Observations, comments and concerns…..
Read over 200 comments condemning the 'experimental bus lane'. Most of them are from people who have signed our online petition via our website. Some have been taken from the BBC (Radio Derby) website, some from the Derby Evening Telegraph website. If you want to add your comments please email duffieldroadaction@hotmail.com or use the comment facility on www.duffieldroadaction.co.uk this can be done when you sign the petition!! If you would like to complain send an email to ranjit.banwait@derby.gov.uk or tony.gascoigne@derby.gov.uk

comments from new DRAG members and people who have signed our petition or written to the telegraph....

Recent comments (June 08)

I have lived on Duffield Rd for quite a number of years I am glad about the reduced speed limit but very happy about the parking restriction which have been imposed for people using the grass verge. If it would mean changing the bus lane back to two lanes and have the parking back to normal I would be in favor of the change.
Glyn Castledine

comments: Although I can appreciate the need to make bus times quicker - I find the new road layout with the bus lane on Duffield Road dangerous. Cyclists traveling on the non bus lane side are more at risk. The lanes are too narrow. The 30mph speed limit is unnecessary (provided it goes back to just two lanes), and it's difficult to cross the road. I'm all for sustainable transport, but I think this idea does not work.
Mark Bateman

comments: I live in Darley Abbey and am a cyclist. The new configuration is great one direction, but as a cyclist coming Northbound you take your life into your hands - driving north bound you realise just how dangerous it is for cyclists watching people try and overtake and move into the tight southbound oncoming lane. Nice idea, but poorly executed and frankly doesn't seem to be saving buses much time as they get jammed on the lower section of Duffield road anyway. Better to try and fix the problem down at the Seven Stars as I understand has always been in the pipeline.
Lewis Prebble

I support both the mileash lane and cycle lane options and am strongly of the opinion this has been a big safety negative in the area.

comments: I use Duffield Rd several times a day. I cannot understand why the need for Belper people to save 5 mins on their journey to town is so much more important than the safety and needs of local residents. I think the road is so dangerous especially at night when it is difficult to avoid the glare of oncoming traffic. Cars overtaking cyclists cut infront of cyclists to avoid oncoming traffic. I always thought that cyclists were supposed to be given enough room to fall off their bicycles. I am surprised that there is not some safety legislation that the Council have infringed. The lanes are just too narrow for safety. I now try to find alternative routes to my home off Duffield Rd. in an effort to avoid the bus lane. Is this a good thing?
S Skipper

comments: Roadway not wide enough for safety with the bus lane. Highly dangerous and inevitably a serious accident will occur sooner or later (probably the former).
name: Alan & Joy Ferguson

I live on Duffield Road - number 284. My house is on the corner of Mileash Lane and since the new bus lane has been created it makes it extremely dangerour to either pull in or out of my drive. It is a nightmare in the mornings especially when people park on the double yellow lines, I can almost guarantee that on my way to work each day there will be a vehicle paked causing chaos. I am pleased there is a 30 mph speed limit, however unless the traffic is stationary which it normally is every morning cars definately are not abiding by the new enforcement. It is clearly too narrow for 3 lanes and when the refuse is collected it is extremely dangerous.
Sara Ferdinando

I heard Clr Ranjit Banwait on the radio this morning and had to wonder which planet he was from when I thought I heard him say that the Duffield road Bus lane was an improvement for all road users. As a pedestrian I dont like vehicles so close and getting splashed isnt funny. As a cyclist, great southbound, but I get terrified Northbound and the state of the road is now so bad that one is forced to the centre of the lane, which is probably the safest place. As a car driver the side mirror is at risk, the state of the road is now aweful due to all traffic using one lane, and regular unneccessary hold ups occur. As a bus passenger northbound journeys are always slower. Apart from an hour in the mornings, southbound journeys are about the same time because the buses overtake cars that are doing 30MpH. I dont drive a HGV or ride a horse but cannot imagine any improvement. I think we have put up with this scheme for too long now and it it time to get it removed.

John Barker
Allestree


Wed 3rd October
I wish to advise you of an incident involving a taxi and dangerous misuse of the Duffield Road bus lane this morning. The traffic was queuing from Palm Court Island south bound, I was cycling along the bus lane, but because this taxi was unable to pass me due to the queuing traffic I was run off the road with the taxi hooting its horn! I was wearing a high visibility jacket and this happened at about 08:10 2 Oct 2007. I managed to see the licence number of the maroon van type taxi No 180. Further more this driver was using and holding his mobile phone.
I wish you to log this complaint forwarding to the relevant taxi licensing department and register this as an incident with the Duffield Road bus lane trial. Thank you for your assistance.
John Harris, Duffield Road

2nd October - Neil Foster
As a cyclist needing to use the A6 to get to work, I have experienced a number of incidents (when traveling into Derby) where I have been overtaking a stationary bus in the bus lane, only to find the bus pulls out during my overtaking manoeuvre, effectively sandwiching me between the bus and the row of cars traveling into the city. Traveling out of Derby by cycle is equally un-nerving because cars, buses & lorries cannot pass you without moving into the oncoming traffic lane, which at peak times is almost impossible. Consequently the speed of traffic gets limited to the slowest cycle on the road, which also increases congestion along with reducing safety for cyclists. I therefore do not support the current 3-lane arrangements.



Tony Lintott, Church Lane, Darley Abbey.

With respect Cllr. Wynn your letter ( “Bus Lane is a Huge Success” DET Sat June 9th ) needs a response.

Where is proof of YOUR statements Cllr? At least DRAG is statistical and measured in their comments over the Duffield Road Bus Lane trial. You seem to rubbish their use of facts and statistics in a most patronising way.
You also seem not believe the poor souls who have been involved in the ‘post bus lane trial’ accidents when they report that the bus lane was a major factor in their accident. Is this really your belief?

I note that a Duffield Road outbound cycle lane is required. Is this perhaps an admittance and that to make it safe for cyclists one is required?

Now of course the bus lane is a success to the bus companies and bus passengers – approximately 5 buses per hour inbound on the Duffield Road – it’s a free road to them for a few hundred yards but the cost to the rest of us is in terms of less safety and more rat-running, more pain and no gain.

While I’m ‘at it’ I, and probably most people in Darley Abbey, am truly shocked to find my eyes so deceive me every workday morning then again in the afternoon/early evening.
I now understand from you that the volumes of rat-running motorists, hurtling up and down Church Lane and Old Lane etc. are, to quote your words, “a sharp reduction in rat-running through the village and congestion on Mileash Lane”.
Why is this statement so obviously untrue to those who know of and experience the huge increase in village traffic? Mileash Lane alone may be down for now but as it’s such a difficult job getting out at the top it’s no wonder!
And, others who ably find A6/Abbey Hill avoidance routes, e.g. using the World Heritage Site Darley Mill complex as a cut through to Alfreton Rd, will continue making things worse until proper free-flowing main routes are made available.

What is beyond all of us in the Darley Abbey, Duffield Road and Five Lamps areas is that you and the Council’s road planners seem to be unable to link any of our current issues and concerns to the Connecting Derby Scheme. They cannot be linked to anything else can they as they weren’t there before it was dreamt up: likewise for the bus lane trial.

I quote you again. You say, “A return to the old layout would be disastrous giving a sharp upward twist to traffic volumes on this (Duffield) road”. So, where Cllr. is all this traffic going now if it’s not local rat-running?

Road planning for the North side of Derby is in a real mess. Agreed?

Denise, Allestree It was quite a shock to find that a road, which has always been exactly the same for many years, has suddely altered with absolutely no warning; it would have made sense to put a clear notice at both ends that a change in priority and lanes had taken place; why someone didn't have a head on smash at the Broadway Isand is a miracle. But driving in Derby now is like being at Hogwarts school, lanes change at anytime, with no advance notices.
Jenny Williamson, BroadwayI have recently witnessed a pavement cleaner on the same side as St Ben school forcing pedestrians into the road. The cleaner resembling a golf buggy took up the full width of the path near the crossing and i was horrified to see pupils having to go into the lane of traffic to get past. An accident waiting to happen!

Rod Straw, Allestree, I used to cycle along Duffield road fairly regularly before this very dangerous layout was introduced. I now only cycle along the bus lane towards Derby but never on the outward bound lane as it is far too dangerous. We seem to go in for piece meal road development in Derby. Where else does the A38 Trunk Road pass through a city suburbs except Derby? What happened to our inner ring road? I worked for a company in 1970 which had premises compulsorily purchased on the corner of Stafford Street and Uttoxeter Road, for the still elusive inner ring road. Perhaps if we had a bit more joined up and informed thinking we could introduce propper and safe cycle routes, bus lanes and traffic management systems that managed. Who on earth thought a car park in the middle of the ice Factory island was a good idea? It just exemplifies the lack of vision and planning on a bigger scale.

Alf Fullerton, Broadway
Mr Banwait said the scheme was part of the council's plans to reduce congestion. Can I suggest he takes off the blinkers and wake up to the fact that as it is, it is dangerous both to road users and residents. Somebody, somewhere must to take responsibility for any further accidents. Deliveries, taxis and vehicles at St Benedict's building site are causing chaos from time to time, clearly road width is an issue. Reducing the grass verge must be resisted as undoubtedly this will lead to the loss of some trees. Isn't it about time that common sense prevailed and a holistic approach be taken to planning in this city.

Phil, Darley Abbey, I dispute what Chris Wynn says about a reduction in rat running in Darley Abbey. It is simple not true. The problem is as bad if not worse with rat runners speeding through a village where the roads are now more congested due to an increase in cars forced to park in the village. I suspect he is referring to a convenient survey of traffic they carried out while one of the schools was on half term - of course traffic was less! This is another example of the council using only those statistics that support their case. Notice they only surveyed bus users who, surprise, surprise thought the bus lane was good. They studiously avoided surveying residents and car drivers as they would hear something they didn't want to hear. Adding a cycle lane will just make lanes narrower and making it even more dangerous. Admit it Mr Wynn - you got it wrong. The scheme was ill-conceived, badly planned and attrociously implemented but yoiu haven't got the face to admit it, instead flannelling around for any bit of biased evidence that suggests you are the knight in shining green armour single handedly protecting the environment

Akeel Anjam, Kedleston Road
Anyone living on Kedleston Road shouls get behind DRAG in my opinion. If this scheme is allowed to go ahead we are next. There are also two schools on this route and the road is even narrower. This scheme is absolutely mad. Get in theory terrible in practice. Painting a white line on a road is not going to get people on to the buses everyone know this.

Andy, Up the A6 I've used that road to drive to Derby during morning rush hour for the past six years. Before those lights, the traffic flow was absolutely fine - maybe backing up about ten cars at Five Lamps itself as the traffic filtered with that from Keg Rd. How anyone can prefer a situation where there are cars backing up to the Palm Court island a good mile away is absolutely beyond me!

Another Rob, Derby Look, the Duffield road layout forces people to make reckless driving decisions. To ignore this is wrong. Roads should be designed to take the volumes of traffic safely at all times allowing for the safe flow of traffic and resticting the opportunity for dangerous driving. I should know I used to do the job. As an engineer I believe this scheme in this location specifically is dangerous and while it addresses local government targets it is putting lives at risk.

John Allestree
The idea that the bus lane has increased traffic flow is laughable; it stops halfway along Duffield Road creating one bottleneck. Of course you have increased traffic flow when you monitor it during school holidays! You?d do better making sure local kids use local schools! Extra cycle lane fantastic! Shame it can?t go where the road is narrowest! There isn?t any green space and trees to rip up near Ferrers Way. This whole project is dangerous and has created serious access problems for people living there. I?m sorry for the families who are on the receiving end of Derby City, politically correct fundamentalism.

Steven Turnbull, Duffield Road
Maj - accidents that DRAG have listed do not include the incident involving Mr Bucknell and his family. I witnessed his accident and it was brought on by an aggressive driver behind Mr Bucknell who was trying to undertake him as he turned in to his drive. He has an absolute nightmare accessing his property now. To clarify the three accidents listed- Front End Collision outside the Broadway Pub due to insufficient road width. Rear end collision as a car overtook a vehicle making a delivery. Confused driver at Mile Ash lane takes out a cyclist. Hope this puts you in the picture.

Matt Hewitt, Belper
Anyone in any doubt about safety and congestion on Duffield Road should visit at 8am on Wednesday am (bin man day). The scene it quite incredible. Cyclists forced on to the pavement northbound (they won't travel on the road) they weave between school kids who spill over in to the road in front of buses that are virtually travelling on the pavement now. The bus lane backs up to Mileash Lane, the Nortbound lane backs up to Belper Road towards town because of the bin men's vehicle stops all outbound traffic flow and the citybound lane backs up past Saint Benedicts. There are HGV's above the 7 tonne limit making deliveries to the Benedicts School site and the Highfields site on the Broadway. The dangers and congestion are now everywhere. We are not making this up, we have better things to do with our time. Come and see for yourself especially if you children walk to Saint Benedicts. This situation is a time bomb and when it does go off its going to be big! Being a Nimby is a positive thing. If more people care for what was going on in their back yard the world would be a better place. I am surprised Chris Wynn isn't in favor of people caring about their local environment he lives there. Matt, NIMBY and proud!

Judith Suggitt
My Son was involved in an Accident on May the 3rd, he was coming towards Derby in the Bus Lane when he had to brake very hard to stop getting hit by a large landrover. The driver told police he was confused about the road layout and had pulled in to the middle lane he then realised it was in fact the oncoming traffic lane. He became confused, moved to get out of the way and pulled across in front of the cyclist.

My Son suffered face, shoulder ,and head injuries ,he is still getting severe head pain.. He is recovering slowly, but this was an accident that shouldn't have happend. he is a great cyclist and cycled all over Europe. Who ever designed the Bus lane wants to go back to the drawing Board and think again, before more people get hurt.

Steve Lewis
For heavens sake get rid of this madness before a serious accident
occurs. The A6 road is not wide enough to support the width of 2 HGV's and a buswithout contact. The cyclist in the gutter may be you, OR YOUR CHILD.

