‘Slow down before someone gets hurt’

A VICTORIA BRIDGE woman has pleaded for motorists to slow down, following numerous incidents of dangerous speeding outside her house.

Senga Knox, who lives on the Fyfin Road near Victoria Bridge with her partner and three children, spoke out after witnessing an incident where vehicles raced past her home at high speed.

Worried for the safety of her family, Senga commented, “We’ve only been in the house six months but it’s something I see a lot going past the house. The road is so dangerous and we live on quite a bad bend; it’s a tragedy waiting to happen the way the cars speed past. As soon as we pull out of the house, a car is behind you in seconds, obviously speeding down the road. We’ve almost been rear-ended more times than I care to remember.

“Our verge has been torn up by near misses on two separate occasions, since we moved in, and a car has entered the ditch just down past the house. According to the neighbours, cars have entered the farmer’s field across the road from us on a regular occurrence.”

Mrs Knox said she wants to raise awareness of the issue so as to prevent any potential tragedies.

“This is a built up area with houses and street lights and, bizarrely, it’s a 60mph zone. Ideally it should be a 40mph zone as it’s a built up area; so many people overtake on that road, even on the bad bends. There is a 60mph sign right around the bend past our house as you’re going to Castlederg, yet the same road as a sign which says ‘People walking.’ It’s madness.”

Derg Sinn Féin councillor Caroline Devine is pledging to seek answers. She said, “Serious concerns were raised by local residents on the continuing dangers presented by the speed of traffic on the Fyfin Road approaching Victoria Bridge and through the village itself. Sinn Féin has previously raised the issue at DfI Ministerial Level, with the PSNI and the Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP). Unfortunately, measures taken have not been successful in reducing vehicle speeds sufficiently or improving road safety in this residential area.

“To that end, I have once again contacted DfI to request a meeting to seek affirmative action to address these pressing road safety issues and will continue to liaise with residents on the matter.”

DfI were contacted about the situation and confirmed there were no current plans to redesignate the speed limit on that particular stretch of road. A DfI spokesperson added, “Regardless of the speed limit, it remains incumbent on drivers to navigate the road network safely and to be mindful of the safety of themselves and other road user’s especially vulnerable road users such as pedestrians or cyclists.

“Concerns about driver behaviour such as speeding, should be directed to the PSNI who have the powers of enforcement in that regard.”