EMERGENCY repair work is to begin today on a road in Derry after concerns were raised over learner drivers having to use a badly damaged section of route during their test.
The Lansdowne Road is located in the Kilfennan area of the Waterside, and forms part of the route used by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) for the driving test.
However, the road has been rendered barely usable due to potholes – which is in turn having a knock-on effect on ‘L’ drivers when undertaking their test.
The issue came to light after the Derry News was contacted by a local driving instructor, who said that the road is ‘simply not fit for use’, and also said it could also be affecting learner drivers’ performances.
Speaking yesterday, Stephen Deeney said that the condition of Lansdowne Road had been cause for concern among a number of driving instructors taking students along the route in preparation for their tests.
“The street takes a lot of traffic anyway, there’s a school around the corner and it has four bus stops along this one stretch of road,” he said.
“The condition of the road has gotten much, much worse over the past six months and the icy weather since January has really ripped it up with potholes.
“It’s got to the stage now where 15 mph is the top speed you can go in a street of this condition, otherwise you’ll end up damaging the car or ripping the tyres up,” he continued.
“Now the problem with that is the street is part of the approved test route, and someone driving at that speed may get marked down for driving at an inappropriate speed when all they’re doing is looking after their instructor’s car.”
“All you have to do is look at it, it’s like the surface of the moon, how could a ‘L’ driver be expected to do an emergency stop on that?
“It’s just too dangerous, the road’s uneven and there’s a good chance the car would skid.”
Mr Deeney continued that given the DVA is the responsibility of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), that the road should no longer be used as part of the driving test route until it is brought up to an acceptable standard.
“The road should be taken off the route until it is properly resurfaced,” he added.
“The department should be looking after its employees and the people that are paying big money to do their driving test.”
The Derry News contacted the Department for Infrastructure to ask whether it was aware of the issue and what action was being taken to address it.
A spokesperson for the Department responded: “Resurfacing work is due to start on Lansdowne Road on Monday, March 5 and, subject to favourable conditions, should be completed within one week.”
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Derry Now editorial team on 028 7129 6600 for Derry City stories Or 028 7774 3970 for County Derry stories. Or you can email gareth@derrynews.net at any time.