Road safety concerns at Rugby Avenue

Last week, Times Sport was contacted by a group of worried parents.

They highlighted concerns about road safety in the area, with one parent saying that she fears a child will be knocked down if steps are not taken to alleviate the situation.

The parents claim that the area becomes grid locked on week nights and at weekends, when the new synthetic pitches at Rugby Avenue are in high demand.

“We just fear that a child will be knocked knocked down.

“There are big volumes of traffic in the area as parents wait to pick up young people from sporting clubs. The area is not very well lit up, and that just adds to the problem.

“Some young people are coming out on to the road to get collected, it’s an accident just waiting to happen.

“This problem has been on going now for some months, but it seems to have escalated with the darker evenings.

“Council has introduced parking attendants to encourage people to use the appropriate parking areas, that has eased the situation a little, but more needs to be done,” said the parent of one child, who uses the pitches twice a week.

Times Sport understands that some of the local sporting clubs have issued letters to parents urging them to take heed of the parking restrictions in place, and to speak to their children about road safety.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council say that they are aware of the situation.

They say that they have ‘put a number of measures in place to encourage people to use the parking facilities in a safe manner’.

In a statement to Times Sport, a Council spokesperson said: “As a temporary measure we have introduced parking attendants.

“Lighting has been increased in and around the Pavilion area and Council is monitoring all measures to see what else can be done to safeguard pedestrians and users.”

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