Drivers in Long Eaton say it's been 'chaos' there due a number of roadworks across the town causing delays. Temporary traffic lights on Nottingham Road, Fields Farm Road, Tamworth Road and Longmoor Road have meant that residents have been left struggling to travel on main roads.
"Getting in and out of Long Eaton is terrible,” said 58-year-old Chris Bishop. “It varies but here (The Long Eaton Green) it ends up being grid locked - that is at commuter times.
"It’s bad planning that they’ve put them together. [The Nottingham Road, Toton, road works] is the one that’s the problem for me. You can’t get around it.”
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Among the road works is an upgrade to the electricity network at Long Eaton which is being carried out by National Grid Electricity Distribution. A 10-week project involves laying four kilometres of cable from Milner Road at Long Eaton to a location at Church Wilne.
Temporary traffic lights on Tamworth Road will end on April 28. Then next week, on Tamworth Road, more temporary traffic lights will be in place near the fire station for two weeks. The works on Nottingham Road, have since been removed and completed by Nottinghamshire County Council.
Mum of two Caitlin Russell, 32, said: “I get that things need maintenance and improvements but, it’s all at the same time. You can’t get anywhere without being caught in it.
“Wilsthorpe Road is awful. I have never seen traffic like it. Because we are between Nottingham and Derby and we’re right next to the M1 we have a lot of people who travel through Long Eaton for work, school and college.
“No matter what route you take you get caught up in some sort of road work. Hopefully things will be done soon, it’s just ridiculous at the moment.”
Due to the works, some drivers have even been going against the rules of the road and contravening one-way systems, according to Derbsyhire Police. Officers released a statement telling drivers to stick to the rules.
Derbyshire Constabulary's Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "We have received reports from residents in Long Eaton that drivers are contravening one-way systems during peak rush hour times, in particular around Wilsthorpe Island, potentially putting other road users at risk.
"We appreciate the ongoing difficulties with traffic in the area, especially with the roadworks that are currently in place, however drivers must adhere to the rules of the road. Officers will be present in these hotspots and drivers who break the law will be stopped and tickets issued if deemed appropriate.
"Please take care whilst using the roads in and around Long Eaton and report any dangerous or carless driving to Derbyshire Police on 101 or through our website."
A resident, who wished to remain anonymous, added that it has been chaotic to travel. They said: “It’s ridiculous isn’t it? It’s causing a lot of trouble at the moment. It gets ever so busy in the morning, it’s just not good.
“It’s honestly been chaos, that’s the only word I can use to describe the traffic here. The buses have been delayed a lot and half the time traffic is at a stand still. I can’t wait for it all to be complete.”
A Highways Manager from Nottinghamshire County Council said: “The temporary traffic signals on Nottingham Road in Toton were due to a third-party contractor installing a new high voltage electrical cable.
“We understand road users’ frustrations with the delays caused and our coordination team has been working together with the contractor to ensure that everything was being done to minimise disruption, including traffic signals being manually controlled at peak times.
“The temporary signals have now been removed and traffic flow should be back to usual conditions.
“Further works will be required at some point over the coming weeks, however our coordination team is actively working with the contractors to ensure that the impact on the travelling public is reduced.”
A spokesperson from National Grid Electricity Distribution said: “An upgrade to the electricity network at Long Eaton is being carried out by National Grid Electricity Distribution to meet an increased demand for electricity in this area.
“The 10-week project involves laying four kilometres of cable from Milner Road at Long Eaton to a location at Church Wilne. The route of the cable is along Tamworth Road and onto Draycott Road.
“Temporary traffic lights at Tamworth Road will be in place until tomorrow (Friday 28 April). Contractors will complete the work at the roundabout next to Long Eaton station over the Bank Holiday weekend (29 April – 1 May).
“They will then move to the stretch of Tamworth Road close to the fire station where temporary lights will be in place for two weeks. We apologise for any disruption caused during this essential work to upgrade the electricity network.”
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