By Violet Brown
SAFETY concerns have been raised over a locked gate on the Newtownards Greenway amid claims it is forcing cyclists and pedestrians onto a busier and potentially more dangerous road.
Strangford MLA Michelle McIlveen has called for an urgent review after residents complained that the recently installed gate near Ballyrickard Wastewater Treatment Works has blocked access to the route’s cycle lane, leaving users to find an alternative exit.
Miss McIlveen said she had contacted Ards and North Down Council, which told her the gate had been installed at the instruction of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to prevent people from exiting directly onto the adjacent dual carriageway.
But the local MLA said constituents who regularly use this route are deeply concerned about the consequences of the decision to erect a gate.
“Previously those exiting onto the dual carriageway could have immediately accessed the designated cycle lane, providing a degree of separation from traffic,” she said.
However, Miss McIlveen continued, with that access now blocked, people were instead travelling over private land before emerging onto a busy single carriageway where there was no cycling infrastructure and traffic conditions were significantly more challenging.
She said the alternative route is considerably more dangerous. “While people are not being directed onto this route, it is the closest alternative exit”, Miss McIlveen continued.
“They have also complained that there are times when the gate has been left open which has caused considerable confusion about the need for the gate”.
Miss McIlveen has raised the issue of the inconsistent approach with the council and has called on it and the DfI to review the decision.
“I do appreciate that the greenway is a work in progress and that the phase connecting Newtownards with Comber will soon be submitted to the planning department, but in the interim I am asking the relevant authorities to listen to the concerns that have been raised and to carry out a fresh assessment of the route now that these unintended consequences have become apparent,” she said.
“If the current arrangement is encouraging people onto a narrower, busier road without the protection of a dedicated cycle lane, then that is something that deserves immediate attention.”
A spokesman for DfI said the issue was a matter for the council which is responsible for the delivery of the Bangor to Newtownards greenway.
A council spokeswoman explained the gate beside the sewage treatment works on the new Comber to Newtownards greenway route was currently closed for a Road Safety Audit, which was a condition of the planning approval for the greenway.
“A Road Safety Audit is now in progress to review the current arrangements, to help consider whether the closure of the gate continues to be required”, she said. “The audit will conclude in due course”.
