Cars parking on road at Bloody Bridge causing safety concerns

Cars parking on road at Bloody Bridge causing safety concerns

4 July 2018

CONCERN is mounting about the number of people using part of one of the district’s most busiest roads as an unofficial car park.

Soaring temperatures encouraged many to go for a dip in the sea at the picturesque Bloody Bridge area outside Newcastle last Sunday and with the main car park full, many drivers parked on the nearby main road.

The car park was full from early morning, with a large number of drivers parking their cars on the Kilkeel Road, effectively reducing it to one lane.

There were reports locally about a number of “near misses” with people in Newcastle taking to social media to vent their anger at drivers whom they claimed showed a “complete disregard” for the safety of other road users.

To compound the situation, the emergency services were deployed to the Bloody Bridge area on Sunday to deal with a gorse fire which it is believed was started accidentally. Three fire tenders attended the scene.

Residents have called for additional parking at the Bloody Bridge area, accusing those who used part of the main road as an unofficial car park last weekend as “thoughtless.” Cars also parked on a stretch of footpath which blocked access for families with prams.

A number of residents have called for the provision of double yellow lines to discourage people from parking on the main road, while others have suggested a field adjacent to the current car park could be used as an overspill facility.

Residents have suggested additional parking in Newcastle town centre with some proposing a park and ride facility to take people out to the Bloody Bridge were less congestion would make the area safer for everyone.

“The Fire and Rescue Service would have used the Bloody Bridge car park as a base to monitor fires in the mountains, deploying men and equipment to protect homes and livestock,” said one man. “The Mourne Mountain Rescue Team has also used the car park when responding to emergencies but it is just total mayhem up there now.”

Other residents have suggested upgrading the footpath at this part of the resort to provide a safe walking route, while one man outlined an ambitious proposal to create a major new access to the Mournes featuring parking, toilets and a cafe, further along from the current car park.

A number of people have suggested hefty fines for people who use part of the busy Newcastle to Kilkeel road as an unofficial car park, while others believe that with some investment, existing facilities could be transformed. Other suggestions include widening a section of the main road adjacent to the car park.

Mournes councillor Laura Devlin said she shares the frustration of people concerned about a number of issues, not least the numbers parking on the main road. She said this issue had been raised with roads officials on a number of occasions.

“The popularity of this part of Newcastle continues to grow and, unfortunately, there are simply not enough parking facilities to cope with demand at the car park which is owned by Newry, Mourne and Down Council,” she explained.

“Cars are parking along the main road which is the responsibility of Transport NI and while the local authority is not responsible, it is an issue councillors have consistently raised with roads officials. People are parking along one side of the road and there is concern about access for emergency vehicles if there was an incident.

“These issues at the Bloody Bridge clearly need to be addressed and perhaps we need a partnership approach involving the council and roads officials to meet tourism demand in this particular area.

“Politicians are keen to do all they can as we are aware of the many concerns people have about the current situation,” she continued. “While keen to do all we can to welcome visitors to our area we also need to meet the needs of local people. That is the balance we have to strike.”