[{"content":"A brand new road on a disused Boots industrial site will enable rat running and has badly designed shared use footways for cycling.\nIt will open sometime soon in 2020.\nThe new road [ map] will serve a new residential and commercial business park area.\nEnabling more rat running in Beeston This road will create multiple new rat runs in Beeston in Nottingham. Bypassing the main roads, encouraging traffic to use this new bypass, through residential areas.\nThese new traffic routes will enable traffic to drive from the A52 Trunk Road in the East, onto the A6005 Queens Road, and University Boulevard in the West, by opening up access to Humber Road South, Beacon Road, Lilac Grove and Station Road.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s an acknowledgement in the design that speeding traffic will be a problem from the beginning. Speed cushions are part of the design from the outset.\nBadly designed shared use footways for cycling There is an unsegregated shared use footway along the entire new road.\nLazy design. Very little attention has been paid to the junctions which have nice wide radius curves allowing people driving to turn in and out at speed, instead of tight radii.\nThe footways are discontinuous, people cycling and walking will be expected to give way to vehicles turning in and out.\nThe Nottingham Cycle Design Guide is reasonably good on this, but has been ignored.\nReduced width - Ignored Tight radii - Ignored Raised crossing - Ignored Contrasting surface - Ignored There is a parallel zebra crossing that connects a shared use footway at the top, with a shared use path at the bottom.\nThe crossing is on a 90 degree bend - people cycling will have to make difficult turn of head movements to check that it is safe to cross.\nThe crossing is not on a raised table.\nThe shared use footway at the bottom requires someone cycling to make a very sharp turn to use the crossing instead of the path being in line with the crossing.\nThe off road path at the top requires someone cycling to make a series of very sharp turns to use, the paths are designed with sharp corners, instead of smooth curves.\nBelisha Beacon poles will probably mean that the will be obstacles to avoid when using this crossing and I\u0026rsquo;m concerned that the while rectangles on the satellite image are electrical/control boxes in the middle of the footway.\nEverything in the Nottingham Cycle Design Guide seems to have been ignored.\nConclusion This is a brand new road, on an empty site.\nThe designers have chosen outdated designs straight out of the 70s. Cycling is an afterthought, permitted on poorly designed footways.\nNew rat run routes are enabled.\nThis new road shows that Nottingham still has a long way to go.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/thane-road/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA brand new road on a disused Boots industrial site will enable rat running and has badly designed shared use footways for cycling.\u003cbr\u003e\nIt will open sometime soon in 2020.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe new road [ \u003ca href=\"https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=52.9210\u0026amp;mlon=-1.1923#map=15/52.9210/-1.1923\"\u003emap\u003c/a\u003e] will serve a new residential and commercial business park area.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Thane-Road-Masterplan.jpg\"/\u003e \r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"enabling-more-rat-running-in-beeston\"\u003eEnabling more rat running in Beeston\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis road will create multiple new rat runs in Beeston in Nottingham. Bypassing the main roads, encouraging traffic to use this new bypass, through residential areas.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thane Road - Nottingham's Newest Road"},{"content":"\rWe often hear these claims, but very rarely are they backed up by evidence. Normally they\u0026rsquo;re just stated, like in the two examples above. I went looking for the evidence and this is what I found.\nThe basic premise is that vehicles speeding up and slowing down produces more emissions than vehicles travelling at a constant speed (smoother traffic flow), that it will take each vehicle longer to travel through an area, therefore increased emissions. This argument is used to argue against speed bumps, traffic lights, lower speed limits and 20mph zones, and is used in favour of schemes to reduce congestion.\nHowever the counter argument is that decreasing congestion by increasing road and junction capacity (to reduce delay and queuing) will increase traffic levels through a process known as induced travel, or latent demand (the idea that people choose a different route, mode or time to make trips because of congestion).\nSo, there\u0026rsquo;s a trade off, it\u0026rsquo;s likely that early results will show an improvement in air quality, but changes in travel patterns over time will lead to an increase emissions in the medium term. For more information about induced traffic see Wikipedia, Campaign for Better Transport, Wired.\nBigazzi, Alexander York, \u0026lsquo;Trafc Congestion Mitigation as an Emissions Reduction Strategy\u0026rsquo; (2011). Dissertations and Teses. Paper 131. 10.15760/etd.131\nStudies that assume that the number of journeys are fixed, will not include the possibility that pollution will increase due to increased trips.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re looking at a scheme where it\u0026rsquo;s claimed air quality will be improved, always check if the study assumed that the number of trips is fixed and won\u0026rsquo;t change.\nI don\u0026rsquo;t know how common this claim is around the UK/World, but in Sheffield I\u0026rsquo;ve read it a number of times. For example, the 2017 A61 Inner Ring Road scheme will \u0026ldquo;reduce congestion which will improve air quality\u0026rdquo;.\nThere is academic research in this area, some of which involves micro-simulation of vehicle movements. There are 2 studies from 2003 and 2006 with the same author, the first looked at 2 merging roads and traffic signal synchronisation, and the second paper looked at a motorway merge.\nIn summary, the studies found 10 to 30% reduction in pollutants if traffic levels remained the same, but that pollution would be increased if traffic levels increased by 15 to 30% (depending on the scenario modelled).\nThe key research is:\nR.B. Noland, M.A. Quddus / Transportation Research Part D 11 (2006) 1–14, \u0026ldquo;Flow improvements and vehicle emissions: Effects of trip generation and emission control technology\u0026rdquo; [ Link]\nFotis Stathopoulos and Robert Noland, Issue. 1842, : Pages. 57-63\n(Issue publication date: January 2003) /Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board / \u0026ldquo;Induced Travel and Emissions from Traffic Flow Improvement Projects\u0026rdquo; [ Link]\nThe research in this area was summarised in 2011 in a masters thesis and is well worth a read.\nBigazzi, Alexander York, \u0026ldquo;Traffic Congestion Mitigation as an Emissions Reduction Strategy\u0026rdquo; (2011). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 131. [ Link]\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/widen-roads-to-reduce-vehicle-emissions-really/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/SCC1.png\"/\u003e \r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/SCC2.png\"/\u003e \r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe often hear these claims, but very rarely are they backed up by evidence. Normally they\u0026rsquo;re just stated, like in the two examples above. I went looking for the evidence and this is what I found.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe basic premise is that vehicles speeding up and slowing down produces more emissions than vehicles travelling at a constant speed (smoother traffic flow), that it will take each vehicle longer to travel through an area, therefore increased emissions. This argument is used to argue against speed bumps, traffic lights, lower speed limits and 20mph zones, and is used in favour of schemes to reduce congestion.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Widen roads to reduce vehicle emissions? Really?"},{"content":"I spent a few weeks in Rotterdam last year and explored the tram lines end to end looking to see how they\u0026rsquo;d designed the infrastructure to support cycling. I saw a whole range, from really good to really bad. Here are selection of photo\u0026rsquo;s that illustrate the range of conditions.\nThere is a Google Photos album with all these in here.\nPeppelweg Peppelweg - Tram stop bypass\nPeppelweg - Tram stop bypass\nPeppelweg - Tram stop bypass\nMeidoornweide Meidoornweide - Tram stop bypass\nMeidoornweide - Tram stop bypass\nLiduinaplein Your browser does not support the video element. Liduinaplein - Tram stop bypass\nBerge Dorpsstraat Berge Dorpsstraat - Satellite\nYour browser does not support the video element. Your browser does not support the video element. Your browser does not support the video element. Your browser does not support the video element. Weissenbruchlaan Weissenbruchlaan Junction\nWeissenbruchlaan Junction\nYour browser does not support the video element. Your browser does not support the video element. Weissenbruchlaan Junction\nLommerrijk Lommerrijk Tram Stop\nKootsekade Kootsekade Junction\nKootsekade Junction\nKootsekade Junction\nStation Noord Station Noord - Tram stop bypass\nStation Noord - Tram stop bypass\nGordelweg Gordelweg\nGordelweg\nSoetendaalseweg Soetendaalseweg\nBergweg Your browser does not support the video element. Your browser does not support the video element. Benthuizerstraat Benthuizerstraat\nBenthuizerstraat\nYour browser does not support the video element. Bergweg/Zaagmolenstraat Bergweg/Zaagmolenstraat\nBergweg/Zaagmolenstraat\nBergweg/Zaagmolenstraat\nVan den Hoonaardstraat Van den Hoonaardstraat\nVan den Hoonaardstraat\nZaagmolenbrug Zaagmolenbrug\nYour browser does not support the video element. Pijperstraat Your browser does not support the video element. Your browser does not support the video element. Pijperstraat/Boezemstraat Your browser does not support the video element. Your browser does not support the video element. Your browser does not support the video element. Boezemsingel Boezemsingel\nBoezemweg/Goudse Rijweg Boezemweg/Goudse Rijweg\nBoezemweg/Goudse Rijweg\nYour browser does not support the video element. Boezemweg/Goudse Rijweg\nBoezemweg/Goudse Rijweg\nYour browser does not support the video element. Your browser does not support the video element. Vlietlaan Vlietlaan\nJericholaan Jericholaan\nVoorschoterlaan Voorschoterlaan\nYour browser does not support the video element. Essenlaan Your browser does not support the video element. \u0026rsquo;s Gravenweg/\u0026rsquo;s Gravenwetering Your browser does not support the video element. Coolsingel/Beurstraverse Coolsingel/Beurstraverse\nCoolsingel/Blaak Coolsingel/Blaak\nYour browser does not support the video element. Your browser does not support the video element. Erasmusbrug/Vasteland Erasmusbrug/Vasteland\nErasmusbrug/Vasteland\nErasmusbrug/Vasteland\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/cycling-around-rotterdam-trams-and-tram-tracks-a-photo-tour/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI spent a few weeks in Rotterdam last year and explored the tram lines end to end looking to see how they\u0026rsquo;d designed the infrastructure to support cycling. I saw a whole range, from really good to really bad. Here are selection of photo\u0026rsquo;s that illustrate the range of conditions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a \u003ca href=\"https://photos.app.goo.gl/S9HwdVUn0gU45Jyf2\"\u003eGoogle Photos album with all these in here\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"peppelweg\"\u003ePeppelweg\u003c/h2\u003e\n","title":"Cycling around Rotterdam trams and tram tracks - A photo tour"},{"content":"In Sheffield, 23% of people live in the most 10% deprived areas in the country, but only 13% of councillor candidates came from those areas.\nIn Sheffield 9% of people live in the least 10% deprived areas in the country, but 27% of Lib Dem candidates, and 31% of Conservative party candidates came from those areas.\nThe full data is presented in the charts below. The data is from the 2015 Indices of Multiple Deprivation, the Sheffield City Council Statement of Persons Nominated May 2016, and Annual Mid-Year Population Estimates for the UK, for more information see my other blog post.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/deprivation-levels-and-councillor-candidates-in-the-sheffield-may-2016-election/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn Sheffield, 23% of people live in the most 10% deprived areas in the country, but only 13% of councillor candidates came from those areas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Sheffield 9% of people live in the least 10% deprived areas in the country, but 27% of Lib Dem candidates, and 31% of Conservative party candidates came from those areas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe full data is presented in the charts below. The data is from the 2015 Indices of Multiple Deprivation, the Sheffield City Council Statement of Persons Nominated May 2016, and Annual Mid-Year Population Estimates for the UK, for more information see my \u003ca href=\"/election2016/\"\u003eother blog post\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n","title":"Deprivation Levels and Councillor Candidates in the Sheffield May 2016 Election"},{"content":"If you\u0026rsquo;re one of the 21,000 people who live in Firth Park Ward, then in the May 2016 Sheffield Council election, 13 of the 14 candidates you could vote for lived outside your ward.\nHowever, in a different part of the city, 71% of East Ecclesfield\u0026rsquo;s candidates lived within the ward.\nAcross Sheffield the picture is varied, of the 372 candidates in 28 wards, 36% lived in the ward in which they were standing, 64% did not.\nIn this post I\u0026rsquo;m going to look at the candidates in the 2016 Sheffield Council election and try to explore some interesting information about the people who stand for election as local councillors. I\u0026rsquo;m not making any judgements about the results of this information, but I do think it\u0026rsquo;s interesting to see the disparity across different areas of the city and between the political parties.\nThe data is from the \u0026lsquo;Sheffield City Council Statement of Persons Nominated May 2016\u0026rsquo;, the maps were created using QGIS, maps for all wards are at the bottom of this post and in this Google Drive folder, I hope to make the source data available online soon.\nSome background Sheffield has 28 wards which were recently changed as part of a boundary review. There are 3 seats per ward, usually one candidate is voted on per year, but in May 2016 there was an \u0026lsquo;all out election\u0026rsquo; where 3 people would be elected to each ward in one election.\nThere were 372 candidates from 8 parties (including independents, however only 1) Conservative53Green84Labour84Lib Dem84Trade Unionist and Socialist23UKIP42Yorkshire First1Independent1\nDo councillor candidates live in the wards they\u0026rsquo;re standing in? Of the 273 candidates, only 135 (36%) listed their home address as within the ward where they were standing, 237 (65%) lived outside the ward.\nThis varied across each ward, with Firth Park, Shregreen \u0026amp; Brightside, Richmond, Park \u0026amp; Arbourthorne Wards each only having one candidate living in the ward. All the way up to East Ecclesfield ward where 10 of the 14 candidates lived in the ward (71%). Ward NameLive in WardDon\u0026rsquo;t Live in Ward****CandidatesBeauchief \u0026amp; Greenhill Ward427%1173%15Beighton Ward217%1083%12Birley Ward646%754%13Broomhill \u0026amp; Sharrow Vale Ward536%964%14Burngreave Ward754%646%13City Ward436%764%11Crookes \u0026amp; Crosspool Ward321%1179%14Darnall Ward643%857%14Dore \u0026amp; Totley Ward754%646%13East Ecclesfield Ward1071%429%14Ecclesall Ward750%750%14Firth Park Ward17%1493%15Fulwood Ward429%1071%14Gleadless Valley Ward542%758%12Graves Park Ward436%764%11Hillsborough Ward429%1071%14Manor Castle Ward758%542%12Mosborough Ward538%862%13Nether Edge \u0026amp; Sharrow Ward538%862%13Park \u0026amp; Arbourthorne Ward18%1192%12Richmond Ward18%1292%13Shiregreen \u0026amp; Brightside Ward17%1393%14Southey Ward213%1488%16Stannington Ward750%750%14Stocksbridge \u0026amp; Upper Don Ward964%536%14Walkley Ward867%433%12West Ecclesfield Ward754%646%13Woodhouse Ward323%1077%13_Grand Total__135__36%__237__64%_372 Some wards were home to a significant number of candidates. Walkley and \u0026lsquo;Dore and Totley\u0026rsquo; wards were each home to 27 candidates, some parts of the city are home to many more political candidates than others.\nInterestingly, 8 candidates lived in Firth Park Ward, even though 13 of the 14 candidates standing in that ward lived outside the area. Ward Name****Number of candidates for any council seat in Sheffield who live in wardWalkley Ward27Dore \u0026amp; Totley Ward27Fulwood Ward23Broomhill \u0026amp; Sharrow Vale Ward23Nether Edge \u0026amp; Sharrow Ward22Ecclesall Ward21Gleadless Valley Ward18Stannington Ward16Burngreave Ward16City Ward15Crookes \u0026amp; Crosspool Ward14East Ecclesfield Ward14Manor Castle Ward13Stocksbridge \u0026amp; Upper Don Ward12Hillsborough Ward12Graves Park Ward10West Ecclesfield Ward9Beighton Ward9Darnall Ward9Birley Ward9Beauchief \u0026amp; Greenhill Ward9Mosborough Ward8Firth Park Ward8Woodhouse Ward6Richmond Ward5Southey Ward5Shiregreen \u0026amp; Brightside Ward4Park \u0026amp; Arbourthorne Ward4West Ward *Not in Sheffield1Hathersage and Eyam Ward *Not in Sheffield1Killamarsh West Ward *Not in Sheffield1Boston Castle Ward *Not in Sheffield1_Grand Total__372_\nHow does this vary across the political parties? UKIP had 45% of candidates living in the ward where they\u0026rsquo;re standing (above the citywide average of 36%) but the Conservatives had only 26% of candidates living in the ward where they\u0026rsquo;re standing (below the citywide average of 36%).\nOverall, Conservatives, TUSC and Liberal Democrats are below the citywide average, and Labour, Green and UKIP are above the citywide average. PartyLive in WardDon\u0026rsquo;t Live in Ward****CandidatesConservative and Unionist Party26%1474%3953Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition26%674%1723Liberal Democrats33%2867%5684Labour37%3163%5384Green Party42%3558%4984UK Independence Party (UKIP)45%1955%2342Independent100%10%1Yorkshire First100%10%1_Grand Total__36%__135__64%_237__372\nA map for every ward Sheffield Election May 2016\\_Beauchief \u0026amp; Greenhill Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Beighton Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Birley Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Broomhill \u0026amp; Sharrow Vale Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Burngreave Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_City Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Crookes \u0026amp; Crosspool Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Darnall Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Dore \u0026amp; Totley Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_East Ecclesfield Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Ecclesall Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Firth Park Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Fulwood Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Gleadless Valley Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Graves Park Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Hillsborough Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Manor Castle Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Mosborough Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Nether Edge \u0026amp; Sharrow Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Park \u0026amp; Arbourthorne Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Richmond Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Shiregreen \u0026amp; Brightside Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Southey Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Stannington Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Stocksbridge \u0026amp; Upper Don Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Walkley Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_West Ecclesfield Ward\rSheffield Election May 2016\\_Woodhouse Ward\r","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/election2016/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIf you\u0026rsquo;re one of the 21,000 people who live in Firth Park Ward, then in the May 2016 Sheffield Council election, \u003cstrong\u003e13 of the 14 candidates you could vote for lived outside your ward\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Sheffield-Election-May-2016_Firth-Park-Ward.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Sheffield-Election-May-2016_Firth-Park-Ward-1024x512.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, in a different part of the city, 71% of East Ecclesfield\u0026rsquo;s candidates lived within the ward.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Sheffield-Election-May-2016_East-Ecclesfield-Ward.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Sheffield-Election-May-2016_East-Ecclesfield-Ward-1024x512.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e Across Sheffield the picture is varied, of the 372 candidates in 28 wards, 36% lived in the ward in which they were standing, 64% did not.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this post I\u0026rsquo;m going to look at the candidates in the 2016 Sheffield Council election and try to explore some interesting information about the people who stand for election as local councillors. I\u0026rsquo;m not making any judgements about the results of this information, but I do think it\u0026rsquo;s interesting to see the disparity across different areas of the city and between the political parties.