Woman injured in blackspot collision

A woman in her 20s was rushed to hospital following a two-vehicle crash on the Banbridge Road Gilford, the fourth RTC to occur on the stretch of road in just over two weeks.

The crash happened at 8.50pm on Saturday December 21, on a notorious blackspot at a bad bend on the road.

Councillor John Hanna, who has been campaigning for safety measures on the road, said: “I want to wish the young woman all the best for a speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with her, especially at this time of year.

“There have been 20 accidents on this stretch of road since the summertime, so it’s obvious there is a major problem here.

“While it’s difficult to get any action taken over the Christmas fortnight, I have asked that temporary flashing speed signs be installed in the meantime.

“Something needs to be done sooner rather than later and I’ve been told that the signs and crash barriers to be used at the site have been ordered by the DRD and following a procurement process will be delivered, so we need to keep the pressure on to get the job done soon.” A DRD spokesman said a number of safety measures will be in place at the accident blackspot in early 2014 and that DRD Minister Danny Kennedy “has asked that all of this work is carried out as a matter of urgency”.

The spokesman added; “We will also continue to assess the location in conjunction with the PSNI to determine if there are any further measures which will improve road safety in this area.”