'˜Over eight minutes to travel 600m' - £800,000 scheme to improve gridlocked Sheffield road

Sheffield Council bosses have drawn up plans to make improvements to a section of Barnsley Road in Firs Hill with the aim of improving bus journey times.

The idea consists of widening a section of the road near to the junctions of Scott Road and Orphanage Road with a bus lay-by.

A council highways report claims this particular stretch of road can suffer heavy delays with traffic moving just 600 metres in eight minutes.

The North Sheffield Better Buses project, comprising Sheffield Council, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and city bus operators, has identified the stretch as the most frequent source of delay on bus routes between Ecclesfield and the city centre.

The report stated: “Journey time data has shown that buses can sometimes take over eight minutes to travel the 600 metres between Earl Marshall Road and Orphanage Road, when it should only take two or three minutes.

“The scheme should bring individual journey time savings of at least two minutes at peak times, as well as improving the reliability of bus services at all times, helping them to turn up on time. Significantly, all other vehicles on Barnsley Road will also benefit from the reduced congestion.”

Other plans which did not involve widening the road were also considered, such as the installation of traffic lights at the junctions with pedestrian crossings.

However, highways chiefs said research showed there would likely be a significant increase in delays for all users of the junction at all times of day. On Scott Road and Firshill Avenue, delays would likely be increased threefold during busy periods.

Work on the £800,000 bus lay-by scheme is expected to begin in the next few weeks. Due to the close proximity to Firs Hill Primary School, the majority of the work will be done during the six-week school holiday. Some disruption is likely to occur and diversions will be place on the stretch of road during the works phase.