News: Work continues on £13m travel schemes in Rotherham
Work is now underway on an active travel scheme on the edge of Rotherham town centre, with funding confirmed for another to make it easier to walk and cycle from Sheffield.
At Wellgate and Broom Road a £3.6m scheme sees Rotherham Council introduce 1.4km of dedicated cycle tracks on Wellgate between Hollowgate and Boswell Street, along with three new signalised junctions, one new road crossing, two improved road crossings and associated connecting works.
The funding was secured by the council through the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Active Travel Fund (ATF), Gainshare and the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS). The rationale for the scheme is to encourage a mode shift away from private car use and to enable cycling in an area identified as a priority in the Rotherham Cycling Strategy.
Clifton Roundabout, along with its approaches, will be narrowed to a single lane to control vehicle speeds, provide space for cycle tracks, separate from traffic and pedestrians, all the way around, and improve the refuge areas for pedestrians and cyclists crossing each arm of the roundabout.
The proposals mean that the current bus lane on Broom Road would end before the roundabout where two lanes will merge into one, with the cycle track alongside. The existing westbound bus lane will be kept, and goods vehicles will be newly allowed to use the bus lane.
Esh Construction secured a £1.9m tender related to the scheme in February.
During works there will be traffic management closures on Broom Road for approximately 25 weeks, Wellgate for approximately 25 weeks and Clifton Roundabout for approximately 14 weeks.
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£8.6m of funding has also been secured by the council from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority for the £9.74m Sheffield Road Cycleways scheme which aims to support affordable and environmentally friendly travel with new segregated cycle tracks extending the existing route from the Sheffield boundary near to the Magna Science Adventure Centre at Templeborough, through to Rotherham Town Centre.
Original proposals for the third phase have been change after they "received significant local opposition." Plans to close the junction of Centenary Way onto Main Street to private vehicles have been dropped, as has the proposed “no left turn” restriction from Westgate onto Main Street, and other changes to junctions with Canklow Road and Old Sheffield Road, and restrictions to vehicles on Coke Hill and Wilfred Street.
These changes, agreed with Active Travel England, follow new data showing the need for traffic reduction was not as originally thought, and address the main concerns of local traders.
The revised plans are also expected to increase the number of parking bays along Sheffield Road and Westgate above the current level of provision.
A new 20 mph limit will be implemented along Westgate to help to make the stretch between new housing developments and the town centre more attractive to pedestrians and cyclists.
Approximately 400 metres of Westgate leading to the junction with Main Street will incorporate 2 metre-wide advisory cycle lanes on either side with a single carriageway down the middle (as used in the Sheffield scheme pictured). This will provide space for motor vehicles to pass using the full width of the road when required whilst indicating to drivers the distance with which they should pass cyclists. The layout follows similar schemes already successfully implemented across the country, in Hull, Sheffield, East Yorkshire, Norwich and London.
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment, Cllr Dominic Beck, said: “We listened to residents and business feedback and have made substantial changes to the original proposals for this stretch of cycle route. This proposal means a minimal impact on motorists, while still meeting the need to ensure that the new housing developments along Sheffield Road are not entirely dependent on cars for travel, and putting the government’s funding for cycle routes to good use.”
“Completing the latest phases of Sheffield Road Cycleways will be a great achievement as it provides a safe and pleasant cycling environment and connects developing communities along the route, reducing air pollution, congestion and supporting healthy lifestyles.”
Monies for the scheme were secured by Rotherham Council and the South Yorkshire Mayor Combined Authority from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund. Construction will take place in two phases, starting in the spring and expected to last for 15 months.
The council said that it wants to extend the Meadowhall to Broom route as more funding becomes available in the future.
RMBC website
Images: Google Maps / RMBC
At Wellgate and Broom Road a £3.6m scheme sees Rotherham Council introduce 1.4km of dedicated cycle tracks on Wellgate between Hollowgate and Boswell Street, along with three new signalised junctions, one new road crossing, two improved road crossings and associated connecting works.
The funding was secured by the council through the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Active Travel Fund (ATF), Gainshare and the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS). The rationale for the scheme is to encourage a mode shift away from private car use and to enable cycling in an area identified as a priority in the Rotherham Cycling Strategy.
Clifton Roundabout, along with its approaches, will be narrowed to a single lane to control vehicle speeds, provide space for cycle tracks, separate from traffic and pedestrians, all the way around, and improve the refuge areas for pedestrians and cyclists crossing each arm of the roundabout.
The proposals mean that the current bus lane on Broom Road would end before the roundabout where two lanes will merge into one, with the cycle track alongside. The existing westbound bus lane will be kept, and goods vehicles will be newly allowed to use the bus lane.
Esh Construction secured a £1.9m tender related to the scheme in February.
During works there will be traffic management closures on Broom Road for approximately 25 weeks, Wellgate for approximately 25 weeks and Clifton Roundabout for approximately 14 weeks.
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£8.6m of funding has also been secured by the council from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority for the £9.74m Sheffield Road Cycleways scheme which aims to support affordable and environmentally friendly travel with new segregated cycle tracks extending the existing route from the Sheffield boundary near to the Magna Science Adventure Centre at Templeborough, through to Rotherham Town Centre.
Original proposals for the third phase have been change after they "received significant local opposition." Plans to close the junction of Centenary Way onto Main Street to private vehicles have been dropped, as has the proposed “no left turn” restriction from Westgate onto Main Street, and other changes to junctions with Canklow Road and Old Sheffield Road, and restrictions to vehicles on Coke Hill and Wilfred Street.
