Walk the Westlink

Meeting point – SARC Foyer

Includes free transport to sound walk starting point at Cityside Retail & Leisure Park, and return transport to SARC

Starting on Grosvenor Road and ending at York Street, we will wander along the hidden public pathways that run adjacent to the motorway. The aim for the walk is to experience the Westlink as a pedestrian, to occupy space in a landscape designed for cars, to discuss and reimagine alternative futures for the area and to listen and interact with the soundscape.

Opened in 1981 the Westlink provided a quick way for motorists to access the motorway network however it also completely segregated the west and north of the city from the centre acting as a barrier to those who wish to travel on foot between those areas.

This walk aims to highlight issues surrounding urban walkability and question what it means to be a pedestrian occupying space in places that are hostile to those on foot.

‘Walk the Westlink’ will be an opportunity to interrogate the landscape with a friendly group of curious minds, to learn about the history of the area and to imagine a more walkable future for Belfast.