Residents' concerns about speeding in Moorfields have led to calls for increased police enforcement and a review of road safety measures.

Ulster Unionist Party representatives Alan Barr and Samantha Patton raised the issue after a resident on Kilgad Road reported vehicles travelling at excessive speeds along Moorfields Road before exiting onto Kilgad Road.

The area is used by traffic travelling to and from Larne and towards Kells, and becomes particularly busy during school terms when school traffic coincides with pupils on foot. A 20mph speed restriction operates around the local primary school at certain times, but concerns have been raised that some motorists may not be observing the limit.

Barr and Patton said speed limits are not advisory. They warned that in this rural area with many junctions close together, a child stepping out, a car pulling from a driveway, a pedestrian crossing or a tractor emerging are all possible. They said wide and relatively straight sections can give motorists a false sense of safety and encourage higher speeds.

Patton said requests have been made for increased PSNI enforcement and the deployment of Speed Indicator Devices. The representatives are also pressing the Department for Infrastructure to carry out an urgent review of existing traffic-calming measures, including Speed Indicator Devices outside the local primary school and on Kilgad Road.

They stressed the purpose is to encourage safer driving rather than simply penalise motorists. They said road fatality statistics are staggering and all road users need to re-evaluate their speed and behaviour. Motorists using Moorfields and Kilgad Road are urged to observe existing limits and take particular care around the school and junctions.