Ill woman faced hour in traffic or 14 miles on country roads due to traffic congestion between Greysteel and Ballykelly
An ill Greysteel woman was faced with the option of sitting in traffic for an hour or driving 14 miles on country roads to get a prescription due to delays on the A2 road, Stormont has been told.
Another woman had to stop visiting her elderly patents in Limavady during the day due to traffic congestion arising from the ongoing active travel scheme on the Clooney Road.
And a mother-of-three travelling between Limavady and Eglinton is often stuck in traffic for up to an hour of longer.
These were testimonies raised by East Derry MLA Cara Hunter during a debate on ongoing roadworks between Ballykelly and Greysteel.
“One woman from Greysteel contacted me, saying that she was unwell and needed an urgent prescription from Boots in Ballykelly, involving a journey of about five miles.
"Her options were to sit in traffic for up to an hour or drive 14 miles each way through narrow, muddy country roads to avoid the traffic, while sick, with everybody else sadly doing the same thing. Even the back roads are clogged up, because people use them to avoid the traffic,” said Ms. Hunter.
Another constituent described the situation as ‘ludicrous’.
"She lives in Eglinton and regularly visits her elderly parents in Limavady, or, at least, she used to. Daytime visits have basically stopped, because they are not manageable any more,” Ms. Hunter told the Assembly.
The SDLP spoke of how the mother-of-three in Limavady takes her children to school and nursery in Eglinton before travelling to work in Derry.
"On some days, she gets through the lights in 10 minutes; on other days, she is stuck for 45 minutes, an hour or even longer.
“There is no pattern, no reliability and no way for my constituents to plan the basic aspects of their life. Her twins are three years old. One of them has had accidents while sitting in traffic, despite being potty-trained, due to the length of time that it has taken to get home.
“The other is being assessed for autism and finds the delays and disruption deeply distressing. When she is upset, her mother cannot comfort her, because she is at the wheel of the car, and they are stuck in traffic,” she stated.
DUP MLA Alan Robinson said the long delays should have been foreseen
"Even I, as a layman with zero engineering expertise, could have predicted that 14 months of intensive work with lane closures and no opportunity for night working would be incredibly challenging for road users.
"Why, then, Minister, was your Department blind to the fact that it would descend into chaos for road users? Why was night-time working not bolted on to the contract?” he asked.
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said: “My officials are in regular contact with Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council to support delivery of their greenway priorities. The active travel improvements on the A2 Clooney Road between Ballykelly and Greysteel are part of my commitment to enhance and expand our active travel network across the North.
"It was first listed by council back in 2021. Local engagement took place in 2021 and 2022 under the then Minister, Nichola Mallon.
“On completion, the scheme will provide significantly enhanced cycling and pedestrian facilities between Ballykelly and Greysteel.”