Coulter urges Traffic Help for Glens Villages
Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has called on the Regional Development Minister to implement traffic measures which will boost tourism in the Glens villages of Waterfoot, Cushendall and Cushendun.
Assemblyman Dr Coulter added: “It is important we have the opportunity to air these important points in the presence of the Regional Development Minister and he needs to visit the area to see the situation for himself.
“There are three areas that should be considered. First, there is tourism. As representatives for North Antrim, we are doing our level best to encourage tourists to visit that beautiful area. It is almost impossible, especially during the summer, for traffic to get through some of these villages.
“Considering the coaches that are now being used, and the number of people who arrive to see the beauty of that lovely route along the coast, it is important to take this issue seriously and to ensure that there is a free flow of traffic through those villages during the summer.
“It is not simply a question of traffic management; it is important to provide areas in which people can park their cars. If we are to increase tourism, this issue must be taken seriously, progressed and examined in its entirety to ensure that those who are breaking the traffic laws are brought to book.
“Secondly, the economics of the area must be considered. People who drive along that route to see the beauty of the road may wish to stop for a meal at one of the hotels. However, because of the traffic problems and congestion, they may turn off to the left to find somewhere else where they can enjoy their meal without worrying about the traffic.
“In connection with the economic issue, people who own shops and businesses, and especially the farming community — who come to the area for the market and to exchange their goods — must also be considered. How on earth are those people supposed to conduct their business if illegal parking on both sides of the road is allowed to continue?
“Thirdly, this problem should not be considered only from the point of view of the three villages to which reference has been made. The issue needs to be addressed with reference to the road from Belfast right through to Ballycastle. When that is taken into account, it will be seen in the context of something far greater.
“I ask the Minister for Regional Development to take on board the fact that regulations have been put in place, but that no follow-up action has been taken, which has led to the continuation of old bad habits.
“I am sure that if the issue is taken seriously, those habits will eventually be broken, because when people are hit in their pockets, they are hit in the most tender part,” said Assemblyman Dr Coulter.