Skip to content

Would you wait 90 minutes for a takeaway?

BBC Delivery driver Ramakrishnan Kannan pictured wearing a blue zip up jumper. It is a close up shot but you can see cars parked on the side of the street in the background.BBC
Ramakrishnan Kannan said it took him one hour and 45 minutes to deliver an order from the city centre to the Shankill Road

A spike in traffic congestion is causing concern for some takeaway delivery providers in Belfast.

Complaints about orders arriving late, and cold, have gone up due to congestion in the south of the city on weekdays.

A number of drivers, including Ramakrishnan Kannan, have given up trying to deliver orders between 16:00 BST and 19:00 on weekdays.

“You can’t really do any deliveries in Belfast during that time,” he told BBC News NI.

“People like me are self-employed and we don’t get paid for three hours stuck in traffic, listening to the radio.”

Mr Kannan said it took him one hour and 45 minutes to deliver an order from the city centre to the Shankill Road last week.

Originally from India, he said: “I’ve been here 14 years and I’ve never seen anything like this traffic in Belfast before.”

A red and white illuminated shop-front sign which reads Chick'n Lick'n
The owner of a chicken takeaway shop on the Dublin Road in Belfast is concerned about takeaways being able to stay in business

The owner of the Chick'n Lick'n brand, Asim Sattar, said he was worried that some takeaways could go out of business.

“This is the final quarter of the year when we normally do the best business but there’s a danger of losing money if the traffic doesn’t improve,” he said.

Mr Sattar said when food arrives cold and late, customers ask for refunds.

“It’s a huge concern,” he said. “People are saying if it takes one and a half hours for the food to arrive, what is the point of ordering the food?”

For some fast food outlets, deliveries can make up half of their business.

The opening of the new £340m transport hub Grand Central Station in September and the recent closure of nearby Durham Street is being blamed for the increased congestion.

Within a mile of the station, there is a long line of takeaways on the Dublin Road and Bradbury Place. They take orders from around the city.

Motorists have been complaining for the past two months about delays in the city.

Mr Henderson wearing a navy shirt and navy suit jacket as he stands on a footpath. In the background there are five cars pictured as they queue and make their way down a street in the city.
Michael Henderson says congestion has made a "dramatic" impact on takeaways

Michael Henderson, chief executive of the Food To Go Association, said congestion has made a “dramatic” impact on takeaway outlets in the city centre.

Customers have been complaining about food deliveries taking a long time and arriving cold.

Mr Henderson has called for the Department for Infrastructure to take immediate measures to ease the congestion in November and December.

It is the impact on takeaways in the run-up to Christmas this year that is of most concern to Mr Henderson.

“The next two months are critical for our industry,” he said.

He added the impact of congestion in Belfast in recent weeks had been “dramatic” and called for the department to take immediate measures to ease the congestion in November and December.

PA Media A birds eye view of the Grand Central Station. You can see a blue bus, construction machinery and a white sign which reads NO ENTRY. PA Media
Construction works around the new Grand Central Station in Belfast have caused traffic delays

Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd said he was aware of the frustration felt by motorists and is keeping the situation under review.

At the same time, he said the ongoing roadworks are needed for the smooth running of all forms of transport in the city in the future.

Work on one of the busiest roads in Belfast, the Sydenham Bypass, is to be paused for five weeks to try to ease traffic congestion over the Christmas period.

Motorists have been complaining about disruption caused by the work, particularly at weekends, near Belfast City Airport.

A spokesperson for the department said: “As in previous years there will be an embargo on all non-essential work on key routes into the city between end of November and beginning of January, with works on the Sydenham bypass due to be paused from Monday 25 November.”

The Sydenham bypass is one of the main roads in and out of Belfast, as it links heavily populated parts of North Down, including Bangor and Holywood, to the city.

Translink, which operates the new bus and rail station in Belfast, has thanked the public for their “patience” and insisted the road works at Durham Street are essential.

A spokesperson said: “Translink is encouraging people to consider using public transport to access the city during this next phase of works as road users can expect some delays.”

The area around the new station is being transformed and is to be completed by the end of next year.

The aim of the public realm works is to revitalise that part of the city, and fast-food outlets in the vicinity could benefit from the extra footfall.