'It's to nose to tail down here whatever they do... I don't think it will make any difference'

A52 ROADWORKS WILL TAKE A YEAR TO COMPLETE

- By JOSHUA HARTLEY & EMMA MATHER

RESIDENTS and commuters have raised questions about how successful a disruptive year-long set of roadworks aiming to make the A52 safer will be.

National Highways' lengthy improvement programme on the stretch of the A-road between Priory roundabout and the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) roundabout is due to start today and end sometime in spring 2026.

The scheme will resurface the carriageway, which is "coming to the end of its working life" according to the highways agency. A combined cycleway and footway will also be built on the eastbound side of the A52 Derby Road, where highways officials say a number of pedestrians and cyclists have been hit by drivers.

Cyclist Russell Denham, 65, was knocked unconscious by a car on Priory Island in May last year and had to be moved out of the middle of the road. The Wollaton resident welcomed the installation of the cycleway, but was sceptical about how useful the changes would be.

"Obviously its a good step towards keeping cyclists safe but I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make.

I don't think many cyclists actually want to come through here and how many will use the new lane, because its so busy and you can up end up like I did - it was lucky I was not killed.

On the impact the works will have on drivers, Mr Denham added: “It’s going to nose to tail down here whatever they do, I don’t think it will make any difference.”