Report will look at new ways to fund a bigger gritting programme in the city
The councillor shared images of icy roads and pavements in West Belfast(Image: Paul Doherty)
Belfast Council is calling upon Stormont to jointly undertake a feasibility study into the development of a new winter gritting programme, amidst reports that only 20 percent of roads are gritted in NI each year.
Elected representatives at a City Hall Committee meeting unanimously agreed to up-the-ante with public gritting in Belfast, after supporting a Green Party motion at the February meeting of the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.
When the decision is ratified at next month’s full council next week, as expected, the council will make a report, with a view writing to the Stormont Department to join it in creating a feasibility study into the development of a winter gritting programme in Belfast. The focus will be on pedestrian routes and cycle lanes in the city centre, arterial routes and high points of elevation across the city.
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The motion states: “This council notes that the Department for Infrastructure currently grits only 20 percent of the road network across Northern Ireland as part of its winter service programme. This limited coverage excludes pavements and cycle lanes, critical routes for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly in Belfast City Centre where footfall is highest.
“This council recognises the health, safety, and accessibility issues caused by untreated pavements and active travel routes during winter months. It impacts workers, residents, those with mobility issues, and visitors as well as discouraging walking and cycling at a time when sustainable transport remains a key council priority.”
The feasibility study will assess the operational and financial requirements of a new gritting programme, and explore potential sources of capital grant funding from the Department for Infrastructure for the purchase of new gritting and maintenance machinery. It will also look at Belfast City Council staffing and coordination costs.
Councillor Brian Smyth, who proposed the motion, said at the February meeting of the council’s S,P and R Committee: “I am just simply asking it goes to a report, and we look if it is viable, and if there is potential for other funding options, in terms of the BIDs and the Chamber of Commerce in contributing.
“Only 20 percent of roads are across Northern Ireland during the winter, but that doesn’t include cycle lanes and the city centre, so I want to see if DfI and Belfast City Council could work in conjunction with each other.”
SDLP Councillor Séamas de Faoite made a successful “friendly” amendment to the Green motion to focus on arterial routes in the city. He said: “The approach in Northern Ireland is out of date, by just looking at key roads. It has excluded footpaths for a long time.”
He added: “When you look at the city centre, there is a high level of footfall already, and you will have heat coming out of buildings, and a high amount of vehicle traffic. So the issue of icy pavements is more of a concern in arterial routes.
“That is actually where the more significant problem is, and it has a really disproportionate impact on things like schools and small businesses. (There) is a gendered impact on this as an issue within neighbourhoods.”
Sinn Féin also made an additional friendly amendment for the report to include a list of problem areas at high elevation in the city.
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