A petition calling for action over prolonged traffic delays on the A52 in Nottinghamshire has attracted more than 3,400 signatures within hours, with residents and commuters describing the effects of congestion on their working lives, families and businesses.
The petition, which calls on National Highways to review lane closures and traffic management arrangements, has prompted accounts of journeys taking two or three times longer than usual, missed working time and difficulties getting children to school.
Motorists have also questioned the coordination of roadworks across Nottingham and surrounding areas, saying disruption on the A52 is being compounded by restrictions on alternative routes.
One commuter travelling from Keyworth to Nottingham city centre said a five-mile journey was regularly taking between 56 minutes and one hour and 27 minutes.
The commuter said the delays were affecting their earnings because they worked reduced hours around school commitments and could not afford additional childcare to make up lost time.
They said: “This means i am late for work on already reduced hours because of school timings and honestly i cant afford to miss work as i wont be paid.”
A business owner based at Edwalton Business Park described the financial impact on local businesses whose employees regularly travel in and out of the area.
The owner said staff were regularly losing approximately 30 minutes on each journey.
“Yesterday alone, I sat in the traffic four separate times and lot around 2 hours out of my day and did not see any work actually taking place,” they wrote.
“The amount of productive working time being lost by businesses and employees every single day must be considerable.”
A nurse working at Queen’s Medical Centre said they had spent three hours travelling to and from work on Monday despite leaving home early to allow for the congestion.
“I left early knowing about the traffic carnage but was still late for my clinic,” the nurse said.
They added that travelling between Wheatcroft and Nottingham Knight had taken longer than the journey from Newark to Gamston, while attempts to find alternative routes had proved unsuccessful.
Parents have also reported difficulties balancing school and nursery drop-offs with their working hours.
One parent said a journey involving taking their son to a nursery in Edwalton before travelling to work in Bramcote previously took 40 minutes but could now take up to two hours.
They said this was frequently impossible to complete between the nursery opening and the start of their working day.
Another motorist said the school run was adding an extra two hours to their daily driving.
A resident travelling home from Leicester to West Bridgford after 12-hour night shifts said their journey had increased from approximately 50 minutes to nearly two hours, regardless of the route taken.
Other accounts describe the impact on students and school transport.
One parent said their son had taken almost two hours to travel from Radcliffe-on-Trent to college at Highfields, with alternative routes through West Bridgford offering little improvement.
Another resident raised concerns about buses from Ruddington being unable to reach schools on time.
A recurring complaint among petition supporters is that traffic restrictions remain in place during peak periods when motorists cannot see work taking place.
Several contributors have called for lane closures to be reviewed during morning and evening rush hours, while others questioned why work was taking place at multiple locations simultaneously.
One supporter suggested that work at Wheatcroft Island and Nottingham Knight should be coordinated to avoid restrictions at both locations at the same time.
Concerns were also raised about disruption on Radcliffe Road, Maid Marian Way, London Road and other routes into Nottingham, including Derby Road, Ilkeston Road and Huntingdon Street.
The number of signatures and the range of experiences shared indicate growing concern among people travelling across southern Nottinghamshire and into Nottingham.
