"Someone will get killed": Brinsley residents demand action on dangerous road

Villagers are up in arms following a string of incidents involving drivers speeding down Broad Lane so fast they are unable to make the bend onto Main Street, thus swerving off the road.

Concerned resident Andy Meakin said there has been four serious occurrences recently where drivers have lost control of their vehicles.

He said: “In one of them, a car mounted the kerb, took off and embedded itself into the corner of a house.

“In another, a car failed to make the turn onto Plainspot and skidded down Main Street before smashing into a parked BMW.

“The latest was last Sunday night (March 6), where a car took the bend too fast and mounted the kerb where I had been walking the dog only an hour before.

“The car bounced up the kerb on the wrong side of the road and missed another parked car by inches before speeding away down Main Street.

“If a vehicle had been coming in the opposite direction, there would have been a head-on collision.”

A group of residents have formed a campaign group in a bid to convince Nottinghamshire County Council to take urgent action before someone gets hurt.

Mr Meakin added: “We constantly sit nervously waiting for the next loud bang to occur.

“Action needs to be taken now to prevent a certain death to a motorist, pedestrian or both.

“If we have to wait another year for any kind of speed reduction measures, someone WILL get killed.”

Residents say they have pressed the council about the issue on many occasions but are still waiting for any sign of action.

Previous correspondence from Via East Midlands, which is responsible for highways maintenance across Nottinghamshire, informed residents that a new bend warning sign will be put up and ‘SLOW’ road markings will be painted on the road sometime during 2022 or 2023.

But many villagers doubt these measures will have enough of an impact.

Mr Meakin said: “Painting SLOW on the road won’t make the slightest difference.

“Broad Lane side of the bend requires rumble strips or speed humps. If not, then speed cameras would help deter the idiots we have on our roads.”

Locals fear that the issue will be swept under the carpet until it is too late, claiming the county council has said there must be “at least three deaths” before tougher measures are considered.

Brinsley Parish Councillor Brian Enever, who is part of the campaign group, said pedestrians are also in danger from the speeding vehicles.

He said: “I know a couple of residents who were out walking their dog when speeding drivers mounted the pavement, so they had to jump in someone’s front garden to avoid being hit.

“Many people are now scared of walking in this area – but the council has said it will not act until someone gets killed.

“We are not going to just sit back and wait until someone dies.”

A spokesperson for Via East Midlands said speed cameras would only be installed as a last resort.

They said: “As part of the National Safety Camera Scheme, the Nottinghamshire Partnership has to demonstrate to the Department for Transport’s consultants that speed cameras will only be used where there is a history of fatal / serious road casualties and speeding.

“Therefore all proposed speed camera locations are required to meet government’s accident criteria for fixed or mobile camera sites.

“In addition to accidents, each potential location must also satisfy various speed and other site criteria.

“Speed cameras should only be used if there is no other appropriate engineering solution.”

When asked for comment Derek Higton, Nottinghamshire County Council’s service director for place and communities, simply said: “We are aware of the issues at this location and we are intending to improve the road signage to better warn drivers.”