Councillor “names and shames” the two big Belfast taxi firms
(Image: Union Street Bar and Restaurant/ Facebook)
Pedestrianisation at a key street for Belfast’s nightlife is “not working” due to taxis, City Hall has been told.
Belfast City Council this week agreed to write to the Stormont Department for Infrastructure insisting upon further measures to ensure the pedestrianisation of Union Street is “maintained and protected.”
At the May meeting of the full council a proposal by SDLP Councillor Séamas de Faoite was unanimously passed appealing to the Minister to act on those breaking the pedestrianisation scheme. The council also agreed to request pedestrianisation of spaces within the York Street area.
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Union Street, a narrow avenue which runs between Donegall Street and North Street, was permanently pedestrianised from December 2022. It is a popular area for nightlife and events, containing successful bars such as the Sunflower, The Watson and the Maverick.
The scheme, set up by the Stormont department following lobbying from Belfast Council, banned vehicles from the Little Donegall Street to Donegall Street junction in a six month scheme. The initiative, set up to enhance public safety and support local hospitality businesses, was initially extended and then made permanent. Many observers however claim the scheme is flouted by vehicles on a regular basis.
At the council meeting, Councillor de Faoite said: “Union Street is a bustling part of the city centre. We have quite a number of venues, venues that are popular, not just because of the welcoming space they create for our queer community within the city, but also because they are welcoming to so many people in Belfast.
“There was a pedestrianisation scheme in place, and it was successful for some time, but now if you went down there, particularly on a weekend evening, what you will see is drivers flouting the pedestrianisation. Much in the same way as we saw at Hill Street for so long. Union Street must be much easier to sort out than Hill Street, although I still can’t see why it took so long and so much money to get Hill Street sorted in the first instance.”
He said: “I am quite happy to name and shame. Having been there on so many occasions, the two biggest culprits in terms of breaking the pedestrianisation of Union Street are the two biggest taxi firms in the city.
“And much to the total embarrassment of my friends, or whoever I am down there with, I have stood in front of cars when they have tried to drive there, and when they have created a dangerous situation for punters attending any of those venues. They haven’t been aware it is an incredibly tight street, where quite a few people will be under the influence of alcohol, with loud music when people will be distracted, and cars trying to come down the middle of it, quite often speeding.”
He added: “I think that is a serious problem, and we are lucky we haven’t had someone seriously injured. We are about to see a trial pedestrianisation for much of the city centre during the Fleadh, and that is wholly welcome.
“It will demonstrate that we can do these types of things in the city centre, that we have a vision for change, and that we can actually create space for people rather than cars. A scheme that accommodates deliveries, makes things easier for business, and opens up the city centre in a positive way.”
He said: “But where we have existing schemes, we need them to work properly, and the one at Union Street isn’t working at all. So I am making the case that we see through this pedestrianisation properly, working with our partners in DfI.”
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