A south Armagh councillor has met with Roads officials after a Bessbrook traffic island, to enable schoolchildren to cross safely, was “demolished” twice within eight months.
Sinn Féin Cllr Declan Murphy, along with residents of Hillcrest Village, met with Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Roads officials regarding pedestrian safety on McKnights Hill.
He said, despite two traffic islands being erected to help children cross the road safely to the school, one of the islands has been “demolished” twice by vehicles mounting the island and hitting the traffic signs.
Said the Cllr: “We are so lucky there were no fatalities. Although McKnights Hill is eligible for traffic lights this will take a while, so we are requesting speed bumps to be installed as an interim measure.”
However, while additional measures are being sought, he also notes the responsibility of those using the roads to ensure the safety of all those around them.
“If all road users drove responsibly there would not be any need for additional safety measures, but unfortunately this is not the case,” said Cllr Murphy. “Speeding is the primary problem with drink driving coming in as a close second.
“While we await the new road safety measures please drive carefully.”
