Chesterfield driving instructor calls for action as Whittington Moor roundabout remains “dangerous and congested” – and Toby Perkins MP slams “completely unacceptable” wait for permanent signs

In July 2023, Derbyshire County Council (DCC) introduced a series of changes to the Whittington Moor roundabout in Chesterfield.

The council introduced new lane markings on the approach roads to the roundabout, designed to reduce unexpected lane changes and minimise the need for sudden braking.

They also installed temporary signs and reduced the width of the roundabout to two lanes at certain points, using hatching and red surfacing, to help people use the correct lane.

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.

At the time, he said the council’s scheme had failed to improve safety at the roundabout. Nine months on, Michael said that an independent safety audit was still incomplete, and that the roundabout remained dangerous and difficult to navigate for many.

“It’s not changed at all, it’s just as dangerous - people are still flying around it the wrong way and you’re getting cut up every other week. The council just aren’t interested.

“The lack of lane boards is the first thing. People aren’t sure where they need to be sat and what lane they need to be picking. I saw a poor elderly lady doing around four miles an hour on the roundabout, because she had no idea where to be. It just doesn’t make any sense - it’s scary to watch.

“As a consequence of the layout, people are now deliberately getting in the wrong lane because they’re fed up of waiting, after the council shoved everyone into one lane to try and stop the sudden breaking.

“It has created unnecessary congestion, especially on the B6057, and this results in people powering in from the middle and then cutting across. You also have people in the wrong lane by accident as there are no lane boards from both the B6057 and B6052.

“You can’t just make up a design, purely to stop one problem - you then create hundreds of others.”

Michael said that the temporary signs at the roundabout still had not been replaced by DCC after nine months, and that these signs were hard for some of his learner drivers to read.

“The temporary signs - I’ve watched their staff drive past them while they’re laid on the floor, and they’ll try and say they were aware that the signs were falling down. It’s just an excuse, and we’ve had nine months of excuses - it’s not moved on and it’s no safer.

“People with dyslexia struggle to read the signs. I teach a couple of people with dyslexia and they just can’t make out the words - they’re just inadequate.

“There’s 141 driving instructors in our Facebook group, and every single one agrees that it’s just not safe.”

Discussing the council’s efforts to reduce sudden breaking, Michael felt that DCC’s changes had failed to tackle this.

He said: “The new layout does not address the issue with sudden braking caused by the national speed limit, or from sudden braking caused by large, slow-moving vehicles entering from the uphill junctions.

“One problem from sudden braking is of the council’s own making, as they have systematically narrowed the B6057 Sheffield Road. Now, when a bus stops at the first bus stop, no one can get past and the traffic backs up onto the roundabout, causing sudden braking.”

Michael said that the scheme to improve the roundabout had actually led to a rise in aggressive driving from motorists, due to increased congestion in some lanes.

“All of our members agree that the roundabout wasn’t the issue. Unfortunately, attitude is the biggest problem. Some drivers are in a rush and act very entitled, but again, the new layout only makes bad drivers worse.

“It reduces the overall capacity of the roundabout, causing congestion in certain lanes and increasing aggressive behaviour.”

Michael added that the project had also made life more difficult for driving examiners, who regularly observe candidates navigating the roundabout as part of the area’s routes for driving tests.

“Another group obviously affected are driving examiners. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency cannot simply avoid the Whittington Moor roundabout, as it is integral to too many test routes.

“This puts examiners at increased risk, as not only do they need to observe the actions of the candidate, but also observe motorists in the wrong lanes. This can cause unexpected reactions from inexperienced candidates, which the examiners have to try and anticipate.”

Toby Perkins MP has also raised concerns regarding the lack of permanent signs. He said: “It is completely unacceptable that the permanent signs have still not been erected almost nine months after the changes to the roundabout were made.

“I have been pressing Derbyshire County Council to sort this out as a matter of urgency, but they still haven’t provided a definite date for when the signs will be up.

“I am also requesting a copy of the Safety Audit report and if it shows that the changes have made the roundabout unsafe, then I will want to know what the plan is to rectify this.”

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “The markings were installed at the same time as part of our £350,000 resurfacing project to highlight specific destinations and help direct people around the roundabout more easily.

READ THIS: Roadworks and closures hit busy routes across Chesterfield, Matlock, Bolsover and Ripley – with Derbyshire drivers warned of disruption

“The independent safety audit is ongoing and will be finalised following the installation of the permanent new direction signs, which are due to be put up in the summer.”