10th December 2024
Responding to a recent BBC interview with DFI Deputy Secretary, Martina Connolly, CEO of Belfast ONE Business Improvement District, has expressed dismay at the suggestion made during the discussion about Belfast’s worsening traffic that a solution is that people should work from home more. She said:
“Congestion in Belfast has been worsening for months, yet despite numerous proposals and practical recommendations submitted to DFI to improve traffic flow, only a handful have been implemented.
“The result is a city that is increasingly paralysed by gridlock, with little urgency from DFI to tackle the issue. It was therefore deeply disheartening to hear a senior Roads official suggest this morning that the answer lies in asking people to work from home an additional day, effectively encouraging them to stay away from the City Centre.
“This approach is completely at odds with the needs of our retail and hospitality sectors, particularly during a crucial trading period like December. Businesses and their employees rely on vibrant footfall to thrive. Instead of urgently implementing measures to ease congestion, the Department’s message seems to be that staying at home is preferable. That is simply not an option.
“I have written to the DFI Minister today to request an urgent meeting to convey the damaging impact these ongoing issues could have on the City Centre. I am also urging the Department to accelerate the implementation of the full range of short-term measures we and others have proposed. The limited measures introduced so far have proven ineffective.
“Looking ahead, it is critical that the Department learns from this and commits to consulting with key stakeholders before any major roadworks to understand their potential impact fully. Had this been done previously, businesses would have insisted on postponing these works to the New Year, mitigating the current challenges. If the Department fails to act decisively now, January will see businesses grappling with the fallout of a December marred by traffic disruption, lower footfall, and poor sales figures during what should be the busiest time of year,” she added.
