Call for action before life is lost

SOMEONE will be killed unless safety measures are implemented on Temple Road, Strathfoyle, it was claimed this week.

Three accidents on Temple Road in the past fortnight, prompted community and youth worker Paul Hughes, who is attached to Enagh Youth Forum, to appeal to Roads Service to implement safety features as a matter of urgency in the area.

“After three more accidents over the past fortnight, Enagh Youth Forum are calling for action to be taking that will ensure that the appropriate safety measures are put in place along the road,” he said.

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In particular he called for safety crash barriers, ‘proper’ reflective signs and street lighting.

“This road is a hotspot for accidents and it is only a matter of time before someone is killed.”

Quoting the Roads Service response, he said he had been told “an assessment of the road is included in this year’s programme and will involve a detailed examination of the reported collisions as well as on-site examination of the road. We will then be able to determine the most appropriate course of action”.

“We believe the onus is now on our newly elected political representatives in local council to ensure that this road assessment takes place as a matter of urgency, so that the necessary improvements and safety enhancements to the road can be made and, hopefully, lower the number of incidents and prevent someone from been killed or seriously injured. This section of lower temple road has been neglected for far too long and work to improve the safety of this road is long overdue.”

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Alderman Maurice Devenney said he was aware of “an issue with speed” on Temple Road.

“This matter has been brought to my attention in the past few weeks, and I have been told there have been a number of near accidents in past few weeks. I can assure the people of Strathfoyle that I will be contacting the Roads Service to encourage them to have the survey they have promised done as soon as possible.

“I will also be asking Roads Service for a meeting on the issue within next couple of days so that the genuine concerns people have can be addressed as soon as possible. I will also be contacting the PSNI with a view to securing an increased level of speed detection for the entire road and I will be contacting the Youth Forum to hear their concerns first-hand,” Mr Devenney said.

Secretary of Strathfoyle Community Association, Gus Hastings, said there had been a previous lobby to have the speed limit moved to the end of the road.

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“There are issues for the DoE because if you put in a speed limit you have to light the road,” he said, adding: “From my perspective we have spoken to them already in terms of traffic calming, which was done on parts of the road.

“No matter the speed limit, people have got to be more responsible for their actions, and I would call on road users to drive to the conditions of the road because it is only this that will reduce the number of accidents.”

A Roads Service spokesperson said: “Roads Service can confirm that an assessment will be carried out in this financial year.”