Photos show temporary pavement widening in Sheffield - but is it just a ‘pointless spin’ exercise?

Sheffield Council says the work will help people get around more safely but the councillor who took these images claims they expose what he calls a ‘pointless spin’ exercise.

The council announced last week that footpaths at six locations around the city would be widened as part of plans to encourage walking and cycling, which have risen massively since the lockdown began.

Long queues outside Sheffield tip branded 'extremely dangerous'

Those sites are:

Chesterfield Road – between Haughton Road and Asda/Iceland Service Road

Rowlands Pharmacy – on Dykes Hall Road

Lloyds Pharmacy – on Far Lane/Wadsley Lane

Fulwood Road – on Glossop Road to Nile Street Broomhill centre

Charles Street and Union Street – from above Q-Park

Five Weirs Walk

Traffic lights are also being reprogrammed to reduce the time pedestrians spend waiting, markings are being placed at bus stops to help people keep their distance and temporary cycle lanes are being created.

Councillor Bob Johnson, cabinet member for transport, said: “These changes are part of a bigger programme of works that will support an increased amount of pedestrian traffic in and around community areas as we practice social distancing during COVID-19.

These are all the safety measures and social distancing rules being introduced on South Yorkshire buses

“These interventions have been focused in key local centres initially and we’re working closely with local hubs and councillors to identify further locations that could benefit from widened footways in our neighbourhoods.”

But Green Party councillor Douglas Johnson is not impressed by what he claims is another missed opportunity to improve cycling and walking routes through the city.

He says the measures were announced without any consultation and fail to capitalise upon the growth in cycling and walking during the pandemic, which prompted the Government to pledge £2 billion to help reduce the pressure on public transport.

When he visited this week to see what had actually been done, he says, he found the temporary measures were of little benefit to anyone.

This is how many people in England are still being infected with coronavirus each week

In Woodseats, he said a single parking bay was cordoned off outside a hairdressing salon which remained closed during the lockdown, with two lumps of tarmac as a ‘crude token’ to wheelchair users.

“What is the point? How does this help anyone?” he asked.

On Dykes Hall Road, he claimed a white barrier left the 25-metre stretch inaccessible to wheelchair users or parents pushing buggies; in Wadsley, he said the dropped kerb was blocked by a sign advertising the parking restriction; and in Broomhill shopping centre, he saw ‘absolutely no sign of any improvements’.

In the city centre, meanwhile, he called the collection of barriers outside council offices ‘more baffling than anything’, claiming ‘it might help staff walk from the side door to the main entrance… if the building were open

He added that there was no sign of any real changes on the Five Weirs Walk, at Shalesmoor roundabout or at Division Street, which he and other campaigners want to see pedestrianised.

“It’s been pure spin from the council to make it look as if something is happening. There is a lot that could be done that isn’t but Sheffield isn’t in a particularly good place because the billions of pounds that have been spent on the city’s roads have prioritised car use for decades,” he said.

“Given that the city committed over £2 billion for the Streets Ahead contract, it is shockingly poor value that this did not include a full system of dropped kerbs and walking and cycling provision on every street.”

“I would like to see serious steps taken by the council to improve our roads for all users, not just through extra spending but also the way that every decision about roads and transport planning is taken.”

Councillor Bob Johnson defended the work, saying: “We absolutely want to ensure the best solution across the entire city in these challenging times and it’s inevitable that we will learn what works, as well as what doesn’t, as we go along.

“However, we believe our current plans complement the wider aims of supporting people to move around the city safely whilst social distancing.”