Life near a major Nottingham route has been described like living on the 'central reservation of the M1'. That's despite the number of serious incidents on that route falling according to latest figures.
Data from CrashMap.co.uk reveals that on the A610 Nuthall Road, between its junction with A6514 Western Boulevard to the M1 J26 roundabout, there have been a total of 16 crashes classed as 'serious' since January 2018. Despite the UK being in lockdown due to the Covid pandemic, from April 2020 to March 2021, 7 serious crashes occurred.
One year on, during that same timeframe between April 2021 and March 2022, just 2 serious crashes have happened. It's considered to be one of the most improved routes in Nottinghamshire for incidents.
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But some residents living near it on Nottingham Road in Nuthall, which runs parallel to A610 Nuthall Road, have not noticed a fall in the number of incidents that take place on the road. One went as far as describing living there as a 'nightmare'.
Alan Baugh, 74, said: "It's a nightmare. I've complained about it for 10 years - it's like living on the central reservation of the M1. When you go out in the garden at the back, you can still hear the traffic despite having noise cancelling headphones on. It really is like a race track.
"I've seen a number of accidents over the years here, having lived here for 40 or so. I tried to sell and move, but people were not keen on the noise, so I gave up a while ago. When I moved here, it was quiet."
Jo Sadler, 70, who's retired, said: "I've lived here for 40 years, and the biggest thing around here is the motorbikes, along with general speeding. This road can be used as a cut-through to avoid queues, and I've seen someone going up here around 50mph. There aren't too many accidents though. One of the biggest things I have is trees growing into my garden, I can barely get into my greenhouse anymore.
"But the noise doesn't really bother me. The trees help us have some privacy from the road too."
Other residents agree about the noise. They say it is a factor, but it does not affect them.
Kash Patel, 39, a pharmacist, said: "The only thing in the evening here is the bus lane, as you can't get down to the roundabout between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays. People do speed up around here. There are motorbikes which speed around here, but it's a nice area. You can hear traffic in the back garden, but you don't notice there's a main road at the back indoors, and as I work long hours I don't notice it."
Sue Rose, 70, who's retired, said: "I can't recall many accidents, it's the speeding that's a problem. In terms of the noise, you just get on with it though. I've been here for 40 years, and there is no debate about the noise, but when you've been here for that long you don't really notice it anymore. I've never had problems with it, you don't live somewhere like this if you have problems with it."