Colin Chapman
I cycle this route every work day. When cycling North I fear for my
safety. A flat bed lorry or csr towing caravan is what I dread most. If a not to careful driver in too much of a hurry misjudges the speed of a southbound vehicle then that driver will swing left to miss the oncoming vehicle and take me out. What compensation will the Council make to my widow and son for not adhering to lane width guidelines?

Jim Milwain
I visit St Benedicts Derby music centre once a week (Sat). I also drive through, going about my work several times a week (I live in Spondon). I do find the bus lane has created more of an hazard/congestion to motorists than a benefit to bus passengers ie. driving out of Derby along Duffield Rd. if a vehicle in front of you wants to turn right into Darley Abbey village opposite the closed down Post Office this causes queuing back to the Broadway and has happened quite a few times to me. I also think that Chris Wynn's comment that drivers ought excercise a bit of patience is a bit rich. I mean whats happening to the pleasure of driving, these planning and highways nurds are so far removed from reality.

The following are letters/articals published in the Derby Evening Telegraph in April.

COLLISION ON BUS LANE ROAD
09:30 - 28 April 2007
A Car and a van were in collision on a road where a controversial new bus lane has been introduced.

Nobody was hurt in the collision on Duffield Road at 7pm yesterday but protesters, who said the scheme had made the road too narrow and dangerous, said it could have been worse.

Simon Bucknell, a member of Duffield Road Action Group, said: "This happened outside my house on a quiet Friday evening. It shows that accidents are starting to happen now because of the bus lane, which we had warned about."

The lane, which runs between Church Lane and Broadway, was introduced last month.

It aims to improve the reliability of bus journey times into the city, encourage more people to use the bus and reduce congestion.

Cyclists have said they have been clipped by buses because the lanes are not wide enough, while residents have claimed that the new lanes have made it difficult for them to pull out of their drives safely.

The city council is monitoring the bus lane and it will be reviewed in June.

Councillor Chris Wynn, cabinet member for planning and highways, was not available for comment last night

CALL FOR A HOLD ON BUS LANE
09:30 - 28 April 2007
I am in total agreement with people objecting to the bus-lane scheme in Duffield Road.

I wanted to give myself time to review this scheme before commenting but, having watched it, I have made two new observations this week.

Firstly, morning traffic is building up again as people return to the route after media attention has died down, dispelling the myth that the bus lane has improved traffic flow and congestion.

Secondly, I have noticed construction work starting on the St Benedict site. As a result of this, I am seeing a higher number of HGVs on this road.

This week, I have seen massive lorries carrying aggregate overtaking cyclists with inches to spare going towards Duffield.

I also saw a lorry mount the kerb just past Ferrers Way at 10.30am on Tuesday. It simply didn't have enough room as another lorry was occupying the other lane and a minibus was in the bus lane.

Please stop this experiment now and revisit it when the construction work has finished.

Philip Cotteridge,
Cornhill Crescent,
Belper.

ROAD SAFETY A REAL CONCERN
09:30 - 20 April 2007

It was interesting to read D. M. Pratt's opinion (Evening Telegraph, April 13) on the subject of the Duffield Road bus lane which seemed to concentrate on dismissing genuine safety issues with the use of misleading assumptions, i.e. assuming a parked car was that of a resident whose house it was parked outside.

There may well be significant opinion that the bus lane is a good thing and favourable to many, but if looked at objectively I very much doubt if those expressing favourable opinion would disagree that safety is not an issue.

I am not involved with the Duffield Road action group, nor do I live in close proximity to the bus lane. My comments are based on my own perceptions and genuine concerns, and hope that what is an accident waiting to happen will be avoided with action by the council.

I drive along Duffield Road on most days of the week. Whilst in full agreement that bus lanes are a good idea and the use of public transport should be encouraged, I am absolutely convinced that if the Duffield Road bus lane remains (in its present form) it will contribute to serious injury or the death of someone.

Cyclists are at the greatest risk - three times while travelling outbound from Derby over the last few weeks I have witnessed cars having to cross over into the oncoming traffic lane in order to overtake cyclists, due to the narrowness of the lane. On each occasion the cars were only a few inches from the cyclist, and on two of those occasions cars travelling in the opposite direction had to swerve into the bus lane to avoid a collision.

Although it appears that the unfortunate residents of the bus lane stretch of Duffield Road cannot have taxis or deliveries to their houses due to the new double yellow lines, still, on a number of occasions, vehicles have been parked (partially on the pavement) on the St Benedict's side of the road. Again, cars and lorries are having to move into the oncoming traffic lane, and oncoming traffic is having to move into the bus lane.

It's very unlikely that I have witnessed all the near misses.

Before two lanes were divided into three, the width of the two lanes was appropriate for the traffic volume and gave a reasonable margin of safety. Unfortunately, that margin has been replaced by a good idea at an unsuitable location.

Dave Ford,
Derby.

Rod Howell, Ferrers Way
Come on enough talk, lets see some action. Derby City Council have agreed to review things and have said that changes will take place in July. I am sure that they will see sense. It is obvious that DCC cannot keep it in place as it is. I am confident that they will make changes. We are all waiting with baited breath. Lets hope they don't let us down!

Tom Andreas, Allestree
I understand that the conservatives have decided to condemn the bus lane on Duffield & Kedleston Road as part of their local election strategy in the hope that this will get votes from local people. YOU GET MY VOTE!!!! I am so pleased that one of the political parties has seen some sense and has had the bottle to stand up and object to this scheme publicly. I am sure the conservatives like most people want to see public transport improvements but not if it endangers other road users. I hope they persuade the rest of the council (probably Labour) to stop the experiment on Duffield Road shelve the plans permanently on Kedleston Road

P Cotteridge, Derbyshire
I am in total agreement with David's comments re the bus lane scheme on Duffield Road. I wanted to give myself time to review this scheme before commenting but having it watched it ?bed in? I have made two new observations this week. Firstly morning traffic is building up again as people return to the route after the media attention has died down dispelling the myth that the bus lane has improved traffic flow and congestion, and secondly I have noticed construction work starting on the Saint Benedicts site. As a result of this I am seeing a higher number of HGV on this road. This week I have seen massive lorries carrying aggregate overtaking cyclists with inches to spare going towards Duffield. I also saw a lorry mount the kerb just past Ferrers Way at 10.30am on Tuesday. It simply didn?t have enough room as another lorry was occupying the other lane and a minibus was in the bus lane. Please stop this experiment now and revisit it again when the Highfields, Broadway and Saint Benedicts construction work has finished. DCC are not allowing any margin for error and with three schools in this area I believe the risks are too high to continue the scheme. I am sorry bus passengers will loose out but I am sure they would agree that we can?t afford to put people at risk. P.S. The lorries I have seen were also not traveling at the new speed limit of 30mph, in fact few people seem to be abiding by this.

Ryan Poyter
I am a member of Duffield Road Action Group and I have to say that Derby City Council is missing the point completely. It has messed up Five Lamps and is now trying to fix it by putting in a bus lane for 1,000 metres to speed up people who make up the smallest percentage of people using the road. Everyone using the road knows the bus lane has had a terrible effect on safety and facilities in the area. I am now unable to have deliveries to my house without blocking traffic. It is unsafe, impractical and only helps for five hours a week. Let's get this in to perspective. Fix Five Lamps and this issue would be instantly resolved.

Hajinder Rae
This whole thing is madness. I own my own marketing business and this survey is laughable. Also, it's cost Derby City Council £11.60 for each bus passenger to be asked if they think the bus lane is a good idea. What is going on? We know the bus lane is good for bus passengers but it is not good for anyone else. It would be great to say that this scheme is going to encourage people out of their cars, but this is rubbish. Do a survey of other road users and ask them if this bus lane will encourage them out of their cars. That would be a better use of money. I tell you now, though, the answer would be no, for a huge list of reasons, mostly to do with the fact that public transport wouldn't get them to their destinations. Simon the DRAG guy is doing a great job. Power to the people - we are with you 100 per cent on this.

Jenny Eades
I am appalled that the council has wasted money on a survey to tell us what we all have told them - that bus users like the new bus lane! What have bus users done to deserve a right to put their opinions (at our collective expense) when the rest of us are apparently being ignored? Perhaps the council could now find funding for surveys of the cyclists, pedestrians, local residents and other road users who, I suspect, would have very different views on the subject.

Steven Turnbull, Duffield
My wife and I almost had a head-on collision last week. A resident of Duffield Road was having a delivery on the northbound side. We thought we should wait because we couldn't really see what was coming but traffic behind soon backed up and started beeping so we went for it. As we started to overtake we saw, to our horror, a lorry coming very quickly towards us. There was also a taxi in the bus lane so there was nowhere for the lorry to go. We only just made it round the delivery vehicle in time. It was one of the worst driving experiences I have had in 30 years. I have been living in Duffield for 25 years and have never had a problem on this road. People need deliveries on this road. These vans won't fit on drives. This is going to create havoc. If it had been dark or raining, we would have probably been wiped out. Do something now, Derby City Council. When the dark nights come back and the bad weather... well it doesn't bear thinking about!


Anon
The Duffield Road bus lane is great for bus users, but where do cyclists go? I'm not much looking forward to being undertaken by buses and overtaken by cars. And doesn't it make the Mileash Lane junction and Broadway roundabout generally trickier for all road users? Surely, five minutes on a bus journey time is worth sacrificing in order for the highway to be safer for all users?

Geoff Chandler, Darley Abbey.
I was stuck in traffic last night as they closed the A38. The emergency services were forcing people into all sorts of dangers and the road lanes are so narrow. Let's look at the bigger picture and make a full assessment of the road, not just the bus lane. The bus lane may work but Duffield Road does not work any longer. Make changes now before someone is killed!

Anon
The Duffield Road bus lane is great for bus users, but where do cyclists go? I'm not much looking forward to being undertaken by buses and overtaken by cars. And doesn't it make the Mileash Lane junction and Broadway roundabout generally trickier for all road users? Surely, five minutes on a bus journey time is worth sacrificing in order for the highway to be safer for all users?

Hillary James
I Live in Belper and work in Burton. I cannot use the bus to get to work. I don't think anyone is in any doubt that the bus lane works. That is not in question here. What is in question are the problems it has caused regarding safety for people living on and using the rest of Duffield Road. This seems to be the point that everyone keeps missing. Forget time savings, there is a clearly a problem northbound. You can only have a scheme like this if it is safe.

R Butler
There seems to have been a campaign by Trent Barton to save the Duffield Road bus lane from Darley Abbey to Broadway. Outside of the peak period, are there really that many traffic jams that the buses now glide by to produce the claimed results? If the professional bus drivers at Trent Barton would talk about how delays at Five Lamps have altered since the lights were installed in 2002, then that would benefit the public debate about whether or not the bus lane is removed. The lights cause far more delays than traffic north of the Broadway. Perhaps Trent Barton would also tell us how many passengers it has per bus. When the value of "savings" created by bus lanes is calculated, a standard figure of 34 passengers per bus is used; that seems optimistic. It might also be beneficial if Derby City Council would state what the minimum legal widths are for the various lanes on a trunk road like the A6; and which individual accepts legal responsibility if an accident happens should they prove too narrow. Cars pulling out into oncoming traffic to overtake cyclists may be fine on a quiet road but not on one that carries almost 20,000 vehicles a day. I would like to get on my bike and see the resultant chaos; but just at the moment it is probably safer to push it along the pavement.

David Anderson
Although I think the new bus lane is a good idea to reduce congestion, I think the Duffield Road Action Group (DRAG) has a very good point about the width of the lanes. I propose a solution for Derby City Council to consider which should be fine with the DRAG. Why not just widen the road on the Darley Abbey Village side of the road? There is a large grass verge between the pavement and the gardens which could be used to easily accommodate extra road width. If the grass verges belong to the residents, the council could make a compulsory purchase of the land. This would result in less congestion and the wider lanes that DRAG seek.

Here are the latests via DRAG WEBSITE

Steve Bowen
Have you nothing better to do with my Council Tax ???? This Bus lane is extremely Hazardous for everyone who uses this stretch of Road, particularly if like me you’re a Cyclist. Twice Wing Mirrors have hit me & it is only a matter of time before a cyclist is killed & I am not being over dramatic here. Can you imagine a policewoman coming round my house & telling my wife & children, they will never see their Daddy again ?? Spare me the results of your survey of Bus-users as this was yet another waste of my money. What would the results of a survey have been if you had asked; the local residents, cyclists or motorists have been, or better still come out of the office & spend 15 Min's of your time to see what actually goes on this part of Derbyshire. We should get people using Public transport & Cycling but not like this. You could have invested in a Cycle route or encourage Council Employees to use this mode of Transport. Alternatively, perhaps invest some time into the true cause of this traffic build-up, the ridiculous Traffic lights at 5-Lamps & the associated congestion brought about by the lack of vision with the other bottlenecks in this area. Root Cause Analysis rather than chucking money at a problem In short, this initiative is an ill-conceived concept that obviously had little intelligent consideration & you should revert back before someone is killed, then perhaps look at what you can do to encourage green commuting & reduce traffic congestion.

Jimmy Cheun
Turning right out of the road I live on (Church Lane North)is now dangerous than before due to the "central reservation" being removed. It is made worse as the bus lane begins opposite Church Lane North, resulting in a sharp 90 degree turn which on occasions can be very awkward if there is heavy traffic and/or the road is wet. Turning right onto CLN from the A6 is also placing motorist at risk since Duffield Road drivers are directed towards the right at the beginning of the Bus Lane, which increases the risk of accidents for drivers turning right onto CLN

John Barker
I wrote to the council last July advising all the problems you
highlight (and more. I was ignored.

JOHN PARKIN
I want to thank for your opposition to this awful scheme that the Council has put into operation WITH MY MONEY. It is very dangerous. only last light at 111.00pm we were returning home to west bank Avenue from Little Eaton in the ridiculously narrow lane when we approached the Broadway. Several vehicles had been parked on the northbound side so traffic was coming into my lane causing me to swerve. we have just returned from Cornwall hwere they have a similar bus lane system in operation outside Truro - except that between the two car lanes they have a space delineated by dotted lines so it is not so dangerous. One final point - I am an Accountant not a Lawyer, but I would have thought that in the case of an accident on this ridiculous bus lane system we could sue the Council.

