Latest news with #trafficchaos
BBC News
12 hours ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Wentworth traders' 'traffic chaos' fears over RHS Flower Show
Owners of businesses in a village where a major national flower show is to be held next month have spoken of their fears over possible "traffic chaos".The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Flower Show will take place at Wentworth Woodhouse, a stately home near Rotherham, between 16-20 Sales, who runs an independent shopping complex opposite the estate, said while people in Wentworth village were "keen" for the event, she asked: "But at what cost? We need to be able to function. The parking situation is a worry: 12,000 a day is a lot of people."An RHS spokesperson said a traffic management plan would be in place to reduce the impact on "local highways, residents and road users". It was announced in April 2024 that the much-loved RHS Flower Show would be coming to South Yorkshire this year, with other locations around the country also to be used in RHS explained that the aim of holding the event in new places was to "promote gardening to as many people as possible". Ms Sales, who has run The Emporium on Cortworth Lane in Wentworth for 25 years, said the RHS gardening charity had "underestimated" the impact the event could have on the village and surrounding area."I don't think they realise how busy this road can get. An accident on the M1 and things get very interesting. It'll be traffic chaos," she warned."With the best traffic management in the world, you can't control the through traffic and the people that aren't supposed to be here."Ms Sales said her "biggest fear is the gridlock"."We had a little taster of this recently with a car show at the house, and it was backed up in both directions," she said. Meanwhile, Dave Smith, whose antique furniture store has been a fixture in Wentworth village for many decades, said he was also said he was worried about the area's infrastructure being able to cope with an influx of traffic, with particular fears over the "narrow country roads"."People will be arriving from all over the North, but they won't understand there's four to five entrances to the site," he explained."There's enough land in there for parking, but it needs to flow and I can foresee problems."Other business owners who spoke to the BBC, but who did not wish to be named, said they might shut up shop entirely for the five days of the Dan Wilde, who has run the Village Shop for just over a year, said he would be opening as usual after receiving "assurances" from RHS Flower Show organisers."Fingers crossed it'll go well, but I do worry about the parking," he said."If you see an empty space in the village, you're going to take it."It might not be positive for the week they're here, but until it's definitely a negative, we have to see it as a positive," he said. In a statement responding to traders' concerns, an RHS spokesperson said the organisation was "incredibly mindful of the experiences of both the local community and our visitors".The RHS consulted "local partners, such as the local council, emergency services, Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, and nearby landowners to ensure we plan each event meticulously and prioritise the safety of all", the spokesperson traffic control measures would be in place for the event, they said, including "20mph speed restrictions, temporary no waiting or parking orders, temporary traffic signals, traffic officers directing traffic, and multiple access points into and from the site".The spokesperson added that everyone involved was "incredibly excited" to bring an RHS Flower Show to Rotherham, "and to work with local communities, businesses and organisations to deliver an amazing show full of unique gardens, talks and tips, children's activities, floral installations and refreshments to enjoy". Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
News.com.au
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Department of Transport agrees to front up repair costs on vehicles damaged in Princes Fwy traffic chaos
Victoria's Department of Transport is expected to cover repair bills for the vehicles damaged in an incident that caused traffic chaos on the Princes Freeway earlier this week. Motorists faced hours of delays on the major route after a 200kg steel panel covering an expansion joint in the road became dislodged, causing several collisions on Wednesday morning. One involved a truck rolling over just after 4am, with crews dispatched to clean up a massive diesel spill. It has since been revealed the steel plate was not properly secured by road crews, leaving a large pit with the expansion joint uncovered in the dark of night. It is understood the Department of Transport and Planning will compensate in full all drivers whose vehicles were damaged. Affected drivers are being contacted by the department to assist with the compensation claims process. 'We apologise to everyone affected by the incident on the Princes Freeway,' the department said in a statement to NewsWire. 