By Jane Corscadden

Copyright belfastlive

A Belfast city centre pub owner has said he is delighted as the pedestrianisation of Hill Street has finally been confirmed. Willie Jack is the proprietor of iconic Belfast pubs such as The Duke of York, The Harp Bar, and The Dark Horse, as well as unique whiskey off-licence The Friend At Hand. All of these venues are in the Cathedral Quarter area, located in and around the area that will now be pedestrianised. On Thursday, September 18, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins announced Hill Street’s pedestrianisation for an initial six month period from November. This is expected to be in place from the road’s junctions with Gordon Street and Waring Street, with a one-way system introduced to the former. The area has become the central cultural spine of Belfast’s nightlife over the past 20 years, and concerns continue to be expressed over the dangerous potential for accidents as revellers and vehicles pass side by side through the tight cobbled thoroughfare. Speaking to Belfast Live , Willie Jack welcomed the pedestrianisation news – but raised concerns about how the scheme will be policed in practice. He said: “At last it’s here – we’ve been waiting for it, we’ve pushed for it. We have had some very good MLAs, especially Phillip Brett who understands as he comes out and sees what is going on. I would also mention Night Czar Michael Stewart, these people here like myself who see what happens at night. “I think it’ll make it a lot more peaceful and a lot safer. I think it’s great news, I’m not just convinced how they’re going to police it. I’d be happier if it operated more like a bus lane, rather than leave the onus on the PSNI . “I think you could do it like you’re fined if you’re driving here between the hours of midday and three in the morning or whatever it is. Obviously it has to work for businesses, that bars can clear their glass bottles and cardboard, that restaurants can get food deliveries, that beer kegs can be delivered. “It should work, and by not having rising bollards, it means emergency services can get down if there’s an accident, which is very important. But I think to police it, it needs to operate like a bus lane.” As for the biggest issue on the street, Willie said it is those who drive in a loop to show their cars off. He’s hoping pedestrianisation will “take unnecessary vehicles out of the heart of Belfast nightlife.” Willie has called for the introduction of a dedicated taxi rank in the vicinity, to ensure people can get home safely and efficiently. “The biggest abuser is not the taxis that come to pick people up, we should have a dedicated taxi rank around the corner, maybe on Corporation Street or Donegall Street. It works well in Dublin around St Stephen’s Green, people queue up and get a taxi, it doesn’t mean there’s fights or people jumping into other people’s taxis,” he added. “Our biggest problem is low riders, young men predominately, but not exclusively. They drive around firing music out of their car and nearly lying horizontal, and they put fireworks in their exhaust, which shocks you when you’ve grown up during The Troubles , to hear those bangs go off. They are cruising the streets in a circle, obviously to show off their cars. They speed, they rev, they accelerate.” Willie is hoping the pedestrianisation will be in place for afternoons, especially during the weekend, when many tourists will enjoy the area while wheeling around their suitcases. He said the area at the minute when it is busy is “an accident waiting to happen.” He said: “On Saturday afternoons, for example, a lot of tourists are kind of kicked out of their hotel rooms at 12 o’clock and the last flight going to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester means they’ll be waiting until around eight o’clock. In the afternoons we’ve noticed a lot of people with small carry on luggage in this area. “That’s why it should also be pedestrianised in the afternoon. I think it’ll just eliminate the fear that someone who maybe has had a couple of drinks and comes out of a side door feeling merry, if they’re in good form and enjoying the music that these cars go and break the speed limit, which is 20 miles an hour here.” With pedestrianisation of the area, the pub owner sees the possibility for future creative plans to animate the area, and give people an experience to remember. “We can do more things like street art and performances,” Willie added. “I’m not venue led, I’m street led, and I want more carnivals in Belfast. I want more like what you would see in the likes of Galway, I’d rather have people dressed up as puppets going about, that’s the way I see the city develop, through street art and performances. “Just last Friday we had Sheila the elephant , a great story of an elephant who was taken in by two ladies from Belfast Zoo. The humour on the streets, the marching bands that came along and played too. When we brought Sheila out of the tunnel, she wasn’t exactly Hannibal crossing the Alps, but she came down Hill Street. We had to stop cars from moving. “It makes it memorable if you’re sitting in the Duke or the Harp Bar and see an elephant going by – it gives you a smile on your face. All the word’s troubles are happening, Belfast got known for its flowers and murals, we’re known for our humour. Let’s have puppets and stuff like that on the street. “That’ll make the city vibrant and it doesn’t just have to be in the summer. We do an awful lot of marches in this country, but this could be a march that puts a big smile on everybody’s face.” For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.