Satnavs are blamed for Drumaness lane misery

Satnavs are blamed for Drumaness lane misery

3 July 2013

TOURISTS relying on satellite navigation systems in their hire cars are getting stuck in a quiet country lane in Drumaness.

Three cars, all hired from Cork airport, got jammed in the laneway which runs between the Mill Road and Newcastle Road on Monday night of last week. Delivery drivers are also becoming stuck in the laneway, known locally as the Back Lane.

Drumaness residents believe the satnavs are directing tourists and van drivers to the laneway after they have keyed in Newcastle as their destination.

Residents have revealed that once drivers realise they can’t go any further there is nowhere for them to turn and they have to reverse. As a result, a number of vehicles have ended up in a drain which runs alongside the laneway and have had to be pulled out by a local farmer.

Several weeks ago, one man whose car got stuck in the laneway late at night abandoned the vehicle and returned the following morning to discover it had been completely destroyed in an arson attack.

Residents say the problem could be easily addressed if a set of concrete bollards at the bottom of the lane close to the village dam were replaced.

They said the bollards were removed by contractors working for Northern Ireland Water some time ago and that if they were replaced, cars would not be able to drive so far up the laneway and become stuck.

A spokeswoman for concerned residents who live close to the laneway said it has never been formally adopted by the Roads Service and is used only by local people out walking.

“The lane was never meant to carry traffic but clearly some satellite navigation systems think otherwise. Once drivers are on the laneway they keep driving until they can go no further. When they attempt to reverse their vehicles they end up in the drain,” she explained.

The spokeswoman said local people have asked Down Council for help and explained it’s her understanding that its officials are contacting NI Water to see if the concrete bollards will be replaced.

“The situation is quite frustrating for residents, especially parents whose children are sometimes out playing on the lane and the next thing a car or van is driving along it,” she said.

“It is in everyone’s interest to sort this problem out and there is a very simple solution. Replacing the bollards will prevent vehicles from driving along the laneway in the first place. That will make life easier for residents and drivers who keep getting lost.”