THERE were calls last night for a pedestrian and cycle crossing to be installed along a busy route in south Belfast "before someone is killed".
SDLP councillor Gary McKeown said the half-mile route along Sunnyside Street is a "death trap" particularly for children walking to the nearby Holy Rosary PS.
"The road is nearly half a mile long and does not have a single pedestrian or cycle crossing at any point on its entire length despite being a key vehicle route between Ravenhill/ Ormeau/ Rosetta and Stranmillis/ Malone/ Balmoral," he said.
He said he was highlighting his concerns during Cycle to School Week, which "brings into sharp focus the appalling lack on infrastructure we have to support kids getting around safely, and Sunnyside Street is a pressing example".
"A phenomenal 47 per cent of pupils at nearby Holy Rosary PS walk, cycle or scoot to school, compared with a regional average of 20 per cent, but many have to cross Sunnyside Street to get there, which is a death-trap," he said.
"We have kids coming from places such as the lower Ormeau Road to Holy Rosary who deserve to be able to get to and from school safely, but it’s making a mockery of initiatives such as Cycle to School Week when the infrastructure isn’t in place to enable them to do this.
"This is a critical pressure point for children and families who walk, cycle or scoot to school, and presents a major risk given the volume of traffic on Sunnyside Street and the age of those crossing at this point, so we need a cycle and pedestrian crossing before someone is killed."
Mr McKeown said "if we are serious about enabling families to get around this city safely, then we need to put in the place the crossings and routes to enable this".
Mother-of-three Kerry Lunn uses the route regularly as she walks her children to school, describing it as a "daily nightmare".
"You are taking your life in your hands every time you need to cross the road," she said.
"Between numerous school pick-ups, I'm along the road three to five times a day and it's terrible each time. The cars come flying along and when you try to cross, you're almost half way out before you can see the road clearly enough.
"It's an absolute no-brainer that there should be some sort of crossing, it would make such a difference."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Infrastructure said officials "completed an assessment at Sunnyside Street and the area is on our prioritised list of potential sites surveyed and assessed for a controlled crossing".
"Subject to availability of funding this area will be included when considering works programmes in the time ahead," she said.