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data is from the \u0026rsquo; \u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Statement-of-Persons-Nominated-Sheffield-City-Council-elections-2016.pdf\"\u003eSheffield City Council Statement of Persons Nominated May 2016\u003c/a\u003e\u0026rsquo;, the maps were created using \u003ca href=\"https://qgis.org/en/site/\"\u003eQGIS\u003c/a\u003e, maps for all wards are at the bottom of this post and in \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/open?id=1k5x9jYhdw7COKBiq30uOFucdAt1gPLaC\"\u003ethis Google Drive folder\u003c/a\u003e, I hope to make the source data available online soon.\u003c/p\u003e\n","title":"How many of Sheffield's councillor candidates live in the ward in which they're standing?"},{"content":"Update 6th Feb 2018: The data for the missing months is now available and has been incorporated into the linked Google Fusion sheet.\nThe law says that local government should publish a list of payments to suppliers over £500 (and recommends publishing payments over £250). I remember looking at Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s data some time ago and giving up because the quality was so poor. Well, this time I\u0026rsquo;ve persevered and I\u0026rsquo;ve published a much more usable data set.\nAn example of how this data could be useful, it\u0026rsquo;s possible to check to see how much money Sheffield Council has paid to Carillion, what is was for, and verify their statement that all the council contracts with Carillion are complete.\nMuch of the data is missing, and much of it is inconsistently formatted (notably dates, which are in any format from Excel integers, to mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss to d/m/yy), this makes it REALLY difficult to use the data without investing a significant amount of time.\nAt the moment, the data for the following months is missing Nov-15, Apr-16, Jul-16, Aug-16, Oct-16, Dec-16, Feb-17, Apr-17, May-17, Jul-17, Aug-17, Sep-17, Oct-17, Nov-17, Dec-17.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve gone through the data, cleaned it up, and combined all the monthly files into one.\nThe scripts I used are in this GIT repository.\nThe final data is published in this Google Fusion Sheet and can be downloaded as a spreadsheet easily.\nA quick summary of the data as it stands\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-city-council-spending-data/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eUpdate 6th Feb 2018: The data for the missing months is now available and has been incorporated into the linked \u003ca href=\"https://fusiontables.google.com/data?docid=1AAFId3iyVuxuk21A-_uFsk0-ya1r2uLNUX_XiJX9#rows:id=1\"\u003eGoogle Fusion sheet\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe law says that local government should publish a list of payments to suppliers over £500 (and recommends publishing payments over £250). I remember looking at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/your-city-council/budget-spending.html\"\u003eSheffield\u0026rsquo;s data\u003c/a\u003e some time ago and giving up because the quality was so poor. Well, this time I\u0026rsquo;ve persevered and I\u0026rsquo;ve published a \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?docid=1AAFId3iyVuxuk21A-_uFsk0-ya1r2uLNUX_XiJX9\"\u003emuch more usable data set\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield City Council spending data"},{"content":"Sheffield City Council Highways Cabinet Member Decision Session\nA little while ago, the Sheffield City Council Highways Cabinet Member Decision Session meetings were cancelled. This wasn\u0026rsquo;t announced, the final meeting didn\u0026rsquo;t include any mention that there would be no more, just cancelled.\nWhen a friend wondered when the next one would be, he was told.\nHighway Cabinet Member Decision Sessions will no longer meet at the request of the Cabinet Member. Decisions will be taken by the Individual Cabinet Member as previously and future decisions will be advertised here http://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/mgListPlans.aspx?RPId=123\u0026amp;RD=0\nRepresentations on any issue can be made direct to the Cabinet Member who is Councillor Jack Scott who can be contacted as outlined here http://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=123\nhttp://twitter.com/Jack_Scott/status/888087805376778240 The Sheffield council meetings provided significant information about the decision making process about transport decisions in the city, and the opportunity for members of the public and media to listen to council officers explain their proposals, read the reports(which I think will still be available), ask questions at the meeting and see decisions being made. Now, the decisions are put on a list on the website, no meeting, no discussion (unless in private, \u0026ldquo;Representations on any issue can be made direct to the Cabinet Member\u0026rdquo;). Sheffield City Region Combined Authority Transport Committee\nNow, it turns out that the Sheffield City Region (Combined Authority) Transport Committee has been cancelled too. This is the body who are in charge of HUGE devolution transport spend.\nWhen asked, the authority said:\nThe Combined Authority is currently reviewing its Governance arrangements and this includes the Transport element of its remit. All transport related issues which require necessary approvals will be considered through the Combined Authority until such time these new arrangements are adopted.\nThis is the organisation who\u0026rsquo;ve been given control over very significant amounts of devolution investment and they are the recipients of the Integrated Transport Block funding for the whole of South Yorkshire. The final meeting (in May) didn\u0026rsquo;t discuss that there would be no more meetings. The subsequent full Combined Authority meetings (June and July) haven\u0026rsquo;t had any items regarding transport that would normally be discussed at the Transport Committee, no transport project programme updates and no budget/spend monitoring. I also can\u0026rsquo;t find and mention of the Transport Committee being cancelled in any minutes or agendas anywhere.\nWhat\u0026rsquo;s going on!?\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/no-more-sheffield-highways-cabinet-member-decision-sessions-no-more-sheffield-city-region-transport-committee/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSheffield City Council Highways Cabinet Member Decision Session\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA little while ago, the Sheffield City Council \u003ca href=\"http://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CId=368\u0026amp;\"\u003eHighways Cabinet Member Decision Session\u003c/a\u003e meetings were cancelled. This wasn\u0026rsquo;t announced, the final meeting didn\u0026rsquo;t include any mention that there would be no more, just cancelled.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen a friend wondered when the next one would be, he was told.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHighway Cabinet Member Decision Sessions will no longer meet at the request of the Cabinet Member. Decisions will be taken by the Individual Cabinet Member as previously and future decisions will be advertised here \u003ca href=\"http://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/mgListPlans.aspx?RPId=123\u0026amp;RD=0\"\u003ehttp://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/mgListPlans.aspx?RPId=123\u0026amp;RD=0\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"No more Sheffield Highways Cabinet Member Decision Sessions. No more Sheffield City Region Transport Committee."},{"content":"Sheffield City Council has a consultation open at the moment about giving fines to people who leave vehicle engines running when not driving (idling). I fully support this, and everyone should respond positively to the consultation.\nHowever, I\u0026rsquo;m confused about one aspect of the consultation, byelaws.\nThis consultation asks your views on whether Sheffield City Council should introduce and enforce new byelaws \u0026hellip; for “no vehicle idling”\n\u0026hellip;if Sheffield City Council were to undertake enforcement and issue fines we would need to progress a local byelaw\nDoes Sheffield City Council need a byelaw to give fines to people who leave engines idling? I don\u0026rsquo;t think so.\nThe example used in the consultation is Westminster, where they recently passed an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order to enforce this.\nThe Order will prohibit engine idling by waiting vehicles, with certain exceptions, to facilitate civil enforcement of the contravention\nNot a byelaw, but an experimental traffic regulation order. It\u0026rsquo;s not clear to me exactly how this offence can be enforced by a TRO, I can\u0026rsquo;t figure out the relevent laws, they\u0026rsquo;re too confusing. However, sometimes, traffic enforcement in London is very different to the rest of the country and the laws are different. I\u0026rsquo;ve emailed Westminster to ask but haven\u0026rsquo;t heard back.\nElsewhere (and in London?) the The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002, and before that, the The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) Regulations 1997 could be used. To do that, the local authority has to apply for permission, train some people, and they\u0026rsquo;re good to go. No TRO, no byelaw, that\u0026rsquo;s it.\nExamples of authorities who\u0026rsquo;ve done this include, Oldham, Islington(2006), Brent(2006), Reading(2016), Kensington \u0026amp; Chelsea (2005), Winchester (2004), North Lincolnshire (2009), and Westminster (2015, before the recent TRO).\nSo, where did the idea of a byelaw come from? I suspect directly from recent NICE guidelines.\nConsider taking action to reduce emissions within the clean air zone. For instance: Introducing fuel-efficient driving initiatives including: Bylaws and other action to support \u0026rsquo;no vehicle idling\u0026rsquo; areas\nWhere did NICE they get this idea that byelaws are required to enforce this in England? I don\u0026rsquo;t know!\nLooking at the DCLG advice for creating byelaws, I don\u0026rsquo;t believe that a byelaw is allowed to be created for this purpose. They\u0026rsquo;re very clear that\nA byelaw cannot be made where alternative legislative measures already exist that could be used to address the problem.\nSo, what\u0026rsquo;s going on? Is this just a case of sloppy terminology in the consultation? Or a more fundamental misunderstand of the law?\nI hope Sheffield Council don\u0026rsquo;t try to create a byelaw covering engine idling. I don\u0026rsquo;t think it would be legal given other powers they already have and it\u0026rsquo;s a long, arduous (and probably expensive) process to create new ones.\nSheffield Council should apply to the Secretary of State for Transport (as other local authorities have done), and start enforcing this law ASAP. Nice and simple. No byelaw needed.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/byelaws-and-fining-people-for-leaving-vehicle-engines-running-unnecessarily/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSheffield City Council has a \u003ca href=\"http://sheffield.citizenspace.com/place-business-strategy/no-vehicle-idling/\"\u003econsultation open at the moment\u003c/a\u003e about giving fines to people who leave vehicle engines running when not driving (idling). I fully support this, and everyone should respond positively to the consultation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, I\u0026rsquo;m confused about one aspect of the consultation, byelaws.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis consultation asks your views on whether Sheffield City Council should introduce and enforce new byelaws \u0026hellip; for “no vehicle idling”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026hellip;if Sheffield City Council were to undertake enforcement and issue fines we would need to progress a local byelaw\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Byelaws and fining people for leaving vehicle engines running unnecessarily"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve written before about consultations in Sheffield, how they\u0026rsquo;re not advertised, hidden away, and hard to respond to. This is another example. This time it\u0026rsquo;s about a new pedestrian crossing in Crookesmoor at the junction of Barber Road, Crookes Valley Road and Crookesmoor Road (map).\nConsultation about a new crossing at Barber Road / Crookes Valley Road / Crookesmoor Road in Sheffield\nIf you think pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes are a good thing, or a bad thing, then you can reply to the consultation, if you receive this letter.\nIf you search for it in the press, you won\u0026rsquo;t find anything.\nIf you search for it on the council\u0026rsquo;s website, you won\u0026rsquo;t find anything.\nIf you search for it on the council\u0026rsquo;s consultation portal, you won\u0026rsquo;t find anything.\nYou have to be on a special email list, or live on one of the houses near the junction to hear about this, then you\u0026rsquo;ll get a letter.\nThis was the very first thing I ever contacted Sheffield council about, 9 years ago, in 2008. I crossed this junction daily on foot, I was fed up with there only being traffic lights for cars and no pedestrian crossing phases. I would want to know about this consultation, I would want to reply to it in support, but the only way I know about it was because CycleSheffield are on one of those email lists and wrote about it on their Facebook page.\nWhy is everything so hard in Sheffield?\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-still-keeping-consultations-hidden-under-wraps-and-suppressing-responses-adding-pedestrian-crossing-phases-to-a-crossroads/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve \u003ca href=\"/a-masterclass-from-sheffield-city-council-in-suppressing-consultation-responses-by-making-it-difficult-to-respond/\"\u003ewritten before\u003c/a\u003e about consultations in Sheffield, how they\u0026rsquo;re not advertised, hidden away, and hard to respond to. This is another example. This time it\u0026rsquo;s about a new pedestrian crossing in Crookesmoor at the junction of Barber Road, Crookes Valley Road and Crookesmoor Road (\u003ca href=\"http://goo.gl/maps/Yfy42t4YYHE2\"\u003emap\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1976-Consultation-Letter-1.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\"Consultation about a new crossing at Barber Road / Crookes Valley Road / Crookesmoor Road in Sheffield\" width=\"625\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eConsultation about a new crossing at Barber Road / Crookes Valley Road / Crookesmoor Road in Sheffield\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield still keeping consultations hidden, under wraps, and suppressing responses - Adding pedestrian crossing phases to a crossroads"},{"content":"\rI did a quick traffic count on Tonbridge High Street a few days ago.\nIt showed that at about 17:00, there are about 1,360 motor vehicles per hour using the road.\nUsing the rule of thumb, 10x hourly peak traffic = day traffic, that gives 13,600 motor vehicles a day using Tonbridge High Street.\nPutting this into perspective for cycling,\nLondon Cycle Design Standards give a critical failure to any street where total volume of motor traffic is \u0026gt; 1,000 vehicles/hour at peak and cyclists are not separated. Green is \u0026lt;200 vehicles per hour at peak. The Welsh Active Travel Guidance gives a critical failure to any street where total volume of traffic is \u0026gt; 10,000 vehicles per day, and cyclists are not separated. Green, is 2,500 vehicles per day. The UK LTN2/08 says that for \u0026gt; 10,000 vehicles per day, cycle lanes or tracks are required. So, Tonbridge High Street is not a place where many people would find it comfortable to cycle.\n(My data is available here - Tonbridge High Street Traffic Count 1st March 2017)\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/a-traffic-count-on-tonbridge-high-street-13600-vehicles-per-day/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Tonbridge-High-Street-Cropped.jpg\" width=\"625\"/\u003e \r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eI did a quick traffic count on Tonbridge High Street a few days ago.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt showed that at about 17:00, there are about \u003cstrong\u003e1,360 motor vehicles per hour\u003c/strong\u003e using the road.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsing the rule of thumb, 10x hourly peak traffic = day traffic, that gives \u003cstrong\u003e13,600 motor vehicles a day\u003c/strong\u003e using Tonbridge High Street.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePutting this into perspective for cycling,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLondon Cycle Design Standards give a critical failure to any street where total volume of motor traffic is \u0026gt; 1,000 vehicles/hour at peak and cyclists are not separated. Green is \u0026lt;200 vehicles per hour at peak.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Welsh Active Travel Guidance gives a critical failure to any street where total volume of traffic is \u0026gt; 10,000 vehicles per day, and cyclists are not separated. Green, is 2,500 vehicles per day.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe UK LTN2/08 says that for \u0026gt; 10,000 vehicles per day, cycle lanes or tracks are required.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, Tonbridge High Street is not a place where many people would find it comfortable to cycle.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A traffic count on Tonbridge High Street, 13,600 vehicles per day"},{"content":"Sheffield Council are \u0026ldquo;consulting\u0026rdquo; on a major public realm redevelopment (Knowledge Gateway) in the City Centre, they\u0026rsquo;ve made it very difficult to respond by hiding the details of how to respond in a pdf, in a zip file, under the business section, of the local tourist information website.\nThis is how the council have advertised the \u0026lsquo;consultation\u0026rsquo;:\nOfficial Sheffield Council consultation portal.\nDidn\u0026rsquo;t publish a consultation, or list that a consultation is ongoing. Sheffield Council: Published a press release about the scheme on official press release page.\nNo way of participating is provided other than attending an exhibition. Doesn\u0026rsquo;t include any drawings or detail. Doesn\u0026rsquo;t link to any drawings or detail. Doesn\u0026rsquo;t list a consultation closing date. Provided a link to the Sheffield City Region website with the exact same information. Hold an exhibition in the city centre during working hours and for 2 Saturday mornings There will be public and trader consultations over the next few weeks. Exhibitions featuring the proposals will be held at Sheffield Hallam’s Sheffield Institute of Arts (the former head post office) café from Monday 13 February to Saturday 18 February 2017 (9am – 6pm, weekdays; 9am to 4PM) and then at the Site Gallery cafe, Paternoster Row from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 February 2017, (10am – 6pm weekdays; Saturday, 10am – 1pm.)\nSheffield City Region: Published a news item on their website.\nEverything above applies, no further information! Straight copy paste. Welcome to Sheffield (tourist information website)\nCreated a page under the \u0026lsquo;Developments in Sheffield\u0026rsquo; page, under the \u0026lsquo;Business Sheffield\u0026rsquo; section for the consultation. Includes a link to a zip file labelled \u0026lsquo;Download The Knowledge Gateway Exhibition Materials\u0026rsquo; Include 8 PDFs in the zip file, some of which are layout drawings, some of which are exhibition panels. In the final pdf, include details on how to respond to the consultation including the closing date. Include an email address and postal address for responses. Don\u0026rsquo;t publish a comments form. Copies were only available at the city centre exhibition. A masterclass in suppressing consultation responses by making it difficult to respond.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/a-masterclass-from-sheffield-city-council-in-suppressing-consultation-responses-by-making-it-difficult-to-respond/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSheffield Council are \u0026ldquo;consulting\u0026rdquo; on a \u003ca href=\"http://www.cyclesheffield.org.uk/2017/02/25/knowledge-gateway-response/\"\u003emajor public realm redevelopment (Knowledge Gateway)\u003c/a\u003e in the City Centre, they\u0026rsquo;ve made it very difficult to respond by hiding the details of how to respond in a pdf, in a zip file, under the business section, of the local tourist information website.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is how the council have advertised the \u0026lsquo;consultation\u0026rsquo;:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOfficial Sheffield Council consultation portal\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://web.archive.org/web/20170227180125/http://sheffield.citizenspace.com/consultation_finder/?sort_on=iconsultable_enddate\u0026amp;sort_order=ascending\u0026amp;advanced=1\u0026amp;st=open\"\u003eDidn\u0026rsquo;t publish a consultation\u003c/a\u003e, or list that a consultation is ongoing.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSheffield Council\u003c/strong\u003e: Published a press release about the scheme on \u003ca href=\"http://web.archive.org/web/20170227174202/http://www.sheffieldnewsroom.co.uk/5-6m-plan-for-sheffield-knowledge-gateway-scheme-could-restore-fitzalan-square-to-its-former-glory/\"\u003eofficial press release page\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A masterclass from Sheffield City Council in suppressing consultation responses by making it difficult to respond"},{"content":"\nYesterday the government announced the winners of the £60m Sustainable Travel Access Fund for 2017 to 2020. The fund details are here along with the criteria and application form.