1,232 and counting...

Over 1200 people have signed a petition calling on Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy to reverse his decision in relation to the borough’s key arterial route.

Many of them are leaving messages urging the Minister to proceed with the project, which has already seen £16m spent on preparatory work.

Among those posting comments is a businessman who travels from Belfast to Carrick, whilst others are long-suffering motorists frustrated at having to negotiate the Seapark-Greenisland bottle-necks on a daily basis.

Since the Carrick Borough Council-led initiative to have the scheme accorded high priority went live last week, 1,232 have (at time of going to press) signed in support.

Alderman Billy Ashe commented: “The petition was well over the one thousand mark by Friday and many people have been adding comments. One warns: ‘We need this now or commerce in the town will die.’ Another asks why was £16m spent on preparatory work only for Roads Service to shelve the project. It is important we get this road widened. People have put up with this a long time.

“One of the most recent messages sums the situation up: ‘I’ve been working in Belfast for years and like many other motorists I’m completely fed up with the congestion at Seapark which is getting worse due to more and more people moving to Carrick and beyond. We have been promised this road for years and yet there are other schemes now given preference. The amount of money which so far has been spent on buying up houses etc is a disgrace if nothing is going to be done.’”

The local authority plans to present the petition to Mr Murphy when he meets with councillors in the near future, although it has yet to be confirmed where this will take place.

Alderman Billy Ashe suggested the Minister should travel to the town at rush hour to experience the problem first-hand.

Commenting on the subject in the Council Chamber on Monday night Councillor Louise Marsden said: “It makes much more sense, and is more environmentally friendly, for Mr Murphy to meet with us in Carrickfergus than for 17 of us to go to him at Stormont.”

In January Mr Murphy pointed to a 40 per cent reduction in the Executive’s overall capital funding from Treasury over the budget period, adding “difficult choices have had to be considered as part of this process”.

Signs have been placed along the A2 route to encourage more commuters to add their names to the petition will be available for a further two weeks and can be accessed via www.carrickfergus.org/petitions