NEW 'rapid transit' lanes aimed at cutting the number of car journeys in Belfast should only operate during peak hours and be open to taxis, a Sinn Féin MP has said.
Paul Maskey said while his party was supportive of the £90 million transit scheme it was "unnecessary" to operate the lanes from 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday.
The project will see the introduction of frequent 'Glider' buses connecting the east, west and Titanic areas of Belfast with the city centre.
But Mr Maskey said the bus lanes only need to open from 7am to 10am and 3pm to 6.30pm.
"If these lanes are allowed to operate for 12 hours a day we are concerned that it will negatively affect traffic and cause longer queues in the outside lane as well as impacting negatively on local businesses based on the front of the road," he said.
"We are also extremely concerned that funeral processions will face problems and this simply cannot be allowed to happen."
He added that taxis should be allowed to operate in the lanes, even during peak times.
"All taxis are permitted to use bus lanes in many cities across Ireland and also across Britain, including Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham to name just a few," he said.
"This should also apply to Belfast and will help to ensure that taxi drivers' jobs are protected."
He said he had contacted the Department for Infrastructure to ask it to review their proposals for the scheme.
However, Mr Maskey's suggestions were criticised by some social media users.
One environmental campaigner, who runs the @nigreenways Twitter account, described the comments as "incredible".
"The £90m investment in Belfast RAPID Transit (spot the key word) is welcomed by our local MP, as long as it's forever stuck behind general traffic, funerals and all the taxis," he tweeted.
"If West Belfast doesn't actually want BRT (Belfast Rapid Transport) @deptinfra, is it too late to move it?"
The transport project will see the new buses, deemed to be more environmentally friendly, put into service in September.
Glider services will operate every 7-8 minutes throughout the working day. Each Glider bus can carry up to 105 passengers and will feature 'real time' passenger information, next stop and destination audio announcements.
They will also have CCTV, free Wi-Fi, USB charging facilities and air conditioning.