\nThousands more people will be encouraged to cycle and walk to work thanks to a £64 million government investment, Transport Minister Andrew Jones announced today (26 January 2017).\nThe funding will support local projects over 3 years from 2017 to 2020 and form part of a wider government package of more than £300 million to boost walking and cycling during the current parliament.\nThere were 28 winning authorities. I\u0026rsquo;ve collated links to each of the bids. 25 were awarded funding from the Sustainable Travel Access Fund, and 3 were awarded funding from the Cycling and Walking to Work fund. Where I\u0026rsquo;ve not been able to find the bid, I\u0026rsquo;ve submitted Freedom of Information requests which are also linked.\nA spreadsheet with this data is here. (incidentally, the data behind the DfT cycling funding map is available on this Google Fusion Table here).\nSustainable Travel Access Fund 2017-2020 Local Authority****Scheme value (£m)Blackpool Council - Consortium bid with Buckinghamshire CC, Hertfordshire CC, North East CA, Stoke on Trent CC, West Sussex CC, Hampshire CC, Leicester CC, North Lincolnshire Council and Surrey CC7.498Brighton and Hove Council1.485Bristol City Council (West of England)6.901Devon County Council1.5East Riding of Yorkshire Council0.682East Sussex County Council1.2Herefordshire County Council - Unable to find FOI Sent1.5Isle of Wight Council1.35Kent County Council1.452Lancashire County Council - Joint bid with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council1.94Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council - Unable to find FOI Sent3.195Lincolnshire County Council0.975Luton Borough Council (joint bid with Bedford Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council)2.128Norfolk County Council - Unable to find FOI Sent1.488North East Lincolnshire Council1.388North Yorkshire County Council0.974Nottingham City Council - joint bid with Derby City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council - Unable to find FOI Sent2.735Nottinghamshire County Council0.845Plymouth City Council - Unable to find FOI Sent1.497Sheffield City Region Combined Authority - Unable to find FOI Sent7.5Slough Borough Council - Unable to find FOI Sent1.5Southampton City Council (joint bid with Hampshire County Council)2.294Southend-on-Sea Borough Council joint bid with - Thurrock Council and Essex County Council - Unable to find FOI Sent3.322Tees Valley Combined Authority3.323York, City of - Unable to find FOI Sent1.312\nCycling \u0026amp; Walking to Work Fund Local Authority****Scheme value (£m)Greater Manchester Combined Authority1.5Liverpool City Region - Unable to find FOI Sent0.77West Yorkshire Combined Authority1.5\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sustainable-travel-access-fund-for-2017-to-2020-links-to-all-bid-documents/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/header-1.png\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Access Fund for Sustainable Travel\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/header-1.png\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYesterday the government \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/news/64-million-government-funding-to-encourage-more-cycling-and-walking-to-work\"\u003eannounced\u003c/a\u003e the winners of the £60m Sustainable Travel Access Fund for 2017 to 2020. The \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-fund-for-sustainable-travel-application-form\"\u003efund details are here\u003c/a\u003e along with the criteria and application form.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThousands more people will be encouraged to cycle and walk to work thanks to a £64 million government investment, Transport Minister Andrew Jones announced today (26 January 2017).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe funding will support local projects over 3 years from 2017 to 2020 and form part of a wider government package of more than £300 million to boost walking and cycling during the current parliament.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sustainable Travel Access Fund for 2017 to 2020 - links to all bid documents"},{"content":"In this post I\u0026rsquo;m going to look at levels of cycling in Tonbridge.\nI grew up in Tonbridge, moved to Sheffield when I was younger, and now I\u0026rsquo;m back in Tonbridge. Things in a small town of 40k people work a little differently to things in a city of half a million!\nGetting to work (census 2011) Of the approximately 17k people who travel to work each day (it\u0026rsquo;s that low, of the approx 40k people, 27k people are aged 16-74 and of those only about 20k are \u0026rsquo;economically active\u0026rsquo;).\nDriving = 56% (9850 people), Car Passenger = 5%, Train = 20%, Walk = 14%, Bus = 2%, Cycling = 2% (365 people).\nSome of the people who get the train to work will cycle to the train station and that isn\u0026rsquo;t included above, likewise for people driving to the train station.\nAcross Tonbridge there isn\u0026rsquo;t much variation. There are no high pockets of people cycling to work.\nBreaking it down by distance For the 5,300 people (31%) who work within Tonbridge itself, the distribution of travel to work mode is:\nDriving = 46% (2467 people), Car Passenger = 6%, Train = 1%, Walk = 36%, Bus = 3%, Cycling = 5% (260 people).\nAnd in Tonbridge, 1897 people work very close to where they live (the same MSOA), the distribution of travel to work mode is:\nDriving = 31% (590 people), Car Passenger = 3%, Train = 2%, Walk = 59%, Bus = 1%, Cycling = 4% (68 people).\nTo put this into perspective, Tonbridge is divided into 5 MSOA areas, most intra MSOA journeys will be less than 1km, but 31% of them are still driven and only 4% are cycled. Modal Share_All Journeys__Journeys within Tonbridge__Journeys in same MSOA__Driving_56%46%31%_Car Passenger_5%6%3%_Train_20%1%2%_Walk_14%36%59%_Bus_2%3%1%_Cycling_2%5%4%\nTraffic Counts There are 5 Department for Transport traffic count points on key routes around Tonbridge.\nThe Estimated Annual average daily flows data shows just 451 bikes counted in 2015.\n3 have a modal share of about 0.5%, 1 at 1.2% and 1 at 0.09%.\nTonbridge DfT Traffic Count Data for 2015\nHow often do people cycle? The Active People Survey has data on cycling participation for Tonbridge and Malling Borough (which is significantly bigger than just Tonbridge).\nIt shows that in Tonbridge and Malling, only 2.9% of people cycle at least once per week for utility journeys, rising to 4.8% at least once per month. Utility Cycling_Tonbridge and Malling__Kent__South East_At least once per month 2014/154.8%3.8%7.5%At least once per week 2014/152.9%2.4%5.2%At least three times per week 2014/152.1%1.2%2.8%At least five times per week 2014/150.6%0.6%1.6%All Cycling_Tonbridge and Malling__Kent__South East_At least once per month 2014/1515.1%13.5%16.8%At least once per week 2014/158.3%7.9%10.6%At least three times per week 2014/153.8%3.0%4.9%At least five times per week 2014/152.6%1.8%2.8%\nTravel to School Kent\u0026rsquo;s 2016 bid for the \u0026lsquo;Access Fund for Sustainable Travel\u0026rsquo; included journey to school modal share. The data is from surveys that school fill in. It shows a 3.1% cycling modal share, which has been fairly constant from 2013 to 2016, about 40% by car, and just under 50% by foot. mode2013201420152016_82 surveys__173 surveys__160 surveys__99 surveys__other_1.3%1.1%1.5%0.3%_car share_3.7%4.4%4.0%3.5%_car (alone)_42.6%41.9%40.9%35.1%_rail_0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%_public bus_1.2%_school bus_0.7%_bus (all types)_1.4%2.4%1.5%_cycle_3.2%3.2%3.3%3.1%_scoot/skate_4.2%_park \u0026amp; walk_11.8%_walk_47.7%46.9%48.7%39.9% (source, page 4)\nNext In the next blog post, I\u0026rsquo;m going to take a look at the streets of Tonbridge and see how cycle friendly they are. With these cycling rates, the results probably won\u0026rsquo;t be surprising.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/how-often-do-people-cycle-in-tonbridge/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn this post I\u0026rsquo;m going to look at levels of cycling in Tonbridge.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI grew up in Tonbridge, moved to Sheffield when I was younger, and now I\u0026rsquo;m back in Tonbridge. Things in a small town of 40k people work a little differently to things in a city of half a million!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Tonbridge-Overview.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Tonbridge-Overview.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"getting-to-work-census-2011\"\u003eGetting to work (\u003ca href=\"http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/qs701ew\"\u003ecensus 2011\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf the approximately 17k people who travel to work each day (it\u0026rsquo;s that low, of the approx 40k people, 27k people are aged 16-74 and of those only about 20k are \u0026rsquo;economically active\u0026rsquo;).\u003c/p\u003e","title":"How often do people cycle in Tonbridge?"},{"content":"The Sheffield City Region Sustainable Transport Exemplar Programme is funding car parks and cycle lanes where parking is allowed. Previously the Local Sustainable Transport Fund paid to widen a trunk road roundabout. The latest questionable scheme is in Doncaster and is widening a road to convert it from 1 way to 2 way with the aim of alleviating motor traffic congestion and encouraging new retail shops to be built.\nThe proposed scheme will convert Herten Way into a two way road which will help to alleviate traffic congestion issues with ASDA in particular but also make an existing piece of development land more attractive for investment as access will be greatly improved.\nFrom the Scheme brief document\nHerton Way General Arrangement\rHerton Way General Arrangement\rThe schemes general arrangement drawing is available here.\nThe original design included an unsegregated shared use footway/cycleway, however even that was dropped from the design before the scheme was built. The shared use footway was the token sustainable transport part of this scheme, but even that minimal cycling facility was never built.\nFollowing consultation with the Council’s cycling Transport Planners it has been decided that the length of footway along Herten Way will not be shared with cyclists at this time. Tactile provision will be amended accordingly. At such time as further development occurs in the area the cycling facilities will be reconsidered.\nFrom the Road Safety Audit\nA new toucan crossing was built, at a cost of probably no more than £100,000 (guestimated), but the signals were required to facilitate the new turning movement at the junction because traffic is now 2 way, the junction was previously unsignalled.\nQuestions must be asked about the governance of the Sheffield City Region Sustainable Transport Exemplar Programme given some of the schemes that it is funding. This scheme cost £450,000 in total. Funds like these should go to creating well designed cycle infrastructure, not shared use pavements, not road widening, and not converting 1 way roads to 2 way at an out of town retail park.\nThe road safety audit provides a good insight into how the scheme has been designed.\nThe raised plateaux is intended as an aid to pedestrians crossing the carriageway rather than a traffic calming feature such as a road hump. As such the approach and exit ramps will be installed with a shallow gradient \u0026lt;1:20. The ramp areas will also be treated with red coloured surfacing and a set of warning triangles which the Designers feels would be sufficient warning to approaching drivers and would highlight the presence of pedestrians.\nThis is the freedom of information request where this information is from.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sustainable-transport-money-450000-on-road-widening-doncasters-herten-way-2-way-scheme/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe Sheffield City Region \u003ca href=\"/south-yorkshires-sustainable-transport-exemplar-programme-update-november-2015/\"\u003eSustainable Transport Exemplar Programme\u003c/a\u003e is funding \u003ca href=\"/south-yorkshire-sustainable-transport-exemplar-programme-the-biggest-project-in-201516-is-a-car-park-extension/\"\u003ecar parks\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"http://www.cyclesheffield.org.uk/2015/09/30/cyclesheffield-respond-to-chesterfield-road-and-spital-hill-scheme-designs/\"\u003ecycle lanes where parking is allowed\u003c/a\u003e. Previously the Local Sustainable Transport Fund paid to \u003ca href=\"/local-sustainable-transport-fund-275000-spent-on-widening-a-trunk-road-roundabout-in-rotherham/\"\u003ewiden a trunk road roundabout\u003c/a\u003e. The latest questionable scheme is in Doncaster and is widening a road to convert it from 1 way to 2 way with the aim of alleviating motor traffic congestion and encouraging new retail shops to be built.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe proposed scheme will convert Herten Way into a two way road which will help to alleviate traffic congestion issues with ASDA in particular but also make an existing piece of development land more attractive for investment as access will be greatly improved.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sustainable Transport Money (£450,000) on Road Widening: Doncaster's Herten Way 2 Way Scheme"},{"content":"How do you effectively persuade people to choose a more sustainable mode of transportation?\nIs it by telling them what do to? Or are their choices influenced by our streets, our public spaces and bigger structural issues?\nWhen we live in a country designed around the car, are people really free to make their own choices?\nFor the past few months Sheffield Council has been running a campaign under the title \u0026lsquo;Air Aware, What You Do Makes a Difference\u0026rsquo; (Twitter, Website).\nWe want to help make everyone in Sheffield more air aware so that you can make choices which help to protect you and your loved ones.\nI think that what the council do makes a much bigger difference, the council needs to be more air aware so that their choices help protect the people of Sheffield.\nPutting the emphasis on changing individual behaviours through a campaign like this is a distraction and a waste of time. This is why I\u0026rsquo;ve created a series of new images with the strap line \u0026lsquo;What we do makes a difference\u0026rsquo;, we being Sheffield Council.\nThese are the original images.\nCjdJxPaXEAANCi6\rCjdKsbOWEAAcdmv\rCjdML3EWUAAPLCK\rCkfz\\_3tWsAAHelo\rCkfzSX2WsAAbIs6\rCltbMV\\_WEAArs0P\rCltgcWGXEAAWqIh\rCltgte2WAAApJPY\rCltRc4QWYAQb-sN\rCltRIBFWMAAa7Cp\rCltSmboWQAA2uSh\rCltTbb-XIAAb5BZ\rCltTxyMWEAEijHv\rCltUE2fWQAEOmQL\rCltWxddWMAEYAtT\rCltZ9MQWkAAlocr\rCltZxbOWEAA7QSt\r","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/what-we-do-makes-a-difference-why-sheffield-council-needs-to-be-more-air-aware/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHow do you effectively persuade people to choose a more sustainable mode of transportation?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIs it by telling them what do to? Or are their choices influenced by our streets, our public spaces and bigger structural issues?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we live in a country designed around the car, are people really free to make their own choices?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the past few months Sheffield Council has been running a campaign under the title \u0026lsquo;Air Aware, What \u003cem\u003eYou\u003c/em\u003e Do Makes a Difference\u0026rsquo; (\u003ca href=\"http://twitter.com/airawaresheff\"\u003eTwitter\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/environment/air-quality/air-aware-sheffield.html\"\u003eWebsite\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e","title":"What WE do makes a difference. Why Sheffield Council needs to be more air aware."},{"content":"The latest Sheffield Council report into the dangers caused to cyclists by the city’s tram lines has been a long time coming. Commissioned in July 2014, issued to the council in Sept 2015, and published in June 2016. After almost 2 years of work, the report should be impressive, but sadly it’s deeply disappointing and its severely lacking in a number of key areas outlined below. You can read the full report here.\nConverting footways to \u0026lsquo;shared use\u0026rsquo;: lumping people cycling in with people walking to the frustration of all Suggested road layout changes focus on converting existing footways to \u0026lsquo;shared use\u0026rsquo;, with a presumption that cycling space must come from existing (limited) pedestrian space. Reallocation of space away from motor traffic is not given a single thought, and the creation of dedicated cycle ways is noticeable in its absence.\nwhere footway width and pedestrian activity precluded almost any physical changes to the road and footway layouts\nspace limitation in the highway, narrow footways near the tramway and significant levels of pedestrian activity in various locations mean that opportunities that some other tramways (especially in Holland, USA and Canada) have been able to utilise are not readily available on most of the Supertram network.\nUnfortunately many of the methods have been shown to be difficult to employ at sites in Sheffield and on other tramway systems, due to constraints such as existing minimal footway and carriageway width, and exensive pedestrian activity in footway areas.\nNone of the provisional layout changes create cycleways, they just lump cycling in with walking, on the footway. It is a cycling report inspired by LTN2/08, widely considered to be obsolete and far behind recognised best practice in designing for walking and cycling.\nShalesmoor Traffic Management Option 1\rShalesmoor Traffic Management Option 2\rMalin Bridge Traffic Management Option 1\rCity Road/Park Grange Road Traffic Management Option 1\rCity Road/Park Grange Road Traffic Management Option 2\rTram Stop Sites Langsett Road Option 1\rTram Stop Sites Langsett Road Option 2\rPark Grange Croft Traffic Management Option 1\rPark Grange Croft Traffic Management Option 2\rOccupation Lane/Sheffield Road Traffic Management Option 1 for turning right into Occupation Lane from Sheffield Road\rOccupation Lane/Sheffield Road Traffic Management Option 1 for continuing on Sheffield Road\rHillsborough Corner Traffic Management Option 1\rFundamental misunderstanding of how Dutch tramways reduce danger\u0026hellip; There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of how Dutch tramways reduce danger, referring to sustainably safe junction layouts as ‘road markings\u0026rsquo;. The examples from the report below are shown as \u0026lsquo;road markings\u0026rsquo; even though they clearly show separated cycle tracks, which provide clear routes across junctions with embedded tram tracks. The layout of these junctions has been designed to be as safe as possible, it\u0026rsquo;s not the \u0026lsquo;road markings\u0026rsquo; that mean that these are safe, and cherry picking and replicating \u0026lsquo;road markings\u0026rsquo; alone will not create a safe solution.\nRoad Markings 1\rRoad Markings 2\rRoad Markings 3\r\u0026hellip;And the best Dutch examples are missing It\u0026rsquo;s disappointing that a detailed review of the best high quality cycle infrastructure around tram lines was not included. This example is from Utrecht.\nYour browser does not support the video element. No review of what\u0026rsquo;s been tried before and why it failed There is no discussion of Sheffield’s previous plan for dealing with the danger of tram lines, no review of previous programmes of work, no review of their effectiveness, and no discussion of why previous work failed to adequately address the danger. There is no mention of the hospital study conducted in 1994.\nNo funding, nor any plan to seek it Funding is non existent, there is no funding plan to go with this report.\nDiscussion of potential funding sources completely ignores the Sheffield City Region Growth Deal and devolved transport funding, instead choosing to focus on DfT direct funding.\nCurrent tram rail replacement: a missed opportunity? The report fails to mention the approximately £5 million currently being spent on tram line replacement and fails to identify opportunities from that project to improve the safety of cycling around tram lines.\nFailure to look at the bigger picture This report contains numerous missed opportunities. One if its real shortcomings is its failure to view the tram system as part of the wider street and transport network. Only very immediate localised changes have been proposed (e.g to tram stops, or the roads which have rails themselves), which fail to identify opportunities such as the potential use of service roads alongside tramways as cycling infrastructure. This is something commonly seen in the Netherlands and other European countries.\nService roads like this should be designed to support cycling parallel to the tram lines as is normal in The Netherlands.\nWe know the council can do better, we\u0026rsquo;ve seen better designs in the past. The report doesn’t include the visionary design of the crossing of Upper Hanover Street tram lines, perhaps the best piece of cycle infrastructure design to have ever come from Sheffield Council. It’s not even mentioned in the report. (I\u0026rsquo;m sorry, I don\u0026rsquo;t have an image for this and I don\u0026rsquo;t think it\u0026rsquo;s been published and I think the design was later watered down citing concerns over motor traffic gridlock).\nDesperate scrabbling for a \u0026lsquo;behaviour change\u0026rsquo; solution I\u0026rsquo;ve not even mentioned the suggestion of building a tram line cyclist training facility\u0026hellip;\n\u0026lsquo;Cyclists could also usefully become more aware of traction circle issues\u0026rsquo;\nShifting the blame for under-reporting of incidents The report states that \u0026lsquo;adequate data for cycle incidents in relation to crossing tram tracks in Sheffield is almost non-existent\u0026rsquo;. This is true, but it sets the blame squarely on the shoulders of cyclists, saying \u0026rsquo;these single person accidents tend not to be reported to the Police\u0026rsquo; and \u0026rsquo;the only accident data available is when cyclists report incidents to SCC, SYPTE or Supertram\u0026hellip; under-reporting of these types of incidents could be significant\u0026rsquo;.