New zebra crossings plan for Sheffield side roads to improve safety for pedestrians
Council wants people to feel more confident walking, wheeling and cycling
A scheme to test out improving road safety by putting zebra crossings on side roads in Sheffield is being trialled in the city.
The scheme is to test whether installing zebra crossings on side roads in residential areas improves driver behaviour. Sheffield City
Council’s transport, regeneration and climate policy committee approved the trial on Wednesday (September 16).
A report to the committee from principal transport planner Sam Fleming said that that trials in other areas show that drivers give way to pedestrians more often when zebra markings on side roads are in place.
It said that a change to the Highway Code in 2022 to give pedestrians priority when crossing side roads has not been fully understood by drivers.
Nicola Marshall from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) said that the trial will inform discussions about the effectiveness of such schemes in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and nationally.
Mr Fleming’s report said that the trial will be small scale and that zebra crossings on side streets are a simpler design with no Belisha beacons or zigzag road markings, so are far cheaper to install than those on main roads.
They will be monitored by cameras.
Committee chair Coun Alexi Dimond said he was “very excited” to see the trial taking place. He said it is important to help people feel confident to walk, cycle and wheel around their neighbourhoods.
Coun Ian Horner said that it is vital to tackle the issue of drivers parking on corners to enable the scheme’s success. “If someone is just blithely parking on corners, we need to address that,” he added.
Mr Fleming replied that any issues can be addressed by additional enforcement action as there are penalty charges for parking on zebra crossings.
Ms Marshall said that SYMCA is looking at using new legal powers which are coming in to tackle issues such as pavement parking and other dangerous parking.
Coun Stuart Wallace said he was worried that parking enforcement officers might be pulled away from important work near schools to concentrate on the trial.
Mr Fleming said that additional resources would be used to avoid that possibility.