Thousands sign new A5 petition

ALMOST 8,000 people have signed a petition by Tyrone GAA calling for urgent completion of the much-delayed A5 dual carriageway. Many of those who have added their names are relatives of several killed on the notorious stretch of road.

Kathleen Martin, who lost her brother on the A5 five years ago, asked how many more ‘needless deaths’ there have to be before action is taken. Laura McGirr, whose brother was also killed on the road, remarked how she was ‘fed-up’ with all the unnecessary fatalities.

Others have been sharing experiences of the problems associated with trying to get onto the A5 or driving along it. One person described the road as a ‘death trap’.

Tyrone GAA, which has set up the petition on the website change.org, hopes to reach 10,000 signatures.

Their ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign was launched last month at an event at the Tyrone GAA Centre in Garvaghey.

It is expected that the organisers of the campaign will meet with local government and other organisations to raise awareness of the need for the road upgrade.

The launch of the campaign comes ahead of a new public inquiry into the A5 project, the plan for which was first unveiled 15 years ago.

The Department for Infrastructure has launched a consultation on fresh environmental information, and people wishing to comment have until March 3.