These past few days have put Nottingham under the microscope.
More than ever, we’ve seen how our lives are dictated by the magnificent River Trent - and our ability to get back and forth over it.
The closure of Clifton Bridge means traffic has been chaotic, with journeys of just a few miles taking people hours to complete. The QMC has been hard to reach, being stuck right at the epicentre of the crisis.
Throw into the mix a high-stakes Forest game at home and you’ve got a big Nottingham problem.
Highways England don't need to do any explaining though.
We should be grateful regular safety inspections are undertaken on our bridges and that when we cross them, we know we are in safe hands.
The problem we’ve got is that there is no slack in our traffic system. We are incredibly vulnerable.
Gedling Borough Council said a bridge should be built at Holme Pierrepont in 2014, and, back in 2004, Nottinghamshire County Council recommended a new river crossing slightly further down at Radcliffe. Now, the leader of the county council, Kay Cutts, is proposing a second bridge at Gunthorpe.
Surely now is the time for councils and political leaders across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to collaborate and work on a solution that would help us all? We need a joined-up approach to produce lasting change.
We can’t sell Nottingham as a great city to invest in, if the closure of one bridge brings us to a standstill.
Nottingham deserves better than this.
