' The University Roundabout is 10 times worse than Shalesmoor'

HJ Greaves of Sheffield has their say on Shalesmoor roundabout...

Well done to John Bunting (Star May 6th) for keeping the Shalesmoor Roundabout farce in the public eye. I’m sure the council were hoping that it would be swept under the carpet (or should that read tarmac?) and be quietly forgotten about. I use this stretch of road on a regular basis at all hours and have never experienced severe traffic congestion. Very slight sometimes, but 95% of the time it is free-flowing. The University Roundabout is 10 times worse.

To spend £30m and two years mending something which is not broken is quite obscene, when it could be spent on potholes instead (or even the Central Library as John points out). JCB have invented an amazing machine called the JCB Pothole Pro - which fixes potholes for good, but I have heard no mention from the council of their intention to purchase (or they can be rented) several of these problem-solvers or even one. Why?

A couple of miles up the road we have the Leppings Lane/Herries Road junction which used to have free-flowing traffic when there was a roundabout there. The installation of traffic-lights has created permanent snarl-ups and another example of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”

Several years ago £5m was spent on a new traffic scheme at Woodseats which has resulted in permanent slow-moving traffic down Meadowhead, and I believe the Woodseats saga is about to be tweaked even further very soon now.

Is there a section of the Highways Dept that dreams up these madcap schemes? We need a brand-new section of the Highways Dept which monitors use of existing cycle lanes before we build anymore. Let’s see some officially monitored figures as proof of their success. Or let’s all play “Spot the Cyclist”. Perhaps we should start with the £12m Dutch Roundabout at West Bar. Seen any bikes on there anyone?

A prime example of total failure was the closure of Little London Road which resulted in the demise of 11 businesses. I have yet to see a cyclist use this cycle route and likewise the nearby “bicycle boulevard” on Broadfield Road. Everyone still uses Abbeydale Road. Creating new cycle routes are causing chaos in the city centre and the Derek Dooley Way ones and Attercliffe Red Routes will cause even more mayhem. It is all very well continuing this obsession with forcing us all onto bicycles but we are not all physically able to do so.

None of this is doing anything for the cycling fraternity’s image and it is starting to irritate people. They are also not helping their reputation with the public in other ways. Some (but not all) need to take a look at their behaviour. Sticking half a melon on your head does not give you the right to jump red lights, ride on the pavement and ignore the Highway Code.