Whittington Moor roundabout: police 'reviewing footage' after driving complaints in Chesterfield

The revised markings at Whittington Moor were implemented at the end of July and include new lane markings with arrows to indicate which lane to use for specific destinations.

Not everyone is impressed by the changes, however, with one driving instructor labelling them ‘dangerous’.

And now the county’s police force is ‘reviewing footage’ after receiving a complaint that one of their vehicles had used a wrong lane before cutting back in front of another driver.

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In an email, seen by the Derbyshire Times, Derbyshire Constabulary told the complainant: “Further to your video submission, the vehicle and driver has been identified. The intentions will be to meet the driver to review and discuss the footage with the aim to highlight any areas that (are) required for improvement whilst driving.”

When asked for comment, the force referred back to the email.

As reported, the new markings were cause for consternation when unveiled earlier this year.

Michael Harte, 54, is a driving instructor who has been teaching in Chesterfield for 15 years – and is also a member of the Chesterfield Driving Instructors Association. He said that these changes have made the roundabout dangerous to navigate, and that DCC should have informed drivers of any changes much earlier.

“The main issue is the lack of forward planning", he said, “they’re not warning people that they’re changing everything, so every single time you attempt to go round the roundabout, you’ve got someone in the wrong lane because they’ve not been told that they’ve changed.”

“You’ve then got people who are swapping lanes in the middle of the roundabout, and obviously it’s a national speed limit roundabout, which makes it even more dangerous.

In a statement at the time of the new markings, Julian Gould, highways director for Derbyshire County Council said: “ “As part of our approach to improve safety at the roundabout, we have included new lane markings on the approach roads with arrows to help direct people to specific destinations.

“The lane markings have been designed to help road users by minimising unexpected lane changes and sudden braking, helping to improve road safety for everyone.”