‘Robust’ safety measures for Belfast Road

They were aired at a special meeting of Carrickfergus Policing and Community Safety Partnership in response to long-held concerns by residents living along the key arterial route.

Councillor Noel Williams, chair of the PCSP, said the session was to deal with “an area of community concern” in relation to road safety.

At the meeting, Councillor Williams also reflected residents’ frustration at the regular congregation of ‘boy racers’ in the harbour car park area, noting this issue was raised on many occasions by PCSP members and that police had carried out operations there previously.

Councillor Williams said the meeting had been very constructive with Transport NI (previously Roads Service) undertaking to carry out a survey of the route with a view to “potential engineering solutions”.

Adding that the PSNI had provided informative statistics explaining what they are doing, the chairman declined to go into detail of all the “robust” proposals tabled.

However, it is understood measures such as adding speed limit markings to the road surface and signage alerting motorists that elderly residents live in the area are to be considered.

The chairman of the PCSP, which includes elected members and independent representatives from the community, continued: “It is apparent that current measures to prevent speeding and accidents on the Belfast Road in Carrickfergus are not sufficiently robust.

“Temporary speed cameras can be occasionally seen on the road in the mornings and afternoons. However, this is when there is a large amount of traffic, and as one resident aptly put it, ‘you can’t speed on a busy road’.

“The site has become a clear area of community concern and thus it is the PCSP’s aim to ensure that these concerns are addressed appropriately.”