A LOCAL political rep has called for further traffic calming measures on the Springfield Road following revelations of high road casualty figures for the busy stretch of road. 

PSNI statistics show that there were 186 road casualties between Isadore Avenue and Mill Race in a ten-year period (December 2010 – November 2020).

Casualties on the Springfield Road included 14 pedestrians and four cyclists, including 13-year-old Eoin Hamill who tragically lost his life in January 2020.  The figures were revealed following a Freedom Information Request from West Belfast Green Party rep Stevie Maginn. 

Mr Maginn was moved to action following the death of 24-year-old Lucy McIlhatton, who was knocked down in January this year. 

“I’ve lived in nearby Ballymurphy most of my life, and dangerous driving and death-driving have been an ongoing issue in this section of the Springfield Road for as long as I can remember,” he said.

“I knew that road traffic collisions were a problem in the area, but I find these figures breathtaking. I have brought this to the attention of the Black Mountain Neighbourhood Policing Team and asked them to increase their focus on the area to deal with excessive speed and road safety.”

The West Belfast rep had asked his party colleague Rachel Woods MLA to submit an Assembly Question to the Department for Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon, asking for an assessment of road safety in the area. Ms Woods had also asked the Minister whether there are any plans to implement further traffic calming measures on the Springfield Road. 

In her response, Minister Mallon said that her “officials receive information on road traffic collisions involving personal injury from the PSNI on an annual basis and use this information in developing improvement schemes.”

Commenting on the Minister’s response, Mr Maginn said: “It is astonishing though that the Department for Infrastructure has been regularly receiving information of such high numbers of road traffic collisions involving injury, yet has not made moves to introduce traffic calming measures or road safety schemes in the area. 

“Of course there is a personal responsibility on people engaged in dangerous driving but I believe that there are infrastructural solutions the Department could look at which would improve road safety in the area.

“I am asking Minister Mallon to urgently re-assess road safety in the Springfield Road area and scope out plans to implement traffic calming measures and road safety improvement schemes.”