Ringinglow Road: Community speed trap snares cars and cyclists in Sheffield village

An amateur speed trap in Sheffield caught 13 drivers and nine cyclists breaking the limit, a councillor says.

Lib Dems and volunteers aimed a speed gun at vehicles heading into Sheffield at the Norfolk Arms pub on Ringinglow Road - a notorious blackspot where the limit changes from 60mph to 30mph.

Coun Barbara Masters said of 190 vehicles recorded 13 were speeding, with one doing 60mph. The details of eight would be passed on to police, she added. They were unable to log five for ‘various reasons’.

They also clocked a group of seven cyclists and two solo riders travelling “well in excess” of 30.

She said: “As you’d expect the majority of motorists noticed the hi-vis jackets and dropped their speed accordingly, but we still clocked someone doing 60mph and a group of cyclists at 44 mph!”

She added: “Its purpose is education not entrapment. It involves training, as you would expect, and volunteers must comply with regulations.”

Details of the operation sparked a lively discussion on a local Facebook group.

Some pointed out bikes are not required to have speedometers and cyclists cannot be prosecuted for speeding. One said those speeding past the pub were a danger, "not least to themselves."

Another focused on the threat from cars, saying: “I was a witness to a dangerous driving case on Ringinglow Road where there was a fatality due to excessive speed. I walk there most weeks and regularly see drivers travelling at over 60. I welcome this scheme.”

In August, Bents Green resident Pat Hutchinson said Ringinglow Road was being treated as a "speed track" by motorists and cyclists and she feared an accident was "just a matter of time."

The speed gun scheme is run by the Southwest Local Area Committee, with the police. Volunteers are needed. Email: [email protected]