Cycle route in Sheffield’s Sheaf Valley set to be extended

Communities across Heeley, Arbourthorne and Gleadless Valley will be connected by the extension which will feed into the existing Sheaf Valley route.

Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley, said it will be mainly free from bus traffic and it will avoid conflict from other vehicles making it pedestrian and cyclist friendly.

She said: “I’m delighted that the Sheaf Valley route is going to be extended across a large part of the constituency giving residents an alternative and safe travel route into the centre of Sheffield, and connecting the constituency, that is free from traffic and air pollution.”

But of the £11,493,770 that South Yorkshire bid for from the Department of Transport, only £2,669,947 was awarded – for this project and one in Doncaster.

Ms Haigh said: “It is disappointing for the rest of South Yorkshire that the government decided that only two schemes were worthy enough to fund. They deemed the other schemes to not meet their criteria, when they didn’t detail the criteria before the bids were submitted.

“This is systemic of this Tory government; they had the same response for not providing Bus Improvement Funding for the region. They’re all talk about levelling up the North, but in reality, they have no intention of putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to South Yorkshire.”

Dexter Johnstone, of Cycle Sheffield, urged the new South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard and the four councils in the region to submit a much stronger and more ambitious bid by the next deadline in August. Around £10 million is up for grabs in this next round of funding.