Politicians criticise "silly" Sheffield cycle lane after an ambulance gets stuck

Sheffield Council has put in place what it calls "emergency active travel measures" across the city to help social distancing and promote cycling and walking.

But the lane at Shalesmoor caused chaos when an ambulance with its blue lights flashing couldn't get past the bollards.

Liberal Democrat Leader Coun Shaffaq Mohammed and Lord Paul Scriven both said they were in favour of cycle lanes but this one had been installed without proper thought or care and needed to be reassessed.

Coun Mohammed said: "This is a silly decision which has been made without any consultation and no thought given to emergency vehicles.

"This needs a rethink. Someone should have sat down and said this is a major route, we are about to open the city up again, is this a sensible thing to do?"

"This hinders the flow of traffic and emergency vehicles, it puts drivers against cyclists and undermines our green transport options."

Coun Bob Johnson, Cabinet member for transport, said the temporary link was created to give people the space and infrastructure to walk and cycle.

“We have seen that pedestrianised areas in parts of the city centre such as Division Street and Pinstone Street have positively impacted on people visiting and working in the area by creating more space for people to move around safely, which is incredibly important as the city starts to reopen again.

“The Kelham and Neepsend community is Sheffield’s first low-traffic neighbourhood and I hope that we will see this scheme replicated in many areas of the city.

"We will continue to monitor the temporary cycle lane scheme and ensure that, if required, necessary changes are made so it operates as effectively as possible.

“We would like to thank residents and those travelling in this area for their patience and understanding."

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