Traffic calming on the agenda

The meeting took place at the civic centre and saw a senior Roads Service manager questioned on a number of issues by Craigavon councillors.

Senior Traffic and Transport Manager at Road Service, Ciaran McKenna, gave an overview of traffic calming then took questions from members.

Deputy Mayor, Councillor George Savage, referred to a request for traffic calming in Donaghcloney. He said the village needed a pelican crossing or traffic lights to help school children and people from estates cross the busy main road.

The Deputy Mayor also drew attention to speeding traffic coming through Blackskull on the A1 and on the recently resurfaced Dromore Road.

Alderman Moutray agreed with Councillor Savage’s comments and enquired about traffic calming measures at the Avenue Road estate.

Mr McKenna said everyone would like to see traffic claiming in their own areas but Road Service had 120 requests pending and they were not going to be able to agree to them all.

He said priorities were continually changing and sites where there were collisions would be treated first.

Councillor Joe Nelson asked about the possibility of extended traffic calming measures in Aghagallon to take in new housing developments. Mr McKenna said Roads Service would assess such a scheme.

Councillor Tommy O’Connor referred to speeding vehicles at Pinebank, Drumbeg, Highfield Road and Meadowbrook crossroads. Mr McKenna said he would take on board the issues raised.

In response to a query by Councillor Liam Mackle, Mr McKenna said Belvedere Manor had a low priority rating in terms of traffic calming.

Councillor Declan McAlinden asked for an update in relation to traffic calming on roads from Derrymcash to Derrytrasna including the Ardmore Road. Mr McKenna said an assessment would be arranged for Derrymacash and Derrytrasna was one of a number of schemes competing for inclusion on future works programmes. As there was no speed limit on the Ardmore Road he said traffic claiming was deemed inappropriate there.

Councillor Noel McGeown raised the point that traffic calming in some cases was responsible for more accidents. He said 40mph traffic islands on the Lough Road had caused motorists to speed up on the approach and this had caused a number of accidents. He spoke of further accidents at Lake Street and Antrim Road. Mr McKenna said officials would look at the accident history in these areas.

Alderman Hatch said members did not know from one year to the next what the priorities were, adding it would be good to know where each scheme sat in terms of a timetable.

Mr McKenna said the issue was not that there was no criteria, rather that priorities changed and new requests continued to come in. He said he was happy to advise members of how priorities had changed following the introduction of new criteria.