Bilingual traffic signs and road markings have been installed in Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter, the Department for Infrastructure has announced.
The signs are on the Falls Road between Springfield Road and Whiterock Road and show bus lane and parking information. The department said the work forms part of a road traffic signage pilot in the area.
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins welcomed the installation and said many businesses and organisations in west Belfast already use bilingual signage inside and outside their premises. She said the implementation of bilingual signage on this part of the road network was connected to her commitment to comply with the European Charter of Minority and Regional Languages.
The Minister also thanked Forbairt Feirste and Conradh na Gaeilge for campaigning for bilingual road signage to promote visibility and understanding of the Irish language.
Forbairt Feirste project manager Piarais Mac Alastair said the introduction of bilingual road traffic signs was an important development for the Gaeltacht Quarter and the wider Irish-speaking community. He said the pilot showed what could be achieved when government worked with communities, and called for the scheme to be extended to the wider Gaeltacht Quarter recognised by Belfast City Council.
Cuisle Nic Liam, language rights coordinator with Conradh na Gaeilge, said the initiative was the first of its kind anywhere in the north. She said the project had been developed through a collaborative co-design process with local and national stakeholders and was linked to the West Belfast Irish Language Plan, Fís an Phobail.