News: Major changes planned to reduce car traffic in Rotherham town centre
With a major drive underway to get more people living in Rotherham town centre, Rotherham Council has unveiled plans to create "living space" on the streets.
Proposals include new traffic management measures to deter people driving through the town centre.
The Council is making changes to manage traffic along Sheffield Road and improve walking and cycling into the town centre.
Using money from part of the Transforming Cities Fund, secured through the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA), the first phase of the Rotherham to Tinsley scheme added cycle tracks along the A6178 between the borough boundary and the roundabout with Bessemer Way. Phase two will continue the cycle tracks to Centenary Way underpass.
The third phase, now out for consultation, addresses Sheffield Road and Westgate, a key route in to town where construction is underway on new housing, with masterplanning also commissioned for a new Riverside residential district.
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Major proposed changes include:
- The removal of traffic lights at the Main Street / Westgate junction where cars will no longer be able to turn right from Main Street onto Westgate
- At the junction which replaced Pool Green roundabout (Liquid roundabout), no motor vehicles will be able to cross Centenary Way between Main Street and Masborough Street. The existing turning loops will need to be used instead
- Cars no longer able to make a left turn from Sheffield Road into Old Sheffield Road at Jacko's
- Cars no longer able to make a left turn from Canklow Road into Alma Road at the tyre place
- Wilfred Street, a popular cut-through from Westgate to the Town Hall, will see the one-way system reversed
- Coke Hill and Maltkin Street to be made dead ends where they meet
- Cyclists allowed to use existing contra-flow bus lane on Corporation Street
The Westgate area is set to see the existing 20mph speed limit in the town centre extended to continue along Westgate and Sheffield Road, as far as the junction with Old Sheffield Road. This will be enforced by road humps.
Separate cycle tracks, like those on Sheffield Road, have been discounted here due to lack of space.
In the consultation, the Council states: "Our approach is to reduce overall traffic volumes and speeds, and give greater priority to people living, working and doing business in the area, as opposed to those simply driving through – changing the emphasis from a "traffic space" to a "living space."
"We expect the following proposed measures to reduce traffic volumes on Westgate by around 40-60 per cent – comparable to reductions seen during the middle of the March 2020 Coronavirus lockdown."
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment, Cllr Dominic Beck, said: “Making more journeys by bike or on foot, instead of by car, benefits us all. Not only by reducing air pollution but also traffic congestion making it easier and quicker to get to work or to the shops. Cycling also encourages more active lifestyles which is good for physical and mental wellbeing.
“The new proposals will have different impacts on premises in the area and we’d like to understand local views on the measures, so we can tailor the designs to meet the needs of residents and businesses – I’d encourage everyone to have their say.”
The route between Rotherham town centre and Tinsley will link to Sheffield City Council’s proposed walking and cycling links onward to Meadowhall, and to South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive’s (SYPTE's) proposed scheme for a Tram-Train stop with a park and ride at Magna.
Consultation website
Images: RMBC / Google Maps
Proposals include new traffic management measures to deter people driving through the town centre.
The Council is making changes to manage traffic along Sheffield Road and improve walking and cycling into the town centre.
Using money from part of the Transforming Cities Fund, secured through the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA), the first phase of the Rotherham to Tinsley scheme added cycle tracks along the A6178 between the borough boundary and the roundabout with Bessemer Way. Phase two will continue the cycle tracks to Centenary Way underpass.
The third phase, now out for consultation, addresses Sheffield Road and Westgate, a key route in to town where construction is underway on new housing, with masterplanning also commissioned for a new Riverside residential district.
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Major proposed changes include:
- The removal of traffic lights at the Main Street / Westgate junction where cars will no longer be able to turn right from Main Street onto Westgate
- At the junction which replaced Pool Green roundabout (Liquid roundabout), no motor vehicles will be able to cross Centenary Way between Main Street and Masborough Street. The existing turning loops will need to be used instead
- Cars no longer able to make a left turn from Sheffield Road into Old Sheffield Road at Jacko's
- Cars no longer able to make a left turn from Canklow Road into Alma Road at the tyre place
- Wilfred Street, a popular cut-through from Westgate to the Town Hall, will see the one-way system reversed
- Coke Hill and Maltkin Street to be made dead ends where they meet
- Cyclists allowed to use existing contra-flow bus lane on Corporation Street
The Westgate area is set to see the existing 20mph speed limit in the town centre extended to continue along Westgate and Sheffield Road, as far as the junction with Old Sheffield Road. This will be enforced by road humps.
