O’Dowd announces £150,000 PUFFIN crossing upgrade for Dunhill Road, Coleraine
Date published:
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd has announced that a £150,000 scheme to upgrade the pedestrian crossing on the A29 Dunhill Road, Coleraine will commence on Monday 20 January.
The works to upgrade the existing crossing close to the Riverside Retail Centre to a PUFFIN crossing will provide enhanced facilities for pedestrians and improve road safety.
Minister O’Dowd said:
“I am committed to ensuring our infrastructure is inclusive for all our citizens so I am pleased to announce an investment of £150,000 from my Department to deliver enhanced crossing facilities for the Dunhill Road. The location is a popular crossing point, on this busy road, for people accessing the Riverside Retail Centre. The upgraded PUFFIN crossing will improve road safety for pedestrians, and in particular more vulnerable road users such as, children, the elderly and those with a disability as it will allow additional time, where needed, to cross as sensors will detect when people are still on the road. I would like to thank local residents, businesses and commuters for their patience while this essential infrastructure work is carried out.”
Daytime lane closures and a temporary speed limit of 30mph will be in place for the duration of the works. Signage will be in place to divert pedestrians to a temporary crossing point. We urge all road users to exercise caution, adhere to the signage in place and drive with due care and attention in the vicinity of the works. The works are due to be completed by Friday 7 March.
The Department for Infrastructure has programmed the works and associated traffic management arrangements in order to minimise any inconvenience to the public. However, motorists should be aware that some delays may be expected at times, and that additional time should be allowed when planning journeys.
For more information about this and other improvement schemes visit: Trafficwatchni
Notes to editors:
- PUFFIN stands for Pedestrian User Friendly Intelligent Crossing. PUFFINS have the red/green man on the push button unit beside the pedestrian; there is no flashing amber signal to drivers – they are held on a red signal until pedestrians have completed their crossing and the time for pedestrians to cross the road can be extended by sensors which detect people still on the crossing.
- Drivers also benefit from PUFFINS when a pedestrian pushes the push button and then moves away, the demand for the green man is cancelled so drivers do not experience an unnecessary delay.
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