A Derry man who is paraplegic has hit out at those who blocked off a footpath close to one of the city’s busiest roads, by placing a large advertising hoarding trailer across it.
The lorry trailer was parked at the footpath on the Buncrana Road between the Coshquin estate and the Skeoge roundabout a number of days ago, resulting in many people, including mothers with prams, having to walk onto the road to get around it.
The Derry News was also contacted by Allan Saunders (pictured above), who is paraplegic and uses a motorised wheelchair.
The 32-year-old said that he cannot get around the trailer, as it is surrounded by marsh on one side, and the road on the other.
“There’s no way I can get around it if I want to the shops, and I can’t cross that road,” he added.
“The trailer has the whole pathway blocked off, and mothers with prams have had to go out onto the road to get up to the shops.
“Whoever put this there has no consideration for people living close by and they need to move it. “You can’t expect pedestrians to have to walk out onto the road just because they were so thoughtless in parking it here.”
Commenting, the independent councillor Darren O’Reilly said that there had been ‘long-standing issues’ with the lay-by where the trailer had been left.
“You really have to wonder what they were thinking,” he said.
“Do they expect people, particularly vulnerable people, to have to risk life and limb by walking out into oncoming traffic at one the busiest roads in the northwest?
“It’s just totally inconsiderate and putting people in serious danger.”
Cllr O’Reilly added that he was also seeking to address issues relating to the bus shelter close to Coshquin.
Meanwhile, the SDLP’s John Boyle described the trailer as a ‘dangerous obstacle’.
“The SDLP were contacted by a local resident in relation to an advertising hoarding trailer being placed across the footpath on the Buncrana Road between Coshquin and the Skeoge roundabout,” he said.
“This trailer represents a very dangerous obstacle for pedestrians. Parents with prams, toddlers and other pedestrians were being forced to navigate around it and onto the main road.
“The dangers of such parking should be obvious to all road users. I have contacted the PSNI with a view to having the vehicle moved and in the mean time I am asking drivers and pedestrians to exercise caution in the area.”
Cllr Boyle added: “The SDLP are often contacted by local people in relation to careless parking throughout the city and again I appeal to all motorists to apply common sense when parking and to think of other road users and pedestrians at all times.”
A spokesperson for the PSNI confirmed that it was aware of the advertising hoarding trailer and ‘are making arrangements to have it moved’.
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