£10.7m Rotherham cycle lane and bus priority scheme scrapped after residents reject plans
A multi-million pound scheme featuring new cycle lanes, bus priority measures and changes to a major Rotherham roundabout has been scrapped after residents rejected the proposals.
Rotherham Council leader Chris Read confirmed none of the measures proposed for the Broom Road, Wickersley Road and Moorgate area would be taken forward.
The £10.7m scheme included protected cycle lanes intended to extend the existing Wellgate route towards Broom, a bus lane along Broom Road and Wickersley Road, and alterations to Stag Roundabout.
Other proposals included upgraded pedestrian crossings, lower speeds near primary schools, pavement improvements and traffic management measures.
The authority consulted residents between May and July, having previously gathered feedback on the corridor between November 2024 and April 2025.
Coun Read said: “For the Broom Road Moorgate scheme, residents told us that they didn't support any of the proposals that we were putting forward. The cycle lane, the road crossings, or any of the road safety measures.
“When the council brings forward proposals for that, we will not be taking forward any of those proposals.”
Coun Read said the council had promised at the last local elections that schemes would proceed only where they had the support of the communities most affected, and added that safety aspects may be looked at again on the future.
He added: “We know people have been worried about those proposals, we know people had strong views on them.
“We want to base our response solely on what you've told us in the community, making sure we use that government funding on the best possible outcomes for our community.”
A separate £16.5m scheme covering Fitzwilliam Road and the Eastwood area has not been abandoned altogether.
Coun Read said that consultation had shown broad support for some proposals, particularly measures concerning pedestrian crossings and parking on side streets.
Council officers have now been asked to redesign that scheme, retaining supported pedestrian and parking measures while considering removing the proposed cycle lanes.
Both projects were being supported through the government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, administered locally by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.