A resident living in Caledon is campaigning for the introduction of speed calming measures to put paid to “increasingly dangerous” driving along Main Street.
Concerned resident, Bobby Parvanov took to community group Caledon in the Loop to garner support for the idea after he said several drivers have “exceeded 60mph in the 30mph zone”.
He said: “I wanted to raise a concern that I’m sure many of us share – the issue of speeding through Caledon…
“The situation has become increasingly dangerous, especially with larger vehicles like lorries, and it’s deeply concerning.
“On multiple occasions, I’ve tried to signal to young drivers in the village to slow down, only to be met with revving engines and beeping.
“This kind of reckless driving is a serious hazard, especially with so many children walking around.”
Speaking to Armagh I, he added that speeding in the area has been a concern for quite some time and said, “honestly, I’m just sick of it!
Speeding continues to be an issue despite speed recorders having been placed at the entry to the County Tyrone village on numerous occasions in the last year.
Bobby explained: “A speed recorder was installed on the way into Caledon, but it only worked for a couple of weeks. Drivers tend to slow down when turning towards Aughnacloy, but most seem to speed up when driving straight through Caledon towards Dungannon.”
Anxious to improve the situation before an accident occurs he posed the question, “Would there be an option for us to petition for speed ramps in the village, similar to those in Eglish?”
“Just yesterday morning (February 11), I witnessed a fully loaded lorry carrying metal scrap speeding through as if it were a motorway,” he said.
“I can’t help but wonder what the braking distance would be if it suddenly had to stop. A few speed bumps or a permanent speed camera would make a huge difference and force drivers to be more aware.”
In response to the resident’s question, Caledon in the Loop admin, Katy O’Donoghue replied to say that a community meeting had been held last week between community representatives, PSNI and local DUP Councillor, Frances Burton.
While full information concerning the meeting will be made available in the coming weeks, Katy was able to say: “It doesn’t seem likely that there will be ramps placed in the village, given that it’s an A road that runs through it.
“We are hopeful that other measures may be put in place. Speeding and the amount of traffic through the village is an ongoing concern.
“Hopefully we can pull the community together to collectively raise these concerns with the relevant authorities and improve this situation in the near future.
“More details will follow soon on how this may be possible.”
However, Bobby has said it’s “frustrating that no one from the council has picked this up yet, especially considering that a family was involved in a major accident just outside Caledon the day after Christmas.”
In the meantime, he said he is happy to look into things further to see what can be done.
