Ireland. Proposals for Belfast city centre include expanding pedestrian-priority streets, creating a new civic spine, introducing a city centre-wide 20mph speed limit, developing new Glider bus routes and extending segregated cycling infrastructure. The plans also seek to reduce through-traffic and review parking management, alongside measures to simplify bus routing and improve bus priority.
Across the wider metropolitan area, proposals include new Glider corridors along key radial routes, further cycling infrastructure, targeted 20mph zones and public realm improvements in local centres. New and expanded Park & Ride sites, together with strategic network improvements and additional bus priority measures, also feature in the plans.
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said the publication marked “the beginning of an important journey” towards a more sustainable transport system. She said the strategy set out a vision for a network that was “safe, accessible, inclusive and effective”, meeting the needs of urban and rural communities while supporting economic growth.
The strategy has been shaped by public engagement and reflects the department’s ambitions to respond to climate change, technological advances and changing travel patterns. However, no budget figures have been disclosed alongside the announcement, leaving the funding and delivery of the proposals unclear. The plans come amid wider financial constraints that have affected major transport projects, making the resources available and the prioritisation of investment important considerations as the proposals progress.
The consultation on the first phase of the Eastern Transport Plan provides an opportunity for stakeholders and the public to comment on the proposed approach to transport across Belfast and the surrounding council areas.
(Picture; Benkrut)
