1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202 
Don't panic, says NI agency
Page 18
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
NORTHERN IRELAND'S Roads Service is trying to alleviate operators' fears that they face three years of disruption when improvements to the Belfast Westlink begin later this year.
At a recent seminar for over 100 operators, the government body outlined plans to reduce congestion and minimise the impact of the scheme. These include: signing alternative routes; restricting roadworks on other routes into the city: and introducing a temporary park-and-ride service to reduce commuter traffic in the region.
Tom Wilson, Northern Ireland policy manager for the Freight Transport Association, explains: "The idea of the seminar was to get operators to think ahead about the delays that they face and to work with customers to change their delivery schedules so they are not crossing the route at peak times.
"This is the main route up from Dublin and down from Lame," he adds. "When it is complete there will be three lanes in both directions and the traffic will be able to flow freely — but in the meantime we will have to endure three years of pain."
Andy Kidd. general manager of McNeilly Haulage in Carrickfergus, says: "This is going to be an absolute nightmare and will affect everybody as it's the main route into Belfast."