Editorial: The A5 upgrade is welcome but other roads in Northern Ireland need work too

​The A5 road in the west of Northern Ireland moves ever closer to construction.

Stormont is said to be about to build the dual carriageway, that runs from Aughnacloy on the Co Tyrone border with Co Monaghan to Londonderry.

It is one of the province's most important strategic roads. Like all busy single carriageway major long-distance roads, it is dangerous.

The reasons for this are simple: cars making journeys of considerable length get caught behind lorries doing the same, but at a slower pace. They also become embroiled with local rural traffic such as tractors and get tempted to perform one of the most potentially lethal manoeuvres on the road – overtaking in the face of oncoming traffic.

Such risks explain why upgrades on the A1 road to the border at Newry, the A4 to the west at Ballygawley, the A26 to the north near Ballymoney, and the A6 to the north west at Glenshane Pass have removed treacherous stretches of single carriageway, and so seen a marked fall in deaths on them.

The A5 is therefore a vital scheme.

Having said that, two aspects of the project tend to be overlooked.

The implications for landowners en route.

And the relatively low traffic levels on parts of the A5.

For all the complaints about the west of Northern Ireland being cheated out of key infrastructure, it in fact has a low population density. There are in fact some single carriageways in the east of NI with higher traffic levels and a greater need of upgrade.

Even so, an A5 dual carriageway is an important medium-term goal. Sadly, Stormont never considered tolling on the most important intercity routes, the A1 and A6, that might have helped fund them and freed up funds for schemes such as the A5.