'I'm losing dozens of shop customers over traffic nightmare'

Shop owner Michelle Brace is worried she may have to cut staff

Some commuters and business owners in the north west of Northern Ireland have described traffic congestion caused by the A6 dual carriageway as "a nightmare".

The 16-mile (26km) stretch of road between Drumahoe, near Londonderry, and Dungiven - which includes a bypass around the town - opened in 2023.

Motorists have complained about being stuck in traffic for long periods but officials said the project's next phase from Drumahoe to the Caw roundabout, in Derry, may help alleviate the congestion.

Shop owner Michelle Brace says she is losing dozens of customers every day because of the traffic on the Glenshane Road.

"There's nobody using the shop, the people can't stop, they can't get into the traffic, the flow's not good enough, we're down about 45 customers every morning," Ms Brace told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

"If they're in the flow of traffic, they're not going to stop after coming through the roundabout, which they've waited maybe half an hour in."

She said she would probably lose two members of staff as a result.

"I think engineers need to look at the whole layout on how they're going to get everybody through the village safely and timely," she said.

"It's not the nicest experience, especially if you bought into the new housing and you've paid all your money for a lovely house in a lovely village but you can't get in and out, it probably would get on your nerves a bit."

The scene on the Glenshane Road, near Drumahoe, on Thursday morning

'Making us lose out on business'

The Chambers family, who operate two businesses on the same road, are doubly affected.

Rachel Chambers is from W&J Chambers Animal Feed, Equestrian and Farm Supplies store.

"This store is right in the middle of Drumahoe and it's a nightmare with the traffic," Rachel said.

"I actually had a customer tell me yesterday that they would be with us more often if they didn't have to get on that road.

"It's actually making us lose out on business and it's definitely doing damage."

Rachel Chambers says customers have complained about using the road to travel to their store

John Chambers Jr is quality and safety manager at the family-owned concrete block manufacturers up the road.

He travels to work from Ardmore and said the traffic is "ridiculous" most mornings.

"You're stuck in traffic most days," he said.

"We have big lorries travelling in and out of here every day, and they get stuck in it as well.

"Also, what we have found is that a lot of commuters use our entrance here to turn, and that can lead to issues with traffic flow as well, so it's causing a lot of problems."

John Chambers Jr, who is a quality and safety manager at W&J Chambers, says the traffic is a problem every day

Road safety concerns

Kerri-Lynn Cooke, a mother of two boys aged two and five, says one of her sons attends Drumahoe Primary School as well as her own brothers.

"My mother and I refuse to let them walk to school - it's just far too busy with cars," she said.

"It would terrify you to see them trying to cross the road."

Kerri-Lynn Cooke says the amount of cars on the road near Drumahoe Primary School makes her very apprehensive

Carolyn Spratt, a mother of three children aged four, six and nine who attend Drumahoe Primary School, lives in a newly-built housing development nearby.

"My main concerns are the volume of traffic, the speed at which some cars travel, and the severe lack of safe crossing points - I worry about the children's safety," she said.

Principal of Drumahoe Primary School Emma Walker said she is constantly worried about the safety of pupils due to the volume of cars now travelling routinely through the area.

Ms Walker believes introducing a bypass around the village could help alleviate some of the traffic issues and also address road safety concerns.

Principal of Drumahoe Primary School Emma Walker says more must be done to address the traffic issues near the school

Ulster Unionist councillor Darren Guy said it was an ongoing problem and new housing developments in the area mean even more cars on the road.

"People are right, it is because of the A6," he said.

"We were promised a motorway, we got a hyped-up dual carriageway… It's creating problems there and those problems won't be resolved until we build that bypass."

Mark Stewart and Ryan O'Neill "get stuck in traffic" on their way to and from work.

"You're talking 30 to 40 minutes being stuck on this small stretch of road," Mark said.

"Sometimes we would stop in here at the garage to get petrol or diesel, but it's a nightmare to get let back out on the road again.”

Kevin Harkin (left) and David Kelly say the road is very congested from Monday to Friday

David Kelly and Kevin Harkin believe it is time for politicians to come together and resolve the issue.

"My wife rang me and she's less than a mile away now, but she says it will likely take her 20 minutes to get through the traffic," David said.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said part of the road alignment for phase two encroached on the contaminated Mobuoy waste site at Campsie and that "the final design would need to take this into account".

"Once plans for the remediation of that site are confirmed, a delivery strategy for phase two, including timelines, will be finalised," a DfI spokesperson said.