Petition for better signs on hazardous hill

Hagg Hill, which links Rivelin to Crosspool and Walkley, is a busy route but is one of the city’s steepest inclines. Motorists coming up the hill have right of way and drivers crossing the top of the road should give way at the junctions.

But Francesca Wall says drivers coming along the top, Back Lane and Bole Hill Road, often don’t give way and cut across.

Francesca, who uses the road often as part of her commute to Wakefield via Hillsborough, said: “I remember on one of my first driving lessons we went up Hagg Hill and the instructor said ‘Don’t stop at the top, it’s your right of way, don’t lose revs, just keep going and turn right round the corner’.

“My partner has said that everyone just ignores the Give Way signs and there’s nothing I can do about it so I should either stop at the top or not go that way any more.

“But stopping at the top could be dangerous if there’s more traffic behind you having to brake suddenly or back up down the hill.

“I think coming down Back Lane towards Bole Hill Road there should be a Stop sign instead of Give Way.

“Give Way implies ‘stop if there’s something coming’ – stop means it would be dangerous not to come to a halt and check all round before proceeding through the junction.”

Francesca said she avoided a serious collision by seconds, because a motorist didn’t give way and shot in front of her as she was coming up the hill.

“I was coming up Hagg Hill, and as I reached the top I slowed down both to turn and because I know some people don’t read the Give Way sign.

“A car came across me from my right, going so fast I had to do an emergency stop and they had to swerve round me. If I had been a second earlier we would have had a bad collision.

“I think from their position on the road they would have been able to see me coming up the hill when they were close to the junction, but they didn’t see the Give Way sign, ignored it or didn’t brake in time.

“As I looked at the man’s car driving away, I saw him looking back at me with an angry shocked expression as if I had been in the wrong.”

Francesca says she has already had a lot of support for the petition. “There have been crashes and near misses from people not expecting or reading the Give Way sign.

“I am hoping a Stop sign would be a lot more visible and make people realise the importance of letting the traffic coming up Hagg Hill have right of way, as visibility and ability to stop is difficult.”

The petition can be signed here:

http://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=500000084&RPID=504843017&HPID=504843017