‘Confusing’ changes in News bid to keep city moving
DRIVERS STRUGGLE TO FOLLOW ALTERATIONS TO ROAD LAYOUT
DRIVING in Nottingham city centre has left some motorists scratching their heads this year following changes to key routes.
The most significant alterations to the city centre road layout for 15 years have been carried out after funding was received through the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund.
While some of the planned improvements – such as a “pedestrian-friendly, greener” Collin Street – are yet to be finished, motorists can no longer use the route and restrictions have been introduced in Canal Street.
Canal Street, from the junction with Greyfriar Gate to Middle Hill, can only be used by buses and authorised vehicles, while regular traffic is rerouted towards Castle Boulevard or Wilford Road and on to the southern relief route.
Some motorists say they have found the changes introduced this year confusing and have called for more signs to alleviate the problems.
But Nottingham City Council has said changes have been necessary over the years, due to Nottingham having “an unusually tight road network making it vulnerable to traffic build-up”.
Gabby Lander, 22, from Hyson Green, thinks the road layout in the city centre is incredibly confusing.
She said: “I think if you haven’t driven around before it would be unclear and very stressful.
“I avoid it like the plague – if you’re trying to find the train station and miss a turning you have to go all the way round and it’s a bit confusing.
“It’s not good near the train station. Maybe making the signs a bit more clear would help.”
Technology consultant Kishan Patel, 22, thinks the one-way roads can be fuel consuming.
He said: “The first time driving it can be confusing for many drivers because it is quite a large one-way system.
“If you miss a turn or make a mistake you have to go quite a long way to correct it – often the whole way round.
“Having the one-way roads is a bit inconvenient.
“It can be quite fuel consuming – one-way systems can mean you often go the long way round, so you would use more fuel and, especially with the current fuel crisis, it isn’t good.
“I get why Nottingham needs oneway roads, because it is a small city and it would be difficult to have twoway traffic, but it does make driving trickier.”
A consultation is also currently being carried out to decide if the trial closure of Victoria Embankment to through traffic should be made permanent.
Student Cara Walters, 22, from Radford, avoids driving in the city entirely.
She said: “I’m hesitant of getting a ticket because of how poorly bus lanes and pedestrianised places are labelled.
“Nottingham is the hardest city to drive in – other cities are much easier to navigate.
“They need to update the road systems on sat navs as it doesn’t get picked up, which makes it even harder.
“It would be a last resort driving in the city centre. It’s awful.
“It’s so confusing – I don’t know where I can and can’t go.”
Edward Kay, 23, a recent Nottingham Trent University graduate, also thinks Nottingham is the hardest city he’s had to drive in.
He said: “The one-way roads can be tricky to understand.
“There are certain places you would have needed to drive through before to know what lane to be in.
“The first time driving in the city you will always go the wrong way, which is partly because of the oneway roads.
“I think making it more obvious with markings on the road and road signs will help drivers.”
Councillor Rosemary Healy, portfolio holder for transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “Nottingham has an unusually tight road network making it vulnerable to traffic build-up, which means that over the years we have introduced various changes, including one-way systems, to help to improve traffic flow.
“The introduction of pedestrian zones, and routes restricted to buses, taxis and cyclists, provides better, safer environments for people spending time in the city centre, while placing traffic – especially through-traffic – on to more appropriate roads.
“The latest example of this is in the Broad Marsh area where traffic has been removed or reduced in central areas that are now being developed into attractive public spaces, and moved on to roads further out of the centre. While this route is better suited for traffic movements across the city, it may take time for people to adjust to the new road layouts.
“It’s important that motorists don’t rely on satellite navigation systems and have clear directions on the street which are easy to observe and understand. In recent years, direction signing in the city centre has been simplified to help with this and reduce sign clutter. Thousands of motorists a day observe the signage that’s in place.
“We also want to encourage public transport and cycle use, which helps to further reduce congestion, by providing facilities such as bus lanes and cycle lanes which make those journeys safe and reliable.
“Keeping Nottingham moving in this way helps to reduce harmful air pollution and is a key component in helping us to achieve our carbon neutral ambitions.”