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Belfast is currently undertaking a long-term scheme
to redirect general traffic flows out of Belfast
city centre, in order to permit a greater role for
buses, rapid transit, pedestrians and cycling.
Called Belfast on
the Move, the work is being carried out in
six phases, of which this scheme was the first:
- Streets Ahead
Enabling Measures Phase 1
- Sustainable
Transport Enabling Measures (STEM)
- Rapid Transit Enabling Measures
- City Centre Ring Road Southern Section
- Streets Ahead Enabling Measures Phase 2
- Transforming the City Centre Ring Road
This first Phase was led by the Department for
Social Development, primarily consisting of
improvements to the public realm, footpaths etc in
the city centre. However, it also included a
£300,000 element funded by the DRD which
resulted in buses being diverted away from
Donegall Place. The scheme resulted in northbound
buses taking Upper Queen Street > Queen Street
> Castle Street to Castle junction. The
affected roads are marked on the map below:
Donegall Place remained southbound only, a
long-term change that was introduced prior to this
scheme (2010?). The scheme required the
installation of new traffic signals at Howard
Street / Upper Queen Street, Wellington Place /
Queen Street, and Castle Street / Queen Street.
For general traffic, the scheme resulted in the
following changes:
- Queen Street became one-way northbound.
- Castle Street became one-way westbound from
Queen Street to King's Street.
- Castle Street from Queen Street to Donegall
Place became "buses only".
- Upper Queen Street became two-way (previously
one-way southbound). Between 7am and 7pm only
buses will be allowed to travel northbound.
The scheme was implemented in the first part of
2011, and new arrangements went live on 16
August 2011.
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