Jim Fitzpatrick

Columnist

Jim Fitzpatrick,

Journalist and Broadcaster

Move It Or Lose It

Journalist and broadcaster Jim Fitzpatrick discusses Belfast’s transport network is improving, but still has a long way to go to reach the efficiency of London’s transport options.

Belfast is getting some new Glider services. To complement the existing east-west routes, there will be a new run going north-south. On the northern end the debate is between a route along the Shore Road or one along the Antrim Road.

You may have caught some of the debate recently which was typified as being divided along political lines. Unionists generally supported the Shore Road option and Nationalists the Antrim Road. One caller to Talkback defended the politicians because he said they were simply reflecting what their voters wanted. In that sense he was right, this wasn’t sectarian, it was just politics. Nonetheless, Belfast was the first city in the UK to have electric trams. But today its transport infrastructure is far from top of the league table.

On a recent trip to London I got a chance to try a range of transport options over a couple of days. Unusually, I arrived by car and did a certain amount of driving in the city – I had preregistered to cover congestion charging. Otherwise it was fairly straightforward, but I also had to be mindful of the strict speed limits in some areas (20mph) and the ever-present cameras that would capture any offence.

The congestion charging, and now clean-air charging, regulates the amount and type of traffic within the central area – freeing up space for other methods of travel.

Over a couple of days in the city I relied largely on the public transport system. It’s a superb and seamless operation. You no longer even need to use the Oyster card, just your contactless bank card or payment-enabled phone/watch. You pay as you go on the tube and bus with the smart charging technology capping fares automatically and ensuring you never pay more than necessary.

They’re trialling the electric scooters in some areas too. Private ones aren’t allowed because the public hire ones can be regulated – for instance, enter an area where they’re not allowed and they stop working.

I also took a spin on the Santander Bikes, allowing me to get from Kensington Gardens near the Albert Hall to Trafalgar Square without cycling on the road at any stage – zipping through the wonderful parks and along the Mall.

My point is that London makes it easy. It seems to have the right incentives. As long as debates about improvement are stuck around whether a new route should be orange or green, we will remain a long way behind the best.

“As long as debates about improvement are stuck around whether a new route should be orange or green, we will remain a long way behind the best.”