Donegal County Council has been urged to listen to public opinion on new pedestrian crossings piloted in the Twin Towns.
Serious safety concerns have been raised over four zebra crossings that have been painted on the main streets of Ballybofey and Stranorlar. Donegal County Council is participating in a TII led pilot project trialing an alternative to the traditional zebra crossings with yellow flashing beacons.
The lack of warning signage and beacons for the crossings is causing a lot of confusion, Cllr Patrick McGowan told the council this week.
“Since June, people have been complaining from day one,” Cllr McGowan said.
“I’m shocked at the lackadaisy approach taken by the TII.”
He said the high volume of HGVs and traffic from outside Donegal are not aware of the crossings until pedestrians step out.
Cllr McGowan said the crossing at the corner near the Bank of Ireland in particular was nonsensical. “You just couldn’t put it at a worse junction, it’s like crossing in the middle of a roundabout, you just don’t do it.”
He demanded clarity and immediate action to make drivers aware of the crossing before they enter the towns.
“I need a timeframe for this action and proper communications,” Cllr McGowan told the council.
The council responded to say the new class of zebra crossing may be installed with or without a sign facing oncoming traffic. They said the council is to submit public comments and the observations of relevant staff to TII in the coming weeks with a view to determining changes to the pilot.
Two weeks ago, the council issued a safety notice to drivers to slow down when approaching the crossings.
A public consultation is ongoing in relation to this pilot project.
Observations on the crossings in the Twin Towns are welcomed and can be submitted to info@tii.ie quoting Ballybofey/Stranorlar Pedestrian Crossings.
