Belfast Grand Central Station: Walking from the city centre to catch my bus at the new station can take up to four minutes longer than my previous walk to the old Great Victoria Street depot - here's the reason why, and the answer might surprise you

Which is why my main issue of concern regarding the shiny, new £340m Grand Central Station in Belfast centred on one question.

How much longer does it take to walk from the News Letter's city centre offices to the new station, compared to the old Great Victoria Street station?

Journalists are well used to working to deadlines, but many of us take it to the wire, almost every time.

This stressful - and some would say needless - trait emerges in other aspects of our lives.

If there's a closing date or time of departure, you can bet we'll be the “last shake of the orchard” and just about make it in the nick of time - but only just!

So it is with myself when it comes to leaving work on time to make my bus.

Colleagues will be familiar with seeing me shoving my laptop in my bag in a panic and muttering how “I'm going to have run” - as I dash out the door.

Tourists were then treated to the sight of a not-as-fit-as-he-would-like 44-year-old male lumping it across the grounds of city hall as fast as he could, over to the Great Victoria Street station.

Remarkably, I only missed the (last) bus once, and had to pay a taxi to get me back to my car at Sprucefield Park and Ride.

But forking out for a taxi is a sobering reminder of your own poor time management, so I've always been motivated never to repeat the experience.

The News Letter offices are based in Arthur Street, next to the popular shop, Avoca.

Walking at a brisk pace, and taking what I believed to be the shortest route - across the grounds of City Hall, down Wellington Street, Upper Queen Street, Brunswick Street, Franklin Street, and then Great Victoria Street - I could make it to the bus stand at the old station in roughly nine minutes.

So how does the new Grand Central Station compare?

Well, again, walking at a brisk pace and taking what I believe to be the shortest route - across the grounds of City Hall, down Wellington Street, Upper Queen Street, Howard Street, Great Victoria Street, Glengall Street, and then further along a new walkway (down the side of the BT telephone exchange building) to Grand Central Station - I've made it to Stand 4 for the 651 Sprucefield Park and Ride service in times ranging from 11 to 13 minutes.

So the difference between the two stations can be up to four minutes.

But how is it an extra four minutes when the actual distance is less than 100 yards - and why can the time difference vary?

The answer? Traffic lights!

My previous walk to Great Victoria Street station was virtually unhindered by traffic lights. The 'green man' either appeared relatively quickly, or I could safely cross the road amidst static traffic, in particular outside the Europa Hotel.

But now my walk to Grand Central includes three major sets of traffic lights: two at the corner of Howard Street and Great Victoria Street; and one at the end of Glengall Street, near to the station entrance.

And all three crossings are busy roads with up to four lanes of traffic.

It doesn't matter how much time pressure you might be under, you simply have to obey the Green Cross Code - at THREE sets of lights!

The "traffic light lottery" might see you sail through at least one set of lights, but you're unlikely to strike it lucky and hit three green men in a row.

And if your luck has totally deserted you, you might have to wait at all three lights - when this happened to me on one occasion, I suffered waits of 25 seconds, one minute and 17 seconds, and one minute and 24 seconds.

So if you want to make it to Grand Central on time and in one piece, without making the news for having dashed across the road and caused an accident, my advice is to allow at least an extra four minutes for possible delays at those pedestrian crossings.

I am happy to report I haven't missed my bus ... yet!

Some further observations that readers may find useful.

My destination of Stand 4 at Grand Central is quite near the Glengall Street entrance. If your bus departs Stand 26 you'll need to factor in those extra yards.

From the Queen Victoria statue outside Belfast City Hall to Stand 4 at Grand Central can take up to 10 minutes, walking at the same brisk pace and taking the same route described above, with stoppages at some of those pesky pedestrian crossings.

Oh, and one last thing ... Grand Central station is glorious. Coming into Belfast by bus, it's an absolute joy sweeping down into the new station, and then walking through a spacious, modern building that makes an impressive, bold statement about the city beyond.