I am writing this letter to ask for your support in relation to this petition to address the issue of vehicles speeding along Newcastle/Castlewellan Road.

As you are aware there is an ever increasing number of vehicles travelling along the Newcastle/Castlewellan road at all times of the day and night.

Of concern are vehicles breaking the legal speed limit on this road.

I wrote recently to the Department of Infrastructure expressing these concerns around this road. The key points communicated to me by the department are as follows.

1 That Newcastle/Castlewellan Road is considered an A class road which has a capacity to carry 8000 plus vehicles per day.

2 The department are satisfied that there are sufficient measures in place to ensure safety; right turns at all junction are clear and unobstructed.

3 The collision history on this road over the last three years included one of the Ballyhafry Road and two on the Carnacavelle Road junction.

4 The department have no plans to introduce any preventative speed measures but do plan to introduce this road in a Collision Remedial Review which is due in the next number of months.

As a local and after speaking to several residents along this road there is growing sense of anxiety about the increasing volume of traffic and the number accidents and near misses occurring along this stretch of road.

Over the past several years there has been an unacceptable number of fatalities along this road and if nothing is done more lives will be lost due to inaction.

Particularly during the early hours of the morning at weekends there are several cars that use this stretch of road as a racetrack which is a further concern.

We are asking for is for the authorities to put measures in place to reduce the speed of these vehicles at all times of the day and night.

Please kindly sign this partition if you agree with me that now is the time to take action before any more loss of life.