These changes, agreed with Active Travel England, follow new data showing the need for traffic reduction was not as originally thought, and address the main concerns of local traders.
The revised plans are also expected to increase the number of parking bays along Sheffield Road and Westgate above the current level of provision.
A new 20 mph limit will be implemented along Westgate to help to make the stretch between new housing developments and the town centre more attractive to pedestrians and cyclists.
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment, Cllr Dominic Beck, said: “We listened to residents and business feedback and have made substantial changes to the original proposals for this stretch of cycle route. This proposal means a minimal impact on motorists, while still meeting the need to ensure that the new housing developments along Sheffield Road are not entirely dependent on cars for travel, and putting the government’s funding for cycle routes to good use.”
“Completing the latest phases of Sheffield Road Cycleways will be a great achievement as it provides a safe and pleasant cycling environment and connects developing communities along the route, reducing air pollution, congestion and supporting healthy lifestyles.”
Monies for the scheme were secured by Rotherham Council and the South Yorkshire Mayor Combined Authority from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund. Construction will take place in two phases, starting in the spring and expected to last for 15 months.
The council said that it wants to extend the Meadowhall to Broom route as more funding becomes available in the future.
RMBC website
Images: Google Maps / RMBC
23 comments:
A mobility scooter lane would be far more useful than a cycle lane
Agree, providing they had a maximum speed limit of 30 mph. At the moment there are too many drug crazed pensioners terrorising shoppers and ram raiding cash points. I think all mobility scooter users should have to take test before being allowed on the streets. There would be a minimum requirement to stay sober for 24hours and be able to sing the National anthem without a noticeable accent. There are just too many mobility scooters on the beaches of Callais and Sunak isright to give the French millions to prevent them recharging their batteries before boarding small boats
Totally agree. Rotherham town centre is like Donington Park, especially after dark. There are at least two chapters of Hells Angels (Mobility Division) operating at the moment and trying to criss from B&M to the Card Factory is like Russian roulette. And the Heavy Metal racket coming from all those hearing aids is too much to bear.
The only facility that represents real and positive value for money in the many money wasting schemes that Rotherham Council imposes upon us is the pedestrian refuge, that little bit of comfort and safety for people crossing the road with a pram or mobility device, or with children, with shopping, or even just on foot.
These modest improvements offer so many wins: safety, lane narrowing, speed reduction, street illumination, even advertising opportunities.
Now, if Rotherham Council had said we've got enough money to put say 75 of these in across the borough and invited suggestions from local communities as to where they are needed, then I could find myself giving support to them. Trouble is, they would not be seen as a big sexy project for them to say "oooooh, oooooooh, look at our new soopah doopah enviro project". So until Rotherham Council sees fit to use public funds sensibly, it will continue to attract negative reactions about their daft projects.
Too true. I urge all visitors to the town to Beware in particular the old guy in the bandana and Iron Maiden T shirt. He drives like a man possessed and the puppy in his scooter basket looks scared to death
What's the point of cycle lanes when on broom lane near the mosque you cannot use the cycle lanes due to the high volume of parked cars near the mosque .only a matter of time when cyclists who have to pass parked vehicles in a even narrower space when cars park each side of the road even tragic has to revert to single passing moves if there 2 cats travelling in different directions.so you can imagine cyclists not being able to use cycle lanes going get knocked off there bikes very soon .so when is parking both sides of the road near mosque going end !!!
So the main access road to Rotherham town centre is going to be closed for 25 weeks, and at the end of it, the scheme will make it harder and more difficult for people to travel to town.
I've said it before about this, but it just doesn't make sense. It's almost as if RMBC has been given the chance to get a load of money, and then they quickly came up with a half-baked scheme to make the lives of people living, working, or travelling to the town centre just that little bit more difficult, for no material gain whatsoever.
It's completely balmy what they're doing!
Just a couple of points:
Is it just parking near the mosque that you have an issue with? As a regular visitor to Broom Lane Care Home it seems to me that cars are frequently double parked in other parts of the road. And surely things can never get so bad that two cats would be unable to pass each other!
But surely that is the Planning Departments usual method of operating?
Nowt in town worth going to town for.Full of drunks and foreigners
Spoken like a true little Englander and Daily Mail subscriber.
That's a pity. Is there nothing we can do to persuade you to join the library?
Or a literacy group?
I don't mind them, it's dodging the mobility scooters that gets me.
You'll be OK once the scooter lanes are finished
It's just been announced that South Yorkshire Police are appealing for retired officers to rejoin the force as undercover mobility scooter drivers. They will be in plain clothes (jogging bottoms and shawls) and will patrol town with puppies in their baskets and will be equipped with speed cameras. If the scheme is a success, they will appeal for retired drugs squad officers who will park their scooters outside town centre hotspo pubs
The blue flashing lights will give them away
As a serving senior police officer I am concerned that leaked information about our undercover operations in the town centre puts the safety of our undercover officers at risk. Only last week an angry mob chased a scooter user through the bus station. As it turned out it was an innocent civilian who managed to convince the mob that he was just waiting for a bus to Huddersfield as he fancied a flutter. There will be an internal investigation into the leaks and the person responsible will be severely dealt with. In the meantime I would urge all scooter users to remain calm and let our officers get on with their jobs.
A word of advice officer. If you are really worried about your undercover scooter officers remaining incognito they need to change their black shiny boots for carpet slippers and leg warmers.
And keep their Masons tattoos covered
Nice to know that at least we now have a police presence back in town even though it's only a geriatric flying squad.
Hope they aren't sharing online images of scooter crashes
What a waste of time and money rotherham council carrying on ruining the town under the climate change clean air lies pathetic
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