\nThis is a misrepresentation the situation. Research by CycleSheffield has found that when cyclists report these crashes to the police, they often refuse to accept the report. The Sheffield Council cycle forum has even sent a letter to South Yorkshire Police expressing concern at their failings to record these crashes. Another route is to report incidents to the Council or Supertram but people are often fobbed off just the same (as documented by CycleSheffield).\n“I tried to report it to the police via 101 and they insisted that it was not reportable.” “Supertram, they were not in the slightest interested and told me I should have gotten off my bike and walked across the junction.”\nThe blame for a lack of data lies squarely with our local authorities.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;ve crashed on the tram lines then report it at tramcrash.co.uk which is run by CycleSheffield. They collect the information and anonymously share it with whoever needs it (including Sheffield City Council). They have created an up to date map of all reported crashes.\nConclusion So, to sum up, very very disappointing. I hope that CycleSheffield are able to put pressure on Sheffield City Council to improve this report. As a proven major cause of injury and distress, cycle crashes on Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s tram tracks should be taken seriously. Sheffield City Council says it wants to increase the number of journeys made by bike in the city, now we need some action to prove it.\nUpdate (June 2016) And they have, the report has been pulled from the council meeting agenda pending further discussion.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffields-long-overdue-tram-cycle-safety-report-is-yet-another-disappointment/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe latest Sheffield Council report into the dangers caused to cyclists by the city’s tram lines has been a long time coming. Commissioned in July 2014, issued to the council in Sept 2015, and published in June 2016. After almost 2 years of work, the report should be impressive, but sadly it’s deeply disappointing and its severely lacking in a number of key areas outlined below. You can \u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Tram-Cycle-Study.pdf\"\u003eread the full report here\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield's long overdue tram cycle safety report is yet another disappointment"},{"content":"As part of the Sheffield City Region Growth Deal, announced in 2014, a £16.3m investment allocation was made towards a Sustainable Transport Exemplar Programme (STEP). Let\u0026rsquo;s look at how that\u0026rsquo;s going. This information is from item 13 of this meeting.\nSTEP Funding Profiles\nThe full list of projects is available here. The ones in Sheffield are in the table below. As of 30/09/2015 no money had been claimed.\n2015/16 Funding as 02/03/2015\n2015/16 Funding as 23/11/2015\nClaimed (30/09/2015)\nComment\nSS01\nGreenhill Parkway / Greenhill Avenue\n£350,000\n£0\n£0\nProject cancelled - \u0026lsquo;intentionally delayed, and its 2015/16 funding allocation reallocated, whilst SCC officers consider an alternate funding regime\u0026rsquo;\nSS02\nGrey to Green Phase 1 - Sheffield Riverside Business District\n£250,000\n£225,000\n£0CycleSheffield have campaigned to improve this scheme because of problems with cycling provision.SS03\nLower Don Valley Cycle Route\n£265,000£185,000£0\n\u0026ldquo;Lower Don Valley Cycle Routes - Weedon Street Link\u0026rdquo; - I\u0026rsquo;m not sure what this is.\nSS04\nUpper Don Valley Cycle Route\n£200,000£375,000£0I\u0026rsquo;m not sure exactly what part of the route this is, but it goes from Oughtibridge to Stocksbridge, it has been called the Little Don Link before.SS05\nTinsley - Victoria Cycle Route - Canal Towpath\n£50,000£0£0This project isn\u0026rsquo;t included in STEP anymore, I\u0026rsquo;m not sure if it\u0026rsquo;s been cancelled.SS06\nSheffield City Centre Cycle Routes\n£0\n£50,000\n£0Design and preparation works only in 2015/16SS07\nBlackburn Valley Cycle Route\n£0\n£50,000\n£0Design and preparation works only in 2015/16PS04\nChesterfield Road - Heeley Bottom\n£0\n£760,000\n£0CycleSheffield have strongly criticised this scheme. It includes permitting parking in 1.5m painted cycle lanes.\nTotal\n£1,645,000\n£0 So\u0026hellip; lets me honest here, the STEP is definitely not a step up in provision, it\u0026rsquo;s more of the same, and as far as I can tell, there\u0026rsquo;s zero road space allocation towards cycling.\nAnd the Meadowhall Car Park extension which had £670,000 allocated to it for this year? That\u0026rsquo;s been pushed out, £1.45million next year, and £1.25million the following year, £2.7million, 16% of the entire STEP budget, on a car park.\nMy previous blog post on this subject is here.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/south-yorkshires-sustainable-transport-exemplar-programme-update-november-2015/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAs part of the Sheffield City Region Growth Deal, announced in 2014, a £16.3m investment allocation was made towards a Sustainable Transport Exemplar Programme (STEP). Let\u0026rsquo;s look at how that\u0026rsquo;s going. This information is from \u003ca href=\"http://meetings.southyorks.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=367\u0026amp;MId=2817\u0026amp;Ver=4\u0026amp;zTS=B\"\u003eitem 13 of this meeting\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/graph-step.png\"\r\n         alt=\"STEP Funding Profiles\" width=\"832\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eSTEP Funding Profiles\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe full list of projects is available \u003ca href=\"http://meetings.southyorks.gov.uk/documents/s36863/Item%2013%20SY%20STEP%20Programme%20-%202015-16%20Half%20Year%20Delivery%20Review%20and%20Future%20Year%20Programmes%20-%20App%20B.pdf?zTS=B\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e. The ones in Sheffield are in the table below. As of 30/09/2015 no money had been claimed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2015/16 Funding as 02/03/2015\u003c/p\u003e","title":"South Yorkshire's Sustainable Transport Exemplar Programme - Update November 2015"},{"content":"Each year Sheffield does a traffic count in September and October. It includes both a cordon count and an occupancy survey for some roads and also some off road cycle routes. A map of the count locations is here and here). This document describes how it works. The data collected is aggregated into 15 minute chunks. The data has been collected since 2001, I do not know what was collected before then.\nSummaries of the data can be obtained from Sheffield Council by writing to them (I think it should be published on their website, but until that happens I\u0026rsquo;ll publish what I have here).\nLooking at the count locations. They have very good coverage of people traveling into and out of the city centre, there\u0026rsquo;s much less information about areas further out.\nModal split for 2014 looks like this, for both vehicles and people (taking into account occupancy data). 2014Total Person Trips / ModeProportion Person Trips / ModeVehicles / ModeProportion Vehicle Trips / ModeCar / Taxi521,78256.02%414,87871.00%Bus / Coach159,50717.12%14,9482.56%Walk69,0497.41%69,04911.82%Light Goods Vehicle65,0776.99%55,0569.42%Tram49,8895.36%1,2830.22%Rail37,0943.98%1800.03%Medium Goods Vehicle10,8981.17%10,8981.86%Heavy Goods Vehicle7,2580.78%7,2581.24%Pedal Cycle7,1600.77%7,1601.23%Motor Cycle3,7740.41%3,6580.63%_931,488__100.0%_584,368__100.0% Of course, cars dominate, with 56% of all journeys being made by car. Public transport is next at 26% (bus=17%, tram=5% and train=4%). Walking has 7.4% of journeys, and cycling at 0.77% of journeys.\nBecause the data above have both occupancy data and vehicle count data, it\u0026rsquo;s interesting to look at how hugely efficient public transport is. Buses make up just 2.6% of the traffic, but carry 17.1% of journeys, trams make up just 0.2% of the traffic, but carry 5.36% of journeys, and trains, just 0.03% of vehicles (180 of them) but carry 3.98% of journeys.\nLooking at motor traffic (cars/taxis), they make up 71% of the vehicles, but just 56% of journeys were made by car, very inefficient.\nCar/taxi occupancy has been slowly declining over the past decade, but there has been a more substantial drop from 2012 to 2013. Car/taxi occupancy in 2014 was just 1.25 people per car/taxi.\nCar/Taxi Occupancy Rates in Sheffield\nThe number of person trips being counted each year has been steadily declining. A drop of 10.3% from 2001 to 2014, from 1,038,366 to 931,488 in 2014.\nTotal Person Trips in Sheffield 2001 to 2014\nThe modal share has been changing too. For cars/taxis the number of person trips has been declining (blue), but the modal share (red) has remained reasonably steady (albeit with a drop to 52% in 2008.\nCar Taxi Person Trips Modal Share and Total in Sheffield\nFor public transport (rail, tram and bus), the number of trips was fairly steady until 2008, and then has declined consistently since. From about 31% modal share to 26.5%.\nPublic Transport Person Trips in Sheffield 2001 to 2014\nSplitting this down into each of the three modes makes clear what\u0026rsquo;s going on.\nTram modal share has been fairly steady, but down in the past couple of years (the reason could be significant tram track maintenance).\nRail has seen a significant increase both in modal share and absolute numbers of trips, from 1.8% to 4.0%, and 18,823 to 37,094 from 2001 to 2014 respectively.\nBut buses have seen a significant drop. From 22.8% in 2001 to 17.1% in 2014, the absolute number is revealing, 236,909 trips to 159,507 trips from 2001 to 2011. A drop of 32.7%, there are now a third fewer journeys made by bus, in just 13 years.\nIf total trip numbers start to increase (post recession), unless this downward trend in bus patronage is reversed then we\u0026rsquo;ll see a huge growth in private car traffic on our streets and that will be very problematic.\nPublic Transport Person Trips, split by mode, in Sheffield 2001 to 2014\nOnto cycling. In 2014, 1.21% of vehicles, and 0.77% of person trips counted we cycles, just 7,160 in total. Cycling is second to bottom in modal share, only motorcycles have fewer journeys.\nSince 2001, levels have increased from 3,250 to 7,160, 0.34% modal share to 0.77% modal share.\nCycling in Sheffield - Modal share from 2001 to 2014\nEcclesall Road South\nFurther to this summary published data, the council hold detailed 15 minute data for each site. I\u0026rsquo;ve tried to request it\u0026rsquo;s release in the past via FOI, but I\u0026rsquo;ve been unsuccessful, apart from receiving one sites data for one year. Ecclesall Road South, 2012.\nAcross the whole day, for Ecclesall Road South, the number of people traveling along this road has fallen from 36,686 to 33,318. The number of vehicles has broadly remained constant.\nEcclesall Road South - Total Trips and Vehicles\nCycling levels have increased from 142 per day in 2001 to 223 per day in 2012 (0.67% modal share). Cars down from 27,072 person trips to 24,653. The number of single occupancy cars has increased from 79.95% to 83.34%. People walking, up from 762 to 844. Public transport (bus only) person trips down from 6174 people to 4968, but an increase in bus vehicles from 621 to 773. The data is below.\nEcclesall Road South - Bicycle Modal Share\nEcclesall Road South Detailed Data\nWe also have detailed data for one day in 2012, broken down by direction. There were between 200 and 400 vehicles per 15 minutes across the whole day in each direction.\nEcclesall Road South - Vehicles Across Day - 2012\nAnd for just bicycles, there were just 223 across the whole day, 131 inbound and 92 outbound. At a maximum rate of 23 between 08:15 to 08:30 (a modal share of about 3.7% in that 15 minute period). The modal share for the majority of the day is under 0.5%.\nEcclesall Road South - Bicycles Across Day - 2012\nWe can also break down the number of cars by occupancy. 1 occupant = 83.3%, 2 occupant = 14.8%, 3 occupant = 1.6%, 4 occupant = 0.03% (just 60 out of 20,742 cars).\nThat\u0026rsquo;s it, a whistle stop tour of traffic count data available in Sheffield. 2015 counts were done very recently (although I understand that they were late). I\u0026rsquo;ll do another post when I get a copy of the data.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffields-annual-traffic-count-a-look-at-the-data/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEach year Sheffield does a traffic count in September and October. It includes both a cordon count and an occupancy survey for some roads and also some off road cycle routes. A map of the count locations is \u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Plan-1A-Annual-Cordon-Screen-line-VOS-Survey-Locations-Inc-Crookes.pdf\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Plan-8-Annual-Off-Road-Utility-Walking-Cycling-Routes-VOS-Survey-Locations.pdf\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e). This \u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/AnnualCordonScreen-lineVehicleOccupancySurveys.docx\"\u003edocument\u003c/a\u003e describes how it works. The data collected is aggregated into 15 minute chunks. The data has been collected since 2001, I do not know what was collected before then.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSummaries of the data can be obtained from Sheffield Council by \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/roads/about/transport-monitoring--modelling.html\"\u003ewriting to them\u003c/a\u003e (I think it should be published on their website, but until that happens I\u0026rsquo;ll publish what I have \u003ca href=\"http://drive.google.com/open?id=0B84mpgL4eqfuaUhwWDhsUjl0UVk\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield's Annual Traffic Count - A look at the data"},{"content":"\rEven Sheffield Police park on the pavements. In this case, blocking a dropped kerb which they conveniently drove up.\nPlease write to your MP and ask them to support the Pavement Parking Bill which is being debated in a couple of weeks in Parliament.\nClick here to use the Living Streets tool to email them, or use WriteToThem.\nThe email I\u0026rsquo;ve sent is below.\nDear Harry Harpham, I\u0026rsquo;m writing to you because I\u0026rsquo;d like you to support the Pavement Parking Bill that\u0026rsquo;s being debated for the first time on Friday 4th December (second reading). http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/pavementparkingprotectionofvulnerablepedestrians.html Pavement parking is a huge problem in Sheffield, especially on the main roads in the city centre where people seem to be able to leave their vehicles with impunity. I try to work with Sheffield City Council (as part of CycleSheffield) to get the vehicles ticketed and moved on, but often they say there isn\u0026rsquo;t anything they can do because there are no double yellow lines. It\u0026rsquo;s a problem for me, both walking around, and cycling, because the same rules apply to cycle paths. It\u0026rsquo;s often not possible to prevent people from parking on cycle paths, blocking them. Just yesterday (Saturday) cars were parked blocking the Penistone Road cycle path. I would like you to attend the debate of this bill and speak in support of it to give our local authorities the powers they need to keep our pavements clear of parked cars. Just a few weeks ago, I saw vehicles parked 3 abreast on the pavement on West Bar Green. I watched as people walking in the dual carriageway to get around. Neither the Police, not the council, would/could do anything about it. I understand the pavement parking bill would not introduce a blanket ban, but would instead only allow pavement parking to take place on streets that have been specially designated to allow it, making it the exception rather than the rule. I understand that in lots of residential areas, the problems would need significant work to solve. This bill could make a big difference to people in your constituency and more vulnerable people in general, and it needs your support to reach its progress to the next parliamentary stage. Please let me know if you plan to back the bill on 4 December. Yours sincerely, Matt Turner\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/write-to-your-mp-now-tell-them-to-support-the-pavement-parking-protection-of-vulnerable-pedestrians-bill/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/MEMO0017-e1448230226103.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\"Even Sheffield Police park on the pavements. In this case, blocking a dropped kerb which they conveniently drove up.\" width=\"625\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eEven Sheffield Police park on the pavements. In this case, blocking a dropped kerb which they conveniently drove up.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003ePlease write to your MP and ask them to support the Pavement Parking Bill which is being debated in a couple of weeks in Parliament.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClick \u003ca href=\"http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1719\u0026amp;ea.campaign.id=44181\u0026amp;ea.tracking.id=cp\"\u003ehere to use the Living Streets tool\u003c/a\u003e to email them, or use \u003ca href=\"http://www.writetothem.com/?a=westminstermp\"\u003eWriteToThem\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Write to your MP NOW! Tell them to support the Pavement Parking (Protection of Vulnerable Pedestrians) Bill"},{"content":"\rPitsmoor Road/Rutland Road\nAs part of Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s Better Buses programme, the Rutland Road/Pitsmoor Road and Rutland Road/Cooks Wood Road junctions have been identified as causing delays. The council\u0026rsquo;s reports are available here, and the full design is here. The junctions are next to each other, Google map link with Streetview.\n\u0026ldquo;Buses are delayed due to congestion, and limited road width, along Pitsmoor Road.\u0026rdquo;\nThe solution is \u0026ldquo;a scheme to address the delays, which comprises road widening, revised road markings and a new pedestrian crossing point\u0026rdquo;, costing \u0026ldquo;around £300,000 which includes for design, construction, supervision, contingency and commuted sum. It is to be funded from the Passenger Transport Executive’s 2016/17 Better Buses programme\u0026rdquo;.\nThe fundamental problem is that the right turn lane into Cooks Wood Road from Pitsmoor Road is of insufficient capacity to cater for the number of vehicles. Consequently this queue blocks other movements and causes delays. The scheme addresses this by widening the carriageway on the northern side of Rutland Road, allowing the right turn lane to be extended. Pedestrians also have difficulties crossing at the junction, so a new refuge island is to be provided to offer better crossing opportunities without causing undue delays to traffic.\n\u0026ldquo;Without causing undue delays to traffic\u0026rdquo;, says it all really, happy to do anything, unless it delays traffic, and by traffic, they mean motor traffic. Putting aside the problem with widening the road to ease congestion in the name of bus improvements\u0026hellip; I\u0026rsquo;ve tried to assess this design using the London Cycling Level of Service junction tool (page 14/15) to see what it means for cycling.\nIndicative criteria for scoring junction assessments from the London Cycle Design Standards\nEvery motor traffic movement is signal controlled. There is no protected space for cycling, there are no cycle specific signal stages, and there are no signal controlled pedestrian crossings. Speed limits are 30mph and traffic volumes are about 1,325 motor vehicles per hour (16:00 on Saturday afternoon) on Rutland Road, with higher numbers on Pitsmoor Road.\nRutland Road/Cooks Wood Road T-Junction- Score 0 out of 12 The volume of traffic (at 16:00 on a Saturday) is 1,325 motor vehicles per hour, \u0026gt;1000 vph is the critical failure threshold (at peak, and where cyclists are not separated).\nCooks Wood Road/Rutland Road Junction. All cycle movements are shown and coloured according to their LCDS score.\nTravelling from Rutland Road South, there is a 5m deep advanced stop line with a 1.5m cycle lane leading into it, but there\u0026rsquo;s no cycle infrastructure continuing into the junction. The left turn into Cooks Wood Road isn\u0026rsquo;t protected at all. Going straight on Rutland Road, the cycle lane doesn\u0026rsquo;t continue across the junction and there is no protection from left turning traffic (approximately 1/3 of traffic). Both of these movements score 0, but it\u0026rsquo;s possible that the left turn should score 1.\nTravelling from Rutland Road North, there is a 5m deep advanced stop line, but no cycle lane leading into it. There are two lanes, a straight on and a right turn. Going straight on, there are no cycle facilities and there is a pinch point 3.9m wide (width of 3.2-4.0m should be avoided). Turning right cyclists have to move into the outside lane with no protection and then don\u0026rsquo;t have any protection through the junction and there is oncoming traffic. Both of these movements score zero because of pinch points, speed of traffic, volume of traffic, multiple lanes and oncoming traffic when turning right.\nTravelling from Cooks Wood Road there is a 5m deep ASL, with a 1.5m feeder lane, the road has two lanes of traffic, one for left and one for right. Making the left turn, there is no protection from left turning traffic and the ASL feeder lane begins beyond the start of the traffic queue. Turning right, cyclists have to move into the outside lane, there is no protection in the junction and a pinch point of 3.9m on the exit of the junction. Both of these movements score zero.