Charles Beddington
Its rubbish I have lived in the area for 30 years and have seen more
near misses in the last few months than ever before. Width of roads is a big issue with buses pulling out into the traffic lane to pass cyclists with little regard for other road users they think that now they have this lane they can do what they want.

Will Meredith
I live in Darley abbey and have to join the Duffield road from Mile
Ash Lane. It is unsafe, impractical and sometimes impossible to deal with – especially when trying to enter Darley Abbey via the Duffield Road. It is impacting on excess parking in Darley Abbey. I cannot understand the point of it and would favor a return to the two lane approach.

RW Bowen
The provision of bus lanes makes little improvement to the service and
it is intellectually dishonest for Officers to argue that it is 'the perception that counts'

Richard Long
I am writing to record my serious concerns about the new traffic arrangements on Duffield Road between Church Lane and Broadway. I have used the new arrangements both as a car driver and a cyclist. The particular points I wish to draw your attention to are as follows;
• The northbound lane is so narrow that it is impossible for vehicles to pass cyclists without swerving out into the southbound carriageway. Frequently as a cyclist I have had drivers passing me leaving much too small a gap between me and their vehicle as they try to minimise their excursion into the oncoming flow of traffic. It is only a matter of time before a cyclist gets knocked off and seriously injured or killed.
• I have on a number of occasions witnessed northbound traffic leaving the Broadway roundabout, finding that a bus, car or delivery vehicle is waiting on the northbound carriageway near the pub and swerving wide right into the path of the oncoming southbound traffic. Again, the chances of an accident occurring are high.
You have been warned – when these accidents happen – and they will – you will be responsible.

Eileen Badham
do not like the bus lane at all. The road is not wide enough to
accommodate, bus lane, traffic both ways because of today’s size of vehicle. Please try to get it put back as it was.

Tom Butcher (Cycle Instructor)
The main problem is that the road is now so narrow going out of town - there is a book called Cyclecraft endorsed by the Department of Transport - I am pretty sure that this book would advise riding in the primary position - that is towards the centre of the lane - where a lane is too narrow for cars to overtake a bike safely. This is the advice it gives for so called pinch points such as pedestrian refuges (by Darley Park) where the road narrows - the idea being you "take your lane" and prevent cars squeezing past. However following this advice for the length of the new scheme would inevitably annoy motorists and possibly result in them trying some rather dangerous overtaking - so as a cyclist you can't really win.

Another problem is turning right down Mile Ash Lane - imagine being a cyclist waiting in the middle of the road for a gap with traffic squeezing past on each side - it's just not something that you could expect anyone other than the most confident cyclist to do - and even then it puts them in danger. When you consider there is a school on this road and Derby is a Cycle Demonstration Town - one of only a handful in the country - I think this scheme needs rethinking.

I don't even buy the argument that the bus lane is an advantage for cyclists - I don't fancy having a bus try and overtake me in that lane - and they will - bus drivers are not patient when it comes to waiting behind bikes - again though the DoT endorsed book CycleCraft would recommend the bike ride out and block overtaking - again it's a no win situation - a cyclist either holds up the bus or allows themselves to be squeezed into the kerb.

As a point of information - I think it's Derby Cycling Group rather than club - they aren't actually a club but a group of people concerned with cycling issues. The main clubs tend to be cycle sport oriented - the most relevant to this scheme being the Derby Mercury as we (I am the road race secretary) in Darley Abbey church hall. I shall ask the other committee members what they think about the new lane - they may have no concerns but I'll see what they say.

John Franklin (Author of Cyclecraft)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Consultant in Cycling Skills and Safety www.cyclecraft.co.uk

Thank you for your message. I've looked at your video, which is well produced.

On the face of it, the traffic engineers are trying to squeeze too many lanes into too little space. It's difficult for me to comment too precisely because I don't know the context of the scheme (like how long the affected length of road is, what alternatives are available, etc)

In one direction cyclists would certainly seem to be disadvantaged due to the limited lane width, even if in the other direction they can use the bus lane and may therefore gain additional clearance from most traffic. Incidentally, it's not unusual for buses to have to straddle the bus lane line to overtake a cyclist and not usually a hazard. The best response from cyclists here, as generally elsewhere, is not to ride too close to the kerb to minimise 'squeezing' (motorists typically pass a cyclist with as much room as the cyclist leaves from the kerb), but that may well lead to delays to other traffic and frustration all round.

I can offer to do a professional cycling safety audit should that be useful to you in the future, but at this stage your best chance is
probably by enlisting the support of local councillors and the media.

Frederic Cartier
I live on duffield Rd. As a Keen cyclist and occasional driver, I do experiencethe same sort of troubles you have highligted regarding getting out of the houseonto Duffield road (car) and keeping safe on Duffield road (bike). A part from my personal difficulties with the new road scheme, I do sincerely think it is very dangerous for the pedestrians, cyclists & drivers! This scheme doesn't appear to have been properly thought, there are just not enough room, it is so obvious. Is this even the part of Duffield road where the buses really looses all the time queuing? I suspect it's further down in 5 Lamps!

Andy Adams
Crazy overtaking and undertaking on bus lane. Head on collision
inevitable....

Andrea Langridge
My husband and I live in Allestree with our 2 year old and I am 8
months pregnant. Since the changes have been made to Duffield Road we have seen so many near misses on the road that it has frightened me into travelling this way. I was a passenger in a car accident the last time I was pregnant and fear for it happening again now as this is a route I use regularly. Duffield Road is now very unsafe, we have seen cars doing a lot more than 30mph overtaking all others, using the bus lane and swerving in front of others at the Broadway Island. As for overtaking a bus that’s stopped on the way out of town its impossible! We wish for everybody’s safety for the road changes to be reversed. What will it take before this happens a few serious accidents first? It's shocking.

Peter Goodman
I live on Duffield Road, several doors from the Broadway pub.
Since the changes I cannot pull safely out onto the road in my car and am beeped at almost every day by oncoming motorists. Some cars don’t bother to stop and drive round me into the oncoming lane, forcing drivers on the other side to swerve too. Because it takes so long to pull out of the drive, pedestrians tired of waiting for me to pull out also walk into the road in front of me, again into oncoming traffic. I cannot see any reason for the lane changes because traffic congestion is only after the Broadway roundabout, not on the section of road where the changes have been made. I know this because of the speed the traffic is approaching me every morning from both directions.

Tony & Chris
It will only be a matter of time before the worst case scenario, that
of a fatal head on collision, occurs within this ridiculous setup. To cite a simple example seen on Friday last...delivery vehicle is parked on double yellows outbound from City, just North of old Post office. Elderly lady driving huge Mercededes pulls out wide to pass and into over-narrow oncoming lane. Council Refuse Truck crams on brakes and narrowly misses head on tragedy. It cannot divert into bus lane ,because bus is in it. Luckily this was not outside the school, nor was it at the time when idiot people park on the yellow lines nearby. It could have been worse, oh so much worse. The whole idea is fundamentally flawed and must be reversed.

Paul Cox
Just a line to inform you, I was returning home on Saturday 10th March heading towards Ferrers Way. As I approached the Broadway Island I could see that there were 2 cars parked on the double yellow lines outside the Broadway pub. I saw a car overtake and narrowly miss on coming traffic. When I got home I telephoned the police to report the near miss and suggested someone should urgently visit and ticket the offending cars.

S. Creedon
When travelling towards town and IF a bus goes past (have noticed
they're not too regular) it scares my young son enormously due to the closeness AND the fact that most buses are not adhering to the new 30MPH limit. Also the new lanes have put cyclists heading towards Duffield at great risk - I wouldn't cycle on the road now as it appears far too dangerous!

Charlotte Sproat
I am a sixth form student at St Benedicts, and just having to cross
the road is completely ridiculous. Although there is a crossing, it is much further down the road to where we have been forced to park our cars and having to cross the road at 8.30am is really scary! cars have had to stop for us so that we're not waiting in the middle of the road as our vision is restricted now. Before, we were allowed to park just outside the school which was very convenient for us, but now we are made to park outside peoples houses in darley abbey and this has caused many complaints from the residents. I have no idea why the council think this is a better idea than the previous arrangements.

Rod Straw
The carriageways created by the introduction of a bus lane are too
narrow for safety particularly to cyclists travelling towards Allestree. I felt very intimidated by traffic whilst cycling this route. Traffic overtaking cyclists is a significant hazard to those approaching on the opposite carriageway, particularly if heavy vehicles such as buses and trucks. Also vehicles entering Duffield Road from Ferrers Way and turning left are too close to vehicles travelling on Duffield Road towards Derby. It can only a matter of time before there is a serious accident. Permission would surely not be given buy any authority to construct a new highway of these dimensions and with these inherent hazards.

Poppy Marello
My grandma lives next door to you, and owns a b+b. her guests all have to cram their cars on to one drive, and my grandma has had to pay out to widen her drive so more guests can fit their cars on to the drive as they can't park on the double yellows, which by the way are far too close to the pavement. What is the point in having a one way bus lane for about 1/4 of a mile? Poppy Marello, age 14!

John Turner
Having watched the video, the content of which is self explanatory, I
fear it is only a matter of time as matters are at the moment that a serious accident/fatality is waiting to happen. The council need to give this some serious action sooner rather than later and whilst the claims are "it is speeding up the journey time for buses", it is seemingly compromising safety. I would suggest they look at a traffic calming measure by the use of a flashing electronic speed limit of say 25mph or less at predetermined points as an interim measure until the council make a final decision. I can assure you when a driver sees a speed limit flashing as their vehicle exceeds the prescribed speed limit, it does slow the traffic down. The evidence of this is clear to see on the A6 near Disley on the way south out of Manchester. Unfortunately our roads have now reached saturation point and whilst I'm against a congestion charge, more dialogue with the council/police/residents is of paramount importance. I would hate to say "I told you show" based on my earlier comments. I live in a rural area in Wirksworth and thankfully do not travel into Derby every day but I will be there either Monday or Tuesday of the coming week so I'll be able to see the problem first hand. Hope all goes well.

David J. O'Grady
Put the road back to how it was. Very dangerous now at the junction to Ferrers Way. What a crazy waste of money to create danger and slow traffic down.

Keith Harlow
Hi. As a driver and cyclist I think the bus lane idea is too stupid
for words. The road is quite clearly too narrow. Please ask all the bright sparks who dreamt it up to try cycling out of Derby at 5 o'clock and see how they like it.

P Thraves
Welcome the 30mph especially near a school.
Turning right into the school from the north there have been several time when I have seen cars behind brake sharply not expecting anybody to turn right. Many of these then cut into the bus lane to move round while I wait for a gap. Following a milk float many cars decided not to wait and went in the bus lane to get round. 'Bin' day was interesting, cars coming out of the city not wanting to stay behind the lorry cut out into the south bound lane, forcing cars into the bus lane. Many accidents waiting to happen!

Charlotte Pitman
I find the double yellow lines on Duffield road more than an
inconvenience. My family live on the road and I now have to park a considerable distance if I want to visit them. Walking this kind of distance with a young child is neither practical nor safe. Especially now we have to cross three lanes of traffic. As for the bus lane - is it really necessary?

Tony and Anne
Chris Wynn has said that the buses (whatever they are) on Duffield
Road are now 15 minutes quicker into Derby (YES, 15 minutes quicker with a bus lane of just a few hundred yards long) as they can now undercut the slow moving A6 traffic. Hasn't he also said that the Five Lamps junction is not the cause of traffic hold-ups on the A6? Wouldn't you say there must have been a hell of a hold up on the A6 before the bus lane? - And the cause is .....? Answers on the back of a postage stamp please. So, do you believe him? NO! The council's sole intention is to strangle the road arteries of Derby, squeeze the motorist hard but only suggest a very poor alternative, particularly in our area (One bus an hour in Darley Abbey, if you're lucky). AND, to boot, having done this they succeed in making movement around the area even more dangerous. Makes you want to cry doesn't it!!

Heather Killip
I have just watched your film which is absolutely brilliant and really does show what a major disaster the bus lane is. I read with interest the letter about the possibility of the traffic lights at five lamps having been adjusted if this is the case it would explain the improvement in the flow of traffic on Duffield road in the mornings. A short bus lane cannot possibly be the reason for such a dramatic improvement in traffic flow as there are only a handful of buses using the lane between 8am and 9am, which is when the traffic is at its worst. Please keep me updated by e-mail and thank you for doing such a magnificent job in highlighting all the dangerous problems.

Chris Evans
Simon Thanks for organising a great meeting on Monday. Points well made and I hope positive action will come from it. I watched the bin lorry this morning at 8.20 on the school side emptying bins
and causing problems as cars tried to overtake it in to oncoming middle lane traffic.

David Linthwaite
This development has turned a safe route into a dangerous problem.
Agree with the 30mph limit

Mark Pashley
I cycle every day both ways along Duffield Road and travelling away
from town is now very frightening due to the very narrow lane. Turning right into the cycle path through to Darley Abbey Drive is now more dangerous than it was before.

Brendan Watkins
Duffield Road is an accident waiting to happen. I am absolutely
disgusted with the scheme put in place and the lies told by DCC.

John, Littleover
Absolutely brilliant, So according to Derby, Highway Engineering consists of some line painting! Whenever the politicians talk of people using public transport and reducing car ownership they forget about deliveries and services that houses need. We are now seeing blocks of flats being built - right up to the pavement boundary, with little parking provision, let alone provision for deliveries. I am dreading my first trip up this improved road. Good luck with the campaign

Estelle Johnson
Its now virtually impossible to reverse out of the drive into such a
narrow road. Since the alterations I have heard several motorists using the horn in annoyance when others are trying to get out of their drives. I feelsorry for cyclists who use the road as their saftey is now at great risk whencars try to overtake.

