Fiasco as village speed bumps to be torn up again

It was revealed last week that more than half of Donaghcloney’s new speed bumps are due to be ripped up again after an installation blunder. After 32 traffic calming obstacles were laid across the village in April for around £40,000, it was discovered they weren’t the right shape. There have been complaints that the shape of some of the bumps means they don’t slow down larger vehicles passing through the village, meaning they will have to be replaced. And while they’re at it, Michael Preedy wants to see if the layout can be ‘tweaked’. “I can see why they put them in,” said the 37 year-old Derby man who has lived in the village for five years. “But as a local, having to drive through the village all the time, they’re a bit of a pain. “I understand they needed something at each end, but I’m not sure bumps all through the village are the answer. “If they’ve got to dig them up and waste money, let’s talk about them again; talk about it, rather than shoe-horning them in.” In total, 15 ‘road humps’ (ramps which stretch all the way across the road) were installed, as well as 17 sets of ‘road cushions’ (raised squares which sit in the middle of each traffic lane, and which are typically in pairs). Now, all 17 of the cushions are to be ripped out and replaced as they do not meet the “required specifications” because their sides are too steep. The Department for Regional Development could not offer a cost for how much the replacement work will be, except that it will be “nowhere near” the price of the project. One businessman in the village, speaking anonymously, said the scheme “hasn’t slowed (lorries) down.” “I would have put about three in – but three big ones,” he continued. “I think three or four ramps, full-sized, across the road, would’ve been a better job than what they’ve done. “I’d say that with the traffic that needs calmed, this hasn’t calmed them – the lorries and the tractors.” He said that he did not want his name printed because opinion on the road measures was split within the village. Another businessman said: “If it has to be done again, it’s going to come out of the public purse, which is wrong.” The DRD had said that the measures were the result of “extensive consultation with the community. “The number of ramps is determined by the length of the area and the spacing required,” they said.