\n6 Movements, all scoring 0, out of a total score of 12. Rutland Road/Pitsmoor Road Crossroads - Score 0 out of 24\nRutland Road / Pitsmoor Road Crossroads. . All cycle movements are shown and coloured according to their LCDS score.\nTravelling from Rutland Road, there are two lanes, one left (a sliplane), one combined straight on and right, there is no ASLs and no cycle facilities. All of these movements score zero, left turn because of the left turn slip lane, straight on because of the need to move out into the outside lane to use the junction and because of the lack of separation, and the right turn for the same reason with the added risk of having to sit in the middle of the junction with traffic passing on the left going straight ahead, and oncoming traffic on your right.\nTravelling from Pitsmoor Road South, there is a 1.5m wide feeder lane to a 5m deep ASL. There is a single general traffic lane. The speed limit is 30mph and there are \u0026gt; 1000vph, a critical failure. Turning left, the radius is being increased, there\u0026rsquo;s no dedicated space in the junction for cycling. Going straight on, there is no protection from left turning traffic and there will be conflict with vehicles trying to overtake cycles while oncoming vehicles are waiting to turn right into Rutland Road. There is no dedicated space for cycling in the junction. Turning right, you will have to wait in the middle of the junction with traffic passing on your left, as well as oncoming traffic. All of these movements score zero.\nTravelling from Pitsmoor Road North, there is a 5m deep ASL with no cycle lane or feeder lane. The speed limit is 30mph and there are \u0026gt;1000vhp. There are two lanes, a combined straight on and left and a right turn lane. Turning left, there is no dedicated space for cycling, no protection and a large junction radii. Cycling straight on, there is no protection from left turning traffic and no dedicated space for cycling through the junction. Turning right, cyclists need to move into the outside lane and wait in the middle of the junction for a gap. All of these movements score zero.\nTravelling from Minna Road from the east, the story is the same. Speed limits are 30mph but I don\u0026rsquo;t know the volume of the traffic. There is a 5m deep ASL with a 1.5m feeder lane. Turning left, there is no dedicated space for cycling. Going straight on, there is no protection from left turning traffic or dedicated space for cycling. And turning right, there will be a need to wait in the middle of the junction with traffic on both sides. All of these movements score zero.\nSo, a scheme that scores zero (possibly one) out of 30. Not great. We\u0026rsquo;ve got to up our game in Sheffield if we\u0026rsquo;re ever to get to 10% of journeys made by bike in 10 years. Feedback on how I\u0026rsquo;ve applied the LCDS tool is more than welcome, especially if you think I\u0026rsquo;ve missed anything or given any movements incorrect scores.\nhttp://twitter.com/MattTurnerSheff/status/666941086397526016\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffields-rutland-roadpitsmoor-road-junction-rated-zero30-on-the-london-cycle-design-standards-junction-assessment-tool/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/IMG_20151121_162502-e1448191039158.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\"Pitsmoor Road/Rutland Road\" width=\"625\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003ePitsmoor Road/Rutland Road\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs part of Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s Better Buses programme, the Rutland Road/Pitsmoor Road and Rutland Road/Cooks Wood Road junctions have been identified as causing delays. The \u003ca href=\"http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/ieIssueDetails.aspx?IId=18391\u0026amp;Opt=3\"\u003ecouncil\u0026rsquo;s reports are available here\u003c/a\u003e, and the \u003ca href=\"http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s20513/Rutland%20Road%202.pdf\"\u003efull design is here\u003c/a\u003e. The junctions are next to each other, \u003ca href=\"http://goo.gl/maps/8hn2LH3aVK62\"\u003eGoogle map link with Streetview\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Buses are delayed due to congestion, and limited road width, along Pitsmoor Road.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe solution is \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;a scheme to address the delays, which comprises road widening, revised road markings and a new pedestrian crossing point\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e, costing \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;around £300,000 which includes for design, construction, supervision, contingency and commuted sum. It is to be funded from the Passenger Transport Executive’s 2016/17 Better Buses programme\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield's Rutland Road/Pitsmoor Road Junction - Rated Zero/30 on the London Cycle Design Standards Junction Assessment Tool"},{"content":"\rOsbourne\u0026rsquo;s Halloween Horror - From The Private Eye\nI\u0026rsquo;ve just written to my MP about the news that investment in cycling is going to dry up at the spending review at the end of this month.\nYou should write to your MP too, it\u0026rsquo;s easy and only takes a couple of minutes. http://www.writetothem.com/?a=westminstermp\nDear Harry Harpham,\nI\u0026rsquo;m writing to you about the news that investment in cycling is due to be cut in the November spending review at the end of November as reported in The Times yesterday. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article4601075.ece\nI\u0026rsquo;m dismayed at this news. We must keep investing in cycling, not for cyclists, but so that everyone has the freedom to ride a bike. Helping to revitalise our neighborhoods by reducing congestion, noise and making them nicer places to spend time. To give our children the freedom to travel independently, to reduce the burden on our health service, to begin to tackle climate change and especially poor air quality (which all cities in the UK suffer from), and fundamentally, to give people a the choice to move about without relying on a car (especially given 1/3 of households in our constituency do not have access to one).\nI understand that a big focus of this review will be on transport infrastructure, but cycling seems to be missing out. Back in March the government published research into the benefit cost ratio (BCR) of cycling investment compared to other transport investment, it showed completely that the BCR was far higher for cycling than for any other form of transport. I simply can\u0026rsquo;t understand why cycling investment wouldn\u0026rsquo;t be a key part of infrastructure investment in the UK. Link: http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/348943/vfm-assessment-of-cycling-grants.pdf\nPlease could you let me know what you think and if there\u0026rsquo;s anything you could do to help? I think the All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group is amazing and it\u0026rsquo;d be great if you were to talk to them about this. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/cycling.htm\nYours sincerely,\nMatt Turner\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/no-more-investment-in-cycling-write-to-your-mp-now/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/P1200306.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\"Osbourne\u0026#39;s Halloween Horror - From The Private Eye\" width=\"300\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eOsbourne\u0026rsquo;s Halloween Horror - From The Private Eye\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve just written to my MP about \u003ca href=\"http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article4601075.ece\"\u003ethe news\u003c/a\u003e that investment in cycling is going to dry up at the spending review at the end of this month.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou should write to your MP too, it\u0026rsquo;s easy and only takes a couple of minutes. \u003ca href=\"http://www.writetothem.com/?a=westminstermp\"\u003ehttp://www.writetothem.com/?a=westminstermp\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Harry Harpham,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m writing to you about the news that investment in cycling is due to be cut in the November spending review at the end of November as reported in The Times yesterday.\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article4601075.ece\"\u003ehttp://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article4601075.ece\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"No More Investment in Cycling - Write to your MP now"},{"content":" Today George Osborne has announced details of a new devolution deal for the Sheffield City Region. What does this mean for cycling and transport ?\nHighlights are more control over transport budgets, franchised bus services and strategic planning, as well as a new mayor who will chair the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority.\nThe Combined Authority already has responsibility for delivering large transport projects (amongst other things), however it looks like they will take control of some strategic roads via a new Key Route Network of local authority roads which will be managed at a regional level.\nResponsibility over the region’s transport budget, with a multi-year settlement to be agreed at the Spending Review\nResponsibility for franchised bus services, which will support the Combined Authority’s delivery of smart and integrated ticketing across its councils\nResponsibility for an identified Key Route Network of local authority roads that will be collaboratively managed and maintained at the city region level by the Combined Authority on behalf of the Mayor\nPowers over strategic planning\nThis all sounds very similar to the situation in London with Transport for London being headed up by the Mayor of London, the ability for TfL to franchise bus services, managing a strategic network of key roads and strategic planning. There will be lots of involvement of the private business sector as there is with TfL (this already happens at a Sheffield City Region level).\nI think that TfL and the Mayoral leadership have been good at delivering for cycling (comparatively compared to area\u0026rsquo;s outside of London). We don\u0026rsquo;t know exactly what the future holds, but we\u0026rsquo;ve said for a long time that we\u0026rsquo;d like the same level of control (and investment) that London has with transport and funding, perhaps we\u0026rsquo;re now on that path in Sheffield.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-city-region-devolution-what-does-it-mean-for-cycling/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/logo-960.png\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"logo-960\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/logo-960.png\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e Today George Osborne \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-hails-historic-deal-for-sheffield\"\u003ehas announced details\u003c/a\u003e of a new devolution deal for the Sheffield City Region. What does this mean for cycling and transport ?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHighlights are more control over transport budgets, franchised bus services and strategic planning, as well as a new mayor who will chair the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Combined Authority already has responsibility for delivering large transport projects (amongst other things), however it looks like they will take control of some strategic roads via a new Key Route Network of local authority roads which will be managed at a regional level.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield City Region Devolution - What does it mean for cycling?"},{"content":"\rP1180766 - cropped\nIn July 2014 Rotherham Council decided to spend £225,000 of their Local Transport Plan funding on improving Rotherway Roundabout [ council approval document]\nEarlier this year it became clear that the costs had risen to £275,000 and that the funding source had been switched to the Local Sustainable Transport Fund [ LSTF final spend document]\n£275,000 of LSTF money to be spent on Rotherway Roundabout Revisions. Source\nA significant queue frequently forms on the A630 West Bawtry Road approach to the Rotherway roundabout in the evening peak period and at times this queue can be 600m long. This queue causes delay to traffic using the A630 and also causes issues with some drivers using an adjacent service road at inappropriate speed to cut out some of the queue.\nConsideration of the practicalities of the free flow and widening options shows that the preferred scheme is to widen the A631 West Bawtry Road approach from Canklow entry to the Rotherway roundabout and it is recommended that this scheme is progressed to detailed design and implementation.\nIt is expected that by reducing the length of queues on the A630 West Bawtry Road entry to the Rotherway roundabout that traffic queues and delay would be reduced and that, together with the recently introduced traffic calming, would mean that drivers would no longer use the service road.\nThis was approved along with the preliminary design below.\nYou can see on Streetview the construction works of the approach widening and the roundabout widening. There was already a shared use footway at the edge, that hasn\u0026rsquo;t been changed.\nThis is what it looks like now. Is this a good way to spend £275,000 of LSTF money? I don\u0026rsquo;t think so!\nRotherway Roundabout Approach\rP1180766 - cropped\rP1180764\rP1180776\rP1180772\r","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/local-sustainable-transport-fund-275000-spent-on-widening-a-trunk-road-roundabout-in-rotherham/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/P1180766-cropped.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\"P1180766 - cropped\" width=\"625\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eP1180766 - cropped\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn July 2014 Rotherham Council decided to spend £225,000 of their Local Transport Plan funding on improving Rotherway Roundabout [ \u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Rotherway-roundabout-A630-West-Bawtry-Road-Rotherham.pdf\"\u003ecouncil approval document\u003c/a\u003e]\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEarlier this year it became clear that the costs had risen to £275,000 and that the funding source had been switched to the Local Sustainable Transport Fund [ \u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Item-10-LSTF-Programme-Final-Spend-Report-Appendix-B.pdf\"\u003eLSTF final spend document\u003c/a\u003e]\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/LSTF-Line.png\"\r\n         alt=\"£275,000 of LSTF money to be spent on Rotherway Roundabout Revisions. Source\" width=\"625\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003e£275,000 of LSTF money to be spent on Rotherway Roundabout Revisions. Source\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Local Sustainable Transport Fund - £275,000 spent on widening a trunk road roundabout in Rotherham"},{"content":" We\u0026rsquo;re about to spend £160k of savings from the Sheffield Grey to Green project on public art.\nThis is a road scheme on an old ring road, which will narrow the carriageways, create shared use pavements, and install meadows. There wasn\u0026rsquo;t enough money to install adequate cycling infrastructure, but £160k of saving have been found and will be spent creating public art.\nOur priorities are wrong.\nThis allocation of funding is due to be approved at the 27 May Sheffield Cabinet Meeting[pdf].\nGrey to Green Public Art This project will provide Public Art as part of the Grey to Green Phase 1 – Sheffield Riverside Business District project. The inclusion of Public Art was always envisaged as part of the Grey to Green Phase 1 project but was not included in the Grey to Green Phase 1 Procurement Strategy due to funding pressures. Following a competitive tender on the Grey to Green Phase 1 project sufficient savings have been made to confidently allow this part of the project to proceed. European Regional Development Funding have now confirmed that they will allow their portion of the remaining budget to be used for this project and a variation will be submitted to seek approval to use part of the remaining budget for the Public Art project. The total budget for this part of the project is £160k split as follows: Construction Cost - £65k Client Costs Capital - £85k (£20k Foundations; £40k Artists Commissions; £25k Commuted Sums (Amey Maintenance) Fees - £10k Funded by £64k of ERDF which is included as an approved variation to the original Grey to Green Phase 1 – Sheffield Riverside Business District funding agreement.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/grey-to-green-money-found-for-public-art-but-not-space-for-cycling/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Grey-to-Green-Phase-1.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Grey-to-Green-Phase-1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Grey-to-Green-Phase-1.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e We\u0026rsquo;re about to spend £160k of savings from the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/planning-and-city-development/regeneration/grey-to-green.html\"\u003eSheffield Grey to Green project\u003c/a\u003e on public art.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a road scheme on an old ring road, which will narrow the carriageways, create shared use pavements, and install meadows. There wasn\u0026rsquo;t enough money to install adequate cycling infrastructure, but £160k of saving have been found and will be spent creating public art.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur priorities are wrong.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis allocation of funding is due to be approved at the \u003ca href=\"http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s18350/Budget%20Monitoring%202.pdf\"\u003e27 May Sheffield Cabinet Meeting\u003c/a\u003e[pdf].\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Grey to Green - Money found for public art, but not Space for Cycling"},{"content":"Next week the Cabinet of Sheffield City Council will make a decision about signing up to a single source tender procurement strategy for highways. See Page 71 of this document which is on the agenda for the cabinet meeting of 27th May 2015.\nThe value of these highways schemes is listed as £7.5million for the year.\nIs this wise!? I had no idea that this is how we tendered for highways projects in Sheffield.\nThe estimated value of additions to the Highways programme for 2015-16 is £7.5m Please note if there are any further variations /new additions to the 2015/16 programme this procurement strategy will cover those schemes, subject to the scheme being approved at CPG and normal approval route and is within the scope of the Waiver. The proposed strategy is single source tenders in accordance with Schedule 7 of the Highways PFI contract, Amey are issued tender documents and Amey are required to submit prices and provide a work programme for the delivery of the schemes. New Works Team to prepare contracts (NEC) for each scheme and send part 1 to Amey for completion\nRecommendation: -\nTo approve the procurement strategy seeking approval to enter into a single source tender using Amey Hallam Highways Ltd for highway design and highway construction projects that are not part of the Streets ahead projects for the period 01 April 2015 to 31st March 2016 subject to:\nCPG being satisfied that there is clear evidence that the Waiver does demonstrate value for money recognising the outcome of competitively tendered projects;\nTwo specific cycling infrastructure schemes over £200k to be competitively tendered;\nHighways schemes following the Gateway process and Financial Regulations; and\nContract awards to be made through CPG in line with the Cabinet delegation.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/procurement-strategy-for-highways-in-sheffield-single-source-tendering/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNext week the Cabinet of Sheffield City Council will make a decision about signing up to a single source tender procurement strategy for highways. See Page 71 of \u003ca href=\"http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s18350/Budget%20Monitoring%202.pdf\"\u003ethis document\u003c/a\u003e which is on the agenda for the cabinet meeting of 27th May 2015.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe value of these highways schemes is listed as £7.5million for the year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIs this wise!? I had no idea that this is how we tendered for highways projects in Sheffield.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Procurement strategy for highways in Sheffield - Single Source Tendering"},{"content":"Sheffield Council has a new cabinet! But is it clear who has responsibility for what?\nLeader of the Council- Councillor Julie Dore Finance and Resources- Councillor Ben Curran Business Skills and Development- Councillor Leigh Bramall Housing- Councillor Jayne Dunn Neighbourhoods- Councillor Isobel Bowler Environment and Transport- Councillor Terry Fox Health, Care and Independent Living- Councillor Mary Lea Public Health and Equality- Councillor Mazher Iqbal Children, Young People and Families- Councillor Jackie Drayton Cabinet Member Responsibilities, published 13th May 2015\nSeems simple enough right? Not really!\nThe council press release is very ambiguous over who exactly is doing what, there seem to be shared roles, roles with titles that don\u0026rsquo;t actually include that responsibility and unfilled roles.