Hundreds sign petition calling for safety measures on road where schoolgirls were hit by car

Almost 500 people have signed an online petition calling for safety measures to be installed on the Scarva Road, Banbridge.
Police at the scene on the Scarva Road in Banbridge after two children were knocked down on Monday afternoon. Pic by Colm Lenaghan/PacemakerPolice at the scene on the Scarva Road in Banbridge after two children were knocked down on Monday afternoon. Pic by Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker
Police at the scene on the Scarva Road in Banbridge after two children were knocked down on Monday afternoon. Pic by Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

The petition, which was set up five months ago by local man Michael McCreedy, has attracted many new signatories following Monday’s (Oct 17) incident near the old St Mary’s Primary School when two nine-year-old girls were struck by a car.

On Thursday, October 20, a spokesperson for the Belfast Health Trust confirmed that both girls are still receiving treatment in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. Their condition is described as “stable”.

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In the wake of Monday’s incident, local people have been sharing the link to the petition on social media.

The change.org petition, which will be presented to the local council and TransportNI, warns that “Scarva Road has been a disaster waiting to happen” and calls for new safety measures on the busy route.

It states: “St. Mary’s Primary School is now on the same site as St. Patrick’s College due to waiting on the new primary school being built and as you can imagine the traffic and pedestrians has doubled between the hours of 08:30- 09:00. In this time I have witnessed total chaos from the patrol man nearly being run over to kids very nearly getting hit by speeding cars and feel it needs addressed before something bad happens. I am suggesting speed humps/traffic lights/ mini roundabout whichever is most effective to stop speeding motorists before a fatality.”

Anyone who would like to sign the petition can do so by clicking here.Meanwhile, Upper Bann MLA Carla Lockhart has called on the Department for Infrastructure to invest in traffic calming measures on Scarva Road. Read related story - Plea for school crossing patrol to be reinstated