The tragic death of Markethill woman Aileen Finch has prompted one of DUP MLA William Irwin’s final interventions in the Stormont Assembly, as he called for urgent action to improve road safety on the busy Newry to Armagh road.
Fifty-four-year-old Ms Finch – who was walking on her way to get her hair done – was critically injured in a collision involving a lorry on the Gosford Road in Markethill last Wednesday morning, December 4. She passed away in hospital the following day.
Speaking in the Assembly in what will be one of his final contributions before his retirement, Mr Irwin urged Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins to consider reducing the speed limit along the stretch of road near Markethill, which he described as having five main junctions over a short distance.
He told the minister: “The minister will be aware, in recent weeks, the number of accidents on the main Newry to Armagh road, in close proximity to Markethill.
“In Markethill, there are five main junctions on that short stretch of road and indeed, recently, just last week, one pedestrian female lost her life. Would the minister look at the possibility of reducing the speed limit on this section of road to cover the five main junctions?”
Minister Kimmins responded by extending her condolences to Ms Finch’s family and confirmed she would instruct officials to review the road again.
“I wish to add my condolences to the family of the lady involved in that devastating incident, and I can’t imagine what they are currently going through,” she said.
“What I will do then is ask officials to look at that again. I know we have looked at it in the past, but ask them to review it again, particularly based on this most recent incident.
“I travel the road myself quite a lot, and I’m very familiar with it. There’s a lot of junctions, as you said, there’s Gosford Park not too far from there, which is a very, very busy junction also, and I’m very conscious of that.”
Mr Irwin told the Assembly he had attended Ms Finch’s funeral on Sunday.
“The family are devastated. The lady was going to get her hair done and was killed on that main road. The traffic travels quite fast. It’s a very, very busy road, and it’s important that we all realise the seriousness of this.”
In closing her response, Minister Kimmins said: “I think the seriousness of this incident and just how dangerous that can be can’t be understated. So just to reiterate my commitment to ask officials to re-look at this and come back to Willie personally or his successor.”
