'Dangerous' Caw roundabout blackspot in Derry: Traffic lights needed now, warn politicians

The 2022 PSNI figures listing NI’s five highest collision hot spots show that within 50 metres of the Caw roundabout / Madamsbank Road junction alone there were 10 accidents in 2022.

This was second only to Antrim Road / Carlisle Circus, Belfast (13 collisions) and joint with Albertbridge Road / Short Strand, Belfast (10).

The figures for the Derry junction come on top of 24 recorded accidents the year before within 50 metres of the Caw roundabout junctions with both Clooney Road and Madamsbank Road, which made it the worst accident blackspot of 2021.

The number of accidents occurring at the other junctions with the roundabout over the past two years is not catalogued in the ‘Police Recorded Injury Road Traffic Collisions and Casualties Northern Ireland’ report, as only the top five in the north are detailed.

Over the past decade there have been repeated and widespread calls for new safety measures such as signalling/ traffic lights to be installed but this has never happened.

The SDLP in Derry has now called on the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Infrastructure to act urgently, warning that despite previous assurances from DfI, progress has come to a standstill.

Derry MLA Mark H Durkan said: "For eight years, Caw Roundabout has consistently been one of the most dangerous junctions in the North. Not only is the failure to install traffic signals causing gridlock across the Waterside and on the Foyle Bridge itself, but it’s putting people’s safety at risk.

“Caw roundabout is key to traffic movement in and around Derry, yet there is barely a week that passes where there hasn’t been an incident along this route.

“This is an issue the SDLP has been working on for many years. Despite prior reassurances from the department and some signs of progress, it has unfortunately been a case of one step forward, two steps back.

Mr Durkan pointed out that the developer of the nearby Ballyoan site has confirmed a significant contribution to the required safety works, but the Derry politician said the remainder of the funding for these vital improvements ‘has yet to be identified’.

“I appreciate there needs to be funding from multiple sources to progress these upgrades and there are huge budget pressures on public services at the moment and DfI is no exception. The consequences of those pressures are clear given the current state of our roads, however, the department has missed opportunities in this area in terms of road safety.”

Waterside Councillor Martin Reilly claimed there had been “a reluctance from DfI to address these concerns”.

He added: “We must remember that Phase 2 of the A6 via Maydown, which extends from Drumahoe to the Caw Roundabout, has still not been completed. Given that this flagship project will end at Caw it proves the need for the department to frontload works along this route.”

The SDLP said it will raise Caw roundabout at a meeting with the Permanent Secretary requested by Colum Eastwood MP.

Responding to the concerns, a Department for Infrastructure spokesperson said: “Mr Durkan has recently written to the Department in relation to Caw roundabout and we will be responding directly to him shortly on the issues he has raised.”