New Bus Lanes for Upper N'Ards Road

Eclipser

Looks like driving along the Upper N'Ards Road is about to become alot worse from 10th August.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/belfasts-busiest-road-faces-new-bus-lane-misery-and-crazy-restrictions-31417121.html

duggan1

Take the bus if it's that bad :cool:

Bigcammy

Unfortunately taking the bus isn't an option when you use a vehicle for work and have to get around the town. The Upper Newtownards Road is already dire, this will make it even worse I reckon and move traffic onto other roads like the Kings Road, making it even worse too

caz2703

Part of the problem is the knock on effect from the closure of Mersey Street. For me living at Ballyhackamore, the quickest way to the Sydenham Bypass has always been to cut down through Mersey Street. Now the options are to drive an extra 2 miles to the start of the Bypass or sit in heavy traffic along the Newtownards Road. Add in the extra restrictions along Upper Newtownards Road and east Belfast is going to be gridlocked.

ballyblack

Hopefully Mersey st will be reopened before the end of the year when the works will be finished

Money_Grabber13579

Whilst I don't use that particular stretch of road, I agree with the bus lanes in principle, if this is what it is going to take to get the average motorist (who drives into Belfast in the morning, parks the car all day, and drives back out again in the evening) onto a more sustainable form of transport. There just isn't the road capacity in city centres for everyone to be able to do this.

However, I do see a fundamental flaw with the bus lanes, in that, where you have queuing traffic, such as on the Ormeau Road (which I do use the bus on), my bus can only be as fast as the bus in front of it. Therefore, you inevitably get stuck behind the Metro bus and it doesn't get you there any quicker. I may be wrong, but it seems like even on the rapid transit routes, there will still be Metro buses, which will be much slower, thus slowing the rapid transit buses.

That is why we needed light rail, rather than this bus based, rapid transit system, but of course, our politicians are too short sighted (as usual) to recognize this. A tram system would have been much quicker, whilst stopping almost as frequently and so all the Metro buses on those routes could have been scrapped.

almillar

Money_Grabber - I see your point about being stuck behind a Metro bus stopping quite often, but you'll still be flying past the queuing cars...

caz2703

Quick question - what happens if the car in front is waiting to turn right? Are you allowed to undertake via the bus lane or do you have to wait until the oncoming traffic gives way and the car lane is clear to proceed? Just thinking that with all the schools and businesses on the Upper Newtownards Road where the new bus lanes will be, anyone turning right could cause a major hold up.

Zola.

That road is already a nightmare, always busy. Going to be twice as bad when this happens.

Coolhandluke

ballyblack wrote: »

Hopefully Mersey st will be reopened before the end of the year when the works will be finished

End of the year :mad: what on earth sort of work are they doing???
Went that way other week and had to make detour onto main N'Ards Rd.,had been hoping it would be finished soon.:(

Coolhandluke

caz2703 wrote: »

Quick question - what happens if the car in front is waiting to turn right? Are you allowed to undertake via the bus lane or do you have to wait until the oncoming traffic gives way and the car lane is clear to proceed? Just thinking that with all the schools and businesses on the Upper Newtownards Road where the new bus lanes will be, anyone turning right could cause a major hold up.

If they deploy cameras then venturing into a bus lane could be risky,have heard of people moving out of the way for ambulances getting fined.