Fears for lives at blackspot junction

Cllr Gregg McKeen said he witnessed the aftermath on Sunday of the latest in a series of collisions on the Harbour Highway at its junction with the slip road from the Circular Road roundabout.

In fact, there were two accidents within 24 hours at the blackspot over the weekend. Two occupants of a Toyota Auris car were taken to hospital as a precaution after their vehicle was in collision with a Renault Kangoo van around 7pm on Saturday.

Sunday’s crash was reported to police at 3.45pm. Firefighters used hydraulic cutting equipment to release a 70-year-old woman from one of the two vehicles involved – a Peugeot 106 and a Nissan Prelude. Two other people were taken to hospital by ambulance. Police said none of the injuries was thought to be “life-threatening”.

There has been a fatal collision at the junction in the past and two years ago Roads Service redesigned the intersection, including the introduction of give-way signage for traffic attempting to cross the dual-carrigeway in either direction.

“There has been a series of accidents at that junction, not just at the weekend but over the past few months,” said Cllr McKeen. “And I don’t think we should be waiting until something more terrible happens before doing something about it,” he added.

“I have lobbied Roads Service about this in the past when they have come to council meetings and they have always said that they feel that the layout is the best option available,” said the DUP man.

“Maybe, on paper, it makes sense but the reality is that there are two give-ways at the junction – one on the central reservation for traffic heading in to the town; and the other at the end of the slip road.

“People are sitting looking at each other across a busy dual-carriageway, wondering who is going to move first. It’s confusing for people and there is hesitation and that’s why there are so many accidents.

“My fear is that it’s happening on one of the busiest roads in the Province and there is the potential for a terrible tragedy.”

Cllr McKeen said he will ask Roads Service again to reconsider all the options. He suggested: “There are a number of possibilities. My preference would be to allow traffic headed for the town to cross over the carriageway as it does now, but direct all traffic from the slipway to turn left to the Redlands roundabout and from there people could make their way up the Harbour Highway without having to cross any traffic at all.”

In 2008, when the junction was realigned, the Larne Times asked Roads Service to explain who has priority when crossing the cairriageway. We were told: “The new give-way arrangements at this busy junction form part of a series of measures aimed at reducing traffic collisions. This layout is recommended for use to remove any confusion when conflicting right-turn movements occur.

“It is the view of both Roads Service and the PSNI that priority should be given to the right-turn movement out of the side road, in this case Circular Road, and that the vehicles in the central reserve should wait until that vehicle has cleared before attempting to turn right into the side road.”