Sinn Féin councillor Tierna Cunningham has called on the PSNI to ensure the Whitewell Road is open to traffic during this Saturday's loyalist band parade after the road was closed for four hours last year despite the Parades Commission ruling it should stay open.
This Saturday 30 bands are to descend on the Whitewell Road to take part in the Whitewell Defenders Flute Band parade, which was previously known as the Thomas McDonald Memorial Parade.
Although there was no official determination on last year's parade the Parades Commission said it could go ahead as long as one lane of traffic on the Whitewell Road was kept open.
Despite this for a large parts of the weekend parade the whole road was closed to traffic which had to be diverted at the bridge and bottom of the Whitewell Road, leading MLA Carál Ní Chuilín to hit out at the PSNI for failing to keep disruption to a minimum.
This year the parading body have again made no official ruling on the parade but said they are "working on an assurance that the parade will not close the road to traffic".
Sinn Féin councillor Tierna Cunningham said she hopes this year the PSNI work to the Parades Commission recommendation and ensures the road is kept open.
"I hope the police act according to the ruling of the Parades Commission and make sure that traffic can get up and down the road and disruption is kept to a minimum," she said.
"I hope the parade passes off peacefully with no trouble."
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