The following is a statement which I released on Monday morning following a meeting with Roads Service officials regarding Saturday's traffic issues in the Harbour area of Larne:
"The early hours of Saturday
morning saw the first in a number of planned closures of the Harbour
Highway. Despite a diversion being in place, there was traffic chaos in
and around the Harbour area, and this continued into the evening."
"I was contacted by a number of residents and commuters
who were not only angry at the situation, but also concerned that the
gridlock would inhibit the safe and speedy movement of any emergency
services which needed access to the area. I then contacted both Roads
Service and the PSNI who gave commitments to work together in an attempt
to alleviate the situation."
"On Monday morning I had a meeting with Roads Service,
who apologised for the negative impact on local residents, businesses
and commuters to the area. I am pleased to say that Roads Service have
confirmed that extra efforts late on Sunday night ensured that all
planned works were completed by 2am on Monday morning, and that the
planned closure of the Harbour Highway next weekend should not take
place."
"I have impressed upon Roads Service the need to ensure
that any future works on the road in question do not result in the same
situation, and thanked them for the extra efforts to ensure that no
further closure is neccessary in the near future. I would also encourage
all road users to adhere to any diversions in place in order to avoid
the unneccessary build-up of traffic."
 |
| Traffic was forced to queue from the Harbour roundabout to the Glenarm Road/Curran Road lights on Sunday because of the closure of the A8 outbound lanes due to roadworks. INLT 27-370-PR. Photo courtesy of LarneTimes.co.uk |
