'UK's most pointless speedbump' leaves locals fuming - as it only covers half the road

The speed hump was installed on Wigman Road in Nottingham this summer - but residents say it has made the road more dangerous

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Council bosses have come under fire for what residents are calling the 'UK's most pointless speed bump' - as it only stretches halfway across the road. Locals claim the hump has actually made Wigman Road in Nottingham more treacherous as motorists weave around it like they are navigating a slalom course.

The traffic-calming measure appeared on the road, which has a 30mph limit and several other steeper speed bumps, during the summer. The mile-long stretch was previously two lanes but has been reduced to single file with parking bays positioned on the left-hand side.

Labour-controlled Nottingham City Council positioned the speed hump directly opposite a bungalow that lacks a parking bay due to a dropped kerb and driveway. Video evidence reveals numerous drivers simply zigzag around the obstacle, which forms part of a multi-million pound scheme designed to enhance road user safety throughout the city.

Irate residents insist the speed hump is not merely 'pointless' but actually poses a danger. Betsey Degraft-Johnson, 49, who has called the road home for 17 years, revealed drivers continue to race along at excessive speeds.

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She said: "The speed hump couldn't be in a worse place. It's only across half the road so people are obviously going to try and swerve to avoid it but that's dangerous too. I've noticed that it hasn't stopped drivers speeding either. They still go flying down the road at night.

"The speed bump is opposite a dropped kerb which can't be a parking bay so it's always clear. Cars swing in and out all the time. I've never seen half a speed bump before. It's completely pointless."

Local resident Jamie Nicholls, 25, expressed his confusion: "I always assumed the workmen were going to come back to put the other half of the bump on the road."

He added: "It's actually more dangerous now because cars come speeding down the road and swerve into onto the left hand lane to avoid the bump. It's only a matter of time before someone loses control and crashes into the bungalows opposite the speed bump. It's a crazy place to have it."

Carlene Westby, a carer, criticised the decision: "It's a waste of money, it just blew my mind when it just popped up out of nowhere. Why not just put the bump across the whole road? It doesn't make any sense."

Nigel Fleming, 65, who resides opposite the speed hump, told the BBC: "Most of the cars are trying to avoid it, so it's pointless. It's a mystery, I've not seen anything like it anywhere else in Nottingham. Half a speed bump is just bizarre."

Cindy Cooke, whose father lives on the road, also spoke to the BBC: "I drive around it, I can't see the point in it. Some people come down here at 50 or 60mph so it's an accident waiting to happen. People have said it's a waste of space, why is it even there? It's quite funny really."

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The city council received funding from the government's Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) to erect the speed bump. The TCF is a £2.45 billion taxpayer-funded initiative to improve transport links in English cities.

A spokesperson for the council explained: "The speed hump was initially installed across half of the road because of the presence of parking bays.

"We're keeping the situation under review and if it's clear that bays aren't being used frequently and drivers are avoiding the speed hump as a result, we'll investigate the potential to extend it full width of the road."