There have been fresh calls for urgent road safety improvements – including adequate street lighting – on the outskirts of Armagh after the latest road traffic collision.
Emergency services attended the scene of a collision involving three vehicles at the junction of Umgola and the Monaghan Road, at around tea-time on Monday.
Fortunately, there were no reports of serious injury.
The road was closed for a time and lengthy delays resulted before it reopened a short time later.
But local political representatives have said that something must now be done before lives are lost.
Former Lord Mayor Garath Keating said the junction had been the focus of calls for improved safety for years, but to no avail.
But after reports of Monday evening’s collision, the Sinn Fein representative said he was again calling on Transport NI to “listen to concerns and take the steps necessary to improve road safety in this area”.
Said Councillor Keating: “My predecessor Cathy Rafferty fought for years for street lighting to be installed at this junction and in subsequent years I have also broached the need for adequate lighting at this particular spot.
“Pedestrians and vulnerable road users suffer from decreased visibility in the dark, therefore ways of reducing the risk to all road users during the dark hours must be found.
“I am calling on Transport NI to give serious consideration to help enhance road safety at this junction, eliminate night time accidents and facilitate smooth traffic flow.”
He urged the powers-that-be to act now before it is too late.
“We should not have to wait for a fatal accident to occur before Transport NI have the power to do anything,” added Councillor Keating.
“This is an identified road traffic collision problem and I am urging Tranport NI to come up with an engineering solution to address concerns.”
