Safety fears sparked by cars parked at Downpatrick estate

Safety fears sparked by cars parked at Downpatrick estate

1 March 2017

RESIDENTS at Lynn Doyle Place in Downpatrick have appealed to outsiders not to park in their estate.

The appeal comes after bin men were forced to abort plans to empty bins on several occasions over recent months due to vehicles parked along both sides of the main entrance blocking the path of their lorry.

Residents claim the cars belong to people who work in nearby shops and shoppers and while they say not having their bins emptied is a problem, they argue the parked cars have the potential to prevent emergency vehicles such as fire engines from reaching their homes if the need arose.

Dave Stavely, chairman of the Tosí Úr (Fresh Start) community group which draws its members from Lynn Doyle Place, Kennedy Square, Fountain Court and Fountain Street, said concern is mounting about the parking issue.

He said the group, which is part of the Downpatrick Community Collective, has raised the Lynn Doyle issue with Transport NI and Housing Executive officials.

Mr Stavely said while the parked cars block access to bin lorries, there is wider concern that emergency vehicles could have difficulties accessing the estate.

He explained residents have erected their own signs in the past warning drivers to be careful as children play in the estate and hopes Transport NI will take steps to encourage those who do not live at Lynn Doyle Place to park elsewhere.

“People who work and shop in the town are parking in Lynn Doyle Place and this should not be happening,” he continued. “Bin lorries have had trouble accessing homes on many occasions and while this is a concern, residents fear what would happen if emergency vehicles could not reach them.

“There are double yellow lines along both sides of the road at the entrance to the estate but they are not long enough we would like these extended. The parking problem has become a major issue over the past few months and we have raised our concerns with a number of statutory agencies.”

Mr Stavely continued: “Transport NI has agreed to provide additional double yellow lines and this is welcome. We hope the work will completed as soon as possible which will go some way towards addressing residents’ concerns.

“We would also appeal to people who shop and work in Downpatrick not to park in Lynn Doyle Place. We have already placed notes on car windscreens parked at the estate encouraging the owners of the vehicles to park elsewhere.”

Some residents believe the removal of the blast wall at the former police base in Irish Street which is directly adjacent to Lynn Doyle Place may be encouraging more people to park at the estate, with Mr Stavely hoping traffic enforcement staff will visit the estate more regularly.

He added: “Hopefully when the new lines are painted, people will get the message that they should not be parking in this area. If they do, they will be issued with a ticket. All we are asking is for access to the estate to be kept clear to facilitate local authority bin lorries and emergency vehicles.”

A spokesman for Newry, Mourne and Down Council said the organisation is aware of “ongoing parking issues” at Lynne Doyle Place. He said the local authority shares residents’ frustrations that due to inconsiderate parking, refuse bins cannot be collected on their scheduled collection day.

“Where this occurs the council has, and will continue to, arrange collection as soon as operational demands allow. However, this does impact on other essential services such as street cleansing and has associated additional costs,” the spokesman added.