Kingsway Retail Park: Drivers report hours of delays

Some drivers said they had left their cars and walked home instead

Drivers trying to leave a retail park have reported being stuck for hours, with some abandoning their cars.

Motorists faced heavy delays at the Kingsway Retail Park in Derby on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Some said they had only moved a few feet in hours while others struggled to leave their parking spaces.

The city council said it had checked traffic signals in the area but the retail park itself was privately owned.

One shopper, Sharon, said she had taken her daughter to a toy store in the retail park as a birthday treat but it then took an hour to get out of their parking space.

Another man told a BBC reporter he had cycled down to find his family who had called him to say they were stuck.

One shopper said he had left his car behind and walked home

Jared, from Buxton, told BBC Radio Derby he had been trapped at the Sainsbury's supermarket for three hours getting food for his 91-year-old mother and felt frustrated that the situation was seemingly being ignored by authorities.

He said: "I appreciate the legal argument this is not their responsibility but I'm sure there are people here like nurses and other carers who are being ignored."

Luke tweeted that he had left his car behind and walked home saying he was "never setting foot in the place again".

A taxi firm boss said drivers might boycott the site if action was not taken.

Maddy Ahmed, who owns taxi firm PJ Cars, said one taxi was stuck for five hours.

"[It will get to the point when] Drivers are going to say until this problem is solved neither are we going in or coming out," he said.

"Simple as that, enough is enough."

Liberal Democrat city councillor Emily Lonsdale, who lives nearby, said a combination of roadworks, diversions and school holidays were contributing to the problem.

"It's an absolute nightmare, I have so many residents contact me on a regular basis," she said.

"They need a safe crossing because people do crazy things like U-turns and don't check if there's a pedestrian in the road.

"We're just fed up living round here."

'Not uncommon'

Ms Lonsdale said there needed to be another exit at the retail park to ease congestion.

She added: "It needs to be a spectrum of solutions, there needs to be a better flow of traffic onto the A38 and there needs to be something done about the junction with Uttoxeter Road, so there are less likely to be tailbacks, if the traffic flows properly there'll be less of a problem."

A city council spokesman said: "We are aware of some increased congestion in the area near to Kingsway, and of the delays with the retail site.

"There appear to be high volumes of traffic on the A38 and the A5111.

"Engineers have checked the traffic signals at the junction of the A5111 and Uttoxeter Road to ensure that there is not any weather damage and consequential faults.

"Unfortunately, the Kingsway retail park has only one access point and congestion within the site is not uncommon. The retail park is not a public highway and outside of the control of the council."