No traffic lights for Toome Road despite local pleas

Alderman Clarke had attended a site meeting, along with Cllrs Beth Adger and Declan O’Loan last month when they expressed concerns to Roads Service over the long-running problem of traffic delays and also concerns over pedestrian safety in the area.

At last Thursday night’s Spatial Planning Committee meeting of Council, a letter of response was presented to councillors from Roads Service which concluded from traffic surveys in 2008 and 2012 that queueing at the junction has not changed significantly during that period.

Councillors learned from the correspondence that between 8-10am, the average delay for drivers at Toome Road remained constant between 2008 and 2012 at just under 80 seconds while on the Antrim Road approach the average delay had reduced slightly from just over 22 seconds in 2008 to just under 21 seconds last year.

In his letter to Council, Senior Engineer Traffic Network Services, Mr M Orr, said that when the junction was considered for the installation of traffic signals, a number of design issues became apparent in that stop lines for the signals would have to be positioned well back from the junction on some approaches to permit turning movements by large vehicles.

He added that modelling of the proposed layout for signals as well as available road widths, pedestrian demands and traffic flows concluded that signals would not work at the junction as they “would prove to be over capacity if installed at this point in time”.

Alderman Clarke said that while the conclusion was “disappointing” he said it was clear that Roads Service had fully investigated the matter.

“It seems a lot of people just don’t know how to use a roundabout,” said the Councillor.

“There is the possibility though that signs could be used to make a difference and these could be put up on the approaches warning drivers that they are coming up to a roundabout and to give way to traffic on their right.”