Watch: North Belfast MLA Nuala McAllister calls for pedestrian crossing at Ashgrove roundabout in Newtownabbey

The Alliance Party representative said she had been contacted by both parents and the school council at nearby Ashgrove Primary over the issue.

“This is a very dangerous crossing for young people, in particular during the school start and finish times. I have personally joined families at these times and witnessed how the kids have to dash across the road quickly,” Nuala McAllister said.

The online petition, available at https://chng.it/TFR69VnHk6, was launched following a traffic survey in the area by DfI.

“In November 2024, officials met on site with Nuala McAllister MLA and representatives from Ashgrove Primary School. A traffic survey was then carried out on December 5, which found a low volume of pedestrian movement,” a DfI spokesperson said.

"This was a preliminary survey to determine whether a full assessment is required. Given the wintry weather conditions at that time, the Department has agreed to conduct another survey in the spring which will allow a further assessment of this location to be carried out.”

However, Ms McAllister said she was “disappointed” by the response from the Department. “I have written to the Minister’s office to highlight the overall attitude of car-centric view of decisions,” she added.

"The local school, Ashgrove Primary have an amazing school council who met with department officials to show them how dangerous it is for them and to ask for their safety to be taken into account.

"These group of young people have shown great initiative in putting forward their own ideas and I want to make sure their effort is worthwhile.

“As for the Department, I think we must move away from a car-centric attitude and put active travel and safety first.”

Outlining how requests for improvements to the road network are handled, including the provision of pedestrian crossings and other traffic calming measures, DfI said that they are “are assessed in line with our current policies and guidance, with a prioritisation system based on various factors including collision records and the speed, volume and type of traffic.”