SINN Féin MLA Pat Sheehan has called on the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to install a pedestrian crossing at a busy section of the Whiterock Road as “a matter of urgency”.
The West Belfast MLA contacted Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon last year to raise safety concerns about the intersection between Brittons Parade, Whiterock Road and the vehicular exit at the City Cemetery.
Ms Mallon said DfI officials have since carried out an assessment of the area, which has been “highly placed” on a priority list for a pedestrian crossing.
Mr Sheehan said the department’s response is “not good enough”, warning of the potential for fatalities at the busy junction.
“It’s a place where the residents, particularly from the Whiterock and Brittons Parade, cross over into the graveyard, and a lot of schoolchildren cut through the graveyard to get down to the schools on the front of the road, St Louise’s and St Kevin’s,” he explained.
“It’s clearly a dangerous spot, and cars coming up the Whiterock Road are actually coming round a bend just at that point.
“We contacted the Minister over a year ago and asked for a crossing to be put in as a matter of urgency, and we’ve been told there are delays due to Covid and so on, but I think it’s important that we get a crossing installed as soon as possible. What we don’t want is an accident to happen at that particular spot, and given the amount of people crossing the road there, it’s going to happen sooner or later.”
Mr Sheehan said the ongoing regeneration of the City Cemetery, including the renovation of the nearby Foxes Lodge, would lead to an increase of footfall in the area.
“The authorities and particularly the Department for Infrastructure need to take account of the amount of people who are accessing it on foot,” he said.
“The Department needs to act as a matter of urgency before there is some further tragedy."
A Departmental spokesperson said: “Following an earlier request for the provision of a pedestrian crossing facility on Whiterock Road in the vicinity of Britton’s Parade, officials carried out a detailed assessment of this location which indicated it was highly placed on the prioritised list of pedestrian crossing requests in the Belfast area.
"DfI Minister Nichola Mallon is very keen to support proposals that better develop active travel routes and as a result she has asked officials to explore the potential provision of this crossing from within available funding.”
