Temporary traffic lights set to be removed after months of misery for motorists near Chesterfield

Temporary traffic lights on a busy thoroughfare near Chesterfield look set to be removed after months of misery for motorists in the area.
Motorists using the roundabout at the end of Markham Lane will have to put up with the traffic lights a little longer than plannedMotorists using the roundabout at the end of Markham Lane will have to put up with the traffic lights a little longer than planned
Motorists using the roundabout at the end of Markham Lane will have to put up with the traffic lights a little longer than planned

Motorists using the roundabout at the end of Markham Lane, where it meets Buttermilk Lane, continue to be frustrated with the lights, which were installed back in May by a private developer to allow for works on the old Coalite site nearby.

Those passing through the area say the temporary lights are causing traffic problems and have even sparked safety fears, with some drivers ignoring the red signal.

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County Councillor Joan Dixon, of Bolsover South Division, contacted G and V Gallagher – the company responsible for the traffic management – after the latest incident on Wednesday evening when the traffic light batteries were reportedly stolen.

The temporary traffic lights and roadworks have been causing chaos for those travelling through Bolsover and DuckmantonThe temporary traffic lights and roadworks have been causing chaos for those travelling through Bolsover and Duckmanton
The temporary traffic lights and roadworks have been causing chaos for those travelling through Bolsover and Duckmanton

She said: "The key thing is it’s the gateway in and out of Bolsover and down to the motorway as well. It feels like they’ve been there forever.

"Recently, the road traffic management lights keep failing. On Wednesday night, the batteries which run the system were stolen and so it caused chaos on Thursday morning.

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"People have been getting very irate because they’ve been there a long time and it's a four-way traffic control system but on Thursday morning, I had a girl who – it was her first day at work and she has to get to Whittington – it took her over an hour to get there.”

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Work was due for completion on October 14 but has been delayed following the underground discovery of a priority fibre optic cable in the area, which reportedly runs the UK banking and financial system.

Coun Dixon added: “The developers didn’t know about this and if it gets damaged the UK’s financial system will go down.

"This has held up the works but the problem is it’s four-way traffic, it’s the route into the hospital, it’s the route to the railway station, and what we’ve been finding is people getting impatient.

"On Thursday morning they were all on red so people were having to play chicken. It was really unsafe and one young woman was carrying her children, she was petrified that someone might drive towards her doing exactly the same thing.”

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The developers have told Coun Dixon they aim to remove the lights by Friday, October 22.

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