Call for traffic calming measures to be introduced on rural road

PARENTS living on a rural road several miles outside Omagh are calling for traffic calming measures to be introduced in a bid to slow down motorists whom they believe are posing a risk to their children.

Local councillor Glenn Campbell has been advocating for stricter speed limits and the installation of speed ramps on Newtownsaville Road to improve safety.

However, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has denied these requests, maintaining
that the current 40mph speed limit is sufficient based on
their assessments.

Mr Campbell said, “This news brings no comfort to local residents who have concerns that their children remain at risk. Whilst an average speed of 26mph fits comfortably within a 40mph speed limit, vehicles travelling at this speed still pose a serious risk to children.

“The presence of speed ramps would force vehicles to travel well below 10mph as they passed the houses facing onto the Newtownsaville Road.”

The DfI said it conducted a traffic study on Newtownsaville Road, just south of its junction with Springhill Road showing that the average speed was 25.7mph.

The department argued that vertical traffic calming measures like speed ramps could not be installed on roads where the speed limit exceeds 30mph. Instead, it offered to implement gateway signage to alert drivers to the speed limit as a potential calming measure.

Despite this, Cllr Campbell insisted that additional safety measures were necessary, pointing out that even vehicles travelling at average speeds pose risks to children.

He added that the local community viewed the road as more fitting for a 30mph zone and believed speed ramps would significantly reduce traffic speeds, improving safety.