'The incident was caused by human error during routine maintenance works on the bridge over the Werribee River.' While the department is not normally liable for the first $1640 worth of damages caused by road conditions, an exception has been made for this incident, the Herald Sun reported. The bungle left traffic backed up for kilometres, with all Melbourne-bound lanes closed for hours. Delays of up to three hours were experienced by commuters travelling between Geelong and the capital city, who were advised to take similarly congested detours or travel by train. Aerial footage showed traffic backed up along the road in droves as drivers travelled into the city. At the time a police spokesperson said the issues were caused by the problems with the road works. 'It is understood issues with the road contributed to the collisions, which occurred about 4.20am,' the spokesperson said. No one was injured in the chaos, and urgent repairs were undertaken to get the road operational as soon as possible.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Our town is a vile dust bowl making us ILL after months of relentless roadworks forced us to sell up
LOCALS in a market town are furious as roadworks continue to cause chaos nearly ten years on from when the work first started. The work on a residential development in Stafford began in 2016 after plans were submitted for 475 new homes. 9 9 9 While the houses have since been completed, the project is still far from finished as road improvement plans remain underway. These plans include a new dual-carriageway, re-configuring a roundabout and installing several new sets of traffic lights. However, beyond the works causing regular congestion on the A513, they have also left residents outraged. One angry local, Jade, said: 'It is just vile with all the dust and dirt. 'Now they have started work on the roundabout just by our place and there is digging, banging, and lorries reversing all through the night.' Jade went on to explain that she is a mother of four and her son has autism so is struggling with the noise. She added: 'My little boy has autism and won't sleep because of the noise. 'Everyone is fed up with the temporary lights and there being no safe spaces for kids to cross an A-road. "It is also making me ill." Houses in this development cost a premium of up to £500,000, which only resulted in the properties being featured on an episode of Rip off Britain. Teacher and mum-of-six, Rachel Kennedy moved to the development in October 2020. After experiencing flooding both in her garden and also in the nearby playground, she has described the roadworks as an 'added pain.' She explained that her mile long route to school now takes up to 30 minutes. Rachel said: 'I have walked it but with four children under seven it is difficult.' She also described the roundabout built at the top of her road as "unnecessary." Stafford Borough Council announced the works in February 2023, saying they would last 12 months. However, 28 months on there is still no end in sight for the disgruntled residents. Anton and his wife Tash, both 32, share similar frustrations to their neighbours. The pair, who own an electrical business, said: 'Everything about the estate is a pain.' Anton added: 'This was supposed to be a cul-de-sac but earlier this year they had to open it up as it was the only access point to the estate and we couldn't get onto our drive because of the queuing cars. 9 9 9 'People were driving into the cones in frustration.' In reference to the amount of dust the roadworks have caused, he added: 'The only people happy around here are the window cleaners.' Another fed-up local, Paula, 28, said: 'We moved in four years ago and no-one told us there would be a building site opposite with great piles of rubble. 'We will wash our cars and overnight they collect dust.' Paula, who works as a technical trainer, was promised green space upon moving to the development, however is still yet to see an end to the road works. She said: 'I understand the road works are necessary and will make things better but the finish date has been moved three times already.' Mother of four and salon owner, Bailey Wilkin, explained that it has now reached a point where some of her neighbours are trying to sell up. She said: 'People are selling up but with all these works going on the houses are devalued.' Another mum, Sophie, 28, added: 'The school runs are really bad. 'They take forever and I am late for work all the time. 'There are so many temporary traffic lights and lots of people suffering road rage. 'It's really unsafe.' A resident from Parkside estate on the other side of the A513, Christine Taylor, 74, said: 'My house could not be closer to the roundabout and they are working nights with diggers going all the time. 'It sets my dogs off barking all the time and now we are getting swarms of blue bottle flies. 'It must be something they've triggered. 'I filled out a form years ago for compensation but I'm quite sure nothing will come of it.' Reportedly, the works include dualling of the A513 Beaconside, the creation of a new signalised junction on the north side of the A513 and the signalisation of Newbold Drive. A Staffordshire County Council spokesperson said: 'As a new administration, we are well aware that the ongoing works at Beaconside being carried out by Taylor Wimpey as part of its Marston Grange development are causing considerable disruption. 'As this scheme is wholly developer-led the county council has minimal influence or control on the works or their progress. 'However we will maintain regular contact with Taylor Wimpey and continue to press them to conclude as quickly as possible. 'All updates on the scheme are provided by Taylor Wimpey.' A Taylor Wimpey representative added: 'We understand the frustrations of the local community whilst we carry out the programme of works for the highway improvement project. 'Whilst these improvements are aimed at reducing journey times, easing congestion and improving safety for residents and road users, we acknowledge that there have been some unexpected delays which have impacted the local community. 'We recognise the need for clearer communication, and would like to apologise for any inconvenience or confusion caused. 'We are committed to keeping disruption to a minimum, and we are working closely with stakeholders to ensure all works are completed by the end of November.' 9 9 9
