Cars are being banned from outside Ulster University's flagship new Belfast campus under plans by Stormont roads officials.
All vehicles except buses, bicycles and blue-badge holders will be prohibited from travelling along the section of York Street between Donegall Street and Great Patrick Street.
The "experimental traffic control scheme" will last for six months under the proposals by the Department for Infrastructure.
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A public consultation has been launched on the plans with a closing date for responses of October 6 - more than a week after the new semester begins.
It comes amid safety concerns over traffic arrangements near the new university campus, which is due to formally open its doors this month.
Some 15,500 students and staff will be brought into the city centre as part of the long-delayed £370million redevelopment.
But there are fears over many students having to cross the eight-lane-wide Great Patrick Street to reach the campus.
Under the new road scheme, pay-and-display parking would be removed from the restricted section of York Street and new spaces for disabled people's vehicles would be installed.
Other private vehicles would be banned from waiting at any time, except for loading and unloading.
The university campus sits along York Street which connects motorists to the Westlink, M2 and M3 - three of Northern Ireland's busiest roads.
Several high-rise student apartment blocks have been built in recent years by private developers between York Street and Great Patrick Street, providing accommodation for more than 2,000 people.
Alliance North Belfast MLA Nuala McAllister welcomed the new road restriction proposals as a means of improving safety and "prioritising active travel".
She added: "However, it is not enough to secure the safety of the area and whilst welcome we do need further progress on the crossing between Great Patrick Street, Frederick Street and York Street."
Ms McAllister said she recently met with the university and infrastructure department about concerns over the road junction.
"I look forward to seeing how this new move by the department is progressed and will continue to work alongside the university and residents and businesses in the local area over coming months," she added.
Green Party leader Mal O'Hara expressed fears that the consultation is a "panicked reaction to limited forward planning".
The Belfast councillor said: "We have all known about this development for many years, yet only now on the eve of term starting, do the department bring forward a consultation on a partial road closure to most cars on York Street.
"There are over 3,000 students that will be living in accommodation just across Great Patrick Street and yet the department has not brought forward any measures to accommodate those incoming residents who will be living beside an eight-lane highway.
"While reallocation of road space to pedestrians, cyclists, those with disabilities and public transport is long overdue, I'm concerned about where this fits with a joined-up approach to manage that number of new residents and university campus daily users."
Last month Ulster University said a multi-agency working group had made proposals for changes to the junction, but formal decisions from the Department for Infrastructure were still "pending".
However, the department claimed the university was "obliged to arrange for any road infrastructure improvements" and it "did not propose any improvements to this junction".
It said some changes have been implemented including the repair of guard rails and new street lighting and signage.
An "interim improvement scheme" for the road layout and traffic signals will begin "later this autumn", but officials were unable to provide any artist's impression as the plans are "at an early stage".
Ulster University has previously said it has for some years been working closely with government departments, statutory agencies, community groups and residents.
A spokeswoman said a dedicated junctions working group has been specifically reviewing the junctions "with a focus on safety and traffic management".
She added that local transport network operations surrounding the campus will be monitored during its initial opening weeks.
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