Protesters in Sheffield suburb demand urgent 'Active Travel' review to make streets safer

‘Walkley Streets 4 People’ gathered on Springvale Road, Crookes, to call for adjustments to the scheme, which aims to reduce traffic and make streets safer for people to walk and cycle.

In a Change.org petition launched by the group, protesters praised the scheme’s intentions, but said that changes have made some areas even more dangerous.

Sam Wakeling, the group’s organiser, said: “We need the council to remove through-traffic on side streets and prevent dangerous conflicts which has been the heart of successful similar schemes elsewhere. Some of the current scheme doesn't work, but the right changes could make it work.”

Ollie Giles, a father from Walkley, said the Active Travel scheme had made some positive changes, such as the use of planters to prevent rat-running, but he was disappointed with its overall results.

He said: “It’s been a bit of a shame with the scheme because it’s been implemented in bits, some parts have been taken out and it’s not as cohesive as we would have liked.

“We would like quieter streets for our children, without fearing that they’d be hit by a car going at 40mph.”

Sheffield City Council said it was aware of incidents on Springvale Road and Matlock Road, Crookes, where drivers had mounted pavements to bypass the new measures.

Labour Councillor for Crookes and Crosspool, Ruth Milsom, who attended the protest, said: “It’s a no-brainer that Active Travel is a good thing.

“But I don’t think the views of people in the community were brought into the design of the scheme as effectively as they could have been.

“I would have liked to have seen more space in the program for that to happen.”

Active Travel England is a government agency encouraging more people across the country to walk, wheel and cycle as much as possible.

Six-month trials of the scheme are currently underway in Crookes and Nether Edge after the Sheffield City Council held an initial consultation last year. Measures have faced criticism from some local residents since they were introduced.