Sheffield to get more 'pop-up' cycle lanes under bike-friendly drive - but where should they be?

Ecclesall Road, Chesterfield Road, Abbeydale Road and others could see bikes separated from vehicles using the red-and-white plastic barriers that have caused so much controversy in Shalesmoor.

Sheffield City Council has promised to advertise the location of new schemes in advance - a lesson learned after new measures were installed without warning, taking out a lane each way on the A61 dual carriageway.

But it is pushing ahead with moves to make Sheffield more cycle friendly due to government pressure, reduced capacity on buses and fewer vehicles on the road due to lockdown.

And it must move quickly. A bid for Emergency Active Travel Funding, worth £2.2m to Sheffield, must be in by early August. It must be spent by the end of March.

Officials believe that as well as trials, the cash will eventually pay for one permanent new route and one ‘low traffic neighbourhood’ where roads are blocked to severely restrict through routes, as has been introduced in Kelham Island.

But where should they be?

The Star organised a discussion with politicians, a cyclist and a businessman, held outside and limited to six people to meet social distancing rules, to hear some ideas:

Ruth Mersereau, Green councillor for City Ward

Mazher Iqbal, Labour councillor for Darnall Ward and cabinet member for business

Shaffaq Mohammed, Ecclesall Ward councillor and Sheffield Lib Dem leader.

Angela Walker, cycling projects manager at A Different Gear Bike Shop

Eddie Andrew, boss of OurCowMolly milk

David Walsh, business editor, The Star

Ruth Mersereau: “I’d like to see trials on existing bus routes such as Ecclesall Road, Abbeydale Road and Chesterfield Road where there are a lot of people living a short distance from town.

“I think new measures need time to bed in and people need to be aware of them in the first place.”

Mazher Iqbal said he was keen to “try as many pilots as we can.”

He added: “There’s been a mixed response to the new measures, users think it’s fantastic, some businesses say it’s caused issues.

“It’s refreshing to hear parents say, ‘this is amazing because it’s safe. My little girl felt safe.

“We’ve tried piloting things and made a few mistakes but we can’t stop because we have got it wrong somewhere. It’s about being bold and taking people with us.”

Shaffaq Mohammed has described the Shalesmoor project as a ‘fiasco’ after hundreds of drivers complained about being caught in congestion.

He said: “It has started a conversation with cyclists and all road users. We have got to learn from Shalesmoor. Realistically, I think there was an alternative route through Neepsend.”

The Lib Dems’ preferred permanent routes are through Attercliffe, linking the city centre with Darnall, Tinsley, the Advanced Manufacturing Park and Rotherham. They say there is space to do it and commuters there are more likely to switch to bikes.

They also want to see the Sheaf Valley cycle route from the city centre towards Millhouses improved and extended to run past Millhouses Park.

Angela Walker was in support.

She said: “The Sheaf route meanders and is not well signposted. But it is fine for new cyclists.

“You can’t please everyone. Be bold, give things a go. Traffic volumes are low, now is a brilliant opportunity to try things like low traffic neighbourhoods where people enjoy being out and can be more sociable with neighbours.”

Shaffaq Mohammed: “With low traffic neighbourhoods the streets come alive.”

But Eddie Andrew sounded a note of caution. OurCowMolly delivers 5,000 litres of milk to 150 sites in Sheffield every day and drivers were caught out by the new measures.

“It’s made it safe for cyclists but it’s been done in a rush. From our point of view we have arrived to find roadblocks.

“Long term we may need delivery bays or alternative transport like cargo bikes and bike lock-ups. That could work for delivery companies.

“If you are going to shut a street, ask businesses about deliveries first.

“I’m more than happy with the idea, but when you’ve got 120 stops, the last thing you want is another 100m.”

Shaffaq Mohammed: “Electric cargo bikes are very expensive and you need somewhere safe to store them.”

Ruth Mersereau: “We don’t just need secure bike stands for cargo bikes, there’s a massive shortage of ordinary bike stands, which help with quick trips. and things like dropped kerbs.”

Hubs with secure parking and showers, docking bikes and electric scooters for hire and e-bikes to tackle Sheffield’s hills could all improve active travel in Sheffield - the so-called Outdoor City - where fewer than two percent of trips are by bicycle, the discussion heard.

Eddie Andrew said new measures should be ‘introduced’ to the public with a big event like the HSBC Sky Ride, which allows cyclists to ride into the city centre on closed roads on one day a year.

“If you are going to shut an area, have a big event to introduce people to it. If you shut a road and don’t mention it you are not going to grow usage very much, you have got to experience it.”

A spokesman for campaign group CycleSheffield said any new route needed to be continuous and direct and protected from motor traffic. And it would make sense for it to connect a low traffic neighbourhood with the city centre.

Sheffield Cycling 4 All is an inclusive cycling project run by Disability Sheffield.

Rosemary Hill, of Sheffield Cycling 4 All, said they wanted wide cycle lanes, separated from traffic, and parking that gave easy access to shops.

She added: “In this COVID-age, where the people most affected are disabled or have long-term health conditions, having accessible cycling lanes like the Shalesmoor one means people can avoid public transport, gain the benefits of low impact exercise and maintain independence.”

Bus user Roger Capel said passengers were being overlooked in the debate. The closure of Pinstone Street had affected passengers who are elderly or with reduced mobility.

He added: “It makes them go somewhere else and has a knock-on effect for local business. Having found alternatives, will they go back? And then there are the delays to predominantly low paid workers travelling to and from their employment.”

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