'Short-sighted' £4.8m road-widening criticised by Sheffield cyclists

By The Newsroom
Published 25th Mar 2018, 19:36 BST
Updated 25th Mar 2018, 20:25 BST
London Road, at the junction with Broadfield Road, where 4.8m is to be spent in an attempt to reduce congestionLondon Road, at the junction with Broadfield Road, where 4.8m is to be spent in an attempt to reduce congestion
London Road, at the junction with Broadfield Road, where 4.8m is to be spent in an attempt to reduce congestion
A £4.8 million road-widening scheme in Sheffield will increase traffic, worsen air pollution and fail cyclists and pedestrians, a critic has claimed.

Sheffield Council is planning a major overhaul of London Road at its junction with Broadfield Road in Heeley, which it says will cut congestion and shave two minutes from journey times to the city centre.

Read More
Busy Sheffield road gets multi-million revamp

Businesses in the area last week gave the revamp a mixed reaction, with some welcoming the extra lane but others voicing concerns about the disruption and questioning whether it represented value for money.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cycle Sheffield, which represents cyclists in the city, is not impressed at all with the plans.

Dexter Johnstone, the group's secretary, took particular offence at one line in a council report about the project stating that it will 'improve the intro-city route for confident cyclists who are comfortable riding on busy roads by increasing the amount of road space available for all users'.

The report goes on to suggest 'less confident cyclists' can use other quieter routes running parallel to London Road.

"The idea that in the 21st century someone can say if you're confident cycling on dangerous roads that's fine and if you're not you have to cycle somewhere else is quite incredible," said Mr Johnstone.