Larne shoppers are 'dicing with death' on the Harbour Highway

East Antrim MLA Roy Beggs Jnr has expressed concerns at the number of people walking on the east-bound A8 dual carriageway, which carries thousands of port-bound vehicles daily.

Mr Beggs said it was “highly dangerous” and called for a new pedestrian link to be provided between Redlands and the town centre “as a matter of urgency”.

He added: “The new Asda store is proving to be very popular with shoppers and is undoubtedly contributing to reducing the retail leakage of people leaving Larne to do their big weekly food shop in other towns. However, I am concerned at the continuing lack of safe pedestrian linkages between the supermarket and the town centre.

“A busy-bus system has been set up to serve the Asda store, but for some reason this does not operate at the weekend. As a result, and particularly on a Saturday, many people – including those wearing Asda uniforms – are walking to the store along the hard shoulder on the lagoon side of the Harbour Highway. Clearly this is both contrary to the Highway Code and potentially highly dangerous.

“There is a footpath behind the crash barrier on the opposite side of the dual carriageway, but to get to the supermarket involves crossing four lanes of a busy A-class road.”

The UUP man has lobbied the Roads Service and other bodies to look into the feasibility of providing a new walkway at the edge of the lagoon. “I believe this issue should have been addressed at the time of the planning application,” he said. “Given the situation that has arisen since Asda has opened, it certainly needs to be addressed now.”

However, the developer behind the Redlands retail and leisure complex, Sergio McKenzie, said the problem existed “long before Asda came along”.

He added: “I would support Mr Beggs in his efforts to have a new footpath provided between the town centre to Redlands, but Asda should not be used as a scapegoat for the problem, as it has been going on for a long time.”

He added: “I cannot understand why people are using this route to walk to Asda, as there is a footpath that runs all the way from the town centre to Redlands along the Curran Road and it doesn’t take any longer to walk that way.”