Proposed parking restrictions will be brought to consultation ‘shortly’ by the Department for Infrastructure (DFI) to deal with traffic chaos in the village of Lisbellaw.

The proposed restrictions come as a Lisbellaw mother has raised concerns about safety in the village due to congestion and heavy traffic there, highlighting concerns that a “lack of action to tackle this issue may result in someone being seriously injured”.

Niamh Kean has spoken out after witnessing a near-miss accident in the village.

Detailing the near-miss accident involving a school child, Mrs. Kean said: “In December last year, whilst waiting on the main street to collect my children from the school bus, I witnessed a young school child narrowly avoid being hit by a car that was parked outside the local shop, and that then pulled out onto Main Street to head in the direction of Enniskillen.

“This incident was deeply shocking, and distressing to witness, and it has heightened my concerns.

“I want to have something done to relieve the bottleneck areas in the village.”

Mrs. Kean acknowledged that traffic congestion has been a long-term issue for the village.

She described how previously only peak times had been busy with traffic in Lisbellaw, but now the village can often be found at a standstill at any time of the day.

“From speaking to other residents who have lived longer in the village than me, I have learned that these traffic problems have been a huge concern for years, and little has been done by the DFI (Department for Infrastructure) to address them.”

Mrs. Kean expressed concerns that new developments planned for the village may cause further traffic chaos.

Describing the worries that she and other residents have over such an issue, she said: “We are about to have a development of 100-plus new houses built in the village, which is fantastic news for residents and local businesses, but it will further negatively impact the current traffic problems.

“It could potentially put customers off coming into Lisbellaw to avail of our wonderful businesses, which would be a real shame for the hard-working business owners in our community.”

Mrs. Kean is speaking out in the hopes that a solution will be presented for the current traffic and parking issues.

“Hopefully, by highlighting these issues, the DFI will address residents' concerns and propose a solution that would greatly benefit our community by making it safer, and traffic-easing measures would make our local businesses more accessible and easier to avail of,” she added.

A DfI spokesperson said: “The Department is aware of the issues with parking and traffic congestion in Lisbellaw.

“DfI staff attended a meeting organised by Neighbourhood Policing last year to discuss traffic management issues with local business people and other key stakeholders in the village.

“Draft proposals on the introduction of new parking restrictions on several sections of Main Street, Lisbellaw, have now been drawn up, and a public consultation on the proposed restrictions will commence shortly.

“Any new parking restriction introduced in the village will be subject to a successful outcome of this public consultation process.”