‘Where was the forward planning?': Traffic ‘chaos' raises questions over pause in Derry city roadworks for The Open and not Foyle Cup

Belfast Telegraph

6 days ago

The traffic 'chaos' on Monday has led to further questions over a moratorium on roadworks, with one local politician calling for an immediate halt to the works.
Images shared online show traffic bumper to bumper on the Foyle Bridge, with one car appearing to get stuck in the central reservation as it attempted to perform a U-turn.
Members of the public have reported seeing numerous drivers doing the same manoeuvre to avoid being stuck in traffic for an hour or more.
The Foyle Cup, which began in 1992, has grown exponentially to become one of the major annual events in the city, with almost 1,000 teams and some 20,000 players competing.
With matches taking place across the length and breadth of the city — accommodating the teams, coaches, families and supporters attending — there is a build-up of traffic in the area.
The competition, now in its 33rd year, has previously featured the likes of James McLean, Shay Given, Robbie Keane and John O'Shea as youth players.
Teams are welcomed from the Republic, Great Britain, Europe and North America. This year, South African side Sports Academy George are first-time competitors at the tournament.
However, it emerged that while roadworks were paused for The Open, which recently took place on the North Coast, no such measures were put in place ahead of the Foyle Cup.
Works were taking place in a number of major inner city roads on the first day of the football tournament, including on one of the busiest roads in the city, from Madam's Bank to the Foyle Bridge and Culmore.
Further works are scheduled to take place on Queen's Quay, which could compound problems.
Tournament organisers themselves also hit out at the situation on social media, saying the traffic in the city was 'chaotic'.
'Roadworks stopped last week in the Derry City Council area because there was a golf tournament happening for four days last week 40 miles away,' they wrote.
'We need MLAs to sort out traffic flow in Derry and in Balkykelly now.'
Eamon O'Donnell of North West Taxi Proprietors told BBC Radio Foyle 'it was chaos' for taxi drivers in the city, with the likes of Strathfoyle cut off entirely, as drivers can not afford to be stuck for more than an hour travelling across either the Foyle or Craigavon Bridges.
He added: 'Here was an opportunity to showcase the city and to support traffic management. It just created chaos. For the taxi industry, it had a massive impact.
'Basically, we were struggling to cover bookings due to the delays. People were missing hospital appointments, doctor's appointments, people were late for work.
'People started double-booking taxis, thinking the taxis weren't coming, tying up all their taxis.
He added: 'There should have been moratorium on roadworks across the city, the same as we have for the Clipper and other things.
'It should have been [the whole] the place, the Queen's Quay — all of that there needs to be put off this week to free the city up.'
Asked why roadworks would be paused for The Open and not a local event, he said the organisers of The Open must have been proactive in making that request, prompting him to question why Foyle politicians and other stakeholders in the city did not do the same.
SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan has urged the Infrastructure Minister to urgently suspend all planned roadworks in Derry for the remainder of the week.
'It is hard to understand, never mind explain, how there was a moratorium on roadworks for The Open last week, despite the event taking place in Portrush, some 40 miles away. Yet this week, during one of Derry's biggest annual events, traffic is crawling across the city, causing widespread disruption,' he said.
'This gridlock is not just impacting players and families trying to make matches on time, but it's affecting all road users.
'The Foyle Cup is a well-established, annual tournament that brings thousands of visitors into the city. Where was the forward planning to accommodate that? It's simply not good enough.'
NI Water said it is laying new wastewater infrastructure on Madam's Bank Road to support new development in the city, with sewer improvements also planned to get underway this week on Queens Quay.
The projects were scheduled to take place during the summer months to minimise disruption to school traffic.
'Following the cessation of works last week on Madam's Bank Road to accommodate The Open golf tournament, and the postponement of work on Queens Quay this week to facilitate the Foyle Cup parade, we have taken on board the latest concerns regarding recent traffic disruption and have been liaising with our contractors to determine what measures can be put in place at this stage to alleviate the congestion,' a spokesperson said.
'NI Water can confirm that pipelaying has been stopped on Madam's Bank Road for the remainder of this week. As of early Tuesday, July 22, morning, traffic management on Madam's Bank Road will be reduced to one lane around where the road has already been excavated for the new pipe.
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'This will leave two lanes on Madam's Bank Road, on the approach to Culmore Road roundabout, open to traffic.
'Traffic management will also be removed from Culmore Road and Foyle Bridge for the remainder of this week in a bid to alleviate traffic congestion in the area. Pipelaying work will recommence on Monday, July 28, with the necessary traffic management reinstated.