Traffic Congestion in Belfast

Belfast, a city growing in culture, tourism, shops and now traffic!!! According to a recent survey Belfast is the 7th most congested city in Europe. It does have its fair share of rush hour but in comparison to other UK and Irish cities it is hard to believe that Belfast features in the top ten alongside the likes of London and Dublin.

People blame different things for this. Some people blame the lack of public transport for this problem. Other people think that we have just become over reliant on cars. While others believe it is the unreliability of public transport that is the problem. No matter what the reason is it is clear that Belfast has now become worse than Paris for traffic jams.

For those of you who have ever visited Paris you will be well aware of how busy the streets are and how much traffic flows through the city. Even the Mayor thinks it is too much and is planning to permanently close the left bank expressway to all traffic. Currently every Sunday the banks of the Seine are a traffic free zone decreasing congestion levels and allowing pedestrians to enjoy the beauty of the river banks smog free. It may work well on a quiet Sunday but will the permanent closure encourage more people to use public transport or will the congestion just transfer to other areas of the city during a busy working day?

I can’t see Belfast following Paris’ example just yet so for now we just have to accept the fact that we will encounter congestion at some point of our journeys.

With increased traffic jams we will see increased levels of stress. Whenever stress levels go up then the chances of having an accident multiply. Combine this stress and frustration with the increased amount of traffic on the roads and car accidents are much more likely. This is when you need to be sure that you have a great car insurance policy to protect you. You might not be able to solve the traffic congestion problem but you can make sure that you are well insured.

Find out more about AXA’s benefits and get stress free car insurance in Northern Ireland on AXANI.co.uk. We also offer great commercial vehicle insurance.