Call for traffic calming on Old Portadown Road

Cold water has been poured on calls for traffic calming measures on one of Lurgan's busiest roads, by the department responsible.
Sinn Fein Cllr Liam Mackle with local residents Joanne O'Hagan and Susan EdgarsSinn Fein Cllr Liam Mackle with local residents Joanne O'Hagan and Susan Edgars
Sinn Fein Cllr Liam Mackle with local residents Joanne O'Hagan and Susan Edgars

The Old Portadown Road which runs through the heavily-populated Taghnevan area has been described as ‘dangerous’ by Sinn Fein.

Local Cllr Liam Mackle has echoed calls by party colleagues Cllr Fergal lennon and MLA Catherine Seeley to introduce traffic calming measures.

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Cllr Mackle said: “Earlier in the year my council colleague Cllr Lennon met with residents and made contact with Transport NI in order to have this dangerous road dealt with. This stretch of road from the Stables complex right up to the crossroads at Tullygally East Road cuurently has no method of traffic calming.

“The area has developed and there are a lot of young families whose children play very close to the road. Cars are able to get a lot of speed up and I fear that a tragedy is inevitable if something is not done.”

Joanne O’Hagan, a resident in the area, said: “There are very young children playing on both sides of the road. My heart is in my mouth every time I have to cross the road and something needs done.”

Cllr Mackle added: “I will be contacting Transport NI to ensure that steps are urgently taken to address this issue. Ramps and other measures have proven to be very effective measures and that’s what I will be seeking for this area”

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However a spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure said the road ‘did not rank highly enough’ for traffic calming measures.

The spokesperson said: “TransportNI receives many requests and assesses each site individually to ensure that those sites where need is greatest are treated first.

“TransportNI has assessed requests for measures on the Old Portadown Road. However, the results showed that this scheme would not rank high enough to be considered for the current works programme. Instances of excess speed should be reported to the PSNI who are the agency responsible for enforcement.”

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