Police urge commuters to use trams as Clifton Bridge chaos continues

Nottinghamshire Police have said that getting the tram into work may be quicker for commuters this morning, as the repairs at the A52 Clifton Bridge in the city continue to cause gridlock on the city’s roads.

Nottinghamshire Police and City Council officers say they are focusing on keeping key junctions clear to ensure traffic can continue to flow, including trams and buses.

Superintendent Paul Winter, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We will be working with the City Council to try and keep trams and buses moving so if you work in the City Centre and can use the tram this may be a quicker way to get to work.

“With the aim of keeping traffic moving we also plan to have officers present, to assist our City Council colleagues, at the junction of the A60 London Road and Meadows Way/Meadow Lane tomorrow morning to try and help maintain traffic flow.

“We’re urging commuters to make plans for these delays and set off to work earlier tomorrow morning.

“Motorists also need to bear in mind the knock-on effect the closure will have on other roads in the area due to the increased traffic.

“The advice is to make plans early to avoid this traffic. If you are in a role where you can start work later or if there is any flexi-time you can consider taking which means you don’t have to travel into work during rush hour then we’d ask you to consider this.”

Although the A52 and the bridge is Highways England’s responsibility, the City Council has already suspended all other non-urgent roadworks across the city to try and reduce the impact on the wider road network of major work being carried out on such a key traffic route.

Councillor Adele Williams, the City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Transport, said: “As Highways England has said, it’s absolutely essential the work is carried out for safety reasons. However, it’s also vital that everything possible is being done to complete the work as quickly as possible so the road can reopen.

“The A52 is a key part of Nottingham’s road network so it’s inevitable that any roadworks on it will have a major impact on traffic with a knock-on effect across the city.

“With Nottinghamshire Police, we’re taking all the steps we can to minimise the impact as much as possible while the Highways England works continue. In the meantime, the advice is to allow extra time for journeys and to seriously think about using public transport if that’s an option for you.”