New pedestrian crossings in Twin Towns will mean extra challenges for motorists

Engineering challenges, traffic congestion, and basic road safety for pedestrians have all converged on the streets of Ballybofey and Stranorlar for many years and now it appears there's a new addition to the party, permanent High Visibility Crossings (HVC) or to most people a zebra crossing.

Donegal County Council has alerted the public this week to the fact that the four courtesy pedestrian crossings on the two Main Streets have moved from pilot to legal status. 

A driver approaching any of these must now yield the right of way to any pedestrian who has commenced crossing the road at the crossing. To date on the pilot scheme, it's really been a case of lady luck working overtime at some of these as many pedestrians have complained the drivers simply failed to acknowledge their existence.

The two towns have a notorious reputation for traffic congestion and anything that eases the flow is always welcome but doubt remains if these crossings, particularly the one at the junction of Main Street and Glenfin Street in Ballybofey at the Bank of Ireland is safe.

Local councillor Patrick McGowan said while he welcomes any measures that enhance road safety, there needs to be a nationwide campaign to alert motorists that these now exist in the Twin Towns.

"The Department of Transport must engage in a campaign to educate drivers coming to Ballybofey and Stranorlar that these crossings are legal and are permissible without beacons consisting of the road markings only. There has to be more clarity for everyone concerned."

He points out that all drivers must now yield to a pedestrian who wants to cross at any of the four new crossings as it was a designated crossing point by law. These areas have been chosen as designated crossing points at areas that will not interfere with car parking spaces, he says.

In a statement, the county council says as a driver you should allow pedestrians to cross in an urban area. As you approach any pedestrian crossing you should slow down and prepare to stop to allow the pedestrian to safely cross.

"The new High Visibility Crossing markings should be used by drivers to anticipate potential pedestrian crossing maneuvers on the street ahead of them.

"Pedestrians should behave as they would at a Zebra crossing and should always observe approaching traffic before proceeding to cross.

Their Road Safety Officer, Brian O’Donnell adds: “Since the installation of the crossings, Donegal County Council has carried out a post-installation review survey. From the feedback received, the crossings appear to be well received by the community and seem to be working well but we believe public awareness of the use of the crossings is critical to facilitate their use.

He added: "It is important to note that vehicles do not have an automatic right of way on the road’, so to avoid any doubt and in the interest of safety, a vehicle should always yield to pedestrians.

"Drivers should always be courteous to pedestrians using an uncontrolled crossing and pedestrians should always ensure that they wait for a gap in traffic and cross only when it is safe to do so.”

Any concerns or queries should be directed to info@tii.ie quoting Ballybofey/Stranorlar Pedestrian Crossings so that they can be directed to the relevant section within Transport Infrastructure Ireland.