Bid to push ahead with planned crossings after £10m cycle lane scrapped
“There is money, we can start this”
Ten pedestrian crossings are at the heart of a councillor’s bid to rescue safety measures from a scrapped £10.7m transport scheme in Rotherham.
The original Broom Road, Wickersley Road and Moorgate scheme included cycle lanes, bus priority measures, crossings and changes to Stag Roundabout.
But it was shelved last month following public consultation.
Conservative councillor Paul Thorp wants crossings and safer school routes to go ahead without the cycle lanes opposed by residents.
But Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council says the proposals still need further design work, costings and funding.
Councillor John Williams, cabinet member for transport, jobs and the local economy, said residents had given the council “a clear answer”.
“The overwhelming feedback was that the community did not support the proposed cycle infrastructure or the scheme as a whole,” he said.
“We asked for people’s views, we listened, and we have acted on that feedback by deciding not to take the scheme forward.”
Coun Thorp met Simon Moss, the council’s assistant director for planning, regeneration and transport, on Wednesday, September 30 to discuss salvaging the safety measures.
The Sitwell councillor said five of the 10 proposed light-controlled crossings already had designs drawn up. Locations under discussion include Broom Lane, Stag Roundabout and Worrygoose Roundabout.
Coun Williams said the issues raised by Coun Thorp would be considered through Ward Road Safety Plans, which aim to identify opportunities for improvements across the borough.
He said the proposals would benefit from early design work carried out for the previous consultation, but added: “These proposals are not fully designed, costed or at this stage funded.”
The council would continue seeking funding for future road safety projects, he said.
For Coun Thorp, safer journeys to school remain the priority.
He backed reviving an idea to restrict vehicles on Grange Road, which serves Sitwell Infant School and Sitwell Academy, describing motorists making three-point turns on the busy road as “dangerous”.
He also suggested making Hall Close Avenue, serving Whiston Worrygoose School, one-way.
“It wouldn’t cost a fortune and kids would only have to look one way when crossing,” he said.
Coun Thorp asked whether developer contributions could help fund improvements, pointing to housing plans off Worrygoose Lane which would bring more traffic to the area.
“There is money, we can start this,” he added.
His push follows a petition signed by more than 3,600 people calling for crossings, traffic calming and safer school routes to take priority over dedicated cycle and bus lanes.