Workers’ walk of danger in the dark

A CAMPAIGN is underway to bring street lights along a busy route in Dungannon, while frustration is also continuing to mount over the state of many local road surfaces in the town.

One Dungannon councillor said many residents were “crying out for resurfacing, especially after the work that was done by the utility companies”. Local woman Glena McDowell-Khan who is well-known as the chairperson of the charity Me You and Them in Dungannon has started a petition calling for street lighting to be put in place on the Granville Road in the town.

Glena said there were many members of the local community who work in the factories on the Granville Road who are “walking home in the dark because there is no street lighting”.

Speaking to the Herald as local people signed an online petition, Glena said, “I would work in the local community and this has been an issue that has been brought to my attention several times.”

I contacted local councillors and brought this to the attention of the Department for Infrastructure and have also contacted the Minister for Infrastructure, Nicola Mallon to express my concerns and the impact that this is having on the community.”

Independent councillor Barry Monteith shared the petition on his Facebook page on Monday and it has already got 115 signatures.

He said, “Street lighting has been neglected in many areas for too long. Footpaths need street lighting. I have raised the Granville Road and other areas like the Old Ballygawley Road, Old Castlecaulfield Road, Mullaghmore Road to Donaghmore and the road to Edendork on numerous occasions with Roads officials and will continue to do so.”

The Department for Infrastructure said, “The current policy on street lighting has been in place for some time. Street Lighting will generally be provided on rural roads only where there is a reasonable development density or where its provision may contribute to the reduction in after dark collisions when there is no alternative solution such as signage and/or road markings.

“As this stretch is a sparsely developed rural section of carriageway with approximately seven houses, a road junction and no record of after dark collisions within the past 10 years it does not meet the policy criteria for consideration of street lighting.”

Meanwhile, Mid Ulster District Council is to seek clarity from the Department for Infrastructure with regards to its work across this district this year.

In January, the Minister for Infrastructure, Nichola Mallon MLA, sent a letter to the council’s chair, Cllr Paul McLean which notes the Department’s response to the legal challenge to the awarding of asphalt contracts.

The letter explains the Department has developed and implemented a new asphalt resurfacing procurement strategy which consists of four phases with six new term contracts in each.

In the first phase, term contracts for Newry and Mourne, Down, Strabane, Magherafelt, Dungannon and Omagh will be procured. It is currently out to tender with an anticipated award in February 2022. The second phase will include the Cookstown area.

Also mentioned within the letter is a one-off resurfacing contract to resurface a section of the A29 Cookstown dual carriageway and assurances that surface dressing and structural drainage works in the Mid Ulster area will continue to be delivered.

Addressing the letter at a meeting of council on Thursday, January 27, Cllr Clement Cuthbertson said the letter “lacks a bit of detail” and asked council to press the Department for further information.

“The letter talks about a number of contracts which are going to be hopefully awarded in the coming weeks or months but it lacks a bit of detail,” he said.

“It mentions a couple of areas in and around Cookstown and includes the word Dungannon which I presume would be covering Dungannon, Clogher Valley and the Torrent area but is there anyway we can get any more detail from DfI to see if there will be any resurfacing in this financial year or not.

“There seems to be money set aside for a couple of larger jobs but in the housing estates in Dungannon people are crying out for resurfacing, especially after the work that was done by the utility companies.
“Is there anyway we can go back to DfI to see if we can get any more detail as to what they are proposing to do this financial year.”

Council’s Chief Executive, Adrian McCreesh it would be best for Council to contact DfI’s regional director for the answer to these questions.

“We will make contact with the DfI’s regional director to seek further clarity based on the content of this letter,” he said.