'As I sat in the Five Lamps roadworks, I asked myself, is this the fifth circle of hell reserved for the wrathful like me?'

A section of the road at the junction connecting Garden Street, Kedleston Road and the A6 has been closed since September. Reporter tells of an experience sitting in the stationary traffic which has left him scarred and avoiding the area at all costs

- OSCAR FISHER

THE average motorist is falling victim to a major Derby roadworks project and, if you're like me, it's left you with no choice but to try to avoid the city altogether.

It all started two months ago, at the beginning of September, when I, after a few beers in town, hopped on one of the Sixes, which travels along the A6 and drops me off about a 10-minute walk from home.

The bus left the station and journeyed along St Alkmund’s Way, but we came to a stop just a few yards after the King Street turnoff.

A stretch of road less than a kilometre long that should have taken just a few minutes to manoeuvre eventually became somewhat of a saga lasting around 20 minutes.

That's because works had just begun at the Five Lamps junction, which connects Garden Street, Kedleston Road and the A6 Duffield Road.

Phase One of the project saw the outbound leg of Kedleston Road and the right turn onto Duffield Road closed from September 1 to October 3, meaning Kedleston Road was inaccessible from Five Lamps.

This saw huge piles of traffic building along Garden Street and King Street, and along Lodge Lane and Bridge Street as well, with only one or two cars being released through traffic lights at any given time.

As I sat there listening to mind-numbing podcasts and doom-scrolling, wondering if I could walk back to Belper from Five Lamps, I asked myself, is this the fifth circle of hell, reserved for the “wrathful” and “sullen” like me?

There's nothing quite like being stuck on a stationary bus when you're rushing to get home, and the frustration from the day has left me somewhat scarred. I've been avoiding the area - and any journey to the city - at all costs.