A5 WTC (New Road from Aughnacloy to Derry)

[Tony Baloney]

Why is it A5 or A6 for an upgrade?
Both are needed.

In the short term neither are betting an upgrade, apparently. The good old Ballymena to Ballymoney road is more important andwill get the nod, a better class of person uses it.

Not difficult.

[EC Unique]

2 more die today on the A5

I hope those who put a stop to the much safer dual carriageway can sleep tonight

RIP.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-25649194

[Bensars]

2 more die today on the A5

I hope those who put a stop to the much safer dual carriageway can sleep tonight

RIP.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-25649194

Whilst i would also be in favour of the new road, any connection to the tragic incident and those who opposed the new road going through their land is idiotic in the extreme.

Nothing like hitting the hysteria button.   

Sympathies to those invoved in this tragic accident by the way

[OakleafCounty]

Whilst i would also be in favour of the new road, any connection to the tragic incident and those who opposed the new road going through their land is idiotic in the extreme.

Nothing like hitting the hysteria button.   

Sympathies to those invoved in this tragic accident by the way

I don't think it is tbh though I think he was talking more about Danny Kennedy. Everyone who uses that road knows that todays tragic events won't be the last. But hey, why would you want to fix a busy death trap in the neglected west when you can build roads at Greenisland and Ballymoney instead.

[Walter Cronc]

Is there a case for major infrastructure decisions like the A5 to be taken off the hands of the NI Executive?? 

[nrico2006]

Was it one or two who died today?

Was there not a death last week on the same road too?

[Nally Stand]

2 more die today on the A5

I hope those who put a stop to the much safer dual carriageway can sleep tonight

RIP.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-25649194

Whilst i would also be in favour of the new road, any connection to the tragic incident and those who opposed the new road going through their land is idiotic in the extreme.

Nothing like hitting the hysteria button.   

Sympathies to those invoved in this tragic accident by the way

Yes, if the new road was given the go ahead, it wouldn't be completed, so today's accident may still have occurred. The problem however, is that have now been three fatalities on this stretch of road in less than a week and the longer the new road is put on the long finger, the more fatalities there will likely be. The shameful reasons for the new road not going ahead only adds to the senselessness of the tragedies there have been to date. A quick scroll through the posts on the Action for the A5 facebook page tells us everything that needs to be known:

Today:
"Now confirmed that two people have died due to the accident near Sion Mills this morning. Thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends. May they rest in peace."

4th Jan:
"Tragic start to the New Year. Our thoughts are with this mans family and friends."

18th Sept:
"One man dead after early morning crash on the A5.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, may he rest in peace."

9th Aug:
"Another accident on the A5..."

6th Aug:
"A5 closed following serious crash"

One post from last May details that there were 170 road traffic incidents on the A5 since the Executive agreed to build the new dual carriageway in 2007. That number has risen substantially since then.

[EC Unique]

2 more die today on the A5

I hope those who put a stop to the much safer dual carriageway can sleep tonight

RIP.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-25649194

Whilst i would also be in favour of the new road, any connection to the tragic incident and those who opposed the new road going through their land is idiotic in the extreme.
Nothing like hitting the hysteria button.   

Sympathies to those invoved in this tragic accident by the way

Why is it idiotic? People are dead and more will die because this road is not fit for purpose. Every year the A4 Ballygawley to Dungannon road would claim multiple lives until it was up graded. In the years since I can think of no fatal accidents on it. The new road has saved lives.

By the way I aim my comments more at the selfish politicians who opposed the road for the wrong reasons but the land owners are not completely innocent.

[Milltown Row2]

Whilst i would also be in favour of the new road, any connection to the tragic incident and those who opposed the new road going through their land is idiotic in the extreme.

Nothing like hitting the hysteria button.   

Sympathies to those invoved in this tragic accident by the way

I don't think it is tbh though I think he was talking more about Danny Kennedy. Everyone who uses that road knows that todays tragic events won't be the last. But hey, why would you want to fix a busy death trap in the neglected west when you can build roads at Greenisland and Ballymoney instead.