Pauline Vernon
Excellent video Incidentally, I nearly became a 'victim' of
the road at the Broadway Island yesterday. I had moved back into the
nearside lane (as arrows suggest) to drive straight ahead (towards Derby City Centre) - unfortunately, the person in the car behind me didn't realise his 'lane' was to turn right along Broadway, so we ended up in a 'near hit' situation as we both drove straight ahead (he was driving faster than me!). I am glad that Derby City Council have agreed to review it sooner rather than later and can only hope they put an end to this madness soon. Good luck.

Dear Simon,
We attended last nights meeting albeit arriving late, as we could not find where it was within the school, however, better late than never.
We thought your video was very good at showing the situation. I was disappointed by the councils response as to us it seemed that despite what they could see they are sold on keeping the lane in place. Their only concession to the danger is to spend even more taxpayer's money to widen the road. This might help a little in places but cannot be done for the entire length of the problem and the further loss of amenity with the reduction of the grass verge will make Duffield Road, which was until recently a very desirable address into a busy city street with double yellow lines and racing traffic.
I do not know what your next moves will be but I wonder if you should consider leafleting a large area around the Road. We do not live on Duffield Road and only got to know about DRAG by chance, we let others know but they had not heard about it either. If a wider area could be advised of the group, the protest will carry more weight. I know some people in Darley Abbey are interested but only knew about the meeting through me and our area, off Ferrers Way, did not get to know about the meeting unless they had been on the website as we had.
I appreciate all your efforts and I am not criticising just offering what is probably obvious advice. We are still very much against this and you have our continued support and thank you for all your efforts so far.
Good luck and keep us advised and we will turn up, help etc when needed.
Marion Jacque

Mat
No 30 mph signs except 3 "change of speed restriction" signs. Is this not entrapment...? Inadequate signage is no excuse for the road rules and the highway rules but it is a blatant disregard to the road users who are risking points and £ for the privilege.


John Harris
Road is too narrow, dangerous for cyclists, I cycle along Duffield Road to work and have been hit on the elbow by a bus overtaking me. I've been told by the council the onus is on the overtaking driver to keep clear...hhhmmmm... yes great when your sat at a desk! Try it with 30 mph HGV and 2.8 meters of road! The road speed should be 20mph due to the width. There should be no right turns for cars traveling south. Ferrers Way is bedlam.

K.Wragg
As a cyclist I find the bus lane too narrow and dangerous. There is a bus every 15 minutes, which means it benefits about 4 buses during peak time between 8.00am to 9.00am

Steve Huson
When this idiot proposal was put forward in a leaflet last year, I believe that the aim was to reduce morning rush hour traffic through Darley Village. I wrote to Chris Wynn by e-mail in June 2006 to say that in my opinion the southbound bus lane would be nothing short of a disaster. I think that my prediction has proved to be correct!!! If you want a copy of this e-mail please let me know.

C.Cotton
1) Turning out of Ferrers Way towards Duffield is hazardous in the morning since the traffic coming from Duffield is so congested and close that I have to use the pavement at the bottom of Ferrers Way to swing out onto to prevent hitting on coming traffic as the lanes are too close. 2)Very few buses are seen to be using the bus lane, and when it wasn’t a bus lane the traffic was not as congested as it is today because there was still ample room on both sides of the road for cars to overtake and keep the flow of traffic moving. 3)Cars turning off Duffield Road into their own homes are now facing the onslaught of traffic not only in the opposite direction but from impatient drivers behind them who come to a stand still whilst they wait for the resident to turn, previously this was not the case and the traffic continued to flow. 4)Delivery vehicles, bin men and parents dropping children off to school are a hazard or are finding the task impossible. The new scheme has not helped this situation rather just pushed it literally around the corner into Darley Abbey village (this village cannot take more traffic). 5)Crossing the road is a nightmare and with pedestrian crossings being so far apart I have a trek to go with my daughter, the only problem is drivers are using the bus lane as an overtaking lane and are failing to see the red pelican crossing light, How many deaths will it be before this situation is reversed? 6)Perhaps the only good thing is the 30MPH limit which I do agree with being a mother myself but clear signage is not available and surely the lack of signs is a loophole for the police to gain yet more revenue from drivers?

H & J Killip
The installation of the new 'bus lane' is extremly dangerous - we
agree with all your comments. The narrow lanes are particularly dangerous for cyclists. Buses really struggle to safely turn left into Mile Ash Lane and I have also witnesses cars driving side by side (one in the middle lane and one in the bus lane) We live on Duffield Road and use this route to get to work. It does seem to have temporarily eased the queuing - most likely due to motorists using alternative routes to avoid the mayhem. The traffic is already starting to build up again.


Paul Sands
I agree with all the points listed above and, as a resident of Darley Abbey, and road user, both by car and bicycle, I would like to see the changes reversed as soon as possible

Austin Hockley
Getting into or out of Ferrersway. Turning right is very hard. The road is not wide for vehicles to pass when a vehicle is turning right into Ferrersway. Also if a cyclist is coming from Broadway towards Palm court and traffic is coming in the opposite direction it is not possible to pass because the lanes are not wide enough. Also why a 24hr bus lane? How many buses are using it after 10am or at weekends?

V. Lockwood
Absolutely ludicrous - will lead to more congestion at peak times

J.Cotton
I am a daily pedestrian using the A6 between Ferrers Way & Broadway Pub, using the right hand pavement traveling towards Derby. I feel extremely vulnerable with the heavy traffic passing close to me, and have been splashed by standing water from the edge of the road. This demonstrates just how close the traffic is to the curb; it will be soon that a serious accident is going to happen - a direct cause of the recent inclusion of dedicated bus lane.


Stephen Greensmith
The changes on Duffield Road have made it very dangerous.

Alan Williams
Three more thoughts/observations re Duffield Road.
1. The decrease in speed limit from 40 to 30 mph (whilst very welcome) has not, in my opinion, been well publicised. I am a fairly aware driver (3 points three years ago) and I only appreciated the change a good few days after the experimental scheme started. I have seen a sign outside St Benedicts (southbound) and can't say I have seen signs elsewhere. Presumably I have to rely on noticing that a 40 mph sign has been removed from Ferrers Way. Similar circumstance where speeding convictions have been successfully challenged were in the media a few weeks ago and I would also defend a charge.

2. Why does the Bus Lane need to be 24 hour? Surely 7am to 10am weekdays would be fine with the other 21 hours and weekends being available to all traffic?

3. Accepting point two won't alter the road width, could the road be widened by 12-24 inches thereby providing the necessary extra space. How much would residents on the east side of Duffield Road really object if obvious and sufficient safety improvements could be shown? I don't think any of the west side could be encroached on. This could give that extra space to all traffic (especially cyclists) heading northbound. I doubt I'll make the meeting on Monday though if back in time before

Mr T Tillett
1. I believe that until an accident occurs the Council will take no
action! Please petition them to revert back to how it was before as a pro-active action rather than wait until a serious accident occurs and be re-active! The consequences could be FATAL which is too late! The road is just not wide enough
for the traffic ~ and its ONLY BECAUSE OF THE 3 HOURS A DAY Mon> Fri so called rush hour!
2. Our lifestyle has already been affected in terms of where we live (Vicarwood Ave). As a consequence of the road changes there has been a massive increase in people parking their cars along the Vicarwood Ave roadside making it difficult and dangerous for cars to pass through. a. there is an accident waiting to happen be. We have cars parking and doors opening and shutting at all times of the day, whereas before the neighborhood was quiet, tranquil and almost suburban, WHICH IS WHY WE MOVED HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!

Martyn Green
The lanes are too narrow and in my view are dangerous. It won’t be long before an accident occurs. Also i have come across numerous cases of cars still parked outside or near to The Broadway Pub in the evenings. The road is dangerous and causes queues as acres wait to overtake the parked car.

Everett
I would imagine that at rush hour there would be a queue backing down to 5 lamps (i avoid rush hours) it makes life difficult turning right into the village when coming from derby - can't see any point in the bus lane except for rush hour maybe.

Thorsten Sjolin
This does nothing to stop the rat-run through Darley Abbey in the
morning.

CONCERN OVER NEW BUS LANE – DET LETTER Alf Fullerton
People living near the new bus lane on Duffield Road fear it will cause serious traffic problems. The Broadway Action Group has also voiced its concerns. It appears that the council is, yet again, taking action without thinking it through.

WELL DONE FOR AIDING DRIVER
On my way to work, as I stood at the bus stop, I witnessed a potentially disastrous effect of the bus lane on Duffield Road.

A car coming out of town broke down just past the crossing outside the former post office building. Numerous drivers risked causing a major accident by overtaking the stranded car.

I knew that I could not help and was relieved when a Good Samaritan pulled up and began to push the car on to the forecourt of the post office. The occupants of a van also got out to lend a hand. Goodness knows how long she could have waited before the help that she had phoned for came. Well done to the knight in shining amour.
Margaret Summers, Derby.

ROAD IS BIKE DANGER ZONE - Letter from DET

Keith Harlow, Portreath Drive, Allestree.
I AGREE with Peter Hodgson regarding the bus lane on Duffield Road. Sure, cycling into the city centre is better with the new cycle lane ( I think it is also a bus lane but I've yet to see a bus using it ). But the outward journey is now so dangerous I admit I've had to resort to riding on the pavement. Before this, the most dangerous part of my journey was the central refuge on Duffield Road, opposite the entrance to Darley Park, as drivers speed up to get to the narrow bit before me, or brush past me as they are too stupid to realise what is coming up. But the new bus lane has taken danger to a whole new level. So, to whoever is responsible for this, and other crackpot "improvements" over the years, thanks a lot, mate!

NO BUSES OR TAXIS IN LANE - Letter from DET
Peter Ross, Finningley Drive, Allestree.

I Drive along Duffield Road every morning and every evening and so far I have not seen one bus or taxi using the bus lane. Has the council got it totally wrong again?

IN FAVOUR OF THE BUS LANES
John E. Bestwick, Duffield Road,

The Duffield Road bus lane is not just a success for the bus lane but a success for the flow of all traffic and for the convenience of all residents on this stretch of the road. It would be good if a better solution could be found for cyclists but their situation is no worse than on normal single-carriage ways roads.

Jacob Miles, Duffield Road Re ‘In Favor of the Bus Lanes’
I have just read a letter on the DET website which you have uploaded. This guy is the only resident I have seen that is in favor of the scheme. Are there two Duffield Roads in Derby? Surely he cannot be talking about the same one we are. John I bet you have a big drive, wide open spaces, good visibility, enough space for visitors to park on your drive not the road, no need for deliveries or tradesmen to undertake work or enough room for these people as well, no children at local schools, not a cyclist and clearly have no ties or compassion for those living in the community. Good on ya John at least we know where you stand.

REVISE TIMES FOR BUS LANE
Linda Windle, Vicarwood Avenue, Derby.

As usual, in trying to solve one problem another has been created. There is now no parking on Duffield Road. Motorists have to find somewhere else to park, such as the surrounding streets, causing further problems. No-one can deny the advantages of a bus lane. However, must it be 24 hours? Perhaps using it between 7am and 10am could be considered?

Andrew Johnson
The lanes are so narrow that the presence of a bike heading up awayfrom Broadway causes cars behind to be stuck and if the oncoming traffic is heavy preventing safe overtaking then this may lead to impatient drivers taking risks and putting cyclists' safety in danger. And don't even get me started on the hazards to kids at the school...

James Wallace (6th form student Saint Benedicts)
The council recommended students and some staff alike, use the large-ish car park on Darley Park Road. They say it is free, though how long for, is questionable. However, some have concerns over the safety of the car park, plus it is not as convenient as the road. Others use Alstonfield Drive, Allestree. This is convenient (go up the jetty from Broadway pub towards Allestree, past the school and turn left after the bridge over the A38) and legal, however residents got annoyed at the volume of cars, ten on that road when the bus lane came into effect.
I'll get the flyer printed, and it will go in the common room.

Kevin Lamb
We (myself and my wife)agree with all of your coments and offer full support in getting these changes reversed

Thorsten Sjolin
This does nothing to stop the rat-run through Darley Abbey in the
morning.

Matt Siddons, Belper
I have commuted via Duffield road for years and have started to avoid it now because of the bus lane. I am now dropping down to Kedleston Road and have noticed that large volumes of traffic have done the same - is that the plan? move congestion elsewhere - I am sure the locals on Kedleston road are pleased. Also saw the police pull over a car that had dropped off a passenger in the bus lane and indicated to come back into traffic whilst crawling along the bus lane because the traffic wouldn't let him back in - Harsh, drop your passengers in the middle of the road next time eh!

Lorraine
Driving out of Derby, turning right onto Mile Ash Lane means that rest of traffic behind you comes to a standstill - either that or you are rammed! Have taken to cutting through Darley Park Drive to avoid crossins the "double lane". I'm not alone on this. Also the increased number of vehicles parked in the top end of the village must be infuriating for the residents.

Carol Girling
When walking up the Duffield Road today a bus passed so close it terrified my dog. I observed that the bus completely filled the North bound lane. A friend told me today how frightening it is turning north out of Ferrers way. Another friend told of how vulnerable they felt traveling south on the middle lane.

Joanne Seacombe
comments: I work on Kedleston Road which joins onto Duffield Road. The Duffield Road scheme has greatly increased the time it takes me to get to work. I am concerned also as I am aware of an incident two weeks ago where a boy was knocked off his bike. This incident has been attributed to the increased volumes of traffic queuing.

Dave Marriott
Ill-conceived, unnecessary, irresponsible, and dangerous!

david parsonage
Just returned from holiday (13th March) to the most dangerous and quite frightening traffic experience,travelling along such narrow lanes with large vehicles coming the other way is unnerving, I have often cycled along Duffield Rd, but will not do so again until this dangerous scheme has been reversed.( I saw a poor cyclist today that had a van pass him with about a foot to spare, you couldnt blame the van, there just wasnt any more room) The other comment which has been made particularly for residents between Broadway and St Benedicts is also relevant for residents up to Ferrers Way,- I cannot pull into the Northbound flow without entering the City Bound traffic and then arching back into the nearside lane.