Separate cycle tracks, like those on Sheffield Road, have been discounted here due to lack of space.
In the consultation, the Council states: "Our approach is to reduce overall traffic volumes and speeds, and give greater priority to people living, working and doing business in the area, as opposed to those simply driving through – changing the emphasis from a "traffic space" to a "living space."
"We expect the following proposed measures to reduce traffic volumes on Westgate by around 40-60 per cent – comparable to reductions seen during the middle of the March 2020 Coronavirus lockdown."
“The new proposals will have different impacts on premises in the area and we’d like to understand local views on the measures, so we can tailor the designs to meet the needs of residents and businesses – I’d encourage everyone to have their say.”
The route between Rotherham town centre and Tinsley will link to Sheffield City Council’s proposed walking and cycling links onward to Meadowhall, and to South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive’s (SYPTE's) proposed scheme for a Tram-Train stop with a park and ride at Magna.
Consultation website
Images: RMBC / Google Maps
30 comments:
Chaos,will just cause more conjestion and hence more pollution.
It’s Masbrough, not ‘Masborough’! So I have to take the bus (expensive) which runs every 30 min (and in the days of South Yorkshire Transport ran every 10 min) because taking a car is more difficult... to visit a dirty, untidy town centre with few shops. Hmm, how about having some people running the town who have some common sense and/or experience of real life?
Of course these measures will reduce traffic by 60%, because no one will want to spend time in the town centre. The "improvements" so far have been a complete joke. They may look great on a computer screen but back in the real world its another reason for businesses not to locate in Rotherham and another reason that prevents people from visiting. Well done RMBC.
Well done Cllr Beck, lets's put millions into a traffic scheme at pool green causing congestion for months and then decide part of the route creates congestion, so we're making changes re-routing traffic around the Town making journeys longer and more difficult, creating congestion so we can avoid congestion. Another waste of money, whilst trying to put the final nail in the coffin of any business in and around what used to be a town centre. What about alleviating the traffic from the Parkway through Whiston and Parkgate shopping centre before going on grandious schemes. As usual the traffic management of RMBC has proven time again of its ineptitude and lack of forsight.
RMBC are dreadful, seriously flawed and seemingly never learn and repeatedly get things wrong ‼️
Which clowns thought of these changes? I’m struggling to find a way home after I’ve parked in the Westgate car park to attend Rotherham
United matches! They are just trying to kill the town centre totally! Try applying common sense for a change!
Council’s all ready done the job
People will always need to get from A to B, all these measures are going to do is cause more congestion and pollution by making vehicles drive a longer way around town! The council should be encouraging people to use town not the opposite,
I have a letting agents in the town centre so constantly drive in and out of the town centre. This idea looks ridiculous and I can see at least 2 if our daily routes blocked! Time for another business to move out-of the town centre i think!
Interesting line in the consultation document:
"Please note that we are not able to consider proposals for
fundamentally different routes or treatments as part of this consultation."
In other words, "We don't care what you say, we're going to press on with this scheme regardless of what you think"
More "Save The Whale" nonsense from Rovrum Laybah. I take it that our Commie Councillors will be walking or cycling to their meetings at Town Hall Towers! No, didn't think so! More of do as I say, not do as I do, grrrrr 👿👿👿👿👿
How does all this affect the turning movements that are needed by bus services? How does speed humps along Westgate/Sheffield Road allow buses to keep a reasonable speed between Rotherham and Meadowhall?
It's a fix to something that is not broken and 1 more nail in the towns coffin.
People dont want to live in town, certainly not for long.
What an incredibly strange proposal. Nearly as ridiculous as the near invisible raised kerb/crlcle lanes they've spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on in Templebrough. I'm a cyclist and it's already unusable due to the debris collected inside the lanes.
These proposals to make it harder to visit and leave town, including for those who will live in the new developments, are just simply breathtakingly pointless.
What traffic? There's barely any on Sheffield Road and Westgate. I tend to only use those roads if I'm trying to avoid traffic.
Rotherham Council are really trying their best to kill the town centre off, if only they could put the same effort into reviving it.
Once again the "Vote on options you can't accept" - RMBC democracy!