\nIn Sheffield there is a \u0026ldquo;Leader\u0026rsquo;s Scheme of Delegation of Executive Functions\u0026rdquo; which explains how all of this works. This is what I\u0026rsquo;ve been able to cobble together. Official Roles - Taken from The Leader’s Scheme of Delegation of Executive Functions Nov 2014Name from Press ReleasePosition from Press ReleaseChair of Cabinet and Leader of the CouncilCouncillor Julie DoreLeader of the CouncilCabinet Member for Business, Skills and Development (Portfolio includes planning and transport)Councillor Leigh BramallBusiness Skills and DevelopmentCabinet Member for Children, Young People and FamiliesCouncillor Jackie DraytonChildren, Young People and FamiliesCabinet Member for Communities and Public Heath (Portfolio includes the Voluntary, Community and Faith sectors and libraries)Councillor Mazher IqbalPublic Health and EqualityCabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure (Portfolio includes parks and positive activities for young people)Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Streetscene (Portfolio includes climate change, waste management and the ‘Streets Ahead’ project)Councillor Terry FoxEnvironment and TransportCabinet Member for Finance and Resources (Portfolio includes performance)Councillor Ben CurranFinance and ResourcesCabinet Member for Health, Care and Independent Living (Portfolio includes adult services)Councillor Mary LeaHealth, Care and Independent LivingCabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods (Portfolio includes housing, safety and regeneration)Councillor Jayne DunnCouncillor Isobel BowlerHousingNeighbourhoods Councillor Mazher Iqbal is down as \u0026ldquo;public health and equality\u0026rdquo;, the closest official post I can find is \u0026ldquo;Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Heath\u0026rdquo;. Where has communities gone? Equality isn\u0026rsquo;t mentioned in the official role responsibilities.\nThere is no Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure as best I can tell. Who\u0026rsquo;s going to do that job?\nCouncillor Terry Fox is down as \u0026ldquo;Environment and Transport\u0026rdquo; but the closest role I can find is \u0026ldquo;Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Streetscene (Portfolio includes climate change, waste management and the ‘Streets Ahead’ project)\u0026rdquo;. So where has recycling gone? And why is transport listed in the press release? It\u0026rsquo;s clear from Councillor Leigh Bramall\u0026rsquo;s role that he has responsibility for transport \u0026ldquo;Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Development (Portfolio includes planning and transport)\u0026rdquo;.\nAnd then Councillors Jayne Dunn and Isobel Bowler each have responsibility for Housing and Neighbourhoods respectively, however there only seems to be a single role available which is \u0026ldquo;Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods (Portfolio includes housing, safety and regeneration)\u0026rdquo;. Are they going to share that role?\nI\u0026rsquo;m not aware that the Leader\u0026rsquo;s Scheme of Delegation has changed. There seems to be a lot of ambiguity here.\nThe detailed responsibilities for each role are Sheffield - Leaders Scheme of Delegation Nov 2014 - Cabinet Roles (taken from the Leader\u0026rsquo;s Scheme of Delegation)\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/new-sheffield-cabinet-member-appointments-trying-to-make-sense-of-it-all/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/header-logo1.png\"\u003eSheffield Council has a new cabinet! But is it clear who has responsibility for what?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLeader of the Council- Councillor Julie Dore\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinance and Resources- Councillor Ben Curran\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBusiness Skills and Development- Councillor Leigh Bramall\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHousing- Councillor Jayne Dunn\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNeighbourhoods- Councillor Isobel Bowler\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEnvironment and Transport- Councillor Terry Fox\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHealth, Care and Independent Living- Councillor Mary Lea\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublic Health and Equality- Councillor Mazher Iqbal\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChildren, Young People and Families- Councillor Jackie Drayton\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCabinet Member Responsibilities, published \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffieldnewsroom.co.uk/cabinet-member-responsibilities/\"\u003e13th May 2015\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"New Sheffield Cabinet Member Appointments - Trying to make sense of it all"},{"content":"A couple of video\u0026rsquo;s of some new cycle lanes in Sheffield. These have been built in the past couple of weeks.\nLet\u0026rsquo;s be honest, you\u0026rsquo;d have to be insane to think that this is even remotely safe.\nhttp://vine.co/v/eZYMPLAY0EW\nhttp://vine.co/v/eZYJLv5AT7g\nThis road has 6 lanes for driving, one for parking, 4 for driving along and one for turning. The people in charge have decided that the best place for people cycling is in-between parked cars, and traffic.\nA much better place would be behind the parked cars, between the footpath and the parking bays. Why not do it like this?\nCycling in Utrecht\nWe\u0026rsquo;re all taught to leave plenty of room when cycling past parked cars in case a door opens and you get knocked into the path of heavy traffic. But why are our roads even designed with this being a possibility? Swap the lanes around, put the cycle lane behind parked cars and this risk just goes away.\nIf a door opens you fall onto the pavement instead of in front of a truck. But it\u0026rsquo;s easier to avoid this and cycle further away because cycling away from car doors in this arrangement doesn\u0026rsquo;t mean cycling in the way of heavy traffic!\nWe need to start thinking differently, start making small changes and start to design our roads like this.\nCycling in Utrecht\nCycling in Assen\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/cycle-lanes-on-the-outside-parked-cars-a-recipe-for-disaster/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA couple of video\u0026rsquo;s of some new cycle lanes in Sheffield. These have been built in the past couple of weeks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet\u0026rsquo;s be honest, you\u0026rsquo;d have to be insane to think that this is even remotely safe.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://vine.co/v/eZYMPLAY0EW\"\u003ehttp://vine.co/v/eZYMPLAY0EW\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://vine.co/v/eZYJLv5AT7g\"\u003ehttp://vine.co/v/eZYJLv5AT7g\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis road has 6 lanes for driving, one for parking, 4 for driving along and one for turning. The people in charge have decided that the best place for people cycling is in-between parked cars, and traffic.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cycle lanes on the outside parked cars, a recipe for disaster"},{"content":" You just couldn\u0026rsquo;t make it up. Does car parking really count as sustainable transport?\nThe Sheffield City Region Growth Deal includes a \u0026lsquo;Sustainable Transport Exemplar Programme\u0026rsquo; with £16.3m investment for five years from 2015/16 to 2021, with £3.3million in the first year.\nThe list of schemes funded in the first year has been announced and include things like bike paths and pedestrian crossings.\nThe largest scheme though, at £670,000, is a \u0026ldquo;Meadowhall Car Park Extension\u0026rdquo;. You read that right, a car park extension. 19% of the annual sustainable transport exemplar programme budget this year is being spent on a car park extension.\n2015-16 Sustrainable Transport Exemplar Programme Schemes\nThis money could pay for significant amounts of bike paths, cycle parking, reducing through traffic, 20mph zones etc. etc. etc. This year the Sheffield budget for 20mph zones is £400,000, the budget for this car park extension is £670,000.\nI\u0026rsquo;m appalled. Follow the money, and it\u0026rsquo;s clear what the true priorities are for transport spending.\nSchemes announced at Monday 16th March meeting of Sheffield City Region Combined Authority Transport Committee.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/south-yorkshire-sustainable-transport-exemplar-programme-the-biggest-project-in-201516-is-a-car-park-extension/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/logo-960.png\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"logo-960\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/logo-960.png\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e You just couldn\u0026rsquo;t make it up. Does car parking really count as sustainable transport?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/398872/28_Sheffield_City_Region_Growth_Deal.pdf\"\u003eSheffield City Region Growth Deal\u003c/a\u003e includes a \u0026lsquo;Sustainable Transport Exemplar Programme\u0026rsquo; with £16.3m investment for five years from 2015/16 to 2021, with £3.3million in the first year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe list of schemes funded in the first year has \u003ca href=\"http://meetings.southyorks.gov.uk/documents/s32379/12B%20TC%2016%20March%2015%20-%20Draft%202015-16%20Local%20Transport%20Programmes%20App%20B.pdf?zTS=B\"\u003ebeen announced\u003c/a\u003e and include things like bike paths and pedestrian crossings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe largest scheme though, at £670,000, is a \u0026ldquo;Meadowhall Car Park Extension\u0026rdquo;. You read that right, a car park extension. 19% of the annual sustainable transport exemplar programme budget this year is being spent on a car park extension.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"South Yorkshire Sustainable Transport Exemplar Programme - The biggest project in 2015/16 is a car park extension!"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s some interesting historical cycling infrastructure in Sheffield, and one in particular of a *semi* protected straight on with a left turn lane in Ecclesfield.\nThe design for this movement is quite innovative for the UK. The phasing of the traffic lights means that people can cycle down the left of queuing traffic, turn across the front of the queue and get to a position in front of traffic queueing to go straight on.\nThe approach\rOnto the pavement\rAcross the lane\rOnto the central island\rAnd onwards\rYou need protected straight on movements at junctions with left turn lanes because getting into an outside lane on a bicycle isn\u0026rsquo;t at all a pleasant experience, you feel extremely vulnerable when doing it.\nI think the fundamental design proposition is sound, not requiring people on bikes to get into the outside lane, but the execution is poor and it\u0026rsquo;s been neglected for a very long time. The approach lane is extremely narrow, the surface is terrible, there\u0026rsquo;s potential for conflict with people walking at the crossing point, there\u0026rsquo;s zero protection once traffic starts moving and ultimately, this junction exists in a vacuum, it is not part of a cycling network at all.\nAbandoned and neglected cycle infrastructure\nThis picture is from just 15 meters up the road and shows the 100m or so of 1.1m wide cycle lane that exists around here.\nThe Common, Ecclesfield. Definitely no Space for Cycling.\nThis video of me cycling here shows most of the problems with this junction very clearly, I get beeped by a car and passed far too closely by a van.\nA much better layout for people on bikes would be something like this with changes in the traffic light phasing to hold left turning traffic when right turning traffic was green, as well as looking at the wider network of roads and creating Space for Cycling.\nThis junction needs a complete rethink, there aren\u0026rsquo;t even pedestrian crossing phases, only dropped kerbs and islands.\nThe Common, Ecclesfield, Sheffield, An alternative layout for cycling\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/a-look-at-some-older-cycling-infrastructure-in-sheffield-a-semi-protected-straight-on-movement-at-the-common-ecclesfield/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s some interesting historical cycling infrastructure in Sheffield, and one in particular of a *semi* protected straight on with a left turn lane in Ecclesfield.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Panorma-Annotated.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"The Common, Ecclesall, Sheffield, Cycle Infrastracture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Panorma-Annotated.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe design for this movement is quite innovative for the UK. The phasing of the traffic lights means that people can cycle down the left of queuing traffic, turn across the front of the queue and get to a position in front of traffic queueing to go straight on.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A look at some older cycling infrastructure in Sheffield. A semi protected straight on movement at The Common, Ecclesfield"},{"content":"Today Nick Clegg, MP for Sheffield Hallam has announced £500,000 for cycle infrastructure in Yorkshire.\nThe Deputy Prime Minister has also announced £500,000 to improve cycling facilities in Yorkshire. The investment will contribute to constructing a number of cycle circuits across the county. Every year each circuit will support 10,000 competitive and recreational cyclists who want to take part in the sport away from traffic, with access to the best support facilities.\nPress release\nIs this enough money? Given that the population of Yorkshire is 4.9million and the Get Britain Cycling Report recommended we spend £10 to £20 per person per year, Yorkshire needs to invest £49,000,000 per year. £500,000 over two years is clearly not even a drop in the ocean. It represents just 0.5% of what we need to be spending.\nIt seems that most of this money will be spent on leisure cycling, rather than in investing in creating pleasant towns and cities where people can get around by bike.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/800000-investment-for-cycling-and-tourism-in-yorkshire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"NIck Clegg\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/NIck-Clegg.jpg\"\u003eToday Nick Clegg, MP for Sheffield Hallam has announced £500,000 for cycle infrastructure in Yorkshire.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Deputy Prime Minister has also announced £500,000 to improve cycling facilities in Yorkshire. The investment will contribute to constructing a number of cycle circuits across the county. Every year each circuit will support 10,000 competitive and recreational cyclists who want to take part in the sport away from traffic, with access to the best support facilities.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"£800,000 investment for cycling and tourism in Yorkshire - Just 0.5% of what's required"},{"content":" \u0026ldquo;I’ve got to say- even I was startled by the degree to which car traffic is degrading ordinary people’s lives.\u0026rdquo; Josh Hart\nOne of the Space for Cycling principals is the removal of through traffic. This is really important, research has shown that our communities suffer when their roads are used by high volume motor traffic.\nIn 1969 San Francisco Donald Appleyard \u0026ldquo;demonstrated that people living on a street with relatively heavy traffic had only one-third as many social connections as people living on a relatively light-traffic street\u0026rdquo;\nWhen we talk about \u0026lsquo;Livable Streets\u0026rsquo;, this phrase was originally coined by Donald Appleyard. His work is summarised in this great video from StreetFilms.\nRevisiting Donald Appleyard\u0026rsquo;s Livable Streets from STREETFILMS on Vimeo.\nAppleyard‟s (1969) diagram of intra-street social connections. Lines represent specific social connections whilst dots identify where people were reported to gather.\nThis study was replicated just a few years ago in Bristol;\nThe results confirmed that Appleyard\u0026rsquo;s findings are applicable to the UK in the 21st century; specifically that the number of friends and acquaintances reported by residents was significantly lower on streets with higher volumes of motor traffic. The extent of people\u0026rsquo;s home territories‟ also diminished as motor traffic increased.\nThey produced similar community interaction maps and the results are strikingly similar.\nCommunity interaction on three Bristol streets. Hart, J. and Parkhurst, G. (2011)\nThey found that \u0026ldquo;motor traffic through a neighbourhood has an inverse relationship with the number of social relationships in that neighbourhood.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;During the interviews, residents were asked to draw their \u0026lsquo;home territories\u0026rsquo;. Home territory was defined as the “area over which you feel you have a sense of personal responsibility or stewardship” (Appleyard, 1981). The results confirmed Appleyard‟s findings about the relationship between traffic level and the range of home territories.\u0026rdquo;\nThese two studies are linked below If you\u0026rsquo;d like to read them.\nhttp://www.edra.org/sites/default/files/publications/EDRA03-Appleyard-11-2_0.pdf http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/15513/1/WTPP_Hart_ParkhurstJan2011prepub.pdf\nA blog post by one of the authors, Josh Hart - No Friends? Blame the Traffic\u0026hellip;\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/revisiting-donald-appleyards-the-environmental-quality-of-city-streets-a-residents-viewpoint-in-21st-century-britain/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Remove-Through-Motor-Traffic.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Remove Through Motor Traffic\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Remove-Through-Motor-Traffic.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u0026ldquo;I’ve got to say- even I was startled by the degree to which car traffic is degrading ordinary people’s lives.\u0026rdquo;\n\u003ca href=\"http://onthelevelblog.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/no-friends-blame-the-traffic/\"\u003eJosh Hart\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the Space for Cycling principals is the removal of through traffic. This is really important, research has shown that our communities suffer when their roads are used by high volume motor traffic.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ca href=\"http://www.edra.org/sites/default/files/publications/EDRA03-Appleyard-11-2_0.pdf\"\u003e1969\u003c/a\u003e San Francisco Donald Appleyard \u0026ldquo;demonstrated that \u003cstrong\u003epeople living on a street with relatively heavy traffic\u003c/strong\u003e had only \u003cstrong\u003eone-third as many social connections as people living on a relatively light-traffic street\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Remove Through Motor Traffic; Revisiting Donald Appleyard's study in 21st century Britain"},{"content":" A 20mph area has been proposed for Hackenthorpe in Sheffield and the final decision on it was taken a couple of weeks ago. Local councillors, presumably responding to discussions with residents, asked for the speed limits of two main roads in the area to be included.\nSheffield Road and Beighton Road, one of two through routes that divide the area (the other being Birley Spa Lane) were originally omitted from the potential 20mph area. Local ward members felt that residents should be consulted on their inclusion. A further letter was delivered to all properties in the area explaining this additional proposal.\nRainbow Forge Primary School has their main entrance on Beighton Road, 71% of pupils walk to school. They say that there have been \u0026ldquo;numerous near misses or minor accidents\u0026rdquo; and that \u0026ldquo;the speed of drivers is usually the cause.\u0026rdquo; The school identified that the speeds of motor traffic outside their school causes parental anxiety, reduces safety and prevents more people from walking to school.\nThe primary school supported the 20mph limit outside their school.\nAs a school with a main entrance on to Beighton Road, we fully support the proposed 20mph speed limit. The road is a bus route and is very busy at peak hour times. Our parents park on the road as we have no parking area, so this adds to the congestion during school drop off and pick up. During this time there have been numerous near misses or minor accidents and the speed of drivers is usually the cause.\nNot only are parents trying to safely help their children in and out of the parked cars, we also have a number of families and older children who walk along the road, or who need to cross the road on their journey home. Our most recent ‘travel to school survey’ (January 2012) showed that the vast majority of our pupils (71%) walk to school. A lower speed limit, both on Beighton Road and in the wider Hackenthorpe area, would make this journey safer for our children and families, reducing anxiety for parents and help to ensure that no one is injured. We hope that this will help encourage more pupils and parents to walk to school in future.\nHead Teacher, Rainbow Forge Primary School\nHowever, South Yorkshire Police didn\u0026rsquo;t support the proposals. They said that \u0026ldquo;[vehicle] speeds on Beighton Road and Sheffield Road do not fall within the DFT recommended guidelines of 24mph. In fact all three sets old data show that well over 50% of vehicles exceed the current 30mph speed limit on this road with the 85th %ile travelling 37mph/38mph.\u0026rdquo; The officer writing the response said that when he visited the site \u0026ldquo;The speed of the vehicle in front going uphill from Moss Way was in the region of 32 to 35mph. However, vehicles travelling down the bottom section towards Moss Way were in excess of 50mph.\u0026rdquo;\nSouth Yorkshire Police submitted a formal objection to a 20mph speed limit on the two main roads included in the plans (included because residents and local councillors asked for them).