Journey Times: South Belfast

Oral Answers to Questions — Regional Development – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:00 pm on 15 March 2016.

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Photo of Claire Hanna Claire Hanna Social Democratic and Labour Party 2:00, 15 March 2016

1. Ms Hanna asked the Minister for Regional Development to outline the most recent assessment of journey times on the Ormeau Road and Ravenhill Road, Belfast. (AQO 9867/11-16)

Photo of Michelle McIlveen Michelle McIlveen DUP

The Ormeau Road is one of the city’s busiest radial routes. Care must be taken in assessing such data, as traffic conditions can vary due to numerous and varied vehicle and pedestrian interactions along the route. The latest journey-time information my Department has for the Ormeau Road is from 2013. The data relates to journey times for cars, vans and HGVs. For a road stretch between the Ravenhill Road roundabout and Annadale Embankment, the average speed was approximately 3·7 mph, and between Annadale Embankment and Cromac Square, in the city, the average speed was approximately 7·3 mph. That information is for the morning peak period of 7.30 am to 9.15 am. An assessment indicates a marginal decrease in journey times on both sections from 2011 information. However, from 10.30 am to 3.30 pm, the average speed from Ravenhill Road roundabout to Annadale Embankment was approximately 16·2 mph, and from Annadale Embankment to the city was 9·9 mph.

As a comparison, at peak times, bus journey times have been available through the BusTrak system since 2007. From that time up to 2014, the bus speeds on the Saintfield Road/Ormeau Road corridor have remained constant at between 5·9 mph and 6·8 mph. That includes the time taken to stop and pick up and set down passengers. Data for bicycle journeys on the Ormeau Road corridor are not routinely collected. A small number of timed journeys from Cairnshill Park and Ride to Belfast city centre via the Ormeau Road — that is about 3·8 miles — have indicated a typical off-peak journey time of 20 to 25 minutes. There is no journey-time information available for the Ravenhill Road.

Photo of Claire Hanna Claire Hanna Social Democratic and Labour Party

I thank the Minister for that very comprehensive answer. She will be aware that this is a pressing issue, not just for those of us who live in south Belfast and use those roads every day, but as she says, it is a wider commuter corridor including from the Saintfield Road. I appreciate the efforts by the Department, including the work on bus and cycle transport. Ultimately, we need to get more cars off the road to reduce congestion, but I think that those speeds — I believe that, in 2013, it was the slowest road in Belfast, and I do not imagine that it has improved greatly for drivers —

Photo of Roy Beggs Roy Beggs UUP

Can we have a question, please?

Photo of Claire Hanna Claire Hanna Social Democratic and Labour Party

Can the Minister advise when a new assessment will be given and what further actions might be taken to facilitate workers in south Belfast and further afield who are trying to get to work in the city centre?

Photo of Michelle McIlveen Michelle McIlveen DUP

I thank the Member for her question, and I take on board what she has said. I have spoken to officials about this, having looked at the responses received, and I have asked them to update the data, with bus lanes included in that and the enforcement associated with it. We are trying to encourage people to use public transport, and I have very good information about Cairnshill Park and Ride, which is used by an average of 500 vehicles a day. There has also been somewhere in the region of a 12% increase in the number of passengers using buses. We also want to encourage the safe use of cycles on that route. The Member representing the area will be cognisant of the fact that there are somewhere in the region of 4,000 pupils enrolled in schools within that small area. There are seven schools with very high enrolment in that particular area, which adds to the congestion, so it is also about encouraging schools to use active travel methods.

There are things that can be used to encourage people out of their cars and on to public transport, but it is also about making the environment much safer for them to do so.

Photo of Chris Lyttle Chris Lyttle Alliance

I seek the assurances of the Minister for Regional Development that the Lagan footbridge and cycle bridge, which will connect the Ormeau Road and Ravenhill Road areas of south and east Belfast, remains part of the Department's plans, despite unionist councillors' opposition to the planning permission that was granted by Belfast City Council for that exciting project.

Photo of Michelle McIlveen Michelle McIlveen DUP

I thank the Member for his question. He rightly says that planning permission was granted in February for the footbridge. The bridge orders have also been made for that facility. Obviously, we are in a situation where budgets are being developed. The project has a potential cost of between £8 million and £9 million, so it is very much subject to funding being made available. While I recognise that it would be of benefit to cyclists and walkers and would perhaps aid in the reduction of congestion as we move forward, the residents also have to be taken into consideration. Further conversations will have to be had with them, and, obviously, any future Minister would need to do so before making a final decision on the facility.

Photo of Máirtín Ó Muilleoir Máirtín Ó Muilleoir Sinn Féin

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. With the indulgence of the Deputy Speaker on your last Question Time, Minister, I congratulate you on your short but successful tenure. We got some things over the line in south Belfast.

Given the two-hour traffic jam that is the story of south Belfast every morning, is the solution not to take the Belfast rapid transit (BRT), which will be a great success in east and west, and — whoever is Minister — expand it into the south of the city, perhaps right from the city centre to Carryduff?

Photo of Michelle McIlveen Michelle McIlveen DUP

I thank the Member for his kind comments. I am fully committed to Belfast rapid transit and have been. It is important that we look at expanding it not only to the south of the city but to the north. Work will commence on an assessment of that, and the route should be identified. Obviously, it is looking at an area where there is a lot of traffic, so that it can ease that congestion, and where there will be people who will use it. A natural route would be from Cairnshill down the Ormeau Road. I would be very much in favour of that as a proposition. There is an outline timetable for that, but it is, obviously, provisional at this stage. They are looking to prepare an options assessment in 2017-18, to prepare the business case in 2018-19, to have a detailed design and implementation in 2019-2020 and for it to be operational in 2022. Obviously, that is all very provisional, but I am hopeful that that will be a positive outcome for that area and will ease the congestion described by the Member.