Lads the one at Greenisland/Carrick is well over due in fairness, the amount of commuters to Belfast along that stretch is brutal. Granted there are many other ones which would benefit a lot of rural communities to. The infrastructure is crap in the north.

[EC Unique]

Whilst i would also be in favour of the new road, any connection to the tragic incident and those who opposed the new road going through their land is idiotic in the extreme.

Nothing like hitting the hysteria button.   

Sympathies to those invoved in this tragic accident by the way

I don't think it is tbh though I think he was talking more about Danny Kennedy. Everyone who uses that road knows that todays tragic events won't be the last. But hey, why would you want to fix a busy death trap in the neglected west when you can build roads at Greenisland and Ballymoney instead.

Lads the one at Greenisland/Carrick is well over due in fairness, the amount of commuters to Belfast along that stretch is brutal. Granted there are many other ones which would benefit a lot of rural communities to. The infrastructure is crap in the north.

I can appreciate that MR but the A5 project had already begun. Almost 100Million had been spent. Land had been acquired and all was in place . Then when the Unionists discovered that it was being called ''the united Ireland Highway'' they had to stop it at all costs. The reason they used to get it stopped was a pile of environmental bullsh1t IMO. I am also disgusted at the local politicians who seemed to roll over and allow this to happen. These are the clowns that run our country. It makes me sick and it is costing lives.

People around here feel totally let down and days like today prove that we have been.

[Puckoon]

Who fukin decided to call it the united ireland highway? Where did that come from?

[EC Unique]

Who fukin decided to call it the united ireland highway? Where did that come from?

It was a nickname that the Unionists took a disliking to. A pile of nonsense...

[THE MIGHTY QUINN]

Whilst i would also be in favour of the new road, any connection to the tragic incident and those who opposed the new road going through their land is idiotic in the extreme.

Nothing like hitting the hysteria button.   

Sympathies to those invoved in this tragic accident by the way

I don't think it is tbh though I think he was talking more about Danny Kennedy. Everyone who uses that road knows that todays tragic events won't be the last. But hey, why would you want to fix a busy death trap in the neglected west when you can build roads at Greenisland and Ballymoney instead.

Lads the one at Greenisland/Carrick is well over due in fairness, the amount of commuters to Belfast along that stretch is brutal. Granted there are many other ones which would benefit a lot of rural communities to. The infrastructure is crap in the north.

I can appreciate that MR but the A5 project had already begun. Almost 100Million had been spent. Land had been acquired and all was in place . Then when the Unionists discovered that it was being called ''the united Ireland Highway'' they had to stop it at all costs. The reason they used to get it stopped was a pile of environmental bullsh1t IMO. I am also disgusted at the local politicians who seemed to roll over and allow this to happen. These are the clowns that run our country. It makes me sick and it is costing lives.

People around here feel totally let down and days like today prove that we have been.

In fairness here I don't think the blame can be placed on the NI politicians rather it can be placed on the Roads Service engineers and legal team for the balls up they made in firstly neglecting to carry out the necessary environmental studies and then failing to interpret the legal position correctly by going ahead with the Omagh Ballygawley section. The southern Government must also shoulder some of the blame by reneging on its commitment to contribute to the costs of the project

[Rois]

I think it is naive to think there was no northern politician influence in dropping the work so quickly. I think we know (I certainly have some experience of this) that pressure can be exerted at the right time by selected people (on both sides!) on ministers in our great executive.

[oakleafgael]

I think it is naive to think there was no northern politician influence in dropping the work so quickly. I think we know (I certainly have some experience of this) that pressure can be exerted at the right time by selected people (on both sides!) on ministers in our great executive.

Im sorry Rois buts that's horseshite with regard to the A5, it may be true with other issues. Its very simple the A5 project fell down due to the judge finding legal grounds for the objections, nothing more nothing less. If Kennedy wanted to be a **** about it he could just drop the project completely but the fact that 100 million has already been spent is probably stopping him from doing it.