Allowing taxis to use Belfast city centre bus lanes has been described as an "act of desperation with little regard for the wider consequences".

Responding to the decision by the Infrastructure Minister, John O'Dowd, Green Party Councillor for Lisnasharragh, Brian Smyth, said: "We have seen Minister O'Dowd on the back foot for a number of months as traffic congestion has increased in Belfast. Only last week the minister was encouraging people to get the bus into the City Centre, yet now he has given the go-ahead to bus lanes being swamped by private taxis."

The Green Party has a number of concerns with this decision:

• 34% of people in Belfast don't have access to a car or van, many rely on public transport and this move will disproportionately impact them.

• Bus lanes represent a degree of safety for cyclists, this decision puts them at risk and further discourages trying to get more people to use their bicycles as a means of transport.

• Allowing Class C unmarked taxis in bus lanes will cause confusion as they look like private vehicles to other drivers.

• Increased traffic congestion in Belfast and wider NI is a failure of the Stormont Executive to properly fund public transport.

Cllr Smyth concluded: "The Green Party has long argued for increased investment in active travel in NI, we currently spend just £2 per head of population on active travel, the lowest across the UK and compared to €72 in the South."

"The Green Party is calling for a transport strategy that is fit for purpose and future focused, which prioritises walking and cycling and the use of public transport to get around our city, rather than short term solutions that will only make the situation worse for all road users."