Sheffield council officers 'surprised' by opposition to road closure in new safety measure proposals

In a message to The Star’s letters page, councillors Barbara Masters and Shaffaq Mohammed, Liberal Democrats, said the recent drop-in session to discuss proposed road safety measures along Ecclesall Road “proved the value in local feedback”.

It read: “Officers were surprised at the opposition to the proposed closure of Millhouses Lane and while they cannot guarantee it will not happen, did assure many of us there that they would now seriously look at other options.

“Officers emphasised plans are still in the initial phase and they genuinely want to elicit the views of residents. They welcome suggestions of how – and where- improvements can be made and they value local knowledge.”

For Coun Masters and Coun Mohammed, the drop-in session serves as a means of persuading local residents to engage in the ongoing consultation.

“Whatever your views about the value of ‘consultations’ held by Sheffield City Council we would strongly urge people to contribute to the one currently underway,” the letter said, “What happens on this road has a knock-on effect on much of the road network in Sheffield so it’s not just local residents and businesses who need the scheme eventually decided on to be ‘Right First Time’.”

The current proposals on the Have Your Say website include the implementation of a 20mph speed limit along Ecclesall Road, between the junction with Pear Street and Hunters Bar Roundabout.

Average speed cameras will be installed at both ends of the limit. A new signal-controlled crossing will be installed near the Botanical Road junction, and the Brocco Bank and Junction Road approaches to Hunters Bar roundabout will be narrowed to a single lane to improve safety.

Other proposals in the consultation, like new central hatching, footpaths and the closure of Millhouses Lane, continue from Hunters Bar down to Whirlowdale Road.

The stretch of road being addressed is known to be particularly dangerous. Accident data provided in the consultation shows there were 124 collisions reported across the entire area between August 1, 2017 and July 31, 2022.

51 of those collisions involved someone being killed or seriously injured. Two were fatal.

The letter to The Star suggested the measures in the proposal may not go far enough.

“[The officers’] position is not easy,” it said, “They have to work within the parameters set by the Department for Transport which is funding the work, using accident statistics which they acknowledge are flawed as our discussions proved. The data cannot give the full picture because it only consists of reported incidents over a specific time interval. And the cash is not enough to secure all the safety measures desired.”

The Ecclesall ward councillors said people must have their say, with the consultation closing at 11.59pm on November 7, 2024, adding: “It may be too late to complain once the proposals go to the next stage so we urge you to have your say now.”