What traffic survey was this based on (pre-covid, covid) or just a wish list?
What about 'whole community' access? Wheelchair users? Bus users? Closing bus gates?
Hope this will be better than the cycle lanes painted on Bawtry Road and Fitwilliam Road (EU money), which have now been REMOVED?
Maybe RMBC should be split up and run by Doncaster and Sheffield (like the busses), then we can give Riverside House to Sheffield Mayor to sell off?
I was thinking the same, I regularly work in Leeds travelling in rush hour. On the odd times I drive through town in 'rush' hour, I don't see any traffic, and think it must be great to work in town and not worry about sitting in traffic. Looks like they are trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist. Let's hope they don't follow Leeds and start installing bus gates everywhere.
Not just from Parkway, but also from Guilthwaite Hill through Whiston. There is a filter lane at the cross roads to turn right towards Worrygoose, but no set filter light like there is for right turners coming down moorgate from Hosiptal. Consequently only a couple of cars get through each light change and traffic backs up.
Assuming you trying o head up Alma Road, looks like your choice would be to drive down corporation street and on to Centenary! Down Sheffield road around Ickles roundabout, or the most likely option go down Westgate then do a turnaround at the enterprise garage or on Canklow Road. Madness.
If they want to improve Westgate for other road users, stop cars parking on double yellow and blocking entrance to post office building. You can also do the same on Wellgate. The double yellows are there to provide clear routes, but often cars are parked on them causing issues for other road users. But ssh we cant say or do anything about it.
Great which means we have to drive further using more fuel cause more pollution, not everybody can walk or cycle, no wonder this town is a ghost town, now you strangle it even more
I wonder if they can fit a road sweep down them or if they are even bothered. They ticked a box, job done.
Rotherham Town centre is like a ghost town already, most of the shops are empty and there are hardly any visitors anymore. Whats the point in spending all that money needed to make these changes. It's not going to improve the town centre but it will put more people off visiting and drive more businesses out
What they should do is reopen College Street and Effingham Street to traffic round to Howard Street with lots of 20 minute parking bays to allow people to nip into town and spend money. God forbid.
This only going to serve to drive more traffic down and around ship hill. And with this on match days, A higher used area by foot. Would in my eye raise a safety risk. But yet we keep voting this shower in. Don't get caught up on national politics. We need to look at local levels. We are being taken for fools here in Rotherham
Oh dear RMBC. Oh dear, oh dear.
When will they learn that the car is not the enemy. You go to thriving market towns and there are no one-way systems. No parking restrictions. And the places are bustling and vibrant.
Rotherham has made the car the enemy. So people will simply drive to meadowhall and parkgate. Why can't the council see this FFS!!! It also tells you the people they expect to be living in town. Not car owners that's for sure.
Final nail in the coffin. RIP Rotherham. And RMBC planners should hang their heads in shame!
If the council are wanting more residence in rotherham other than more businesses, then they should - along with the police start issuing section59 notices. This has been implemented throughout numerous towns to stop noise pollution caused by high powered cars - modified,big exhaust, my car is faster than yours so called, speeding down sheffield road EVERY Saturday and Sunday afternoon, where I'm sure these can be heard quite clearly from the police building just across the council building in town. I am a tenant in the town & corporation street is also used to let everyone know the powerful cars with big exhaust are in town... TOTALLY ANNOYING....Council, is this acceptable ??.
What will happen to business on sheffield road like jackos.city seal and bearing, turveys? Do anyone in the council have any common sense?
Yet another ill thought out process, not needed , who goes to town anymore anyway? , trying to access Westgate is already a challenge , existing business there will simply relocate , as stated here multiple times rmbc seem to think that the motorists are the problem , really how many people will cycle down Westgate , it will get pushed through anyway because it fits rmbc narrative, I agree about cars parked on the pavement and on yellow lines on wellgate , nothing ever gets done , and why did we need a fence around herringthorpe playing fields too?, unfortunately rmbc is not fit for purpose , too many on the gravy train job for life , more business for meadowhall I suppose
we need to stop this NOW with RMBC before they screw rotherham for ever and become a part of sheffield council. LETS STOP MOANING AND SACK THE COUNCIL AND GET SOME NEW BLOOD IN WHO CAN GIVE ROTHERHAM HOPE FOR MOVING FORWARD
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