Swingate residents demand action over traffic chaos which makes access 'impossible'

A new petition has been put forward to Nottinghamshire County Council calling for changes to the current road system, which sees only one way in and out of the village from Kimberley.

Petition leader Samuel Boneham, Kimberley town councillor and Swingate resident, said: “With only one way in and out, any disruption to traffic flow in central Kimberley, be it an accident or roadworks, makes travel to Swingate impossible.

“If there is an emergency requiring any of the emergency services, there is simply no way through for them in the case of these road issues.

“Life or death could be in the balance. Why must we wait for the worst to get this issue solved?”

Many years ago, residents of Swingate were able to use an alternative route at High Street to avoid what Mr Boneham has described as ‘catastrophic jams’.

But in recent years the traffic direction was reversed, making Swingate an isolated community with only one way in and out.

Coun Boneham is now calling for the traffic to be reversed again to resolve the chaos.

He added: “Residents in Swingate say enough is enough.

“Reverse the traffic flow direction of High Street and make Swingate a traffic-jam-free zone.”

More than 120 people have signed the petition so far, with many echoing the cry for change.

Resident Rae Merrin commented: “I am worried that it will take a serious incident/death before the powers that be listen to the concerns regarding traffic issues at Swingate.

"I have lost count of the times we have been trapped without an option to exit because of roadworks or events in Kimberley and this is only likely to get worse.”

Rebecca Ryan added: “I have seen ambulances trying to exit Swingate with their blues flashing and they were stuck for 20 minutes. This is unacceptable and could cost lives.”

Nottinghamshire County Council was approached for comment.

You can view the petition online here