Debate contribution: A5 Western Transport Corridor: Impact on Local Communities
Debate contribution by Mr Daniel McCrossan on .
- MLA
- Mr Daniel McCrossan
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 13 May 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Adjournment
- Heading
- A5 Western Transport Corridor: Impact on Local Communities
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4948303
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank my West Tyrone constituency colleague Tom Buchanan for bringing the issue to the House. I also appreciate the Minister's attendance at the Adjournment debate. The A5 transport corridor has been discussed, delayed, reviewed and re-reviewed for nearly two decades. It has been discussed for over 50 years, since we lost our rail links, which completely cut off all forms of transportation to the part of the island where I come from and live. While I welcome today's focus on the local impact, we must be honest with ourselves and with the people whom we represent. The greatest impact of all has been the continued failure to build the road. The greatest cost has been the loss of human life. Nothing else trumps that: no field, no farm and no business. The priority must be that we protect human life. To put a figure on it, since April 2006, 57 people have lost their lives on the A5. That is 57 families whose lives have been shattered. Dozens of young lives have been cut short, and countless more people have been seriously injured. Behind each of the numbers is a human tragedy and a political system that has not yet delivered the most basic infrastructure that is needed to protect people going about their daily lives. The project is not new. It was first announced in 2007, yet we stand here in 2025, and the road remains unbuilt, blocked by continuous legal challenges and delays. Those delays have not just cost human life but affected businesses, farmers and the community as a whole. The delays have cost all of us, but the greatest cost, which I emphasise again, is the loss of human life. The A5 is one of the most dangerous roads on these islands. It is narrow, outdated and unable to cope with modern traffic volumes, and that has cost lives, livelihoods and opportunities for us all. I acknowledge that the A5's progression will have and has had a direct impact on the landowners who are affected. I have been on record for many years offering my support to them. The progression of the A5 has been blocked by a handful of individuals who have not clearly stated where their interests lie, and the truth is that all of us have paid a heavy price for that disruption and reckless action. It must be made clear that the delays to the scheme have not come about because of widespread opposition. They have not come from the wider farming community or from other people in our community; they have come from a small group of people. It is not acceptable that they have been allowed to use the system to delay progress on the road. Enough really is enough. I have lost all patience with the delays. Anybody who visits the constituency where I come from, live and represent is deeply shocked at how cut off we are from the rest of the island. It is unacceptable. I say again that I have total sympathy for anyone who is affected, but I advise those who are impacted on or worried to visit the families of those who have lost loved ones on the road to see what real pain is and to understand what truly has been stolen — human life — as a result of delay after delay after delay. The cost has not only been human life. The taxpayer has had to foot the bill for the scandalous delays. The cost has increased to £1·6 billion, which is twice what it was when the proposal was first put on the table. Let us be clear: this is not a time to be weak but a time to see the road fully and absolutely delivered. It is a time to listen to the communities that are directly affected, particularly those who have lost loved ones: husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, grandparents and neighbours. All of them were going about their lives, travelling to work or to school. They were parents leaving their children to sports games of whatever variety.
The road does not discriminate, and it never has done: it takes life recklessly. Upgrades in other areas have resulted in a massive drop in the number of road deaths. The road is a deathtrap, and it will continue to be one unless we act now. I am hopeful that the judgement, which I am looking forward to hearing, will be favourable. Make no mistake about it: our door is open to listen to those who have been affected by the A5's progression, but it is vital, in the interests of saving human life, that we do whatever it takes to ensure that the road upgrade is delivered.
790 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.07 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.90).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.05 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.07 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.13 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.04 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.90 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.07 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.89 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.06 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.02 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.01 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:37 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.