The Minister for Infrastructure has said he will make an announcement on upgrading the safety of the A1 and A5 this summer — but admitted he “does not have all the funding” required to make roads safe.
Speaking at a joint press conference with the PSNI at Police Headquarters in Belfast today, John O’Dowd said the Department for Infrastructure, alongside the Police Service, will form a “collaborative approach to road safety”.
Twenty-two people have lost their lives on Northern Ireland’s roads so far this year and the joint meeting came a day after the death of Connor McNeill (41) from the Glenarm area, who was pronounced dead at the scene of a single-vehicle collision in Broughshane.
It comes just a week after the deaths of Kamile Vaicikonyte (17) and Jamie Moore (19) who died on the A5 last week.
The pair lost their lives in an accident on the Doogary Road, near Omagh, becoming the third and fourth victims of the A5 in just eight weeks.
Over 50 people have died on the road which stretches from Londonderry to Aughnacloy since plans were announced to upgrade it. It is often referred to as Northern Ireland’s most deadly road.