Work to address slippy pavements on Andersonstown Road welcomed

AFTER months of community pressure, local councillor and Deputy Mayor of Belfast Paul Doherty has welcomed confirmation that the Department for Communities will now step in with plans to shave down and retexture sections of the Andersonstown Road pavements – a key step towards ending what many residents have described as a “serious and long-running safety issue".

In recent years people have reported slipping and falling on these paths, particularly during wet weather. A community petition led by Cllr Doherty and signed by more than 700 residents, called for urgent action and drew widespread support from local families, businesses and older residents.

Councillor Doherty said: “People have been falling on these paths along the Andersonstown Road for far too long.

"I’ve spoken with pensioners who’ve broken bones, parents who’ve seen their children go down hard on their way to school, and shop staff who’ve had to come out to help people off the ground. Enough was enough.

“That’s why I raised this directly with the Department initially and led the community petition to make our voices heard. I had flagged on numerous occasions that Translink had completed similar work at installed Glider stops to mitigate slippy pavements – this begged the question: why not complete this work for all impacted areas? I’m delighted that the Department have now listened to my calls and will carry out work to shave down these pavements to reduce the risk of falls going forward.

‘’I’ve also requested that this work be extended to the Shaws Road, Glen Road and beyond, where this same paving stone was laid and where similar incidents have been happening. Every area where this surface was installed needs to be properly resolved.”

Councillor Doherty added that the progress was the end result of a community campaign.

“This campaign was about local people refusing to stay quiet when something clearly wasn’t right. Together, we’ve shown the power of community action and I’ll keep pushing until every area affected by these slippy surfaces is made safe.”