THERE are no roads or streets in North Belfast included in the top ten priorities for traffic calming schemes, it can be revealed.
The top ten Department for Infrastructure priority locations on the Eastern Division Traffic Calming list are:
1. Belsize Road (Lisburn)
2. Lanark Way (West Belfast)
3. Montgomery Road (East Belfast)
4. McClure Street and Cameron Street (South Belfast)
5. Rosetta Road (South Belfast)
6. Brokerstown Road (Lisburn)
7. Meeting Street, St John’s Terrace (Moira)
8. Ravenhill Park and Onslow Parade (South Belfast)
9. Glendale Avenue East and Breda Drive (South Belfast)
10. Pond Park (Lisburn)
Responding, Aontú North Belfast representative Aiden Carlin said: "The Department’s top ten priority locations include roads in South Belfast, East Belfast, West Belfast and the Lisburn area. Not one of those locations is in North Belfast.
"Meanwhile, Somerton Road, where residents have long raised concerns about speeding traffic and road safety, is currently ranked 41st on the priority list.
"North Belfast families deserve to know why our communities continue to be overlooked. Every day, children walk to school, older people cross busy roads, and residents live with the impact of excessive vehicle speeds. Road safety should never become a postcode lottery.
"The Department has stated that the list is live and may change as new information becomes available. However, the current priorities raise legitimate questions about whether North Belfast is receiving its fair share of investment in traffic calming measures.
"As Aontú’s representative for North Belfast, I will be asking the Department to explain how these priorities have been determined and what further action is needed to ensure roads in our constituency receive the attention they deserve."
