Drivers in a Nottingham suburb are opting to avoid a busy junction hindered by 'frustrating' congestion. Residents in Sherwood have shared how some motorists purposely avoid the junction between Mansfield Road, Winchester Street, and Newstead Street.
Congestion routinely builds up on Winchester Street as drivers try to get onto Mansfield Road, with the junction part of a key route from Mapperley through to Sherwood and its high street as well as the city centre. Drivers said the sheer volume of traffic moving through the junction, as well as drivers becoming impatient with its lights, which only let a small number of cars through, meant it was not unusual to see a collision between vehicles.
A driver of a vehicle "suffered minor injuries" at the junction in November 2022, and other crashes have been reported in previous years. Locals explained they attempted to avoid the junction if possible due to the traffic build ups, but understood little could be done about the busyness of the crossing.
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John Downer, 74, from Sherwood, said: "People get annoyed by this junction. You notice that people get annoyed waiting to get out from Winchester Street. It can be a bit dangerous because it is quite busy."
Pam Frost, 86, from Sherwood, said: "I don't really have much trouble with this one - but that's because I avoid it. I think people who live here do know to avoid it because it's so busy.
"Sometimes you have two or three light changes before you can get out. I only drive short distances now but I go down the other streets past this junction, but if you're sitting there for a long time people get a bit angry."
A 65-year-old man, who has lived in Sherwood for 30 years but asked not to be named, said: "There is a very short time when the lights are on green and you see traffic try to get out as fast as possible. You see people taking a turn to avoid this junction completely.
"The traffic builds up more and more as people struggle to get out, so then people get a little frustrated. But you have to keep the traffic moving on Mansfield Road somehow."
A number of the junctions in nearby Basford were recently labelled frustrating by local residents, with some confused motorists describing the roads as a pain to navigate. Singled out for particular criticism was the five-way junction where the A6514 Western Boulevard/Valley Road meets with Church Street, Vernon Road, and Radford Road, with drivers and pedestrians citing build ups of traffic and angry drivers.
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