Funding issue preventing 20mph restrictions outside Carrickfergus school

It follows an alleged “near miss” incident on the busy commuter route recently.

A ‘concerned grandparent’ contacted the Carrick Times after witnessing “some atrocious driving” outside the school.

He alleged: “On this occasion, the lights had turned to full red, when a car decided for whatever reason to ignore the lights on this supervised crossing. The problem was that a car had been allowed to pull out of Windmill Avenue on the opposite side by the halted traffic, straight into the path of the offending red light runner, a near miss.

“This could have, of course, been much worse, but the point is, this is a controlled crossing outside the school, with a 40mph limit.

“I am sensible enough to acknowledge that there are financial constraints, and reducing the speed limit outside the school would probably require legislation, but something needs to be done quickly, there is a potential tragedy here.”

The issue has been raised on a number of occasions at Carrickfergus Road Safety Committee.

Councillor Cheryl Johnston said a 20mph restriction is a priority but the Department for Infrastructure “don’t have the budget allocation” at this time.

In response, A Dfi spokesperson said: “The legislation is now in place for the part-time 20mph speed limit on the A2 Belfast Road at the Model Primary School in Carrick, however because of the current funding levels the department has been unable to implement the scheme this financial year.”