Jim Potter
I live on Duffield Road just north of St Benedicts school and am very unhappy with the recent changes. I have a driveway 2 cars long, end to end, and I used to be able to shuffle cars around by parking outside my own house. I bought this house about 3 years ago and feel really aggrieved that we now have to park miles away just to enter/exit. Shall I send the Council the bill for laying a new driveway? I also have to back out onto the pavement to line up and see oncoming traffic, thereby obstructing the pavement and potentially not seeing pedestrians whilst doing so. Of course I also agree with the rest of the sentiments on the website - deliveries are now very difficult. Fortunately I had my extension done last year, otherwise where would the builders have parked/taken deliveries? I do believe all of this is likely to devalue my property, so who picks up that bill? Last but not least, we have 2
children (4 and 2) and I worry about their safety on this road now; we walk them to school at Walter Evans and even with the crossing near Ferrers Way I feel that the new layout could cause dangerous driving. I would much rather see cameras or other speed calming measures - I regularly witness traffic (including emergency services) travelling at 70mph plus along this road.

Bill Treddenick
comments: I have written to the DCC Transport Planning team asking that the bus lane is suspended while they re-evaluate the safety of the scheme. Putting the matter of effectiveness to one side (and I don't mind buses generally having priority), my big concern is safety for cyclists and other road users. I have observed three events that could easily have ended up with an injury or loss of life. (1) As cars travelling outbound are held close to the kerb, there is restricted forward vision on the nearside. I have observed a car and a delivery van swerve out of the lane sharply as they've come to the back wheels of a cyclist. (2) Similarly, only the smallest of cars turning northbound from Ferrer's Way can do so without infringing into the City bound carriageway. (3) I met an articulated lorry coming north bound, and had a bus on my nearside. I was forced to brake as the lorry was having real problems keeping within the lane. I believe that the transport planning team need to urgently re-evaluate their risk assessment. The principle is fine, but without the investment of increasing the carriageway width (which brings with it yet more risks for pedestrians crossing the road), the road is just not wide enough.

Pauline Vernon
I am affected by these changes as both a pedestrian, who is scared that someone will swerve into the pavement to avoid an oncoming HGV in a too narrow lane, and as a driver who lives in the area. My sympathies extend to those with double yellow lines outside their houses and I would suggest that not being able to have workmen park their vehicles outside or deliveries made safely will decrease the value of their homes. I do hope they will be applying to Derby City Council for a reduction in their Council Tax to compensate them for this! As I walk through Darley Abbey each morning I have noticed an increase in traffic (cutting through Church Lane) using Darley Abbey as a rat run to try and bypass the A6. This is an already congested area at peak times due to the siting of the two schools within the village. I hope you managed to get it reversed.

anon,
I work for the emergency services in derby and having undertaken a blue light drive along this route,it is at best ill conceived and downright dangerous,there will be accidents

Jon, Swanwick
I had the misfortune to have to travel down past the bus lane yesterday just before lunch time so during a quiet period. Still, who ever designed it seriously needs to be shot. Far too narrow for buses and is bound to course problems both directly on the A6 and the surrounding area. Don’t know if anyone has noticed but there are huge stretches of pavement which could be used to extend the road both for buses and cars. I know local residence would not be happy but the Council will get crucified if there is a serious accident which is attributable to their pathetic attempt to introduce a bus lane.

Nicola
I live in Darley Abbey and work in Castle Donington (Donington Hall). Driving to work is my only option. I'm sure many others are in the same situation, so this can't possibly encourage us to use public transport.

Max
This is making congestion even worse which in turn is doing more environmental damage which everyone seems to be so concearned about at the moment. Derby is expanding rapidly and the road network is falling apart. It takes me an hour to do a 12 mile journey 2 a day. using the bus is not feasable for me as it would involve a 2 mile walk and 2 bus changes costing nealy treble what my weekly petrol bill is and taking about the same ammount of time. When is the council going to realise they need to increase the road network in line with all the increase in businesses on pride park and in the town centre. Instead of patching up the old roads something drastic needs to be done. Which no doubt will end up costing hard working individuals another chunk of cash on top of all the various obviuos and stealth tax's we already pay.

Revd.Canon Christine Dyer
1. When visiting parishioners it is difficult to find houses - you
cannot stop to read numbers (others needing to visit e.g. doctors, deliveries will presumably find this)It is then difficult sometimes to park anywhere near.
2.The lanes are very narrow -I have already had near misses with large vehicles traveling in the opposite direction
3)It is dangerous overtaking cycles traveling out of Derby.
4 The double yellow lines will make parking for our usual parish events held at homes on Duffield Road almost impossible
4 Turning right out of Mileash Lane is even more difficult than it was before.
5.I am a supporter of public transport and cycles but how much time is actually gained by buses in the bus lane which disappears anyway at Broadway?

The following few letters were published in the Derby Evening Telegraph 08, 9th, 10th March 2007


LINES ARE NOT HELPING TRAFFIC
B. Summers,Ferrers Way,Allestree
I CANNOT understand the logic of the council department which thinks that painting white lines on Duffield Road will result in easing the bottleneck that has been experienced for years at Five Lamps. On the contrary, this will create more mayhem. Already motorists are using Allestree Lane and Quarndon as a quicker alternative to reach Five Lamps - not that I mind - it should ease the rat-run in Ferrers Way, where I live.


IT'S NOW JUST A NIGHTMARE
Virginia Gandola-Gray, I Live on Duffield Road, and the new road layout is a nightmare for me. I can't get out of my drive without a near-accident. I have two small children, and I am really worried that having to go over two lanes, each in different directions, is going to end in a serious crash. I like to walk to school with my three-year-old to pick my daughter up. This is now a really scary route, as buses and large vehicles are inches away from us. I also have no parking for friends and family when they visit with babies and children. Where will they park now?


RETHINK PLEA ON BUS LANE Marian and Roy Lidsey, Darley Abbey. We write to express our concerns about the bus lane that has appeared on Duffield Road. The congestion, traffic hazards and accident black spots it will cause are mind-blowing - for example, those getting out of Ferrers Way towards the city in the morning rush hour. The single lane towards Allestree will be jammed itself when buses stop at the bottom of Ferrers Way, which will cause more congestion on Ferrers Way itself. There is also a lot of traffic movement on to Ferrers Way from Allestree. It should be remembered that a lot of the commuters into the city in the rush hour in the mornings work at schools all over the city. It is just not possible for them to use public transport and be at schools on time. The difference in traffic volumes in school holidays makes this very evident. Those in authority say use public transport, but the cost of the fares go up at the same time. To the Lords of the Roads, we say think again whilst there is time.

BUS LANE ROAD TOO NARROW
Peter Hodgson,Portreath Drive,
Recently, when cycling along the new northbound lane on Duffield Road, I was acutely aware of the closeness of overtaking vehicles. The gap between them and myself was well below what is reasonable; it was a far from comfortable ride. The following day, as I was driving to Derby along Duffield Road, I had to brake suddenly because an approaching large van swerved into my path in order to overtake a cyclist. These experiences confirmed my initial impression that the lanes are simply not wide enough for the safe movement of traffic. There is little margin for error on the part of a driver or cyclist and only a slight misjudgement or unintended movement caused by the road surface or cross wind could result in a serious accident. I believe that the width of Duffield Road is well below that required by the Department for Transport for a bus lane. What on earth are the traffic engineers thinking of? Surely safety should be paramount in their deliberations? This trial should be abandoned forthwith on the grounds of safety. We don't need a period of 18 months to see how it works. Its defects are only too plain to see now.

CRAZY LANES A REAL DANGER - Alan Baseley
1 reader has commented on this story. Click here to read their views. I Suggest that the people responsible for the new bus-lane markings in Allestree act very quickly in order to avoid a serious accident. I was driving into town and, on seeing the bus lane, I pulled out into the general traffic lane which runs down the centre of the road. Another motorist was coming out of town and assumed that he could use this central lane in order to turn right (there is only a dotted line separating the general traffic lanes). We were heading for a head-on collision. I couldn't pull left into the bus lane because cars were using it. Luckily, the other motorist saw me in time and pulled back in. I hope the authorities take notice before someone is seriously injured. How can officials come up with something as crazy as this?

LANE DESIGN IS ILL-CONCEIVED
A.J. Marello,

I am writing to express my displeasure at the changes that have taken place to the lane design in Duffield Road, Derby.

When and where were these plans announced?

On visiting a relative, instead of being able to park safely outside and not impede traffic flow, I now have to pull over two lanes of traffic to reverse up the drive or, very dangerously, reverse out into two lanes of traffic. And I do not want to have to catch four buses to make a visit.

The nature of the houses on this stretch of road means that they are often occupied by a number of people. To accommodate extra cars for visitors, the owners will have to provide hard standing. If the council was hoping to gain "green" points for this scheme, surely this is going to be counteracted by the loss of garden areas.

Traffic turning right into Darley Abbey now stops the flow, meaning that all the cars are on and off the accelerator. We all know that this is the most polluting sort of driving.

There were several near-misses when cars crossed the path of buses at the end of the bus lane. This design will inconvenience hundreds of people. People have started to park on grass verges and traders are unable to park. Will this really make the bus journey into Derby so much better?

Comments via Duffield Road Action Group continued....

Trevor Easingwood
I agree with all the points included in this note. Particularly awkward now are right turns into Ferrers Way (from Duffield direction) and Mile Ash Lane (from the city centre). The single lane from the city obviously makes for difficulty for dropping off and collecting from Ralph Sherwin. However also traffic is held up behind buses when they stop along that stretch to drop/collect passengers. The lane is quite narrow so cyclists in that lane also result in some overtaking problems for bus and car drivers.

I am in favor of allowing buses a quick passage along their routes, but I don't see that they gain very much advantage over that stretch. Perhaps they do so in a morning during the period when school runs are taking place - but how many buses are there heading to the city centre between 8.00 and 9.00? For the rest of the day they cannot gain more than about a minute over that stretch so just what is the point of the whole exercise?

Mark Richardson
It was interesting to read your comments on the access from Mile Ash
Lane. I got a fixed penalty ticket last week because I briefly entered the bus lane when trying to access the traffic lane because I could not get straight across due to the amount of traffic. I am considering appealing the decision

Amanda Marello
Dangerous narrow lanes. Unclear signage. Any "green" points gained by
getting more people on buses (I think not) are wiped out by people now having to tarmac over their gardens to provide parking for visitors. people now using side roads to pick up from the school, more pupils crossing a busy road. Buses now move faster in the lanes (speeding?)making it dangerous for cyclists.

Mrs J Allgood
All three lanes are to narrow. Buses stopping outside the Broadway Pub (outgoing) causing blocking of the island and creating backlogs. Also very dangerous at busy periods turning into Mile Ash Lane and again causing congestion

Selina Ahmed
Travelling to work last week and today was a nightmare. I find these new changes to the road essentially more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists

Joanne D
1. My first concern was that the new bus lane will make the "Rat Run"
that already exists through Darley Abbey even worse as people will be usingChurch Lane and Mileash Lane to avoid Duffield Road. This makes it verydangerous with the increased flow of traffic, often exceeding the speed limit,for the children of the Old Vicarage School who are either being walked to school of dropped of by their parents, plus the children of Walter Evans School. This in turn affects the residents of Darley Abbey including my family, making it more difficult to drive out of the village when commuting to work, etc.

2. When travelling up Duffield Road towards Derby in heavy and slow moving traffic, whereas before it was possible to overtake the queue of traffic in order to turn right into Ferrers Way, we now have to wait in the queue of traffic.

3. Coming out of Derby and along Duffield Road, wherever there is a bus stop and the bus stops this means that traffic behind the stopped bus is held up until the bus moves on.

4. Turning out of Mileash Lane in busy periods now very dangerous. You have to pull out into the bus lane in order to then be let into the middle lane,otherwise you would just never get out. Then if you want to turn right at broadway Island, hereas before the majority of traffic that is going into Derby would be in the left hand lane, it was possible to get into the right hand lane and overtake the waiting traffic.

5. During quite periods of the day, when I have been travelling towards Derby, after the bus lane has finished I have pulled into the left hand lane to go straight on. You would naturally think that the right hand lane would be to turn right into Broadway, but I have been cut up by somebody in the right hand lane when they have decided to go straight on into Derby too. This is probably due to the fact the lanes have not been marked at all when you get to the junction at the island. Typical of the council to do half a job and not think through the road markings properly.

6. Where are all the buses that are supposed to be using this bus lane? I have only seen one bus using the lane since it came into effect last week. It is not like Nottingham Road in Chaddesden where you see a buses at least every five minutes and therefore the bus lane is warranted. Plus that bus lane does not case any inconvenience in its location like the one of Duffield Road, and there was enough road space in Chaddesden to accommodate it.

At the end of the day I think that the real reason for the bus lane being put in place, is that some idiot at the Council has sat down and said "Where can we waste yet even more tax payers money?" and they did not think through the consequences as they would surely have realised that the negative points of the bus lane and I cannot think of one benefit to anybody.

Well done to the council. They are steadily increasing the pollution in Derby. This bus lane is the most recent contributor, the installation of traffic lights at King Street/St Alkmonds Way being another, and how can we forget the increased congestion as a result of the installation of the traffic signals at Five Lamps.

I could go on a whole lot longer of many more negatives of the Duffields Road bus lane, and just hope that "DRAG" gets the bus lane reversed. I am sure that they will, as the council will jump at the chance to waste some more money putting back the original road markings. When they do perhaps they could put in a place where people could safely cross Duffield Road at the Broadway Island, next to the Broadway Pub.

Bruce
I had yesterday Saturday 10th. Heading in to Derby along Duffield Road by car in the middle lane. As I approached the entrance to Church Lane by the old Post Office, a taxi pulled in front of me head-on. I braked to a stop and he moved out of he way. Both he and his passenger waved angrily at me as though I was in the wrong. They were obviously confused by the zigzags! As I approached this place from town later, I saw how easy it is to make the mistake. If I hadn’t slowed down, there would have been an accident.

