A sudden change in road rules at a busy Belfast junction with rush-hour gridlock is down to "pedestrian safety" following the opening of the new transport hub.
That's according to a senior civil servant at the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) at Stormont, who explained why drivers can no longer turn left from Great Victoria Street in Belfast city centre onto the Grosvenor Road.
Speaking to the Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster, acting deputy secretary at DfI Colin Woods, said the junction between the two roads had been re-modelled due to the change of exit to the new Grand Central Station.
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"When the previous station was there, most people came out through the Great Northern Mall in the middle of Great Victoria Street, and now we’re seeing pedestrians, reasonably enough, exiting the station and coming down Grosvenor Road," he said.
"When you remodel that junction in order to make it wider to cope with the number of pedestrians and stop people getting densely packed on the footpath, unfortunately that means we can’t also fit in the left turn for vehicles."
The change means motorists can no longer use the junction with Great Victoria Street to access the Westlink or travel into north Belfast via the Grosvenor Road.
Mr Woods said the decision would be kept under review as he urged people to access the Westlink via "other routes".
"We are keeping that under review and we are taking observations on how many people are waiting at that crossing," the roads chief said.
"We acted to keep them safe as they wait to cross the road."
He continued: "I accept that there are choices. One of the choices for people trying to access the Westlink is to use one of the other routes.”
Addressing traffic congestion in the city centre more generally, he suggested public transport or cycling will be the long term solution.
"We have to remember it’s Christmas, as people coming into Belfast for shopping and dinners, but I accept there are delays in the city centre," he said.
"But the bigger issue that underpins this, is the network of streets in Belfast were laid out when horses and pedestrians were the only people using them and there isn’t the space to put as many vehicles as possible."
He added: "The answer is to get more people onto public transport or to cycle."
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