Public warn of danger to pedestrians at busy Newcastle roundabout

18 July 2018

CONCERN is mounting in Newcastle that pedestrians could lose their lives close to one of the district’s busiest roundabouts.

Local people are so concerned that there will be a serious accident at the Dundrum Road roundabout that they have suggested staging a public protest to highlight the issue and bring forward a start date for a promised safety upgrade.

A number of weeks ago, roads officials unveiled plans to address road safety and congestion issues at the notoriously busy roundabout, but have made it clear the ambitious proposal cannot be implemented until money is available to do so.

Plans have been drawn up to create a new dedicated filter lane which will enable drivers entering the resort from the Dundrum direction and wishing to access the Castlewellan Road to do so without causing major tailbacks.

The plan will leave two existing lanes for the exclusive use of traffic heading into the centre of the resort and while the scheme has not yet been fully costed, roads officials have confirmed they will require to shave off a section of land at side of the roundabout to provide the new link road which they are confident can significantly reduce congestion.

Road safety and traffic congestion at the Dundrum Road roundabout is a major issue in Newcastle and is consistently a hot topic of conversation on social media with people again voicing concern about incidents last week.

There have been a number of near misses at pedestrian crossings on either side of the roundabout with people fearful that it could only be a matter of time before someone is killed or seriously injured at this part of the town.

While residents have welcomed the Department of Infrastructure road safety proposal, there is increasing concern that it could be some time before it is in place.

With Newcastle’s busy summer season now in full swing, residents have been reporting a catalogue of near misses over recent days at the roundabout.

And drivers in the area have also backed the roundabout proposal and while they say they approach the area with caution, this is not the case with all motorists.

So concerned are residents that in addition to staging a public protest, they have suggested dedicating a social media page to the issue. It has also been suggested that people with any dash cam footage of near misses at the roundabout should hand it over to police.

Mums with young children have reported having to take evasive action while using dedicated crossings either side of the roundabout to avoid being struck by a vehicle.

One road user said that when she stopped to let people cross the road, a car on the opposite lane continued on and drove through the crossing. She described what happened as “terrifying.”

Elsewhere on social media, concern was expressed about the speed of cars approaching the roundabout from the Dundrum and Shimna roads with one person suggesting ramps should be provided in front of the crossings to slow the speed of vehicles.

Other residents have confirmed they are now afraid to use the crossings at the roundabout, with others appealing to local councillors and MLAs to get involved to help deliver the proposed new scheme sooner, rather than later.

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