Motion passed to assess road safety measures at St Johnston blackspot

A motion calling on Donegal County Council to assess road safety measures at a traffic blackspot in St Johnston has been passed.

The motion, tabled at today's meeting of the Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal District Council, called for an assessment to be carried out and the introduction of further traffic calming measures at the site of a recent road tragedy.

Friends and Derry natives Caoimhin Porter-McLoone and Daniel Cullen, both aged just 18, were killed earlier this year when the car they were travelling in collided with a truck at an infamous accident blackspot on the R236 road entering the village.

Today's motion was proposed by Sinn Féin Councillor Gary Doherty and seconded by his party colleague, Councillor Dakota Nic Mheanman.

Cllr Doherty said that road safety concerns had been raised for a number of years by residents before the recent tragedy.

"Everybody knows about the issues we have on the R236 through St Johnston and the traffic issues that people who use the road and local residents have been raising for a long number of years."

"The reason why I brought this motion is to ask the Council to assess that road that runs through the village and assess any other traffic calming measures that can be introduced."

"I'm not trying to be technical or try to propose any specific solutions here, I'm open to any and all solutions that could solve this problem including pedestrian crossings and speed ramps."

"I'm very happy to second (the motion)," Cllr Nic Mheanman told the meeting.

"We all know the recent tragedy there as Gary outlined, and as he said the residents and people in the area have called for this for a long time. It's definitely something that we need to be looking into and (any) measures to put in place. Prevention is better than having to deal with another tragedy," she said.

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Cllr Doherty also raised another potential road safety issue further down the same road, with the lack of a suitable footpath for residents of a new housing estate currently under construction also coming under the microscope.

"There's room as you travel towards Carrigans for a footpath on the right hand side, there's going to be an increase in pedestrians using that road as well with the new housing estate that will be built there, alongside with the existing estates on that side of the village."

"For those residents to walk to the shop, I think it's only natural that they're going to walk the closest route. I think we need to be looking at this now and examining it as to how we can make it safer for the people using this road."

"People in St Johnston deserve to feel safe in their own village, and if there are steps we can take as a Council that can prevent even one family going through the pain that two families in Derry had to go through after losing their loved ones on this stretch of road just a few weeks ago, then I think we absolutely have to take those steps."