Michael Allgood
An extremely poorly conceived idea. This scheme does nothing to aid congestion. It clearly puts ALL road users in danger.

Dee Maxwell
While driving home from Belper towards Derby on Wed 28th Feb at 3.10,I had a near collision with a double decker bus. The bus was overtaking parked traffic on the double yellow lines outside St Benedicts school as were many other vehicles. It was an extremely dangerous situation as one lane was being used for traffic going in both directions. Although I sympathise with parents and their parking problems, it made me think of the other hazards that these lines will cause. Already I have witnessed impatient drivers overtaking buses when they stop going towards Belper and impatient drivers moving quickly into the bus lane towards Derby when traffic stops to allow vehicles to turn left into Ferres Way. Only this morning I was pipped at and given a rude gesture when stopping to turn right into my own drive. Although in principle we have to encourage people to use public transport, the situation on Duffield Road is an accident waiting to happen.

B.Warburton
As a pedestrian, walking towards Derby along Duffield Road every day, I feel very vulnerable to traffic. On the first day of the new lanes I was drenched by a tarmac lorry driving with its wheels in the gutter, only inches from the kerb. The standing water, together with the proximity of all cars presents a hazard to pedestrians. Buses and vans drive with their wheels on the yellow lines towards the A6…as indeed I do when driving, if there is traffic coming in the opposite direction. There is no margin for error…I saw a car swerve away from the kerb as the driver lost concentration for a few seconds. Turning left into Duffield Road towards the A6 is a problem by the pedestrian lights as cars need to go slightly into the oncoming lane to perform the manoeuvre. Cyclists travelling towards the A6 cannot be overtaken in safety as they ride up to a third into the new lane (due to its narrowness). The speed limit of 40mph was always too fast and should have been reduced long ago! Some buses travelling to St Benedicts from A6, drive in the ‘car’ lane if there is heavy traffic because it is too difficult to cut across from the bus lane. Motorcycles are unable to by-pass queues and have to join the queue thus increasing its length. Turning left onto Duffield Road from Mile Ash Lane is tricky, as the bus lane needs to be crossed and queueing traffic is not as gentlemanly as it used to be! Parking to drop our children off and pick up from St Marys school has been made more hazardous. We have to park at Darley Park and cross three roads..previously we parked on Duffield Road within easy access of school. As an employee of St Benedict School, I have noticed an increase in pressure for parking spaces on the grounds following the yellow line introduction

Anonymous
I was stuck behind a bus picking up for ecclesbourne school outside the broadway for nearly 5 minutes one morning completely blocking the one and only lane available - traffic into town made it impossible to pass and consequently the tail back down duffield road into town soon accumulated - the scheme is ridiculous - someone in planning please get a brain

Duncan Spencer
The refuge for motorists turning right into Church Lane North has been narrowed. The effect of this is to mix stationary traffic turning right with very high speed traffic jostling for position where the bus lane starts.


Andrea and Nic Merriman
Turning in and out of Thatch close is now more dangerous than before. With bus stop opposite we cannot turn at all until the bus has moved on. Walking to school, traffic and buses are forced particularly close to curb towards the crossing, making it extremely unsafe. Traffic lanes are too narrow. Buses are travelling too fast and too close to the curb. Coming out of city it is frequently blocked by traffic at St Benedicts, or others turning into driveways. In theory a good idea, but why 24 hour, why only half completed, surely cameras, plenty of 30 mile signs, another crossing etc would make it safer.

Alan Ward
comments: The road seems inherently more dangerous for pedestrians after the change, and for cyclists travelling north.

Chris Wynn Has just mentioned the lightness of the traffic. If that is the case why is there a bus lane in the first place? This whole scheme does not add up?
John Andrews

B.Coxon
I am not opposed to the no parking on Duffield Raod and am delighted by the 30 mph speed limit which should also be extended to Broadway. The Bus Lane is absolute nonsense and should be removed. Keep up the good work

Ian and Sheila Forster
Bus lane only assisting bus movement 8-8.30 am on weekdays why all day and week? People leaving their drives on the east side are in danger of being wiped out by buses


Graeme Titchener
Since the changes were made, the three lane system is highly dangerous and disconcerting when large vehicles are coming in the opposite direction. It is only a matter of time until a head on crash happens. The bus lane idea is ridiculous and causing even more congestion that before at busy times. Coming out of Mileash lane and getting to the Broadway roundabout to turn RIGHT has at least been manageable until now.

Whoever thought up this plan and wasting our money should be shot. I am not aware that any consultation took place to take our views into consideration? The sooner the old road system is back in place the better.

M.Gorman
Saint Benedict School has 30 pupils with sight impairments. Many of these children are given mobility lessons. To date these have been carried out along Duffield road so that children can learn to use the crossing to negotiate their way across the road. This is now unsafe. The narrowness of the lanes means that large vehicles have to drive so close to the pavement that blind pupils waiting to cross would be in danger.

F Morris
It seems very dangerous for bicycles on the way out of town as there is no way to overtake safely.

Ann Muldoon
Extreme danger to all traffic and cyclists the road is now to narrow. Motorists having to mount curb to avoid collisions.

Andrew Wood
Hi, as a cycle rider I am risking my life now on my way to work at St Benedicts School. The road is now to narrow and hectic to safely cycle on. Also as a road user the lanes are too narrow and I feel and accident is around the corner.

Joanne Thorpe
I am concerned for the safety of my daughter. Crossing the Mileash Lane junction on foot is dangerous enough with a pushchair, I am now worried about the traffic traveling up Mileash Lane to the junction with Duffield Road but also three lanes of traffic traveling along Duffield Road. I also have concerns about entering and exiting my driveway on Duffield Road which I am sure is felt by most residents. The width of the road seems very limiting to bike users and my family will no longer feel safe riding bikes along the road, this surely goes against Derby City Council's policy to try and find more sustainable ways for residents to travel. Overall my family is very concerned about a permanent bus lane being put in place and will be happy to support any group trying to persuade for this not to happen.

Chris McDermott
I have a disabled son who is also registered blind. His normal day is to walk down to St.Bendicts entrance on Duffield road where my wife waits to collect him. He is comfortable and has been doing the same routine for years. Now he has to wait in the bus bays until my wife collects him, which we feel puts him in more danger with buses and taxis flying by. There is now major chaos everyway surrounding st.benedicts school and a serious accident is waiting to happen.

V. Neild
The main problem I have noted is the increase in volume of traffic near both Saint Benedict and St Mary's because of cars trying to turn right into Darley Abbey in the mornings. Where before traffic could pass by, now there is no space and the queues lead to frustration, and pupils are struggling to cross the road. Also when cars are dropping students off at school they have nowhere to do so without holding up traffic. Over this week I have seen one bus using the bus lane while I have been on that stretch of road so it isn't being of much use!

Natasha Wood
Parking around the Bank View Road area will get worse as people cannot
park on Duffield road. The whole scheme is ridiculous, there is not enough space for 3 lanes and it will cause chaos generally

Lesley Rose
As a teacher at St Benedict I have seen at first hand the danger our young people are in at the end of the school day. The changes have made Duffield Road almost impossible to cross. I travel to work on public transport and it is a miracle that no one has been killed when traffic coming from Derby is in the wrong lane off the Broadway Island and meets on coming traffic. I have seen this happen three times in 4 days.

Caroline Bucknell
I live on Duffield Road and I'm completely outraged at the lack of thought that has gone into the safety implications of these changes. These changes have changed our lives and the lives of people in our family. Due to the access problems off Duffield Road we are literally risking our lives when we exit and enter our property as we are forced in to lines of on coming traffic. This has affected our child care, house renovation, landscape garden development and even getting the roof fixed as no tradesman can park their vehicles legally outside our house anymore. They are turning the work down due to the double yellow lines. The three lanes now squeeze the traffic further over on to the outside of the road (we live on the derby outbound/broadway side). The traffic is now so far over now that large vehicles (van size upwards) are traveling along the double yellow lines inches away from pedestrians. We have stacks of video evidence of this. As St Benedicts is planning major redevelopments and residential building is due to take place in the area we are expecting an increase in heavy industrial HGV traffic which is so terrifying we may have to explore legal action. Hopefully DCC will see the light. For us this is a matter of life and death literally with two young children this has to change. To demonstrate we are not over dramatizing the situation we have invited Adrian Astle, to our house. He is going to try to get on and off our drive. I’ll keep you posted on the outcome. I am sure Adrian, , Jonathan Guest, Chris Wynn, Tony Gascoigne, Gordon Lunn and the rest of the team do not want to see anyone hurt. It is clear there has been an error of judgment here and we hope they are professional enough and sensible enough to do the right thing. We will soon see.

Carol Girling
The introduction of double yellow lines outside my Guest House will
have far reaching implications for my business. Access in and out of my premises is constant with visitors from all over the British Isles seeking accommodation at my establishment. We often have to manoeuvre cars in and out of the drive and need the road to facilitate this. Additionally potential customers will be unable to park outside when making enquiries. Chris Wynn talks about traffic volumes growing and bringing ever greater congestion and pollution to our city. How does the City Council square this with the thousands of extra car parking spaces being created on the Westfield site. Something does not add up here! The Duffield Road alterations are an obvious ploy to dissuade car users from travelling to the city centre.

Kevin Reilly
I am very concerned about this new scheme and would like it reversed immediately. I have already seen the following issues which were extremely dangerous.

1. A car was parked on the new double yellow lines on Duffield Road facing the palm court and all the traffic started to overtake and then brake when they saw all the cars heading towards them from Duffield

2. A car was trying to turn right into mileash lane and moved into the middle lane to allow other traffic to pass on the inside and then saw all the traffic coming towards them from Duffield and had to move sharply.

3. I saw a bus travel down the new bus lane and because a resident was trying to turn into their drive suddenly pulled out into the middle lane - which gain was very dangerous.

If we have these problems now it will be much worse when it goes live. I ask you to reconsider urgently

Tony Jacobs
The new road layout is simply dangerous. Previously the road was wide enough for the many buses, coaches and lorries that used it each day - now it isn't. After experiencing a near miss today as a result of a coach trying to pass an obstacle in its lane, I will have to use a different route. What planet is the council on?
Ann Muldoon

Extreme danger to all traffic and cyclists the Road is now to narrow.
Motorists having to mount curb to avoid collision

Faye Jones - resident
We live on Haslams Lane and believe the problems caused by the new bus lane will make even more motorists entering Derby at peak times turn off through the village and use our route as a rat-run. Morning and evening our Lane is already one continuous stream of traffic taking short cuts - most of whom are not residents. Any extra traffic over the toll-bridge is to be avoided at any cost; it is already carrying more traffic than it was ever intended to. Why can't Benedict School cars park within their own grounds? If they do not have enough room then they should take steps to provide more.

Andrew Wood
Hi, as a cycle rider I am risking my life now on my way to work at St Benedicts School. The road is now to narrow and hectic to safely cycle on. Also as a road user the lanes are too narrow and i feel and accident is around the corner.

Peter Grundy
How many buses are actually affected by the congestion along Duffield Road during peak traffic hours? What is going to happen when a cyclist is in the bus lane at busy periods and the bus cannot get past? Can you invite the councilors and those that agreed to this scheme to cycle from the Broadway roudabout to the Parm Court roundabout during rush hour to see how it feels for a cyclist with traffic passing inches from them (most doing more than the speed limit?

Dave Sterland
After a friend who lives on Duffield Rd informed me of her concern
over the bus lane, I had a look for my self, I saw two cars parked on double yellow lines and this did cause a restriction because of the reduced lane size. Whilst I can see the benefits of bus lanes, I consider a bus lane on this route to be unsuitable, could the bus lane not be part time to cover busy periods. I think this would be a benefit to all affected.

Peter Steer
I have been bombarding Cllr Wynn and the Allestree & Darley Ward councilors on the impossibilities of the bus lane and its dangers to life and limb. It seems that the opinion of 740 bus passengers taken in some kind of poll weighs more heavily than considered objections (in my case 4 A4 pages)

Sarah
I actually work at the school (not a teacher, I work for Derby Music Centre and we rent an office within the school) - I also have a daughter at the school, and for safety reasons we are not allowed to drop children within the school grounds because of the large number of school buses etc. Up until now, parents have been able to drop children off outside, but now there is nowhere safe to stop. One of the big issues is that the Council have a ruling that the school buses can only transport children with a bus pass specific to that bus - that means if at any time one child stays at another child's house, they cannot get the school bus and have to be taken by car. I personally have this issue on a weekly basis, and living in Chaddesden it isn't feasible for the children to walk or cycle to school. Currently I drop them on Broadway, but this means having to stop in the restricted zone, along with many other parents.

I have so far been lucky (and smart enough to set off earlier for work) that I have been able to get one of the last few parking spaces at the school. If I were to find all the spaces taken, I would end up having to hit the queue outside the school, and try to find a residential street nearby. I'm fairly certain this must already be happening with other visitors to the school, adding to the congestion on the smaller side roads.

This evening, traveling back to the school for our regular Thursday evening session, I had to overtake a pushbike into the oncoming traffic coming down the middle of the road, while the bus lane was completely empty!

I know for a fact that the school has received a large number of complaints from parents and visitors. The whole idea has been ill thought out, and while Chris Wynn insists that all local residents were consulted, I certainly received nothing as a parent of the school - obviously the school wasn't considered important enough to be included in the consultation, despite the issue affecting the 1500 kids/staff/parents etc. Please feel free to use my comments - lets just hope public opinion is actually taken into account and this ridiculous scheme is ended quickly!

Matthew Neville, Chaddesden
I Drive down Duffield Road towards Derby every day on the way to work. I turn off after a while and go up Ferrers Way. I used to overtake up the inside of all the queuing cars to get to Ferrers Way and this saved me a lot of time. I know many other motorists who did this, too. But now there is not enough room to do it any more. There will be so much congestion as a result. Why should bus users get preferential treatment? Motorists pay more money to the government than bus users do.I realise this is another ploy to get us to use our cars less. If I decide to use the bus, will the Government give me a rebate on the car tax I've paid?

