The Stormont Department for Infrastructure has been accused of “not caring about Belfast” after a council request for a reduction in public transport fares over holiday periods was rejected.
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd was dubbed John 'No' Dowd at a Belfast City Council committee meeting where local elected representatives marked their disappointment at his negative response to reducing fares over the Christmas period, in order to improve city bus and train use and ease rampant congestion which has crippled much of the city.
While the reply from the Stormont department was dated 12 days before Christmas, the council only received it on committee papers in the January agenda for the City Growth and Regeneration Committee, held this week. The council made the request in October last year.
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Ms. E. Stockman, Private Secretary to the Minister, states in the correspondence: “In general terms, a reduction in the cost of public transport fares is a matter for Translink who are responsible for setting any commercial discounts and must do so in consideration of their budget allocation. Translink currently offer some discounts and offers that customers can avail of.
“Notwithstanding the above, the Strategic Partnership Board have looked at options around the Park and Ride facilities to encourage use and reduce congestion but have found all options to be cost prohibitive.
“More generally, we are appealing to motorists to consider other options they can take to avoid congestion such as public transport, park and ride, active travel or, if possible, planning their journey to use an alternative route or to avoid peak times.
“To reinforce this messaging, a bespoke public advertising campaign (on radio and outdoor platforms) was commissioned to promote Park and Ride to Belfast City Centre in the run-up to Christmas.
“Moving forward, Minister O’Dowd has indicated that he is keen to explore how others, including Belfast City Council and local businesses, might also support the department and Translink to improve the offering for consumers at Christmas.”
At the meeting of the Belfast Council committee this week, SDLP Councillor Séamas de Faoite said: “I am disappointed (by the response) on a number of fronts, not least that it appears the minister has decided that he can’t intervene around issues involving fares.
“Previous ministers have shown that is not the case - ministers have worked with Translink to freeze fares, for example freezing fares at the start of the cost of living crisis towards the tail end of the pandemic. It is possible for a minister to engage with Translink to try and make that happen again.
“I am disappointed that it is January when we are given the opportunity to have an update on this when that request went in prior to Christmas. It was part of the ongoing conversation about traffic issues in the city centre.
“This was one lever the minister could have deployed to ease some of the issues. We have seen this done before when there was an issue around the Primark fire and the destruction caused there. A reduction in fares at that time helped to bring people into the city centre.
“I think it is really disappointing that the minister decided not to pursue this. We need to push back on this as a council for a number of reasons, not least because almost everything this council tries to do in relation to infrastructure, and every offer of ideas or support that we have made to the minister, the response appears to be “no”
“He risks earning himself the moniker John 'No' Dowd.”
Councillor de Faoite added: “I also have a real problem with what the minister’s private secretary said at the bottom of the letter, that the minister has indicated that he is keen to explore with the council and others on how we might support the department and Translink to improve the offering for consumers at Christmas.
“I have heard whispers that the council steps in to help subvent certain services, whether it be the night time service that many of us have campaigned for, or whether it is to subvent some of the different fare reductions.
"If the Infrastructure Minister wants Belfast City Council to get involved in the direct funding of transport within the city, then he should devolve down the powers and the responsibilities to the council to allow us to take decisions directly, and the appropriate funding that goes with that as well.
“This is a failure on the Infrastructure Minister’s part, and a failure on the part of the Executive, in trying to get to grips with some of the traffic issues in the city centre. I just don’t think they care about Belfast - I don’t think they are taking seriously any of the concerns that many of us across different parties raised around Christmas. Issue around traffic that will continue on.”
Green Councillor Brian Smyth said: “We’ve seen three price rises from Translink in the past 18 months. It is more economically viable in this city to drive into the city centre - particularly if you have a family of around four and pay a single car parking charge of around six pounds for a few hours - than it is to get public transport.
“The cost is putting people off. This isn’t myself bashing the current minister, it has been a failure of all ministers. It is a historical failure of Stormont - we have a disconnected, unreliable public transport system.
“We have over a million private cars on the road in Northern Ireland, that’s up from a quarter of a million in 1971. It is not sustainable. I would urge the minister to look at the rapid expansion of public transport, because that is the only way we are going to get ourselves out of this congestion.
“Other cities, other parts of Europe have made the move, other parts of the UK have made the move. I think the DfI is too big as a department, and because of that, it is failing in many areas.”
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