Making more time to draw up cycle safety proposals in Sheffield

A new plan is to be drawn up to improve conditions for cyclists in Sheffield.
By The Newsroom
Published 16th Jun 2016, 06:00 BST
Hundreds of people got on their bikes and took to the streets to call for more Space for Cycling in Sheffield. The ride was organised by CycleSheffield, the local campaigning group for cycle transport. The event was a public demonstration to Sheffield City Council of the need to improve cycling infrastructure and support the Space for Cycling campaign. Photo: Chris EtchellsHundreds of people got on their bikes and took to the streets to call for more Space for Cycling in Sheffield. The ride was organised by CycleSheffield, the local campaigning group for cycle transport. The event was a public demonstration to Sheffield City Council of the need to improve cycling infrastructure and support the Space for Cycling campaign. Photo: Chris Etchells
Hundreds of people got on their bikes and took to the streets to call for more Space for Cycling in Sheffield. The ride was organised by CycleSheffield, the local campaigning group for cycle transport. The event was a public demonstration to Sheffield City Council of the need to improve cycling infrastructure and support the Space for Cycling campaign. Photo: Chris Etchells

Last week proposals for measures to cut the number of accidents and injuries suffered by riders while crossing the city’s tram tracks went before a Town Hall meeting.

But Coun Mazer Iqbal, the council’s cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, chose to defer giving the go-ahead to the measures, which included advance warning signs on the approach to tram stops, changes to road surfacing and signs pointing out alternative routes.

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The council wants to work with Cycle Sheffield, and fellow groups, to take an overall approach to making the city’s roads better for cyclists, rather than dealing with the tram tracks issue in isolation.

Coun Iqbal said: “The council is committed to working with Cycle Sheffield and other user groups to develop the city’s cycle provision and those groups are fully in support of this collaborative approach.

“We want to work together to address incidents on tramlines as part of our overall approach to improving conditions for cycling in Sheffield and to develop a plan that supports our ambition to significantly increase the number of people that choose to cycle as a safe, healthy and attractive everyday choice. We will now develop a new report together and believe this is the best way of developing a cycle network we can all be proud of.”

Cycle Sheffield ran a study that found around 300 cyclists had crashed on tram lines in the last two years – equivalent to more than12 accidents every month. Problems occur when cyclists’ wheels get stuck in the rails, in many cases throwing riders off their bikes.

n An online form – www.sheffield.gov.uk/roads/travel/cycling/cycle-incident – has been set up to report accidents.

Related topics:Town Hall