J & F Peat
Concerns entering & exiting the property into very tight streams of traffic especially during rush-hours being adjacent to bus stop and publichouse. Also no on-road parking for visitors (friends, family, patients & services). Especially concerned about the dangers to cyclists traveling out of town who are hedged in on all sides by vehicles because of the narrowing of the lanes, unlike cyclists on opposite side of the road who may make use of the empty bus lane into town. This bus lane being kept empty for 24 hours a day despite congestion being a problem for two hours on weekdays only. The other two narrowed lanes being a danger every hour of the week. Today is the first Sunday after the changes came into being last weekend. At 11.30am a violent crash was heard; one car entering the pub car park was struck at the rear by another passing vehicle due to lack of space. Both drivers and one passenger very shocked and at least one car considered a write-off.

Pauline Haslam
Concerns about parking when the Trefoil Group meets at her house - approx. six to eight people cannot all be accommodated on her drive.

L. Turner
the problem I have with it is that I pick up my
daughter from St benedict's school and it's madness- there is nowhere to pick
her up from! The Broadway pub car park has signs up saying no school parking and
a lot of the parents from St Mary's school park there anyway. She is in sixth
form and will be hoping to pass her test soon and get a car and will be another
person trying to park in Darley Abbey/Allestree!
All I can say is thank goodness I don't live in the area and after June won't
have to go anywhere near it!

Lydia Gretton
I agree with all the comments re the potentially dangerous
situation/accident waiting to happen, how to turn across two narrow lanes of traffic moving at different speeds? All the points about pedestrians are accurate and in fact more congestion has been generated as those wishing to turn right down Broadway cannot filter through. Since the scheme started the congestion has increased; wasn't the opposite the desired effect?

Alexandra Slater
I work at St Benedicts School, which has been negatively affected by
these changes in my opinion

R Hughes
Very unsafe for cyclists, difficult for cars to pass

Ian Coper
This bus lane makes no sense at all and will hardly encourage car drivers to get on a bus for such little benefit smacks of local government reacting to national targets with ill thought through actions

C. Johnson
the lanes are now far too narrow, this is a hazzard for larger
vehicles and an accident waiting to happen. I feel it also a danger to st
Benedict children trying to cross the road, 3 lanes here is unsuitable

Jean Sands
This has clearly had a severe impact, on what was already a very congested road, on the movement of traffic on Duffield Road. Coming out of the city, should you be unfortunate enough to end up behind a bus, you cannot overtake, and have to stop constantly, which is dangerous, and will lead to people trying to overtake.....Clearly, this is a road, which 'houses' Saint Benedict's school, so safety to school children on this road, has to be of added concern. If you consider the amount of drivers inconvenienced by this, and the amount of bus users (who presumably were inconvenienced by late buses), the numbers must differ greatly...so the changes affect the majority, to assist the
minority.

Simon Edmunds
Just nearly had a head on collision with someone going north down the middle lane!

J.Malone
Car lanes are too close to each other and cyclists on the opposite
side to the bus lane have no room. I have witnessed 2 near accidents involving them this week. Trying to turn right out of your drive if you live on the Saint Benedict side of the road is virtually impossible as you have to cross two lines of traffic. Refuse collection day on a Wednesday morning was a nightmare as the traffic behind a dust lorry could not overtake it and the traffic behind it simply backed up. Saint Benedict pupils who have no crossing point outside their school are in danger of being involved in a car accident as there is no "middle
of the road" now for them to wait to cross. There will be an accident here because the pupils will not realise this or forget.

Lisa Wilson
Some Saint benedicts pupils feel to make it safer that there should
be a crossing nearer to the school entrance. Also bus lane should be on St Benedicts side if at all.

Bank View Road Resident
I've just read your flyer and am inclined to agree with most of what it says and can see the potential dangers and difficulties - but, I think there is a danger of being too precipitate here and as such have not yet signed the petition.

I'm not actually sure that all the proposed changes are finished and intend to see how things are in a week or two, although clearly some of the basic issues are not going to change. I live on Bank View Road, close to the junction with Darley Park Drive and expect to see more university, Broadway PH and St Mary's Primary School parking on Bank View Road.

I think the approach to Broadway Island from the north is also a potential issue. I have not watched the traffic specifically but can see that there is potential danger as people change lanes, to the inside lane if they are continuing down Duffield Road and those turning right into Broadway, particularly if those heading down Duffield Road stay in the outside lane creating two lanes trying to head south. However it may be that this is to be addressed by white lines and changes to the island not yet implemented. Traffic is also continuing to approach the island too fast (out of peak) - aparticular problem crossig from broadway to Darley Park Drive.

Is there also the likelihood with increased morning congestion on Duffield Road of more traffic going trough Darley Abbey village and out on to Mile Ash Lane, or more likely, for those in the know, to cut the wrong way through the one-stretch of road at the end of Darley Park Road into Darley Park Drive. This has been a long standing problem and is regularly policed and is dangerous to other road users and pedestrians, particularly children on their way to Walter Evans school.

I would add that I visited the City Council exhibition to find out about the proposals, made comments at that time and lobbied Councillor Wynn before the decision was made but this was to no avail.


Carol Bowley
I think the needs of the motorist has been completely overlooked in
this instance. The double yellow lines make the road very dangerous and if traveling out of the City on the A6 you now struggle to get past buses stopped at bus stops and it may be my imagination but the lines seem very narrow. It is only a matter of time before there is a road accident. In my opinion this is a complete waste of time and money.

Michelle Fulwood
What about all the primary age school children who go to St Mary's
Roman Catholic Primary School, which is next door to The Broadway pub. The added danger which children as young as three, their carers etc have now got to risk even more. Not a good idea having three lanes reducing into two at the exact point where primary children have to cross the road. It is bad enough without this, let alone with no crossing and now the added traffic and chaos being caused at that point. Right next to where three year olds have to get across the road. As normal though, no one thinks about these things. St Benedicts was mentioned. It will take a serious accident to happen before anyone does anything about it. The children at St Mary's need to have a safe way to the cross the road more so, now, how many three plus's have to get injured or worse before this problem is rectified.

Stella Gillan
I come along Duffield Road every day to go to university, and I now
find that the traffic jam to turn left at the Broadway Pub is even worse than before. I was 20 min late the other day!!!! Also I now cannot park to visit my step daughter on Duffield Road, as it is now double yellows it is ridiculous.

Jack Preston
The road is too narrow for a bus lane and I think it is going to be dangerous.

JANE WALKER
FIRST TIME ON THIS ROAD SINCE THE CHANGE AS I APPROACHED THE BROADWAY CITY BOUND, A VAN COMING OFF THE BROADWAY ROUNDABOUT TRIED TO OVERTAKE A CAR AND THE BUS IN FRONT OF IT AT THE BROADWAY BUS STOP NEARLY CAUSING A HEAD ON COLLISION. ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. I’VE LIVED IN ALLESTREE 25 YEARS NEVER HAD A PROBLEM ON THIS ROAD BEFORE.

Sarah Webber
The situation is likely to further deteriorate when the land at the front of St Benedict school is built upon. Staff and visitors to the school already have problems with parking, there is nowhere nearby to drop children off due to the parking restrictions also on Broadway, and all that seems to have happened so far is that the traffic is still queuing, but no win the middle of the road.

Peter Guildford
This trial will result in a serious accident.It is not safe and its
design is seriously flawed.What advantage for 4 buses an hour and for 600 yards
only??What a waste of council tax monies!


ROGER TILL
It seems to me that bus times will improve for 2 hours a day(maximum)
on inbound services(say 7.30-9.30). That's 8 buses. It's a lot of momey and loss
of safety for a very little gain.

M Jacques
comments: I think the addition of this bus lane acheives nothing and causes a
great deal of problems and danager for people using Duffield Road. I think is
should be removed right away.

Nick Hook
More dangerous for cyclists on way out of town due to narrow lanes

ANDREW GARBUSI
ALLESTREE RESIDENT AND DRIVING INSTRUCTOR. IN 2 DAYS OF THIS NEW BUS LANE ALREADY WITNESSED SEVERAL NEAR ACCIDENTS INCLUDING TRAFFIC QUEUING AROUNDISLAND DUE TO BUS STOPPED AT BUS STOP OUTSIDE BROADWAY PUB. MUST HAVE BEEN DESIGNED BY SAME PERSON WHO DESIGNED THE FIVE LAMPS FIASCO.

J Lambert
I use the road every day - yesterday coming from the City a lorry coming towards me in my lane

Steve Lewis
Living in Darley Abbey, this total waste of our money makes my blood boil. All done without proper consultation! let's get this high handed council out of office and try and restore sensibility to our area. Duffield road is now lethal, how long before a cyclist or child is killed to make the council take notice. It's not as if public transport is cheap reliable or efficient with all the bus routes that have been cut. Again the bureaucratic tail is wagging the taxpaying dog!

Carol Girling
The introduction of double yellow lines outside my Guest House will
have far reaching implications for my business. Access in and out of my premises is constant with visitors from all over the British Isles seeking accommodation at my establishment. We often have to manoeuvre cars in and out of the drive and need the road to facilitate this. Additionally potential customers will be unable to park outside when making inquiries. Chris Wynn talks about traffic volumes growing and bringing ever greater congestion and pollution to our city. How does the City Council square this with the thousands of extra car parking spaces being created on the Westfield site. Something does not add up here! The Duffield Road alterations are an obvious ploy to dissuade car users from traveling to the city centre.

Andy
The provision of a bus lane has now made Duffield Road a much more dangerous place for cyclists leaving the city - there is no room for motorists to pass cyclists safely. Also, significant congestion will be caused as a result of people wanting to right turn into Darley Abbey when leaving the city.

Steve Koban
Speed limit reduction is great news, but as for the bus lane what a waste of money. If anything the bus lane should be part time. I fail to see how having a short stretch of bus lane will aid traffic congestion? All it does in my opinion is to increase the risk of car accidents whilst being a headache for locals...

Jenny Eades
I am a Darley Abbey resident, forced to use my car daily for work and
to take children to school. This new bus lane is causing very dangerous traffic situations on Duffield Road and increased traffic congestion in the locality as people cut through Darley Abbey to avoid congestion on the main road, and park here (increasing local congestion) as they can no longer park on the main road. Also the narrower lanes mean there is no longer room for cars and larger vehicles to pull round cyclists without stopping traffic behind them or coming the other way. Turning in to the village down Mileash Lane is also a nightmare - narrower lanes mean out bound traffic has to stop behind turning vehicles causing further congestion and danger to pedestrians and cyclists. The road is not wide enough for pedestrians and cyclists to be safe when there are effectively three lanes rather than two. A thoroughly bad idea !

Ian Thomas
Public safety is paramount. People also need adequate access to employment and/or business. The community's welfare and economic well-being will suffer if these issues are not addressed and I fully support the move to challenge the changes.

Mrs J.M.Ransom
Totally agree although I reside on Bank View Rd- what is the point of having a bus lane for 1 mile??

Richard Short
I use the road frequently and nearly had my wing mirror taken off by a lorry on Tuesday. The lanes are clearly not big enough.

Shirley & David Gill
We agree with all your comments listed.

Phil Rowland
Bad idea and very unsafe, almost had an accident twice due to this bus
lane! Please reconsider.

Ian
I've seen 3 near head on collisions already so very worried.

Sue Thompson
Another 10 mins on the journey to work & back!

Concerned Resident

The changes are clearly not well through ( to change the whole area to let a few buses get to the Broadway island a bit quicker from 7.30 - 9am is simply bonkers) and must be a nightmare for people living along the road for the rest of the day - we will support your efforts.

The really scary bit is the speed people are now doing in the middle lane - it even frightens the dog!!

Why is it the traffic planners always end up messing it up - they should know by now that the key issue is the free flow of traffic from five lamps to the ring road and the number of stop lights/ pedestrian crossings in a stretch of a 150 meters. The failure to deal with this many years ago has caused the back up of traffic along Kedleston & Duffield road and the rat runs around Arthur St, Darley Abbey etc making residents lives a misery in the mornings. The planners should have sorted this issue long ago and certainly before introducing hair brained ideas like this one. Use my comments if you want to

Wesley Archer
The traffic is bad enough when there is enough space to pass, let
alone reducing the space for a bus lane. If people wanted to get the bus, they would. Forcing people to use a bus is wrong! It is also a nightmare when coming out of Ferrer's Way before the bus land was introduced, so it is going to be a lot worse with 2 lands of traffic to compete with!

Steve Koban
Speed limit reduction is great news, but as for the bus lane what a waste of money. If anything the bus lane should be part time. I fail to see how having a short stretch of bus lane will aid traffic congestion? All it does in my opinion is to increase the risk of car accidents whilst being a headache for locals...

G Thompson
I am in complete support of you opposition to this new road scheme. I travel from Derby down the road at approx 15.45. Previously this was a pleasant drive, people would let buses out of the school and parents out from the side. Now my journey takes longer as everybody is bottled into a narrow lane and cannot pass parked vehicle (on double yellows) when inconsiderately parked. What was wrong before.

Lauren Mansfield
The new bus lane is very unsafe and should be taken out! The road is just not wide enough. I can see lots more accidents occuring.

Philip Eades
This is another example of an inconceived scheme, on a par with the
Darley Abbey 'speed limiting?' humps which have done nothing to limit trafficusing Darley Abbey as a cut through. The new lanes on Duffield Road will actually force more traffic through Darley Abbey, firstly because the queues on Duffield Road will be worse and second because vehicles will merely come up MileAsh lane and pull out into the bus lane. The new plan also increases the risk of an accident at the junction with Mile Ash Lane. Cars coming from Derby can no longer pull across to the centre of the road and instead have to pull across two lanes of on-coming traffic. Furthermore as they can not pull across, they block the flow of traffic leaving Derby and so block the Broadway roundabout. I have already witnessed two near misses at this junction - one a car pulling across the traffic, the second where a car turning right was nearly rammed by a following car which had expected the turning car to pull across. This scheme is ill-conceived, will do nothing for traffic flow and will, in my opinion, result in a major accident within weeks.