\n[Available speed data] shows that the speeds on Beighton Road and Sheffield Road do not fall within the DFT recommended guidelines of 24mph. In fact all three sets old data show that well over 50% of vehicles exceed the current 30mph speed limit on this road with the 85th %ile travelling 37mph/38mph.\nThere is obviously a long term issue with speed on this road. I also noticed that there is a vehicle activated sign on Beighton Road, which would confirm this. Within the guidance for setting local speed limits, it does state that where there is poor compliance with an existing speed limit on a road, or stretch of road, the reason for the non-compliance should be examined before a solution sought.\nI visited the site last week and followed vehicles travelling up and down the road. The speed of the vehicle in front going uphill from Moss Way was in the region of 32 to 35mph. However, vehicles travelling down the bottom section towards Moss Way were in excess of 50mph. I would say, that the road layout on this bottom section of Beighton Road did not make this speed feel uncomfortable at that time.\nAs this proposed extension to the 20mph zone is unlikely to be self-enforcing without some major engineering works, and does not fall anywhere near the DFT recommended guidelines of 24mph, and that to achieve compliance there should be no expectation on the police to provide additional enforcement beyond their routine activity. I feel that we must formally object to this section of Sheffield Road and Beighton Road being included within the 20mph zone.\nSouth Yorkshire Police\nThe council say that \u0026ldquo;people contacting the council to express a view regarding the proposals for Sheffield Road and Beighton Road have generally been supportive\u0026rdquo; of the ideas. However they say that \u0026ldquo;[council] officers share the concerns of the police and objectors regarding its inclusion within the 20mph speed limit area\u0026rdquo;.\nWhilst acknowledging that people contacting the council to express a view regarding the proposals for Sheffield Road and Beighton Road have generally been supportive, officers share the concerns of the police and objectors regarding its inclusion within the 20mph speed limit area.\nSheffield City Council\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a lot of discussion in the report about why the officers are concerned, these include DfT guidance, talking to other local authorities, and the need for speed limits to be realistic, for speed to be reduced to an acceptable level, \u0026lsquo;complementary traffic calming measures\u0026rsquo; would be needed, and there is no funding for this.\nIn the absence of funding for complementary traffic calming measures a 20mph limit would be artificially low and likely to result in excessive abuse and bring 20mph limits in general into disrepute the existing speeds.\nSheffield City Council\nHowever, an alternative option is considered, and that is to provide an advisory, part time, 20mph speed limit. An advisory speed limit!\nWhilst officers cannot recommend the introduction of a 20mph speed limit along the full length of Sheffield Road and Beighton Road, improving the safety of school children remains one of the key objectives of the Sheffield 20mph Speed Limit Strategy. The Strategy expressly provides for the introduction of a localised, part-time speed limit around the entrance to a school that is located on a road that is otherwise unsuitable for a 20mph speed limit. This is the approach that officers recommend – the introduction of a part time, advisory 20mph speed limit centred around the entrance to Rainbow Forge Primary School as shown in Appendix C\nSheffield City Council\nIt\u0026rsquo;s clear to me that there are problems with our approach to traffic safety on main roads.\nLocal residents know that something is wrong and want change. We have funding to provide 20mph speed limits, but these will only be placed where average speeds are less than 24mph. We will provide advisory speed limit signs where speeds are too high, but it\u0026rsquo;s not clear to me what benefit an advisory speed limit will provide if people can ignore it.\nFor main roads we need to provide physical traffic calming measures, but the funding isn\u0026rsquo;t there for these. And we have key destinations (schools, shops, workplaces) positioned along these main roads that people have to get to, and won\u0026rsquo;t be moved in a hurry.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a chicken and egg scenario. The trouble of living somewhere where more cars leads to more fear, which leads to more cars. And not being able to do anything about it.\nThe report I\u0026rsquo;ve been quoting from is here.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/the-latest-on-20mph-in-sheffield-hackenthorpe-not-outside-rainbow-forge-primary-school-where-over-50-of-traffic-already-breaks-the-30mph-speed-limit/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/3_20mph_Speed_Limits.png\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"20mph Space for cycling\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/3_20mph_Speed_Limits.png\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e A 20mph area has been proposed for Hackenthorpe in Sheffield and the final decision on it was \u003ca href=\"http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=368\u0026amp;MId=5587\u0026amp;Ver=4\"\u003etaken a couple of weeks ago\u003c/a\u003e. Local councillors, presumably responding to discussions with residents, asked for the speed limits of two main roads in the area to be included.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSheffield Road and Beighton Road, one of two through routes that divide the area (the other being Birley Spa Lane) were originally omitted from the potential 20mph area. Local ward members felt that residents should be consulted on their inclusion. A further letter was delivered to all properties in the area explaining this additional proposal.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The latest on 20mph in Sheffield, Hackenthorpe, not outside Rainbow Forge Primary School where over 50% of traffic already breaks the 30mph speed limit"},{"content":" The annual Sheffield public health report has been published and this year the focus is on Climate Change. All of the topics in the report impact both public heath and climate change.\nClimate change is the defining public health issue of this century.\nI\u0026rsquo;m very happy that such an important issue is right at the top of the public health agenda in Sheffield.\nThere are however links between present public health problems and the kind of steps we have to take to tackle climate change. Many of the things we need to do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will benefit our health in the short term, too. We describe some of those things.\nThis is quite a good video of Dr Jeremy Wight explaining his annual health report.\nAs we know all too well, many the things that will help with climate change will help with more short term public health problems and Jeremy Wight sums this up very succinctly.\nActive travel (walking and cycling) and public transport increases physical activity and social connections, improves physical and mental health, helps people stick to a healthy weight, and reduces harmful air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.\nThe recommendations focusing on active travel are right at the top of the list.\nThe Council should develop and implement a programme of signposting walking routes with the time it takes to reach the destination. Sheffield people should consider traveling short distances on foot or by bicycle rather than by car, and sign up to ‘Move More’ at www.movemoresheffield.com. The Council should commit to increasing the number of 20 mph zones within the City as quickly as possible. I don\u0026rsquo;t think that the reports recommendations for active travel will bring about a big enough shift on their own, there seems to be a focus on encouraging (signposing walking routes, people should consider travelling short distances on foot or by bicycle) rather than creating an environment where this is normal and designed in everywhere so that walking and cycling are real choices.\nI wish that the recommendations in this report were more robust and pushed us to change the way we design our streets. We\u0026rsquo;ve seen examples in Sheffield recently where the walking and cycling environment has been eroded to increase capacity and reduce delay to motor traffic. Until we improve the environment, the encouragement will be wasted and we\u0026rsquo;ll only reach small numbers of people willing to cycling in today\u0026rsquo;s uninviting and hostile conditions, the low hanging fruit.\nHowever, judging by the response I\u0026rsquo;ve heard Dr Jeremy Wight got at the council meeting where this was presented, he\u0026rsquo;s going to need all the support he can get!\nHis presentation drew an extraordinarily negative response from Labour and Lib Dem councillors, from which there is much to learn. [ source]\nThe discussion also revealed that the chair of the Sheffield Council Cycle Forum, Peter Price, isn\u0026rsquo;t convinced about climate change being caused by carbon dioxide emissions!\nOne Labour councillor admitted to being a climate change sceptic (he believes CO2 emissions are due to global warming, not vice versa); [ source]\nWe have the 20mph recommendation which should help to slow down traffic on our streets. Sheffield is very keen on 20mph areas and 11 more areas are planned for the coming year (10Mb pdf map). I\u0026rsquo;m still nervous that 20mph as we\u0026rsquo;re rolling it out will have as big an impact as we\u0026rsquo;re hoping, I think that it needs to be accompanied by a reduction in traffic volumes too, the benefits are amplified when the volume of traffic is reduced. There seems to be a slow realisation that there are problems with our main roads (which haven\u0026rsquo;t historically been included in 20mph areas) and we\u0026rsquo;re beginning to see \u0026lsquo;advisory part time 20mph limits\u0026rsquo;, a top for another post.\nWhilst improved road safety alone justifies 20 mph limits, air pollution and traffic noise drop when speed is reduced and streets become more pleasant and attractive places. Increased use of shared public space contributes to an increase in social capital.\nLink to the Sheffield Public Health Report 2014.\nEdit 07/01/2015\nThe Star have reported today that Dr Jeremy Wight is resigning.\nEdit 27/01/2015\nThe Shields Gazette has published an interview with Jeremy Wight discussing some of this. he says that \u0026ldquo;it’s absolutely not true that that [response to his report] has contributed to my decision to leave\u0026rdquo;.\nDr Wight recently presented his annual report to Sheffield councillors.\nSome suggested he was given a bit of a rough ride for choosing to focus on climate change in his report. He said: “Last year, for 2014, I made the theme of my report climate change and health.\n“I think that if you look at what the big health issues are going to be for the rest of this century, I think climate change is number one.\n“If the predictions about climate change come true, it affects every aspect of our ability to lead healthy lives, including food production and water supply.\n“People have made some very, very grim forecasts. The reason I chose to focus on it is because there are things that we can do now that will help to mitigate the impact of global warming.\n“For example, fitting better insulation in your home. If people used more physically active transport, that is good for people’s health and reduces emissions.\nThe response to his report was not the reason he chose to leave.\nHe said: “I think the response was that there are a lot more pressing problems now like the impact of welfare reforms. But it’s absolutely not true that that has contributed to my decision to leave.\nThe Shields Gazette, 19th January\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-public-health-report-2014-climate-change-and-health/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/caresupport/health/director-of-public-health-report.html\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Climate Change and Health\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Climate-Change-and-Health.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e The annual \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/caresupport/health/director-of-public-health-report.html\"\u003eSheffield public health report\u003c/a\u003e has been published and this year the focus is on Climate Change. All of the topics in the report impact both public heath and climate change.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClimate change is the defining public health issue of this century.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m very happy that such an important issue is right at the top of the public health agenda in Sheffield.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are however links between present public health problems and the kind of steps we have to take to tackle climate change. Many of the things we need to do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will benefit our health in the short term, too. We describe some of those things.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield Public Health Report 2014 - Climate Change and Health"},{"content":"The new Sainsburys opened this week in Hillsborough near where I live in Sheffield. I thought I\u0026rsquo;d cycle there, film it and do some commentary.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s almost comical just how bad this journey is by bicycle.\nAs the planner/engineer said in the council meeting where the highway design was approved, \u0026ldquo;No one\u0026rsquo;s going to cycle to the supermarket. Absolutely right, when the environment is this bad for cycling, no-one in their right mind would.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/off-to-the-new-supermarket-by-bike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe new Sainsburys opened this week in Hillsborough near where I live in Sheffield. I thought I\u0026rsquo;d cycle there, film it and do some commentary.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s almost comical just how bad this journey is by bicycle.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the planner/engineer said in the council meeting where the highway design was approved, \u0026ldquo;No one\u0026rsquo;s going to cycle to the supermarket. Absolutely right, when the environment is this bad for cycling, no-one in their right mind would.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Off to the new supermarket; by bike?"},{"content":"5th December Update: This motion was amended by Leigh Bramall, Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Development and the amended version was subsequently passed. See below for updates\nCouncillor Sarah Jane Smalley, who supports the Space for Cycling campaign and joined the Space for Cycling ride in May, has put a motion to the Sheffield City Council meeting next week which covers in some detail the barriers to creating Space for Cycling in Sheffield and calling on councillors so support the Space for Cycling campaign.\nLast week CTC revealed that Sheffield doesn\u0026rsquo;t have the level support in its councillors for Space for Cycling as any of the other core cities, it\u0026rsquo;s ranked at the bottom when looking at councillor support rates. This motion calls on Councillors in Sheffield to turn that around and sign up to the campaign.\nThe motion also shows that when the core cities are ranked by capital spending, Sheffield falls well short of many of the Core Cities, simply because we did not apply for the Cycle City Ambition Grant last year, we were the only core city to not submit a bid. These grants take funding to over £10/head/year for two years, in Sheffield we spend far less.\nSarah Jane attended the Sheffield Council Forum last week and asked some questions about the cycling inquiry, I didn\u0026rsquo;t think that the answers she got were very reassuring. The cycle champion, Tim Rippon wasn\u0026rsquo;t their either so couldn\u0026rsquo;t provide any reassurance.\nThis motion is detailed and covers succinctly some of the key barriers to making Sheffield a place where anyone can ride a bike; funding, political support, planning, attendance of meetings, DfT consultation, engineer training and design guidance.\nWhat can you do to help? You can write to your councillor, tell them you think they should support Space for Cycling, and ask them to support the motion at next weeks meeting. It will only take 2 minutes. You can find out if your councillor has already signed up here.\nThat this Council:- (a) affirms its commitment to Sheffield City Council’s Vision for Excellent Transport in Sheffield:We need to change the culture of how we use our roads, so that people are no longer afraid to cycle or allow their children to do so. Our streets, roads and local communities need to become places for people, where cycling and walking are safe and normal;\n(b) regrets that only 11% of Sheffield City Councillors have signed up to support the Space for Cycling campaign, making Sheffield the lowest ranked of eight major English cities committing to space for cycling, as per the recent report from the national cycling charity CTC;\n(c) notes that other core cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle, spend in excess of £10.00 per head on capital funding for cycling including Highways, as they were successful in winning Cycle City Ambition Grants, which Sheffield City Council decided not to bid for;\n(d) regrets that Sheffield City Council spends only £1.89 per head on capital funding for cycling, including Highways, which is significantly lower than the £10.00 per head recommended by the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group’s report;\n(e) commits to responding positively to the Government’s Cycling Delivery Plan (expected early December) which invites local authorities to submit expressions of interest in partnering with the Government to deliver ambitious growth in cycle use;\n(f) welcomes feedback from Cycle Sheffield, CTC and individuals heralding Sheffield City Council’s Cycle Inquiry as a good practice example of capturing evidence, input and expertise;\n(g) is concerned that policy agreement is not turning into action, as demonstrated by slippage against the recommendations and delivery milestones agreed by the Cabinet in July 2014 relating to the Cycling Inquiry Report as follows:\n(i) the Sheffield Cycle Group with Cycle Sheffield and in consultation with partners and the public, and/or a cross-departmental Council working group chaired by Transport Planning consulting with partners has not been established;\n(ii) the drawing up of the revised Sheffield Cycle Action Plan, plan of the strategic cycling network and delivery plan by the groups in paragraph (g)(i) above was timetabled to take place Sept-Nov 2014 but haven’t been carried out, making ……\n(iii) ….. consultation on the Cycling Action Plan and Delivery Plan and Consultation on Network Plan due in January 2015, with approval April – June 2015 unlikely, based on current performance;\n(h) is further concerned that some recommendations from the report have not been carried out in earnest, or in full consultation with partners, organisations and others as per the report’s commitment, indicated by the following:\n(i) the Cycling Champions have not regularly attended Cycle Forum meetings or established regular diarised meetings with partners such as Cycle Sheffield or CTC to ensure that the recommendations from the report are being progressed;\n(ii) the Council did not seek input to any response to the DfT consultation on Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2015 (TSGRD) despite commitment to helping to encourage and enable cycling through DfT regulation on allowing separate traffic lights for cycling;\n(iii) whilst a Cycle Audit process has been developed and is being applied to all new highway schemes, it includes no scale or metrics and therefore carries negligible weight; this is despite recommendations at Cycle Forum for a more stringent procedure and existing good practice which has been developed and could be easily replicated, for example from the London Cycle Design Standards and/or Welsh Active Travel Bill Guidance;\n(iv) Highways Engineers have not received any Continuous Professional Development/Workplace Development to ensure that they can bring the new Transport Vision into reality in relation to Cycle Design;\n(i) therefore urges the Administration to establish the Sheffield Cycle Group as per its commitment;\n(j) further urges the responsible Cabinet Member to ensure that progress against the Cycling Inquiry recommendations and Delivery Milestones is made publicly available on at least a bi-monthly basis, and which will include the communication of recommended actions and actions taken to remedy slippages;\n(k) calls for Highways guidance to be amended to ensure that the Transport Vision in paragraph (a) above is considered and relevant action taken from a pre-planning stage;\n(l) requests that all Highways Engineers receive Cycle Design Training, so that this is properly considered from a pre-planning stage; as an example, Sustrans offers such training, endorsed and certified by the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation;\n(m) notes the publication of the document “Making Space for Cycling; A guide for new developments and street renewals”, published by Cyclenation and supported by Bike Hub, CTC, British Cycling, Cycling Embassy of Great Britain, London Cycling Campaign, CPRE and Cambridge Cycling Campaign, and commits to promoting its active use in Highways planning; and\n(n) encourages Members to sign up to support the CTC Space for Cycling campaign, in addition to supporting this Motion.\n5th December Update\nThe full council meeting took place a couple of days ago, Leigh Bramall, Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Development proposed an amendment that deleted the entire motion and replaced it with some new text.