Belfast-Dungannon travel time

[bogball88]

I was wondering does anyone do this journey in the mornings-and if so how long does it take in rush hour traffic?

[The Worker]

Anywhere between 45mins-1hr30 depending on what time you are leaving and what part of Belfast you are going to.

[bogball88]

It's going from Belfast, just off the ormeau road, would be hoping to leave around 8 or so. Do you travel it often?

[CD]

I used to do that run Bogball. I left Belfast just before 7 and travelled down the Hillhall Rd. Took about 50 minutes or so. On the odd occasion I had a 9.30 start it took an hour and a half. Highly unpredictable after 8am!

[bogball88]

How did you get onto the hilhall road CD and where did u come onto m1 at? Did you ever chance going down balmoral avenue towards Kennedy way?

[michaelg]

I'd imagine up Ormeau on to Outer Ring and on to Hillhall be quite a direct route.

[thewobbler]

The m1. I've spent so much of my life sitting stationary on it, I could have written my memoirs several times over.

Here's thewobbler's top tips:

1. Traffic is always worse on Tuesdays and Thursdays (when flexi timers and students are all in. Allow extra time.

2. From Junction 8 (Sprucefield) is where it all goes wrong. Hit it at 7 and you'll be at Broadway at 7.15. Hit it at 7.15 and it's 7.45. 7.30 will be 8.15, 8am will be nearly 9am, 8.15 will be at least 9.15.

3. Fridays you can chop 50% off those times.

4. When students aren't in, it knocks at least 20 mins off the worst times. When schools aren't in, it's another 20 mins.

5. If you can swing it (and bear it) see if you can start work at 8am. If you hit the m1 at 7.15am, you'll be comfortably sat at your desk anywhere in town.

6. The Hillhall Rd is an option (you come off at Junction 6 and 15 mins later you are in deepest South Belfast) but the new bus lane on Ormeau has made it gridlock. If you're heading around Forestside it's a great option. If you are heading lower Ormeau, you're better off branching off Hillhall and around Edenderry, then going down Malone Rd to Stranmillis then Ormeau Embankment. But this is tragically shit at peak times too.

7. Learn to tune into Radio Ulster at 6.57, 7.20, 7.40 and 7.57 for traffic. If they say there's a knock on the M1, just turn around and head home, as it's not worth it.

8. Then tune out again, because if you spend 10 mins in the car with Seamus and Wendy, you will use your car as a weapon.

9. If you've to get to City Centre, you're much quicker going off at Broadway, staying in the right lane, then cutting up Donegal Pass. Grosvenor is a nightmare right through.

10. Going back, the M1 is a car park from 4.45 to 6.15, and worst in the middle. Learn to love the Hillhall Rd and outer ring to get you home.

11. Bookmark trafficwatch NI on you phone and check it before you get in your car. If any of the arterial routes out of Belfast are blocked, park up and go for a pint, read the paper, for you'll only be spending the next 30 mins in the one spot anyway.

12. Wednesday evenings home are quieter, and I can only put this down to students not being about.

13. At this time of year, lots of people go shopping in Belfast. Traffic is atrocious. From January onwards, the evenings start to improve every month.

14. Take great care before you risk flying up a bus lane. Boys in blue love shooting ducks in a barrel.

15. I've never found Boucher Road quicker to get anywhere. The M1 actually moves quite quickly from Andersonstown to Broadway in both directions.

[glens abu]

The m1. I've spent so much of my life sitting stationary on it, I could have written my memoirs several times over.

Here's thewobbler's top tips:

1. Traffic is always worse on Tuesdays and Thursdays (when flexi timers and students are all in. Allow extra time.

2. From Junction 8 (Sprucefield) is where it all goes wrong. Hit it at 7 and you'll be at Broadway at 7.15. Hit it at 7.15 and it's 7.45. 7.30 will be 8.15, 8am will be nearly 9am, 8.15 will be at least 9.15.

3. Fridays you can chop 50% off those times.

4. When students aren't in, it knocks at least 20 mins off the worst times. When schools aren't in, it's another 20 mins.

