Calls for more crossings on major Kirkby-in-Ashfield…

Calls for more crossings on major Kirkby-in-Ashfield road where pedestrians 'take life into own hands' to cross

Residents living in Kirkby-in-Ashfield have said they have to "take life into their own hands" to cross a major road that runs through the town centre. The B6020 is a major route that runs from Kirkby-in-Ashfield all the way through to Rainworth and vice versa.

It runs through the centre of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, with a number of shops on its high street there, along with junctions for the train station and Ashfield District Council offices. But local residents have said they do not feel safe crossing the road because of volumes of traffic.

One resident got in touch with Nottinghamshire Live to raise concerns about the junction of the B6020 Urban Road and Lindley's Lane, saying that drivers ignore the yellow box on the road, park on both sides of the junction and that it's situated near a set of traffic lights. While there at around 9.30am on a Monday morning, cars waiting in the yellow box when they should not have were spotted, traffic backed up when the lights turned red and residents said they want to see more crossings along the road.

Heather Gent, 46, said: "It's been like it for a long time, the road gets riddled with traffic. It takes ages to get across the road, and there aren't many crossings - it's made me late for appointments before because of how bad it gets.

"It's just impossible to get across sometimes. You take your life into your own hands when trying to cross the road.

"It gets blocked all the way up the road, especially during rush hour. There have been a few near misses I've seen, especially by where the Aldi is.

Maureen Scott, 76, said: "There needs to be more crossings as traffic really does build up, especially during rush hour. It's not just bad, I mean it gets really bad around here, it's terrible.

"For older people trying to cross the road, you just can't do it. You have to come all the way up one side of the road to a crossing that's ages away to come back down the other side."

Duncan Myford, 61, said: "It gets bad there during rush hour but it does clear itself eventually. The junction for Lane End and Millers Way by the train station can get really bad too.

"It can be bad by the council (Ashfield District Council) offices too, because if there are queues when coming out of there, you can't always see out."

Cars were seen waiting in the yellow box at the junction of the B6020 and Lindley's Lane (Jake Brigstock / Nottinghamshire Live)

Gary Wood, Head of Highways and Transport at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Yellow box junctions, like the one on Urban Road/Lindley’s Lane in Kirkby in Ashfield, need to be kept clear for through traffic to avoid traffic jams.

“When parking, we ask that motorists always consider how doing so will affect other road users, including emergency vehicles who may not be able to attend an emergency if parking causes an obstruction.

“Parking good practice tips can be found on our website.

“Requests for new highways measures including requesting a new crossing can be made through our website, and once submitted, a member of our team will be in touch to discuss this in more detail."

To access the website, please click here.

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