Steve Wardlaw
I agree with all your points and would add that since the change on my
regular dog walks I believe that people are actually driving faster down the middle lane. Add the general confusion over road markings, yellow lines etc it is simply dangerous. Furthermore to close off a lane at non peak times is simply ridiculous for the volume of buses that use it. Another great example of traffic planners focusing on one issue and not taking into account the wider implications!

Jamie Elliss
I've traveled Duffield Road into Town for 10+ years. The entire changes are the act of a moron. It’s too tight on the road and what happens when 3 large vehicles drive past simultaneously not to mention the danger to cyclists! I suppose we could just give them a lane... why not and then perhaps one for skateboarders eh! to summarise congestion and travel time have both increased and the parking restrictions are simply ludicrous!

Another council plan concocted blindly, and with the exception of a half hearted unplanned attempt at saving the planet its a joke.

Sarah Hernandez
Understandably the local council has to make improvements to access roads into the city and to the potential use of public transport, however this particular change is endangering lives. The pathway on the side of the broadway pub is of particular concern due to the limited path width and heavy traffic, traveling at speed going past. Many other issues where this has made things more dangerous for all concerned with limited or no benefit at all for travelers into derby city who might choose to travel by bus.

Lack of consultation with local residents, ultimately results in anger and resentment, but might have given useful feedback and meant that council tax revenue and other funds to help with public transport and roads would not have been wasted on a half thought through idea.

KEV MEE
As residents of Darley Park Drive we already find the noise and car congestion a problem, this will only get worse, we already have had cars parked across the drive and late night disturbance from people leaving the Broadway Pub.

Jack Wilkinson
I have to cross Duffield road every morning, and i think with an extra lane, it is very dangerous to cross.

Raichel Collis
I object to the changes made, they present a more dangerous environment to pedestrians and road users alike.


David Wilkinson
I am opposed to the changes that have been implemented. They seem to have appeared without any consultation, and certainly no planning as to their introduction. I have already been concerned to see cars turning right off Duffield rd into mile ash lane taking a position in the centre of the road, which in actual fact is the lane for oncoming traffic, there is nothing to warn and advise car positioning. How long before we see an accident here?!

Katrina Baker
Ill thought-out and poorly conceived attempt at improving traffic flow within the Darley Abbey/Allestree area. Did anyone consider consulting the residents of these areas before making such drastic changes to the road layout?

The following comments were taken off the BBC Radio Derby Website...

With the complete lack of an integrated public transport system in Derby - no bus station for starters - how is the bus lane going to entice drivers out of their cars? I used to get the bus from Allestree to the Bus Station then on to Beeston where I work - no problem, but not anymore. The trial is doomed to failure, or is it? With the current and upcoming roadworks in the City of Derby - AKA NCP Derby City Carpark - it's all geared up for congestion charging by design - "there's too much congestion, we need to sort it out with congestion charging...etc etc repeat to fade." Rather than messing around with bus lanes on stretches of road that don't actually need them, how about building realistic cycle lanes - not ones that start and end with no real purpose - and using some of the disused land within the city to provide a coherent temporary bus station of sorts. Congestion charging in London works because there is a real alternative (I lived there for 8 years by the way) and the underground or bus is the best way to get around without exception - Derby does not have this infrastructure, therefore the charge would be a straightforward tax on the hardworking people of Derby. It's all about engineered congestion - Red Ken did it in London by getting all the traffic light timings changed, basically to ensure that lights would stay on green for just enough time for one or two cars to get through... Food for thought...
Andy

Yet again we hear a politition skirting round the real issues. His point about cyclists being able to use the footpaths summed up his real insight into the situation!!!! It is not just the responsibility of the bus companies to promote bus usage. Other Local Authorities spend vast amounts on promoting public transport. I admire the effort Simon is making on this issue. He clearly is in tune with the need for improved public transport but the safety of his family and those in the area has to be considered.
Sarah Nainby

I use this road each day to go to work.The road is wide enough to accomodate a bus lane but in my opinion the broken white single line that divides the two car lanes should be a double white continuos line as some motorists are taking chances in overtaking.
Geoffrey Bott

the bus lane is a great help regarding my commuting to work and i hope to see it has a permanent fixture, thank you
Jennifer

I agree that public transport needs to be cheaper for it to be a viable option. Trent buses run an incentive in Nottingham whereby you can by a monthly pass for as little as £28 depending on the length of the journey. Why not introduce similar discounts for Trent service users in Derby. It high time the government intervened and made it financially viable for bus companies to offer discount fares by offering them subsidies for the amount of "human traffic" they attract to become regular users of their services. Geoff Capes

The bus lane would be fine if all right turns were banned and all bus stops on the north bound side were removed. Traffic flow is now badly impeded when a bus stops or a vehicle wishes to turn right.
John

One way to encourage people to use the bus would be to lower the prices. I live in Allestree and I think it costs something like £3.60 day return into Derby. Its cheaper to use my car and park for a nip into town. I do travel along this stretch of road at varying times and agree with others it will be more dangerous. Also though I have rarely queued on the bus lane stretch but always queue down to five lamps so how will the bus lane help buses get there more quickly?
Louise

For me to get a bus to and from work everyday for a week it would cost £19. I drive a 1.3 litre vw polo, it costs me about £1 a day to drive! WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO DO?
Danny, Hatton

Why would they want to make public transport more cost effective when cars are such a money spinner for them? You are taxed on petrol, use of your vehicle, not to mention the amount of fines that people pay for minor offences and of course the up coming congestion charges.
Derby Dave

councillor wynn stated in the interview that the Belper buses at 11 am are running late. If that is the case it isnothing to do with the traffic on THIS strech of Duffield Road because it is always running freely - as it is for the majority of the day during the week and all day every Saturday and Sunday.When the scheme was put forward I was concerned that the lanes would be too narrow. That does not appear a problem until you meet a cyclist on the North bound lane. It is Not safe (or legal) for the cyclist to ride on the pavement. the biggest problem for me as near-by resident and daily user of the route is trying to turn right from Duffieild Road onto Ferrers Way. You take your life in your hands every time. It is also dangerous to turn out of Ferres way into either direction because of the lay out of the junction.Please councillor Wynn give us credit for some intelligence over your stance with this and congestion charging.Why don't you come clean and tell us that both are forgone conclusions as is every otherhair brained scheme proposed by this council.
richard boden

I know where Simon lives and he and his family are putting themselves in harms way due to this plan. I completely agree with what he is doing. He is absolutely in favour of public transport but cares about local peoples safetly. Sean ( go and stand on Duffield Rd on the northbound pavement or take you bike and cycle up or down the road at 8.15am) I think you will see what all the fuss is about....if you live to tell the tale!
Carol Bindley

As a cycle commuter who uses this road every day, I don't see a problem. As long as cyclists adopt a positive road position - ie at least a meter and a half out of the gutter - vehicles will be forced to carry out a proper overtaking manoeuvre when oncoming traffic is clear. If there is oncoming traffic, they will have to wait. For me, it was far more dangerous cycling up the outside of queuing traffic to overtake. Now I will just zip up the bus lane and leave the car drivers to their frustrations. For the record, I never cycle on footways.
Andrew

Safety has to be an issue, the lanes are far too narrow and since it was single carriage way before the traffic queues will remain the same. I do not see that this will encourage people onto the buses. I can say adamantly that neither this or any form of conjestion charge will get me out of the car, I suspect this will be the same for many. Revenue raised from any charges will no doubt be wasted by the council.
peter

£100,000! For cyclists it is no improvement. Going into town no change. On the way out the narrow lanes are a problem. From being able to ride away from the gutter you now feel pushed into the side, either that or you hold cars (and buses up). Right turns are the new conjestion points. Where are all the buses?!!
Nick, Allestree

People dont like change. They are comfortable in their little bubble and as soon as things dont go their way they moan as if the whole world is against them. The fact of the matter is that we live in a world where public transport is overlooked at being a viable option for people wanting to travel into the city. People are quick to complain when a journey which usually takes 5 minuites takes 1 hour due to congestion. This bus lane is a step in the right direction and helps people who want to use public transport as an alternative to their car to help this issue. No matter how much people complain, the fact remains that more people who were surveyed were for the bus lane then were against. In a democratic society that means those against it loose. No point whining about it now Broadway Action group... get on with your lives and worry about something more constructive.
Shameless Mick

this has now made the road dangerous for people who cycle which is far more environmentally friendly than catching a bus as the road is not wide enough for cars to overtake cyclists somone will be injured soon. If they want more people to catch buses try making it more cost effective to catch the bus than run a car!!!
Matt

The lanes are far to narrow!! They're probably standard width, but I do feel very edgy driving down there!
Jon

The bus lane is a great idea, however the safety of all road users needs to be closely monitored. Concerns - cycles leaving Derby, vehicles overtaking stopped buses.
Simon Aldridge

I live on Darley Park Road. Could someone from Derby City Council tell me how to turn right at the old Darley Abbey Post Office to go down Vicarwood Avenue - safely??
PeterH

What about the school children in all of this - has anyone considered the safety of the 2 schools which are being affected by these changes?
Judith Marriott

Having bus lanes is all well and good. However as the city as a very poor public transport system commuters are not likly to be encouraged to transfer from car to bus. Until the public transport is brought back under the onwership and control of the Council these ideas will not be successful. the same can be said for road charging when that is attempted.

Richard T

One prolbem no one seems to have brought up is if you get any traffic now doing a right turn anywhere on this road which is hard at the best of times. Now the road will be block. How is the bus going to over take a cyclist on ither side of the road a peak times and as for Chis Wynn's coment that cyclist can use the pavment which as we know is an offence under the road traffic ac. All so travaling to work in a car costs me £10 a week way would I use a bus that would costs me £3.60 a day and I'd still have to walk 1/2 after the bus ride. Can we all live in the real world pleae
Roger

Is it not normal to have signage advising motorists that the speed limit has changed. Duffield road has changed from a 40mph to a 30mph (which I was not aware of, and I never saw any 'new speed limit in-force' signs as I drove down the road), I drove down Duffield Road on Friday at 40mph, and feel certain that I was clocked by a mobile speed camera!
Hayley

What's the problem? If motorists abide by the rules of the road there's no reason for there to be a problem. Difficulties arise when a few, who think they're above the law, start breaking rules and parking illegally in bus lanes or on double yellow lines. I hope the city council is ensuring there are plenty of traffic wardens patroling this area.
Derek O

Following comments were sent to the Derby Evening Telepraph 'thisisderbyshire' website following some recent news articles.

Bryan Shaw
Our council has reminded us of its incompetence with the introduction of a bus lane on the Duffield road, between the A38 and Broadway. Because of the traffic lights at Five Lamps, the journey down the hill to the junction is horrendous each morning. I understand the frustration for those choosing to take the bus. But, the queues do not start in earnest until after Broadway, by when the bus lane has terminated. I predict this bus lane will have very little effect on journey times. So, apart from wasting yet more of our money on a bus lane that is simply not necessary, what the council has done is greatly increase the chance of an accident. Instead of a wide road with good visibility, motorists are now crammed into narrow lanes at legal closing speeds of 80mph and outside a very busy school. Instead of easing congestion, queues will form from cars being unable to get past those turning right into both Ferrers Way and Mile Ash Lane. With banning parking outside houses and the problems for parents collecting children from school, you have to wonder what we're in for with congestion charges.

Andrea, Darley Abbey
Opinions do seem very mixed, however living near to Ferrers Way junction, it is particularly unsafe. Cars have nowhere to go when others are turning right, traffic is being forced particularly close to the curb as they approach the crossing, and it seems that alot of the traffic is still not aware of the reduced speed limit. If this was done to reduce conjestion during peak times, it has been poorly thought out. Cars trying to turn out of Ferrers way into Derby are finding it more difficult, people turning into drive ways are blocking the road, and although I agree that bus transport is important it should not be at the expense of safety. Cameras and obvious speed limit signs are needed if this is to be safe enough for the long term.

MJ, Derby
I traveled down the stretch of road yesterday. I can see the problems with bicycles on the outbound side of the road. It is a shame the road cannot be widened slightly to accommodate a cycle lane. Other than that the road is wide enough for 3 lanes, and its generally just a case of people getting used to the new road layout.

Alf Fullerton, Broadway Action Group
We at the Broadway Action Group have voiced our concerns about this development. Unfortunately it would appear that the City Council is yet again taking action without thinking through

Malcolm, Derby
I agree with Lauren, the road coming out of the city is dangerous. I am a cyclist and often use the road to visit friends in Darley Abbey. Last night I cycled up the road and felt very unsafe with a line of traffic stuck behind me and unable to pass unless they went on the other side of the road. I was also forced to stop when another car in front of me was turning into Darley Abbey and was causing traffic to back up behind it. I had to use the path to get around the cars. In the end I cycled on the path as I felt that unsafe and embarrassed that i was holding up traffic so much.

Lauren, Darley Abbey
the road going inbound to derby having two lanes one for buses seems ok, cyclists would be ok along here, but the road going away from the City is dangerous. Refuse collection, cyclists anyone stopping for any reason and anyone needing to turn right down mile ash lane will have difficulties and it will cause traffic to come to a standstill behind them. It is also a problem as people who live on that side of the road have been seen pulling out onto the other side of oncoming traffic to get in and out of their drives - surely this is dangerous!

Dave, derby
dont see what the fuss is all about - the road is wide enough for 3 lanes and it just means that the buses will get to broadway quicker. Also agree with Craig and school run - i love school holidays as the traffic is perfect.

Craig Derby
"There is also nowhere for people to drop their children off at St Benedict School." Now here's a thought, how about walking the children to school!!! That would save traffic congestion, not just here but all over the country! No need to introduce Congestion Charging then!!

Jon, Derby
There really is no point to this initiative, not when traffic bottle necks at the broadway island anyway. Before with the wide lanes at least the people turning off right could move over but now they are unable to do that causing more queuing traffic


More comments to follow shortly…….