5. If you can swing it (and bear it) see if you can start work at 8am. If you hit the m1 at 7.15am, you'll be comfortably sat at your desk anywhere in town.

6. The Hillhall Rd is an option (you come off at Junction 6 and 15 mins later you are in deepest South Belfast) but the new bus lane on Ormeau has made it gridlock. If you're heading around Forestside it's a great option. If you are heading lower Ormeau, you're better off branching off Hillhall and around Edenderry, then going down Malone Rd to Stranmillis then Ormeau Embankment. But this is tragically shit at peak times too.

7. Learn to tune into Radio Ulster at 6.57, 7.20, 7.40 and 7.57 for traffic. If they say there's a knock on the M1, just turn around and head home, as it's not worth it.

8. Then tune out again, because if you spend 10 mins in the car with Seamus and Wendy, you will use your car as a weapon.

9. If you've to get to City Centre, you're much quicker going off at Broadway, staying in the right lane, then cutting up Donegal Pass. Grosvenor is a nightmare right through.

10. Going back, the M1 is a car park from 4.45 to 6.15, and worst in the middle. Learn to love the Hillhall Rd and outer ring to get you home.

11. Bookmark trafficwatch NI on you phone and check it before you get in your car. If any of the arterial routes out of Belfast are blocked, park up and go for a pint, read the paper, for you'll only be spending the next 30 mins in the one spot anyway.

12. Wednesday evenings home are quieter, and I can only put this down to students not being about.

13. At this time of year, lots of people go shopping in Belfast. Traffic is atrocious. From January onwards, the evenings start to improve every month.

14. Take great care before you risk flying up a bus lane. Boys in blue love shooting ducks in a barrel.

15. I've never found Boucher Road quicker to get anywhere. The M1 actually moves quite quickly from Andersonstown to Broadway in both directions.

He is going to Dungannon.

[thewobbler]

Yeah I got that bit from the title?

[winghalfback]

Id say leave 50 mins to 1 hour for your journey worst part will be getting out of belfast but you have the handier run than the people travelling to belfast

[thewobbler]

Got ya now. Do the reverse and laugh at me stuck on the other side of the road.

Someone, someday will find my essay useful. I hope.

[stringbean]

Got ya now. Do the reverse and laugh at me stuck on the other side of the road.

Someone, someday will find my essay useful. I hope.

Wobbler,
As someone who's done the route many times, I can vouch for everything you say, not much help to the orginial poster but a quality piece of literature on the nightmare that is driving to Belfast lol

As for the orginial poster, 50mins to hour will cover it easily however traffic can be busy coming into Dungannon if your going into town when the schools are on, just depends what time you start and finish at.

[Tony Baloney]

Good work wobbler. Gives me the shits reading it and the nightmare of the M1 roadworks 12-13 years ago when I was working in Monkstown!

The Westlink on a Friday evening when all you want is a Chinese and a beer...

[CD]

How did you get onto the hilhall road CD and where did u come onto m1 at? Did you ever chance going down balmoral avenue towards Kennedy way?

I'd avoid Kennedy way and Balmoral Bogball. To get onto Hillhall from Ormeau head up past Forestside to Knockbreda Road. Drive on past the big Tesco store to the bottom of the hill and take a left and then right at the lights. It's about 7 mile back road and you come out just below Sprucefield. It can be busy but in the morning it'd be coming into town that would be worse.

[thewobbler]

How did you get onto the hilhall road CD and where did u come onto m1 at? Did you ever chance going down balmoral avenue towards Kennedy way?

I'd avoid Kennedy way and Balmoral Bogball. To get onto Hillhall from Ormeau head up past Forestside to Knockbreda Road. Drive on past the big Tesco store to the bottom of the hill and take a left and then right at the lights. It's about 7 mile back road and you come out just below Sprucefield. It can be busy but in the morning it'd be coming into town that would be worse.

It could be 6 of 1, half a dozen of the other, but you could also head up to QUB, stay on Malone Road, stay left at House of Sport, take the next right (just over the Lagan) and follow it until you take a right on the Hillhall. You'll catch less school traffic on that run.