Mallon announces road safety improvements for Divis Road

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has announced that a series of new passing bays will be provided along the Divis Road, Belfast to help combat congestion in the area.

The passing places will permit visitors to pull into the side of the road to allow opposing traffic to pass.  The measures are expected to be completed within the next few months.

Minister Mallon said:

“The Covid pandemic has seen many more people out walking for their daily exercise, which is great, but the downside is that a number of people are travelling by car to local beauty spots, which leads to congestion and inconvenience for local residents who often have difficulty accessing or leaving their homes.  The introduction of these new passing bays will reduce parking opportunities along the roadside and will help with two way progression of traffic at busy periods. 

“I would ask people visiting Divis and the Black Mountain, or indeed any other beauty spot for their exercise, to please park safely and considerately at all times and respect the needs of other road users and locals. Please also remember that facilities such as Divis Road have only limited parking space and visitors may have to arrange their visits to coincide with less busy times.

“I look forward to a time when we can emerge from the pandemic and once again freely enjoy the great outdoors. However, in the meantime I urge everyone to continue to follow health guidelines by staying at home and only travel if your journey is essential.”

Welcoming the announcement Joshua Watts, General Manager for the National Trust at Divis and the Black Mountain said:

“I’d like to thank the Department and Minister Mallon for taking these measures to help ease congestion on Divis Road. We welcomed over 210,000 visitors to the mountain in 2020, an increase of nearly 20% from the previous year, and we anticipate this number will only rise as people continue to enjoy the benefits of spending time in nature.

“We remain committed to looking at medium and long- term solutions to ensure Divis and the Black Mountain is accessible to everyone. In doing so we will continue to work in partnership with the Department for Infrastructure, Belfast City Council, PSNI, Belfast Hills Partnership, councillors and local residents.

“We echo the Minister’s comments around responsible visiting and would ask people to check our website for the latest information before travelling.”

PSNI Chief Inspector Peter Brannigan said:

“In recent months, officers have responded to multiple reports of congestion and badly parked vehicles causing obstructions within the vicinity of Divis and the Black Mountain and Divis Road. While we welcome these new improvements, people visiting the area must still abide by local parking restrictions. Visitors should park in the available car parks and in a manner which allows the safe and free movement of traffic in the area. This will prevent access issues for local residents and also ensure emergency vehicles can access the area if required. Police will continue to patrol the area and will take enforcement action where required.”

The Department is also continuing to undertake improvement work in the vicinity of the National Trust’s Divis and the Black Mountain car park entrance including kerbing, carriageway repairs, road markings, marker posts and signing to warn of pedestrians at the car park entrance.

Notes to editors: 

1. All media queries should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office at: press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
2. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.
3. Follow the Department on Twitter @deptinfra and on Facebook @DepartmentforInfrastructure

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