Pedestrian crossing at Laurencetown facing delays

The Upper Bann Assembly Member’s concern comes after he raised the matter in the Assembly with DRD Minister, Conor Murphy, following enquires from local residents.

“The matter came to my attention when a number of Laurencetown residents asked me the reasons for the delay in the start of construction work on the pedestrian crossing,” said Mr O’Dowd. “It was clear from these conversations that residents were of the view that a scheme had been approved and it was only matter of waiting for construction to begin.

“Although Sinn Fin had raised this matter with Road Services, I was unaware of any approval having been given and as a result I tabled a question to the DRD Minister.”

Mr O’Dowd said the Minister had then informed him that the final scheme had not been approved and a futher survey needed to be conducted before any proposal for a crossing could be approved.

The Minister also advised that a number of crossing schemes already listed within the Banbridge District Council area had a higher priority rating and would be likely to be completed in advance of the Laurencetown pedestrian crossing.

“This is disappointing news as this junction is on a very busy main road with considerable pedestrian usuage,” said Mr O’Dowd. “However, the Minister informed me that subject to the completion of the survey, a pedestrian crossing on the Banbridge Road at Laurencetown would be included in future programmes of work.

“The main Gilford to Banbridge road is an extremely busy route and the absence of a controlled crossing creates a hazard for pedestrian and motorists alike,” he added. “The residents of Laurencetown deserve a quick resolution to this long standing road safety issue and I will be pushing for the scheme to be moved up the priority list.”