News: Rotherham's first-ever Dutch-style junction?
A busy roundabout on the edge of Rotherham town centre could be changed to give priority to pedestrians and cyclists as part of a proposed multimillion pound upgrade.
Rothbiz reported in September that £1.05m of development funding had been released by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to Rotherham Council to work up an improvement scheme at Ickles roundabout at Templeborough.
A £7.5m scheme aims to deliver "bus passenger journey time savings, improved bus journey reliability, better walking & cycling journey ambiance and mode shift."
The roundabout, which currently has underpasses for cyclists and pedestrians, is at the heart of the active travel schemes from Templeborough to Rotherham town centre.
Now Rotherham Council is looking for expertise from the private sector to work out if it could become a Dutch-style junction, but only if the impact on traffic is "acceptable."
Dutch-style roundabouts would give priority to pedestrians and cyclists with reduced road widths on the roundabout and entry and exit points designed to increase safety by slowing traffic. Drivers would reduce speeds and give way to pedestrians and cyclists on the approach to the roundabout. Drivers must also give way on the exit of the roundabout.
The theory is that slower speeds will mean that road users have more time to adjust and react to others using the road and crossings.
Dutch-style junctions, or protected junctions, separate people travelling on foot, by cycle, and in vehicles. This approach reduces the likelihood of conflicts and simplifies the operation of the junction into fewer stages, resulting in a more efficient traffic flow.
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Tender documents for "Dutch Roundabout Design Consultancy" state: "Rotherham Council is seeking to explore available skills and experience in the market place to consider if RMBC can subsequently engage a specialist transport consultant to determine whether a Dutch style signalised crossroads with at-grade pedestrian and cycle crossings can be accommodated at the Ickles roundabout (S60 post code) with an acceptable impact on traffic.
"The junction should also include bus priority. This exercise will be completed before letting a design and build contract as it may allow one of two options to be ruled out, providing much greater certainty."
Funding is coming from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS), £570m from the government to the region to bring significant improvements to South Yorkshire’s transport system.
SYMCA's Active Travel Implementation Plan sets out how, by 2040, a fully connected network of walking and cycling routes will link the region, transforming communities and ensure that people have the means and the confidence to leave their cars at home, and choose to travel on foot or by bicycle.
The recently completed Sheffield Road Cycleways project has delivered over 2km of new cycle routes on the A6178 Sheffield Road and Westgate between the town centre and the borough boundary at Tinsley. The route will provide a near seamless connection for cycling from beyond Meadowhall through to the Broom area.
Images: Google Maps
Rothbiz reported in September that £1.05m of development funding had been released by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to Rotherham Council to work up an improvement scheme at Ickles roundabout at Templeborough.
A £7.5m scheme aims to deliver "bus passenger journey time savings, improved bus journey reliability, better walking & cycling journey ambiance and mode shift."
The roundabout, which currently has underpasses for cyclists and pedestrians, is at the heart of the active travel schemes from Templeborough to Rotherham town centre.
Now Rotherham Council is looking for expertise from the private sector to work out if it could become a Dutch-style junction, but only if the impact on traffic is "acceptable."
Dutch-style roundabouts would give priority to pedestrians and cyclists with reduced road widths on the roundabout and entry and exit points designed to increase safety by slowing traffic. Drivers would reduce speeds and give way to pedestrians and cyclists on the approach to the roundabout. Drivers must also give way on the exit of the roundabout.
The theory is that slower speeds will mean that road users have more time to adjust and react to others using the road and crossings.
Dutch-style junctions, or protected junctions, separate people travelling on foot, by cycle, and in vehicles. This approach reduces the likelihood of conflicts and simplifies the operation of the junction into fewer stages, resulting in a more efficient traffic flow.
Advertisement
Tender documents for "Dutch Roundabout Design Consultancy" state: "Rotherham Council is seeking to explore available skills and experience in the market place to consider if RMBC can subsequently engage a specialist transport consultant to determine whether a Dutch style signalised crossroads with at-grade pedestrian and cycle crossings can be accommodated at the Ickles roundabout (S60 post code) with an acceptable impact on traffic.
"The junction should also include bus priority. This exercise will be completed before letting a design and build contract as it may allow one of two options to be ruled out, providing much greater certainty."
Funding is coming from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS), £570m from the government to the region to bring significant improvements to South Yorkshire’s transport system.
SYMCA's Active Travel Implementation Plan sets out how, by 2040, a fully connected network of walking and cycling routes will link the region, transforming communities and ensure that people have the means and the confidence to leave their cars at home, and choose to travel on foot or by bicycle.
The recently completed Sheffield Road Cycleways project has delivered over 2km of new cycle routes on the A6178 Sheffield Road and Westgate between the town centre and the borough boundary at Tinsley. The route will provide a near seamless connection for cycling from beyond Meadowhall through to the Broom area.
Images: Google Maps
22 comments:
I'm sure that'll be popular...
Because the one in Sheffield has gone down so well. Even cyclists have fed back they won't be using it. Maybe Government should be prioritising necessities rather than wasting cash greenlighting schemes such as this.
Trouble is the cycle lanes are mostly not used .. I walk alot.. so I see how unused they are...
Clown town🤣
What a waste of money on design, concept and god forbid build.
Most drivers on the roundabout have a lack of lane discipline already, so it doesn't bode well.
Rotherham council is run by a set of clowns with no absolutely no idea
From a safety point of view this should be welcomed as it reduces the likelihood of collisions.
Please, RMBC. Do not do this, I beg you! The work you've already done on Sheffield Road is fine as it is. I use it everyday for getting to work and it's made a huge difference. The one in Sheffield is designed to handle a much smaller volume of traffic than that being discussed here. It will cause so much disruption during the construction phase and will be of no real benefit to either cyclists, pedestrians and certainly not to motorists. Please RMBC, if you want to help pedestrians and cyclists, just maintain the infrastructure that you have already and stop building new stuff. Sorry for the rant!
Most drivers? Really?
The well lit underpasses work perfectly now giving pedestrians and cyclists a much safer way of crossing this road than hoping vehicles will give way to them on a Dutch style junction.
The Wellgate cycling lane, which is now just full of takeaway delivery driver's parked cars every evening, was the worst decision from our planners for a while, but this will take first spot if it goes ahead.
It's such an awful and absurd idea that it'll almost certainly go ahead.
If people have such strong views on this why are you not raising your concerns with the council rather than posting in the comments section of a website.
Safer than the existing underpasses?
There's a very good answer about raising concerns with the council: RMBC don't listen. They never have, I doubt they ever will.
I wish it wasn't the case, but I have lost complete faith in the council. They're making the town a laughing stock.
Seems stupid to cause further disruption, if this was going to be done it should have been done when they recently did the work.
I feel for those who need to use this route for work etc. For me, another good reason to keep well away from Rotherham Town centre.
I used to on a bus and it added a lot of time onto the journey, I don't think the Dutch style is needed or wanted even by cyclists.
I think copying anything from the Dutch caps it all.
Pull out immediately would be my preferred option.
That's the method parents used.
OK, no née to draw a diaphragm
Is Dutch Elm disease an STD?
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