Proposals to transform 'bleak and hostile' Shaftesbury Square
Proposals have been put forward to transform Belfast's Shaftesbury Square from 'bleak and hostile' to a public transport hub.
It's part of a new Executive report, which says around 84,000 people are connected to the city through it's routes.
The report said that in its current state, with dilapidated and vacant buildings, the square was practical only for motorists.
It also claimed: "It should be of the highest priority to reclaim this as an attractive inner urban space, which is a hub of activity.''
Proposals for the area include:
- Removing large traffic islands with no useful purpose.
- Simplifying the arrangement of pedestrian crossings and minimising any potential conflict between vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.
- Ensuring rapid transit vehicles are given precedence at all times over other road traffic.
- Providing quality facilities for passengers using a rapid transit system within the heart of the square.
- Removing all bus stops from adjoining streets and relocating them into a pair of stops in the centre of the square.
- Providing dedicated cycle routes through its entire length from north to south
The report also stated: "Where there has been redevelopment, many of the replacement buildings are hopelessly disjointed, almost of every imaginable mass, height, scale, form and detailing.
"The decay of the buildings is far advanced on a considerable length of the eastern side and while the western side is generally in use, it also has significant physical and functional problems.
"The setback of some more recent buildings is particularly incongruous and discordant.''
Pedestrians using the square found it a "hostile'' environment, the report said, given the speed and volume of traffic.
It added: "In the context of increasing use of bicycles in the wider area along with the proposed local cycle hire scheme, Shaftesbury Square is an exceptionally hostile and hazardous place for cyclists.
"Only the bravest (some would suggest most foolhardy) take their chance cycling through this complex of junctions.'The issue of derelict buildings in the area was also addressed."