But the gridlock on the parkways and through the city centre at peak times should ease once drivers get used to the roadworks and adjust their journeys accordingly, according to tranport chiefs.

But Peterborough motorists were left fuming for the third day in a row after traffic remained at a standstill in parts of the city as frustrated commuters tried to avoid Monday and Tuesday's problems on the parkway.

What do you think?
Comment below, email us: news@ peterboroughtoday.co.uk or telephone the newsdesk 01733 588719.
-------------------------------------

At its worst yesterday, drivers watched as an ambulance was caught up in the roadwork chaos.

A bus was forced to mount the kerb along the Nene Parkway to allow the emergency vehicle through.

And the schedules of staff at schools were thrown into disarray as a knock-on effect of the long delays.

Associate headteacher at Orton Longueville School, in Oundle Road, Tim Hutton said it was one of the worst traffic jams he had seen.

He said: "On Monday, it was very bad. I was 30 minutes behind schedule. It was moving very slowly."

He said his staff were being forced to leave home and school at different times to beat the queues.

Fed-up driver Trevor Mills, of Hazel Croft, Werrington, Peterborough, said officials didn't seem to care about the frustration and extra costs inflicted on hard-pressed motorists by roadworks.

He said: "They could have been carried out during the summer holidays, when traffic is greatly reduced, or at night, allowing both lanes to be open during peak periods with a reduced speed limit in force.

"It sounds as though there is a lack of consideration for the effects of road works, both physically and environmentally."

Managing director of Stagecoach Andy Campbell, however, said: "We have had delays, but in most cases, we have had back-up. It has been more minutes than hours."

On Monday, Peterborough City Council said the delays had been unforeseen and blamed two accidents near Wittering and Stamford and the new contra-flow put in place at the A1 near Carpenters Lodge as the reasons for the four-mile tailbacks.

Yesterday, it declined to comment on the ongoing traffic situation, saying the impact of the A1 roadworks on the parkways in Peterborough were behind the delays.

The council-run engineering works on the Nene Thorpe Bridge which spans Ferry Meadows is set to continue for four weeks and will run alongside The Highways Agency's improvement works on the A1 which are planned to last three weeks.

A Highways Agency spokesman said it could not comment on the traffic problems on the Peterborough roads, but the contraflow on the A1 was essential to complete improvement work.