Taxis in Belfast Bus Lanes: A step forward or backwards for active travel asks MLA
The Chair of the All-Party Group on Active Travel, has voiced concerns over a new experimental scheme in Belfast that could see more taxis using bus lanes.
The proposal, announced by the Infrastructure Minister, aims to allow Class A and Class C taxis access to bus lanes in Belfast city centre, where currently only Class B and Class D taxis are permitted.
However, Peter McReynolds warned that this change could negatively affect cyclists’ safety, said to be already limited by the existing infrastructure. He also suggested it may slow down public transport, making it less appealing for passengers. At a time when Northern Ireland is grappling with a climate emergency, McReynolds argued that allowing more vehicles in bus lanes could hinder efforts to reduce carbon emissions and car dependency.
He acknowledged the importance of taxis, particularly for tourists, the elderly, and those with disabilities. However, he stressed the need for balance, saying that public transport must be prioritised to ensure its efficiency and reliability.
Peter McReynolds said: “I speak as chair of the all-party group on active travel in concern at an announcement last Friday afternoon by the Minister for Infrastructure that he will introduce an experimental scheme to allow class A and class C taxis to use yet-to-be-determined bus lanes in Belfast city centre. Class B and class D taxis are already permitted to use them, meaning that, for some bus lanes in Belfast, we are facing a move from bus lanes to bus/taxi lanes being in operation. That will have four main effects: reduce the safety that we already give cyclists when they use an already limited cycling infrastructure; reduce the ease with which our public transport can complete journeys; reduce the appeal of public transport as a whole; and — this is the elephant in the room — impact on our responsibilities within a declared climate emergency and our need to commit to strategies and policies that we know work to reduce car dependency and the amount of carbon that we release into the air every day.
“The pilot scheme to allow taxis in some bus lanes is something that I saw floated many times while a Belfast city councillor, and now I see it floated while an MLA for East Belfast. I am not saying that we should not support taxis or that they do not have an important role to play — we had taxi representatives present to the Infrastructure Committee very recently, and I recognise taxis'importance for tourists, older people and those living with disabilities and reduced mobility — but there has to be a reasonable limitation while we ensure that we have an efficient and supported public transport system in which the public can have confidence.
“On Saturday, at around 11.30 am, I took the Glider into Belfast city centre. The journey took around 10 minutes.
“During that time, we sailed past car after car that had a driver but no passengers. Obviously, people take their car for different reasons on their journey to different destinations. However, if we extrapolate that to the city centre, it reinforces a point made to me on social media over the weekend: individuals and taxiscannot take priority over a bus carrying significantly more people than that or over cyclists.
“I will watch the development of the proposals and work with the active travel stakeholders to see whether it achieves its wildly optimistic aim of reducing congestion by allowing more cars to operate in some of our bus lanes, while ensuring that Translink is supported in its goal of offering sustainable and reliable public transportation in the context of the climate crisis, the impact of which we see across the world today.”
