A major junction in Nottingham has been branded 'dangerous' by people who are worried about accidents there. Residents and workers near the junctions of B682 Nottingham Road and A6514 Valley Road in Basford have said traffic in the area is 'ridiculous', and that only 'two or three' cars at a time can turn right onto Valley Road, causing congestion.
Nottinghamshire Live saw traffic build in the area from 8.30am on Wednesday (May 11) morning, and noticed that, indeed, only two or three cars could turn onto Valley Road at a time, with motorists having to wait for the lights to change. But when they could finally move, traffic coming down Valley Road could be seen travelling towards the right turners at speed before they were able to complete the manoeuvre.
We also noticed a similar trend further down Valley Road, with only two or three cars managing to turn right from Radford Road onto the dual carriageway before the lights changed in a similar pattern. And workers and residents in the area are concerned the light sequences and build up of traffic could cause accidents in the future.
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Stacey Laird, 43, who works for the When You Wish Upon A Star charity branch on Valley Road, said: "It's ridiculous, I park on the slip road that turns left onto Nottingham Road from Valley Road, and I have to go all the way around to come back up Nottingham Road, it's a nightmare. The lights aren't in time which causes all sorts of problems.
"They go red but aren't in time with the others. It's so dangerous, I'm surprised there has not been a lot more accidents.
"It's mostly around school time it gets really bad, it should really be made a one-way system around here. The lights let two or three cars through and then they are stuck.
"There's got to be a solution. There's busy and then there's busy."
Liam Hoyes, 21, who lives locally, said: "There are more problems when the sequence of the lights is changed. Sometimes it's fine, but then sometimes only two or three cars can actually turn right and that causes traffic to build.
"I think it gets changed a couple of times a month or so. It would be better to let the traffic flow."
Richard Jacques, 41, said: "I've not noticed it that much, but a filter light is always a good bet in these kind of situations. I've heard lots of cars honking around here, especially when cars try and go a certain way that they're not supposed to, which you do see.
"It's been like it around here for a while with cars queueing. It's been like it for as long as I've been around here with traffic, you just get used to it."
A City Council spokesperson said: “These two neighbouring junctions are synchronised to run together, with signal timings adjusted based on traffic volume. They are configured to favour the ring road due to it being the busiest road, especially at peak periods.
“Modifications to allow separately signalled right turn lanes would be costly and would impact on the flow of traffic along the ring road. We want to do all we can to avoid build-up of traffic, and will explore whether slightly more time can be allowed at these junctions for right turners, but this must be balanced against the priority of keeping traffic flowing along the ring road.”
