Roundabout road marking repainting on busy Derry routes 'within a week'

DfI’s Section Engineer for Derry and Strabane said there are plans to repaint markings at Caw Roundabout, Culmore Roundabout, and roundabouts at Crescent Link.

During this year’s DfI Western Division Annual Report, presented to members of November's Environment and Regeneration Committee, SDLP councillor Rory Farrell said the lack of road markings, particularly at roundabouts, has become a ‘bugbear’ for residents.

“I could think of the Caw roundabout, Harbour Square, navigating those roundabouts [is] really dangerous, because you can't see what lane you're meant to be in,” Councillor Farrell said. “It doesn't look like there's a lot of activity in terms of marking those out properly, so is the department going to focus on this?”

“I get the budget difficulties you have, you just have to prioritise.”

"In terms of white lines do you have a plan to make the city safer specifically around roundabouts, because that's where most of the accidents are.”

Section Engineer for Derry and Strabane, Alistair Greer, said that as part of DfI’s programme of works the Caw Roundabout, Culmore Roundabout and roundabouts on the Crescent Link are due to be repainted ‘within a week’ of the Committee meeting on Wednesday, November 11.

Mr Greer added that the machine-led line painting had finished for the year, due to cold road surfaces.

“So they will be concentrating on smaller areas that they can heat up by a torch to get the paint to stick,” he explained. “So it'll be mostly junction markings, mini roundabouts and traffic humps, but these roundabouts are being done as well.

“We will be continuing as much as we can there to get that completed and becoming safe.”