Lisburn City is situated on the main Belfast–Dublin transportation corridor and is favourably located within the BMA in terms of its proximity to roads and railways. Strategic highway access to Lisburn is provided, principally, by the M1 motorway, the A1, the A3 and the A49.

Lisburn’s road network is characterised by an inner ring road which operates one-way and forms the perimeter of the mainly pedestrianised city centre and a high capacity southern orbital road made up of Thiepval Road, Governor’s Road, Laganbank Road and Queen’s Road. These two routes are connected by the radial roads Chapel Hill, Hillsborough Road, Linenhall Road, Bridge Street and Castle Street which are within the City Centre. The one-way system currently carries a high proportion of through traffic.

Paid car parking is in good supply in the City Centre, most of which is surface parking and much of which is accessed off the one-way system. Parking is however one of the main sources of city centre traffic congestion.

The Knockmore Link will provide access to the Major Employment Location at West Lisburn as identified in accordance with the RDS. The North Lisburn Feeder Road will facilitate new housing developments to the north east of Lisburn and will provide an alternative orbital route around Lisburn.

Developers will be responsible for funding both schemes either in full or in a substantial part. DRD’s priority for funding will be concentrated on the construction of major capital work schemes on the Strategic Transport Network. Any contribution towards developer led schemes will be subject to detailed economic appraisal, the availability of funding and inclusion within the major works programme.

Policy for the protection of the above non-strategic road schemes is contained in Policy TRAN 2 in Part 3, Volume 1 of the Plan.

The relocation of the rail halt/station from Knockmore to West Lisburn will facilitate the employment/industry at West Lisburn/Blaris. BMTP proposes that the existing Lisburn – Belfast services are extended to start and end from the West Lisburn station and that the Portadown service also stops there. A new stop at West Lisburn on the Belfast – Dublin Enterprise is also proposed.

In addition to the proposed Knockmore Link and North Lisburn Feeder Road provision of a Park and Ride site adjacent to the proposed West Lisburn rail halt/station will encourage travel by train.

Policy for the protection of transportation schemes is contained in Policy TRAN 2,
Part 3, Volume 1 of the Plan.

BMTP also propose a number of transportation initiatives, which will further enhance Lisburn’s accessibility and support its role as a strategic location within the region i.e.:

• the improvement of the rail services by up to 50% between Lisburn and Belfast, served by trains to/from Belfast and by the Belfast-Dublin Enterprise service;
   

• the provision of park and ride facilities at Kennedy Way on the M1 and the development of park and ride opportunities at Sprucefield;
   

• development of a Quality Bus Corridor between Lisburn and Belfast City Centres;
   

• the introduction of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) solutions including Variable Message Signs (VMS) in conjunction with parking provision; and
   

• the widening of the M1 and junction improvements on Westlink.

Further significant improvements to the M1 between Blacks Road and Sprucefield, and the connection between the M1 and A1 are proposed. It is expected that the implementation of these measures will be outside the Plan period. However, development pressures in the Sprucefield area or at the Maze area may require these schemes to be implemented earlier, with developers responsible for their funding either in full or in a very substantial part.

In order to encourage greater use of public transport and more walking and cycling, thereby reducing car dependency, a range of measures are proposed which include:

• the development of an integrated network of Quality Walking Routes and cycle routes including the provision of improved links to bus and rail stations;
   

• improvements to local bus services and inter urban bus services with improved frequencies on core routes supported by the introduction of bus priority measures at key junctions and in the city centre one way system;
   

• and a contra-flow bus lane that enables buses to access the bus station without having to pass round the full one way system.