Nicole Lang, 24 May
SDLP Infrastructure Spokesperson Mark H Durkan has renewed calls for
urgent improvement works at the Caw Roundabout following a serious
collision involving a bus and a lorry this week.
He intends to raise concerns directly with the Permanent Secretary for
the Department for Infrastructure, Julie Harrison at a meeting later
this week.
The Caw/ Clooney junction has one of the highest collision rates in
Northern Ireland.
The SDLP has received confirmation from then Infrastructure Minister,
John O’Dowd that steps were being taken by the department to progress
necessary upgrades including the signalisation of the Caw Roundabout to
manage traffic flow.
The Foyle MLA said: “This is an issue both myself and SDLP Waterside
Cllr Martin Reilly has been working on for many years. Despite prior
reassurances from the department and some signs of progress, it has
unfortunately been a case of two steps forward, three steps back.
“The Caw Roundabout has the highest incident rate of collisions across
the North. That has been the case for almost eight consecutive years.
We’re talking serious collisions causing significant damage and injury
given the speed at which traffic travels along this route.
"The approval of 200 social housing units and an additional planning
application for a further 600 homes, at the nearby Ballyoan development
further underscores the urgent need for upgrade works of the road
network.
“In the most recent response I received from the Permanent Secretary
outlines that improvements won’t be made until contributions are agreed
by the developers overseeing the site at Ballyoan.
“I appreciate there needs to be a cocktail of funding to progress these
upgrades. Obviously there are huge budget pressures on public services
at the moment and DfI are no exception. The consequences of those
pressures are clear given the current state of our roads. However, the
department has missed opportunities in this area in terms of road
safety.
“There has been a recalcitrance and somewhat lethargy from DfI to
address these concerns. We must remember that phase 2 of the A6,via
Maydown extends from Drumahoe to the Caw Roundabout has still not been
completed. Given that this project will end at Caw it proves the need
for the department to frontload works along this route.
“I will be raising this with the Permanent Secretary and will ask them
to establish whether there is a separate funding stream i.e.
allocations from the now shelved A2 Buncrana works, where funding could
be extracted from to progress improvements at Caw which is paramount
for safety in the area.”