Second miss on busy road

Second miss on busy road

25 July 2012 - by David Telford

A FRESH appeal has been made for a pedestrian crossing to be made an urgent Roads Service priority in Killyleagh.

Three days after a woman and two children were almost struck by a speeding van at the town’s Catherine Street, an elderly lady revealed she was almost struck by a vehicle at the same location.

Residents and local politicians have been calling for an existing zebra crossing to be upgraded to a pedestrian crossing which would result in Killyleagh’s first traffic lights.

Councillor Billy Walker said the provision of a pedestrian crossing is a “matter of immediate urgency” and highlighted one of the main problems in Catherine Street is the speed of vehicles approaching from the Comber direction.

His call for the provision of a pedestrian crossing has been endorsed this week by fellow Rowallane councillor Terry Andrews.

He said he was approached by an elderly resident who was almost knocked down a matter of days after the incident involving the lady and her two children.

Councillor Andrews said he is aware of councillor Walker’s efforts to have a pedestrian crossing provided at Catherine Street and that the Roads Service has included such a scheme in its list of priorities.

“I hope that the money needed to provide an upgraded crossing is made available as soon as possible. Given that there have been so many near misses at this part of Killyleagh, my biggest fear is that it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed or seriously injured,” he declared.

“The elderly lady who informed me about her near miss at Catherine Street was left quite shaken when a car flew past her as she was about to cross the road.”

Councillor Andrews said Catherine Street is the main route through the heart of the town and that if a pedestrian crossing isn’t provided in the short term, roads officials must look at ways of slowing the speed of vehicles at this part of the town.

He added: “The speed of traffic approaching from the Comber direction is the main issue of concern. This must be addressed before there is a serious incident at this part of Killyleagh. Warnings have been issued by local people and elected representatives about the dangers at Catherine Street and they must now be addressed.”

In a letter to Councillor Andrews, a Roads Service official said concerns have been raised in the past about speeding vehicles at Catherine Street and a survey was carried out. The official said the results revealed that the average speed of vehicles was 20mph “which could be acceptable in a 30mph zone.”

The letter added: “The Roads Service is of the opinion that if the crossing is used in accordance with the Highway Code, there should be no safety concerns.

“With reduced finances in the present and the future years, Roads Service must divert its limited resources to those sites where there are currently no pedestrian crossing facilities. It means at this stage, there is no possibility of changing the current zebra crossing to a pedestrian crossing.”