Victoria Rise Traffic calming delay excuse ‘ridiculous’- Stewart
Ulster
Unionist MLA for East Antrim John Stewart, has expressed his deep
disappointment that proposals to increase traffic calming in the vicinity of
Ulidia Integrated College in Carrickfergus have been delayed by bureaucracy.
John
Stewart said:
“The
number one local issue for the residents of Victoria Rise, when I canvassed the
area in the springtime was traffic congestion in and around Ulidia and Acorn
schools at the opening and closing of the school day. After site meetings
and correspondence, the Department for Infrastructure’s Roads Service came up
with a first step proposal to basically extend the waiting restrictions in the
streets around the schools.
“Back
in March a sketch map was circulated showing the waiting restriction
legislation Roads Service were hoping to implement. This would
ensure that one side of the road is kept obstruction free for residents
accessing their homes, as well as parents collecting their children at Ulidia.
“It
was hoped that this proposal would be implemented to be ready at the start of
the new school term. However, and frustratingly, we are now at the start
of the new school term, and nothing has changed. When I chased this up
during the summer, DfI Road officials told my office that it needed legislative
approval from a Minister at Stormont.
“It
seems that the lack of an Executive at Stormont is being used as an excuse for
government inactivity to the ridiculous extent of blocking the extension of
double yellow lines. This is clearly not a major and controversial
regional public policy decision, which was the issue highlighted in the High
Court recently, when a policy decision made by a senior civil servant on the
Arc21 incinerator was deemed unlawful. I have written to the Divisional DfI
Roads manager complaining about this unacceptable and absurd delay and will
again be meeting DFI next week.
“The
residents of Victoria Rise deserve better; they certainly cannot continue to be
effectively prisoners in their own homes twice a day.”
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