'We were right to close M1'
THE Highways Agency has defended its decision to close the M1 for eight hours after a lorry overturned, saying it was because of the "sheer size and scale" of the incident.
It was one of several accidents and hold-ups around Derby which left the city gridlocked yesterday morning.
And in the evening commuters faced further traffic jams when the same stretch of motorway was closed in the opposite direction after yet another crash.
The misery began when a heavy goods vehicle shed its load of more than 20 tonnes of household rubbish across the northbound carriageway of the M1, between junctions 25 and 26, at 4.45am.
The agency had to bring in cranes and diggers to right the lorry and clear debris from the road.
It diverted traffic along the A52 until it reopened the carriageway at 12.50pm.
A Highways Agency spokeswoman said it was the sheer scale of the incident involving the lorry which caused the long M1 closure.
Two cranes and two diggers from Nottinghamshire had to get through already heavy traffic to reach the scene at 6.50am.
The spokeswoman said: "Not all of the waste went into the road. Some was still in the lorry and had to be lifted out before the cranes could be brought in to right it.
"Diggers lifted rubbish back into the vehicle, but not all of it as this would have made it difficult to tow the vehicle away.
"The remainder, including oil and lubricant, had to be cleared from the carriageway."
Police said the lorry driver suffered minor injuries.
A spokesman for Traffic Information company Traffic Link said drivers on the M1 were delayed by more than an hour. This led to delays on routes around Derby – especially on the A52, A38 and A6, where other accidents and breakdowns exacerbated the problem.
Drivers were further slowed by a three-vehicle collision on the A52 westbound near Pentagon Island at 7.45am, which blocked part of the carriageway for half an hour.
And on the A38, one lane was closed from 7.40am to 9.15am between Markeaton Island and Palm Court Island after two cars crashed.
On the same road, one lane was shut between Toyota Island and the A516 after a car broke down.
Many of the same drivers who had been queuing in the morning would have been delayed again on their way home when another collision on the M1 closed two lanes of the carriageway southbound between junction 26 and 25.
The Highways Agency was called out just before 5pm when a HGV collided with a car. The agency said nobody was seriously hurt but two lanes were closed while the wreckage was cleared.
Traffic backed up to around junction 27 but the road was clear again by 6.30pm.
Yesterday's incidents caused rush-hour chaos for drivers already facing daily delays due to roadworks across Derby.
Drivers reported that roadworks at Raynesway added to problems caused by extra traffic on the A6 throughout the morning.
Steve Johnson, 38, of Hilton, was delayed by 25 minutes on the A6.
He said: "It would have been helpful if the Highways Agency had used some of its electronic signs to warn drivers about the problems."
But Councillor Lucy Care, city council cabinet member for highways and transport, said the "exceptional circumstances", not the roadworks, were to blame for yesterday's traffic jams.
13 Comments
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by Jack, Derby
Thursday, February 25 2010, 2:18PM
“Having driven behind (and at the side of) 1000s of lorrys, which constantly veer across the lanes whilst the driver is on the phone or opening his flask we should be grateful for no fatalities, especially on this stretch of m'way.”
by Chris, Derby
Thursday, February 25 2010, 1:46PM
“'All roads out of Mickleover were blocked' - I do hope that they didn't have to use that nasty noisy helicopter to go and assist people who were seriously ill or injured, and upset the good citizens of Mickleover as a result...”
by burtonftw, derby
Thursday, February 25 2010, 12:59PM
“well it's use it or lose it month for budgets so as usual we have roadworks everywhere whether they need doing or not.
and where has the money come from to fix these 'exceptional' circumstances, surely there comes a point when it's not in the plans. come to think of it, where does all money come from!
how about to be greener and ease congestion those who can, work from home? oh wait, then we'd spend less on petrol duty/road tax etc. so that can't be allowed.”
by Taxpayer, Mickleover
Thursday, February 25 2010, 12:47PM
“This has nothing to do with the completion of the inner ring road (about 30 years late), the alterations at Raynsway to open up a huge development site to bring in welcome jobs, or the pot holes on A52. The cause was the accident on the M1 and everyone trying to use A38.
All roads out of Mickleover were blocked as traffic came off the M1 by the airport to use the A50 to Toyota and then to go north on A38 which is where the problems started. Apart from the crash near the University which put everyone into one lane, the big problem in using this route is that every roundabout causes further delays. Until the Highways Agency does something to get rid of Kingsway, Markeaton and Little Eaton roundabouts, there will always be delays on A38.
I understand that this work is scheduled for 2016/17 by which time I will have retired and won't need to use that road!”
by Dave, Long Eaton
Thursday, February 25 2010, 12:38PM
“Fat lot of good those average speed cameras between 25 and 28 are doing, judging by the ongoing accident rate.”
by Annie, Derby
Thursday, February 25 2010, 12:30PM
“What's the deal with the A52? The pot holes and missing patches are just begging for an accident to happen. It's pretty hairy driving on that surface in my Smart car - it would probably have me off if I was to brave it on my motorbike.
And thank goodness I can walk to work if I need to - I don't fancy sitting in traffic on Raynesway for ages of a morning - grrrr.”
by ian, derby
Thursday, February 25 2010, 12:18PM
“8 hours to move 20tonnes of rubbish?
2 1/2 tonnes an hour?
I could do it quicker by hand with a shovel!!
I thought Wombles (popular nickname for the Highway Agency patrols) where good at recycling rubbish!”
by PP, Pride Park
Thursday, February 25 2010, 12:02PM
“DD - I can tell you what is causing these accidents without an investigation at the taxpayer's expense..... It is the drivers. Poor driving, bad habits, lack of attention. I see it all the time on the road, people driving through red lights, cutting in or turning off without indicating etc. Personally I would like to see a compulsory "refresher" indroduced at certain intervals after qualification.”
by DD, Pride Park
Thursday, February 25 2010, 11:46AM
“This is horrendous - to many crashes and far to frequently. A real survey needs to be made on what is causing vehicles to crash and this then needs to be acted on to prevent/reduce this carnage in the future. How often are these roads blocked due to accidents? Far to frequently!”
by Phil Drowles, Alfreton
Thursday, February 25 2010, 11:42AM
“Can someone tel me what the Highway Patrol does. We never had these horrendous delays before it was created.”