Nottinghamshire A1 drivers ‘avoiding’ stretch of road due to safety fears

Drivers are said to be avoiding parts of the A1 in Nottinghamshire due to poor road conditions and the number of accidents. Businesses are also reportedly spending hundreds of pounds on vehicle maintenance because of the state of the 72-mile stretch of road between Stamford in Lincolnshire and Worksop[1] and Retford[2] in Nottinghamshire. Despite upgrades to the A1 elsewhere, the stretch between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire remains an unlit dual carriageway with no CCTV monitoring.

Many entry and exit lanes in the East Midlands are short and there are also crossing points where vehicles can drive directly across carriageways. A new survey by Transport for the East Midlands, representing all highways authorities in the region, has now revealed that more than 60% of 1,000 drivers surveyed felt unsafe travelling on the A1. Nearly half reported either being in an accident on the road themselves or knowing someone who had.

Where is the best car garage in Nottinghamshire? Let us know here.[3] More than 70% of those surveyed have avoided travelling on it, with 27 deaths having occurred on the A1 in the East Midlands between 2015 and 2020. In that same period, there were more than 200 incidents where the A1 in the East Midlands had to be closed, sometimes for hours.

Ben Bradley, the leader of Nottinghamshire County Council[4], said: “The A1 is a hugely important artery for our whole region, and hasn’t really been fit for purpose for a long time. Investment in bringing this road up to motorway levels of safety infrastructure would be most welcome, and the survey demonstrates the strength of local concerns. “The quality and capacity limitations of the A1 could hold back our economy, too.

Major investments such as the GBP20bn STEP Fusion project will not be able to deliver the maximum benefit to local people without these infrastructure improvements.” Transport for the East Midlands is campaigning for more investment in the A1 to improve its safety and reliability. Research by Midlands Connect earlier this month found that delays on the A1 cost the regional economy around GBP1.75m every year – equating to commuters losing around GBP1,400 every day and HGV drivers losing just under GBP514,000 a year.

The new Transport for the East Midlands survey also highlights the money spent on maintenance and repairs by businesses using the stretch of road. Of 100 businesses surveyed, all of them have had to pay for maintenance or repairs due to the A1’s condition, with the cost ranging from GBP300 to GBP1,000. Chris Hobson, Director of Policy and Insight for the East Midlands Chamber, which represents thousands of firms across the region, said: “Having a robust, dependable transport network is important for any business, but it’s critical to the East Midlands – a significant part of the region’s economy depends on the ability to move goods nationally and even internationally, and the below-par nature of the A1 is clearly impacting on the ability of our businesses to get the job done.

“We’ve said many times that government needs to raise the levels of infrastructure investment in the East Midlands, and these surveys clearly show that making the A1 safer and more reliable must be a priority.” Major Government investments in the road network are laid out in its five-year road investment strategy, with the next one due after 2025.

References

1. ^ Worksop (www.nottinghampost.com)
2. ^ Retford (www.nottinghampost.com)
3. ^ Let us know here. (xd.wayin.com)
4. ^ County Council (www.nottinghampost.com)