Sheffield dad’s petition for speed bumps on THREE busy roads signed by hundreds

Warren Martin from Meersbrook, who started the petition, wants greater safety measures on Valley Road, Upper Valley Road and Rushdale Road, including a speed camera on the former. The father-of-one, who has lived on Upper Valley Road for four years, claimed the long, straight nature of the roads encourages speeding.

He once witnessed a motorcyclist reach “at least” 60 miles per hour on Upper Valley Road and said several drivers, including himself, have been overtaken on the streets, which have a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit.

Warren said: “A lot of children cross these roads going to and from Carfield school, as well as the local secondary school and the park. It is only a matter of time before a child is knocked down, most likely by a speeding driver.

"I have asked my local MP to take action but they have so far failed.”

Warren contacted the office of his local MP, Louise Haigh, which is located next to Valley Road on Chesterfield Road, last year but was recently told the council and police have ‘not got money to do anything about it’.

Warren added: “We must prevent a tragedy from taking place, not wait until one does happen before taking action. There are a lot of young families in this area including my own, the safety of all children is paramount, which is why I am taking further action”.

Nearly 300 people have signed the petition so far.

In a statement, Louise Haigh said: “I absolutely support residents who have serious concerns about speeding and road safety in Meersbrook, its been an issue thats been raised repeatedly and led to the Council designating the area a 20mph zone. I've raised this issue again recently with both the council and the police but both have seriously limited resources.

"I'm now working with Councillor Cate McDonald and local residents to see what action we can take as they're absolutely right - we cannot wait for something terrible to happen to clamp down on people wilfully flouting the speeding restrictions.”

Councillor Bob Johnson, Cabinet Member for Transport and Development at Sheffield City Council, said: “We appreciate how residents feel about people who think it’s OK to speed where there are pedestrians and small children.

“Council budgets are very tight so we have to prioritise spending where there is the highest number of injury accidents. Unfortunately there are many locations within the city that have more accidents and this is where our immediate priorities must be directed.

“This is difficult, as we know that everyone values safe and pleasant neighbourhoods, which is one reason why we introduced a 20 mph limit on the streets here. It is disappointing that some people do not abide by this limit. In the meantime our message to drivers is please don’t be selfish by driving at dangerous speeds on small residential roads.”