New vision offered in Masterplan debate

The man, who did not wanted to be named, wrote to Regional Revelopment Minister, Danny Kennedy, consultants, GM Design Associates, local MLAs and councillors, among others, with a view, he said, having read the Masterplan, to highlighting some of his concerns.

The Dromore resident is concerned to know how large lorries and buses, travelling from Banbridge Road to Princes Street, would drive down a narrow lower Gallows Street onto the back of Market Square “to a new bus stop which seems on the masterplan to have no layby”?

He went on: “Also, how will large lorries or buses travel down a narrow Cross Lane to connect to Princes Street, which at the moment is a two-way traffic system? This will cause more congestion in the town square.”

The “front” of Market Square and Church Street should remain a two-way traffic system, he said, claiming widespread local support for restricting one-way traffic flow to the “back” of Market Square, lower Gallows Street and Cross Lane.

“Maybe also Cross Lane could be widened into a proper two-way road with footpaths and a pedestrian safety barrier,” he said. “The junction of Cross Lane/Princes Street could be widened to accomodate a two-way system.”

The local man agreed with plans to pedestrianise part of Market Square (though he felt more car parking should be provided) and with a proposed pedestrian walkway connecting Lottery Place car park to lower Gallows Street.

He continued: “I notice on the town masterplan that the current entrance into the Lottery Place car park from Church Street, opposite the Ulster Bank, is blocked with a new building to be built in the future and the new entrance will be from the new link road at top of the car park.

“Will motorists using this carpark still have access to the Ulster Bank and cashcard machine from the current entrance in Church Street? If no access is allowed for vehicles at this existing entrance in Church Street, maybe a walkway or archway could be left for pedestrians to walk through, to and from the Lottery Place car park?”

Straying off-plan, the Dromore man proposed additional link roads, one of which - connecting lower Meeting Street to Lower Mount Street - had been talked about for some 30-40 years, he said.

“This new link road/bridge would be a great solution for traffic congestion in the town, especially for lower Meeting Street and Bridge Street,” he said. “I would go further and make another link road from Lower Mount Street towards Mossvale Road.”

He further suggested new lanes joining and leaving the A1 carriageway at Lurgan Road and new link roads connecting Diamond Road to Barronston Road to Banbridge Road/A1.

“With Dromore growing in population,” he said, “all road and government agencies should be planning ahead for new roads and projects for the next 50-100 years.”