WEST Belfast MP Paul Maskey has called on people to park sensibly or consider going elsewhere for their lockdown walks after two Fixed Penalty Notices were issued by the PSNI to drivers who had parked near a junction on Divis Mountain at the weekend.
 
Hundreds of people headed to the beauty spot at the weekend, with some parking at the side of the road after the carpark was full to capacity.
 
Speaking to the Andersonstown News Paul Maskey said he has had a number of meetings over recent months with the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), the National Trust and residents as well as the PSNI and Belfast City Council.
 
“There is obviously a clear problem in terms of parking on that road,” he said.
 
“Prior to Christmas there were issues with oil delivery drivers being unable to make it past the parked cars to get to residents’ homes which meant that people had to go cold. My big fear is that if an ambulance or fire brigade needs to get to one of those homes on a very busy day then it may be very dangerous as they may not get past the parked cars.”

Continuing he said: “The DfI have marked out a number of zones where people cannot park and it takes away about a third of the parking on the road but there are still some places on the road that people can park.

“I would call on people to check the car parks before parking on the road as there are times when there are people parking on the road and they are empty. There is a carpark on the road and another beside the café. It is quite dangerous to abandon your car there. I would urge people that until we can source another car park, to park sensibly and in the worst case scenario, if there are no spaces in the car park then go somewhere else for a walk.”
 
Addressing these issues, a spokesperson for the National Trust, who run the Divis and Black Mountain site, said: “We are working in partnership with the Department for Infrastructure, PSNI, Belfast City Council and elected representatives to secure a range of short and long-term solutions to the traffic problem on Divis Road, including improved signage, road markings and additional car parking.

“We hope to have some initial road improvement measures confirmed shortly. In the meantime, we are asking people to avoid travelling to Divis and the Black Mountain by car at peak times. We are experiencing an exceptionally high number of visitors and the car parks are beyond capacity. If the car parks are full, we need visitors to be respectful of the local community and not park on the roadside as this prevents access for emergency services and causes distress to the local community.
 
“We understand how important access to fresh air, space and nature is for people’s wellbeing during this difficult time, therefore the upper and lower car parks will remain open to accommodate local walkers. But we urge visitors to follow government guidance and exercise close to home” they concluded.
 
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said it is “vital that people remember that we are still in the midst of this pandemic and the risk of transmission in crowded settings remains a real risk and would remind people of the health protection guidance on non-essential travel and not travelling unnecessary distances”.
 
“Every one of us needs to make informed and sensible decisions about our conduct, particularly in the run-up to St Patrick’s Day and Easter, to ensure that we are protecting our own health and the health of others.”