Sinn Fein Mourne’s Councillor Willie Clarke has requested Newry Mourne and Down District Council tourism officers to organise a meeting with Transport NI and PSNI to discuss safety measures which will prevent dangerous parking opposite the Tollymore Forest Park entrance in Bryansford village.
Cllr Clarke said: ” Over the weekend a number of irate residents have contacted me with concerns about parking at the Bryansford junction of the Burrenreagh Road. Up to 25 vehicles were parked on either side of the Burrenreagh Road on the footpaths and the road, this led to traffic chaos in the area.
“This resulted in vehicles being forced in to single file. The farming community were inconvenienced by this irresponsible parking, and several lorries and a number of tractors with livestock trailers had to make a four mile detour, to their farmland.”
Cllr Clarke added: “I share the residents concerns in relation to health and safety fears, lives could be placed in danger if a blue light emergency service needed into a property on the Burrenreagh Road while the parked vehicles were causing an obstruction.”
There is plenty of parking space in Tollymore Forest Park, however, park users who drive to the park may be trying to avoid paying the entry fee to the park and making their entry on foot via the Bryansford park exit gate.