BBC News
10-06-2025
- BBC News
Major M5 roadworks near Wellington concern locals in Somerset
Local residents say they are concerned the impending closure of a major road will cause "chaos", as traffic is diverted through nearby villages. Junction 26 of the M5 and the Chelston Link Road in Wellington will be closed from 16 June until September as part of major resurfacing works being overseen by Somerset prevention work will also be carried out at the junction, while the current concrete road will be crushed up and used as foundation for the new tarmac. The authority has held a series of public drop-in sessions so people can study the scheme. The extended closure of the road and motorway junction have left many people worried that alternative routes in Wellington will become heavily congested throughout the summer. Judy and Jonah Jones from Nynehead, who attended a council drop-in session, say "panic" was the first word that sprang to mind upon hearing of the couple fear emergency services would struggle to reach them when the roads around them become congested, adding: "How do we get help if we need help?" Ken and Christine Winhall from Wellington also said they expect the diversions to cause significant "chaos". "All the traffic will back up to Taunton," she said. "It's going to affect our daily lives really, because people drive from Wellington to Taunton all the time."The pair also pointed to the poor condition of alternative roads mapped out by the council, saying some are plagued by potholes. The council has insisted the road and junction must to be completely closed to carry out the resurfacing Richard Wilkins, cabinet member for transport and waste services, said: "It's not going to be easy, there's no two ways of saying it."But we're only afforded the [time] slots that we had available."The authority said it will listen and adapt to feedback from local people as the works progress.
BBC News
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Garden event at Pink Floyd drummer's house ends in 'chaos'
A charity event at the home of Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason ended in "chaos", with people stuck in traffic for hours as they tried to than 15,000 people went to Middlewick House near Corsham on Saturday and Sunday to view its extensive gardens and Mason's collection of supercars and classic some drivers said it took people hours to leave the event, which raised money for Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity and The Wiltshire Bobby Van have since apologised for the travel issues but described the event as a success. Donna Fielder attended the fundraiser and described it as "chaos"."We were heading back to our car at about one o'clock and, as we walked through the top field, we could see rows of stationary traffic," she told the BBC."I barely moved 50m [164ft] in the space of an hour." Ms Fielder said there was a "huddle" of marshals by the exit gate but claimed they "didn't have a clue"."There were still cars being brought in - classic cars for viewing - and I think that's what caused a lot of it," she added."You had people jamming into lanes to create lanes to get out and then you've got six or seven cars diverging from different directions." Organisers put new traffic measures in place for this year's event after similar issues in previous years. This included a separate entrance for cars arriving from Chippenham and diversions for non-event traffic.A spokesperson for the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust said: "This year's Middlewick House Open Garden event drew a record crowd of more than 15,000 people across the weekend, including an unprecedented number of people turning up on the Sunday to buy tickets on the door."We had people visit from across the UK - we apologise to those affected by the traffic build up around Corsham and those impacted by the delay exiting the car parks. "We will be collating all feedback and adding it into our review process ahead of the 2026 event."The trust works with Wiltshire Police to help elderly and vulnerable people with home security. 'Two hours to exit' BBC Wiltshire's Jeremy Stern went to the fundraiser and said there were "hundreds" of cars trying to use one "narrow" exit."By the time the traffic started moving it was chaos, as frustrated drivers looked for any which way to get out of the car park," he said."The car park attendants did their best but there weren't enough of them to marshal so many lines of traffic."It took two hours for us to get out. Some people I spoke to said they had been waiting even longer."
