Debate contribution: Traffic Chaos Affecting Villages in Lagan Valley

Debate contribution by Mr John O'Dowd on 25 June 2024.

MLA

Mr John O'Dowd

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

25 June 2024

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Traffic Chaos Affecting Villages in Lagan Valley

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4498793

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank Mr Butler for securing this important debate on traffic issues that affect villages in the Lagan Valley constituency. I thank other Members for their contributions. The two key transport corridors across the area — the M1 and the A1 — connect Lagan Valley to the regional strategic transport network, which provides long-distance connections to our cities, main towns and major gateways. The Belfast to Dublin railway line also intersects Lagan Valley, offering access to not only Belfast and Dublin but locations such as Newry, Lisburn, Bangor and Derry. The routes are strategically important to the economy of our island, to businesses and to residents. Although those roads bring economic benefits, their popularity contributes to some of the traffic issues outlined by Members in the debate. While Lagan Valley benefits from those transport connections, which offer accessibility across the North, its proximity to the Belfast metropolitan area also means that many people travel through Lagan Valley and use it as a gateway to Belfast. I am aware that that creates challenges, with a high volume of traffic in villages that are close to key junctions with the A1 and M1, most notably at Royal Hillsborough and Moira. While much of the traffic in those areas is locally generated, a significant proportion of the traffic that passes through the villages does so to access the A1 and M1 routes. I am acutely aware that excessive traffic volumes can adversely affect residents' enjoyment of their areas, and I fully acknowledge the frustration of commuters and the local community who are impacted by it. As Members have said, our towns and villages should be pleasant and, more importantly, safe places in which to live and work. I will now turn to road safety. A consequence of high traffic volumes in our towns and villages that concerns me most is the impact on road safety, which is an issue that affects all of us in our everyday lives. Although we have a personal responsibility to travel in a way that keeps us safe, we must also appreciate our shared responsibility to other road users. My Department's role in contributing to that responsibility is very important to me. Unfortunately, road safety statistics have been following a very worrying trend. Last year, 71 people died on our roads. That is the highest figure in the past eight years, and it is significantly higher than in 2022, when 55 people lost their lives. I am also aware of the number of serious road traffic collisions that have occurred across Lagan Valley in recent years. At the forefront of our minds is, as Members have mentioned, the tragic death of an infant in Moira in 2023. I know the family, and I know the devastating consequences that the loss has had on them. Every life lost is a tragedy for those involved, and that is why road safety is one of my highest priorities as Minister for Infrastructure. One of the best ways in which to ensure safety on our roads and to fulfil the long-term goal of eliminating death and serious injury by 2050 is to change the behaviour of road users. As road users, we all have a personal responsibility to behave in a way that keeps us and others safe. The sad reality is that, if we do not change our attitudes when using the roads, our death toll will continue to rise. Historically, our transport network has been designed for the private car. There is, however, global acceptance that that approach is no longer sustainable and that more sustainable modes of transport should be promoted. Our transport system is a key enabler and is critical for most aspects of our lives. I am very aware of the impact that excess traffic congestion can have on residents, particularly its impact on accessibility, air quality and noise. To help address those issues, my Department is developing a transport strategy and a suite of transport plans that will establish a framework for making transport policy and investment decisions up to 2035. The plans will aim to drive improvements to our transport network and to favour sustainable modes of transport such as active travel. In developing the transport plans, we will consider how transport can support safe, inclusive and connected towns and villages, including those in Lagan Valley. I am very aware of, and sympathetic to, the long-standing desire of Royal Hillsborough residents to reduce the volume of HGV traffic going through the village, primarily with a view to improving road safety but also to reduce the impact that such vehicles have on the local environment in Hillsborough. I understand that, in the past few years, there have been a number of proposals to implement a weight limit in the village in order to reduce the volume of HGV traffic. The most recent suggestion proposed a weight limit for the whole village, including Carnreagh Road and part of Carnreagh. Such a proposal would require HGVs to divert on to other local roads around the village. To understand fully the impact of that proposal, my officials have commissioned an assessment of suitability of the possible alternative routes for HGV traffic. That work will help inform the relative merits of the weight limit proposals, in particular the impacts on road safety in the village and on the surrounding road networks. I am pleased to inform Members that the alternative routes study was carried out earlier in June, and I expect the outcome of the assessment to be with my officials by autumn of this year. I will report to Members on its findings. As I mentioned earlier, road safety is one of my highest priorities. In the past three years, I am aware that there have been two road traffic collisions in Hillsborough that have resulted in serious injuries to pedestrians, while an elderly lady was injured by a HGV in October of last year. I therefore fully appreciate the importance of having safe pedestrian crossing facilities in the village. I understand that Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council is advancing a proposal for a public realm scheme in the village. In developing the scheme, my officials have worked, and will continue to work, with the council to provide enhanced pedestrian facilities in the village. In a meeting with officials last November, representatives from the local village and district committee requested the provision of controlled crossings at three locations in the village: on Main Street, at the Plough Inn and at the local primary school. I am pleased to report that my officials have recently carried out pedestrian crossing surveys and are now considering their findings to ascertain the most appropriate locations for enhanced pedestrian facilities in the village. I am also aware of the long-standing concerns of Moira residents about traffic congestion and road safety in the village. I note that there have been 15 reportable collisions in Moira in the past three years, five of which resulted in death or serious injury. That is an extremely worrying statistic, and, as all Members know, behind every statistic is a person and a family. My Department's focus in recent years has been on mitigating the effects of through traffic on the village and improving road safety. My officials commissioned consultants to consider options to improve traffic flow in Moira, especially during the morning and evening peak times. As a result, they carried out the signalisation of the Main Street/Meeting Street junction and road marking schemes to provide right-turn pockets into local retail sites and a garage outlet between the Backwood Road and Old Kilmore Road junction. In addition, my officials are currently considering how the road layout can be improved at the junction of Meeting Street and Main Street in the village. The future transport needs of Moira village will be considered as part of the eastern transport plan that is being developed by my Department. The plan will take into account the growth and ambitions of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and other councils in the catchment area, as was mentioned earlier. We have to work with a plan in mind, rather than simply adding on and adding on without one. The plan will be advanced in conjunction with the local development plans of the five councils, including Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, and will be subject to full public consultation. Further information about that can be found on my Department's website. In the interim, my officials will continue to monitor traffic and road safety issues in the village. I thank Robbie for bringing the Adjournment debate to the House, as well as all those who have contributed to the debate today. I assure Members that I will continue to work with them and the local community in Lagan Valley to carry out whatever measures we can within the limited resources and finances that are available to my Department to improve road safety and the lifestyle of the people who live in the villages of Lagan Valley.

1,498 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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