\nWhen I asked, \u0026ldquo;Does Sheffield Council have what it takes to create Space for Cycling?\u0026rdquo;, we now know that the answer is a firm no.\nAmendment to be moved by Councillor Leigh Bramall, seconded by Councillor Cate McDonald\nThat the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of all the words after the words “That this Council” and the addition of the following words therefor:-\n(a) confirms the present Administration’s commitment to significantly increasing the numbers of people cycling in Sheffield;\n(b) notes the Get Britain Cycling report that put forward a series of recommendations to increase cycling provision in Britain;\n(c) further notes that Sheffield was unique among the big cities in setting up an all-party Cycling Inquiry, working with Cycle Sheffield, to consider how the issues set out in the Get Britain Cycling report should be taken forward and implemented in Sheffield, and confirms that all 18 recommendations from the report were signed up to by the current Administration, with a full report due in summer 2015 to set a timetable and pathway as to how each recommendation will be implemented;\n(d) notes that the Cycling Inquiry does not sit in isolation but instead builds upon actions already underway to boost cycling including:\nA commitment – ahead of many other cities - to progressively roll out 20mph areas to cover the whole city;\nA continued commitment to the Cycle Boost scheme, which has now more than doubled the number of people cycling to work; Investment in new cycle routes across the city; Supporting the development of a new Cycle Hub at Sheffield train station and ongoing work to develop further hubs in the south of the city and at Meadowhall; Installation of new bike pumps for public use around the city centre; and Support for the Tour de France coming to the city; and (e) given this record and commitment to an increased focus on cycling, therefore regrets that such a simplistic mechanism as the number of Councillors who have signed up to the Space for Cycling campaign has been used as a barometer for the city’s record on cycling.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/does-sheffield-council-have-what-it-takes-to-create-space-for-cycling/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/s4c-combined.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Space for cycling logo and 6 demands\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/s4c-combined.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e5th December Update: This motion was amended by \u003ca href=\"http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=168\"\u003eLeigh Bramall, Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Development\u003c/a\u003e and the amended version was subsequently passed. See below for updates\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCouncillor Sarah Jane Smalley, who supports the Space for Cycling campaign and joined the \u003ca href=\"/hundreds-get-on-their-bikes-to-demand-space4cycling-in-sheffield/\"\u003eSpace for Cycling ride in May\u003c/a\u003e, has \u003ca href=\"http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=9657\"\u003eput a motion to the Sheffield City Council meeting\u003c/a\u003e next week which covers in some detail the barriers to creating Space for Cycling in Sheffield and calling on councillors so support the Space for Cycling campaign.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Does Sheffield Council have what it takes to create Space for Cycling?"},{"content":"Never ever believe anything from Sheffield City Council without double checking the facts and confirming it for yourself.\nCase in point, the Penistone Road Pinchpoints scheme. We\u0026rsquo;ve been lead to believe that funding was restricted to reducing congestion for motor transport and could not be spent on cycling or walking. This is not true and these statements were extremely misleading.\nThe motor centric nature of transport planning in Sheffield is deeply entrenched and needs to be challenged at every opportunity.\nDepartment For Transport Pinch Points Fund Guidance\nInvestment need not be restricted to roads and can include investment in cycling and bus infrastructure to help reduce congestion on road networks and/or demonstrate the links to growth.\nQuotes from Sheffield City Council\nJohn Bann responded that he took on board all the points raised in relation to cycling and pedestrian facilities. The scheme was possible because of funding from the Government specifically targeted at easing congestion through easing the traffic flow and helping bus services.\nJohn Bahn - Sheffield City Council\nI think it must be remembered that this scheme is being largely funded from the Government’s ‘Pinchpoint’ programme, which as the name implies is aimed at relieving localised congestion. In this regard there are some benefits for private vehicle users but really only in terms of better capacity at junctions, not in terms of additional lanes or higher priorities\u0026hellip; For the above reasons it is fair to say that the funding is not specifically for cyclists and pedestrians but we do feel that we have managed to incorporate major benefits for both these user groups\u0026hellip;\nIn summary although the ‘Pinchpoint’ and ‘Better Buses’ schemes both look specifically to tackling issues relating to ‘motorised’ forms of transport on the Penistone Road corridor\u0026hellip;\nAndrew Marwood - Sheffield City Council\nCouncillor Leigh Bramall commented that part of the problem in relation to the objections raised was around the way that the funding came through and what the Government required it to be used for. Improving bus times and viability was a crucial element to the scheme as, after the Parkway, this was the major traffic corridor into the City.\nCouncillor Leigh Bramall - Sheffield City Council\nIt isn\u0026rsquo;t the perfect cycle orientated scheme but it was never going to be-the funding restrictions saw to that for a start.\nCouncillor George Lindars-Hammond - Sheffield City Council\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/why-i-dont-trust-sheffield-council-on-transport-and-why-you-shouldnt-either/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNever ever believe anything from Sheffield City Council without double checking the facts and confirming it for yourself.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCase in point, the Penistone Road Pinchpoints scheme. We\u0026rsquo;ve been lead to believe that funding was restricted to reducing congestion for motor transport and could not be spent on cycling or walking. \u003cstrong\u003eThis is not true and these statements were extremely misleading.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe motor centric nature of transport planning in Sheffield is deeply entrenched and needs to be challenged at every opportunity.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Why I don't trust Sheffield Council on transport, and why you shouldn't either"},{"content":"Next week Leigh Bramall is due to make a decision on whether to compromise a cycling route. He has two options.\nOption 1 - Go with the original plans, ban a left turn into a side road and improve crossing the side road for cycling and walking. A toucan crossing is introduced which will be green approx 75% of the time (estimated)\nOption 2 - Abandon the original plans, leave the manoeuvre permitted, permit vehicles to turn into the junction 100% of the time in direct conflict with people crossing on bike and foot. Don\u0026rsquo;t provide a toucan crossing and make the central island a bit bigger instead.\nSo, we can either give people who walk or bike a green signal 75% of the time with no delay and no conflicting movements. Or we could just say \u0026ldquo;forget them\u0026rdquo;, and not put in a crossing at all and allow conflicting turning movements 100% of the time.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a crossing underneath there somewhere.\nNo need for crossing signals?\nThe officers at the council are recommending abandoning the plans because it will delay traffic too much and businesses think people need to be able to drive everywhere using the shortest route! Surprise surprise!\nThe prohibition would enable the road layout to be amended so that a pedestrian and cyclist demand-stage could be incorporated into the traffic signals phasing without adversely affecting the main A61 corridor. It would also mean, however, that traffic travelling to businesses on Herries Road South, or wishing to travel back north via Herries Road South and Herries Road, would have to travel a longer and arguably more tortuous route.\n\u0026hellip;\nWithout the prohibition the road layout could not be appropriately changed to incorporate an additional demand-stage without adding a signal stage, which would have a negative effect on the operation of the traffic signals. This would lead to estimated increases in journey times of up to an additional 56 second per vehicle.\nSheffield City Council Report\nThis junction is on a route designated by our statutory local plan as a cycling route to be improved and yet council officers are recommending compromising the safety and convenience of anyone using it on a bike. Why do we even have to campaign on a route that is designated as such in the local plan!?\nI suspect when I object that I\u0026rsquo;ll be greeted with the usual response that this schemes is all about reducing motor vehicle congestion\u0026hellip;\nApparently it is funded by the Government\u0026rsquo;s Pinch point fund which specifically for tackling motor vehicle congestion not for cycling provision. If cycling had been included we would not have secured the funding.\nJanet Bragg - My local councillor I think it must be remembered that this scheme is being largely funded from the Government’s ‘Pinchpoint’ programme, which as the name implies is aimed at relieving localised congestion. Sheffield Council Officer\nHow is this fair? Providing signalised junctions for motor traffic, but neglecting to do so for anyone on foot or on a bike? Why does motor traffic get to have a traffic light phase but other users don\u0026rsquo;t, they\u0026rsquo;re just being abandoned at the place where they need protection the most, at busy junctions!\nLeigh, if you approve this, then you might as well tear up your transport policy, your cycling policy and your planning policy. You\u0026rsquo;re sending out a very clear message that cycling is not important and that Sheffield Council simply don\u0026rsquo;t give a damn about anyone not in a car.\nUpdate 20th March 2015: A couple of months ago now I attended a meeting with Leigh and a few engineers where it was explained that there would not be a signalised crossing put in place here. They think that by banning the left turn, it would be too hard to drive to adjacent properties and a £200,000 roundbout would need to be installed at a location a little bit further up the road to mitigate. And they think that by putting in an on-demand push button crossing that this would cause excessive delay and congestion and tailbacks.\nSo, the decision has been made to not put a signalised pedestrian/bike crossing here.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-penistone-road-abandoning-plans-for-a-safer-crossing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNext week Leigh Bramall is \u003ca href=\"http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=15810\"\u003edue to make a decision\u003c/a\u003e on whether to compromise a cycling route. He has two options.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOption 1\u003c/em\u003e - Go with the original plans, ban a left turn into a side road and improve crossing the side road for cycling and walking. A toucan crossing is introduced which will be green approx 75% of the time (estimated)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOption 2\u003c/em\u003e - Abandon the original plans, leave the manoeuvre permitted, permit vehicles to turn into the junction 100% of the time in direct conflict with people crossing on bike and foot. Don\u0026rsquo;t provide a toucan crossing and make the central island a bit bigger instead.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield, Penistone Road. Abandoning plans for a safer crossing"},{"content":"Last week I was in Tilburg in The Netherlands. There is a pedestrian crossing which has all the good features every crossing should have and I thought I\u0026rsquo;d share a few photos and a video of it. Streetview link.\nI was immediately struck by the width of the crossing, as well as the long crossing phases and the short time people had to wait before being able to cross.\nIn summary, it is direct, convenient and responsive.\nThe crossing has a very short cycle and almost 50% of the time is given to the crossing phase. The crossing is very wide, it has a huge capacity and suits all pedestrian desire lines. The crossing is direct, people can cross in one go without having to cross to an intermediate island. The crossing has countdown timers for the wait and crossing phases. Bicycles can cross the crossing as well as pedestrians. There are cycle tracks on each side of the road behind the crossing meaning that bikes never have to wait at a red signal. YouTube video link\nhttp://youtu.be/vRuQ5KMvFaU\nThis is the sort of crossing that I think we should be attempting to imitate as part of the Sheffield University Masterplan across Western Bank.\nSheffield University Masterplan - Convenient well placed crossings on desire lines.\nAs an aside, it seemed to me that there was far too much motor traffic using this road in the centre of town, it\u0026rsquo;d be a much more pleasant place if there was less of it.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/crossing-the-road-in-tilburg/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLast week I was in Tilburg in The Netherlands. There is a pedestrian crossing which has all the good features every crossing should have and I thought I\u0026rsquo;d share a few photos and a video of it. \u003ca href=\"http://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5548277,5.0884413,3a,75y,257.42h,81.06t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1soKybvMZMIccGfwmrk9hw_Q!2e0!6m1!1e1\"\u003eStreetview link\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was immediately struck by the width of the crossing, as well as the long crossing phases and the short time people had to wait before being able to cross.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/wpid-p1130861.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"wpid-p1130861.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/wpid-p1130861.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/wpid-p1130881.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"wpid-p1130881.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/wpid-p1130881.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/wpid-p1130855.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"wpid-p1130855.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/wpid-p1130855.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn summary, it is direct, convenient and responsive.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Crossing the road in Tilburg"},{"content":"Part of the Penistone Road Pinch Points \u0026amp; Better Buses scheme is across the two main desire lines to Hillsborough college. From Hillsborough and the public transport interchange there, and from the bus stop on the west side of Penistone Road. You can review the scheme drawings here.\nThe design decisions made for this junction show complete contempt for anyone walking or cycling to college (or accessing the Penistone Road cycle track). It\u0026rsquo;s abundantly clear that when designing this scheme Sheffield City Council had zero regard for their needs and have given zero consideration to their needs.\nThe desire lines look something like this. The crossings over Penistone Road that pedestrians and cyclists can use are numbered.\nThe biggest impact for these users is that the crossings over Penistone Road have been changed.\nCrossing #1 - Stays the same but gains users that would have used #2 Crossing #2 - Removed, people now use crossing #1 Crossing #3 - Introduced, this is a new crossing So, with crossing #2 removed, crossing #1 is now significantly overloaded and hasn\u0026rsquo;t been designed for the volume of people using it. This photo shows just how bad it can get. People have to wait on intermediary islands because there\u0026rsquo;s not enough space on the next. A bit like the computer game frogger!\nReal life Frogger\nThis video shows the impact on crossing #1 since crossing #2 has been removed.\nIn summary this video shows.\nPeople waiting in the road because there\u0026rsquo;s not enough room on the crossing island. People not crossing and waiting for the next phase before they cross because there\u0026rsquo;s not enough room to cross. Huge conflict between bicycles and pedestrians, there isn\u0026rsquo;t any separation and it is a very crowded area (this is a toucan crossing!) People crossing against a red lights People not having enough time to cross Penistone Road in one phase Green lights for motor traffic before people have finished crossing and vehicles driving towards people still crossing. Crossing #3 has been introduced. It is a 4 stage crossing, the first two stages are unsignalled (one has a crossing phase, the other doesn\u0026rsquo;t, there are always cars turning in on a green light), the other two stages are a toucan crossing.\nIt is not on the pedestrian desire line and people who used to use crossing #2 will not use it, it\u0026rsquo;s in the wrong direction!\nPR Crossing 3\nCrossing #2 used to take 40 seconds to get across the road, it\u0026rsquo;s now gone :-( And crossing #1? It\u0026rsquo;s an epic 4 stage crossing, with pens for pedestrians and tiny islands. It takes 4 minutes to get across if you wait for the green man at each stage.\nIn this video, crossing #2 (removed) is in the top left corner. Crossing #1 is in the main window.\nSo, in summary: Not good at all.\nThe solution? I\u0026rsquo;ll quote from the Sheffield University Masterplan\nThe experience of walking or cycling around the campus is not a positive experience. Car movement prevails, and the Masterplan must give maximum priority to redressing this imbalance.\nAlignement of crossing points to be direct and generous, eliminating staggered crossings\nSheffield University Masterplan - Convenient well placed crossings on desire lines.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/penistone-road-pinch-points-scheme-improving-traffic-flow-at-the-expense-of-pedestrians-and-cyclists/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ePart of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/penistoneroad\"\u003ePenistone Road Pinch Points \u0026amp; Better Buses scheme\u003c/a\u003e is across the two main desire lines to Hillsborough college. From Hillsborough and the public transport interchange there, and from the bus stop on the west side of Penistone Road. You can review the scheme drawings \u003ca href=\"/PenistoneRoadZoomify/\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe design decisions made for this junction show complete contempt for anyone walking or cycling to college (or accessing the Penistone Road cycle track). It\u0026rsquo;s abundantly clear  that when designing this scheme Sheffield City Council had zero regard for their needs and have given zero consideration to their needs.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Penistone Road Pinch Points Scheme - Improving traffic flow at the expense of pedestrians and cyclists"},{"content":"Last week the draft Local Transport Plan spending plans for 2015/16 were presented to the Highway Cabinet Member Decision Session. The headline is that the transport funding allocation is being slashed by 40% and cycle funding is dropping by 25%.\nCurrent Year LTP allocation - £4.523m (cycling = £600,000) (20mph £413,000) Next Year LTP allocation - £2.540m (cycling = £450,000) (20mph £400,000) LTP funding has been diverted away to the Growth Plan Fund by central government. This fund builds large infrastructure projects designed to deliver economic growth (with no other considerations like health or environmental benefits).\nAn overview of the cycling projects for the past few years is below. ProjectFunding 2013/14 (source) £491,000Funding 2014/15 (source) £600,000Funding 2015/16 (source) £450,000Little Don Link£100,000£50,000Upper Don Valley£80,000£80,000£20,000Blackburn Valley£85,000£80,000£20,000Signs£10,000£10,000£40,000Green Routes Network£20,000£80,000£120,000Streets Ahead Opportunities£100,000 (later cut to £50,000)£250,000£200,000Connect2£86,000Lower Don Valley£14,000City Centre Cycle Ring Route£100,000 *Note* This is Local transport plan spending only. Other grants such as LSTF, Better Buses, Pinch Points are not included.\nQuesion: Why is funding for signage increasing 4 fold from £10,000 to £40,000 per year?\nOn a related note, this year sees the end of LSTF funding (and South Yorkshire seems to be struggling to spend all the money). Next year we\u0026rsquo;ll see a new funding source from the Local Growth Fund - the \u0026lsquo;Sustainable Transport Exemplar Programme\u0026rsquo;which will spend £3.3m in 2015/16 and 13.0m in the following 2 years. This is a South Yorkshire funding stream, it\u0026rsquo;s not clear how that will be divided between the local authorities, or what it will be spent on.\nIf we look at this year\u0026rsquo;s Sheffield LSTF capital expenditure, £360,000 is for cycling out of £2,000,000, 18%. And Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s share of LSTF overall is perhaps, I\u0026rsquo;m guessing, 50% of the South Yorkshire spend. That will add £297,000 in 2015/16 and £585,000 each year for the following years in cycling capital expenditure.\nThe latest I can find on this is from Dick Proctor in a September 2014 report which states that \u0026ldquo;[4.9] The majority of these new 3 years funds are being unpacked and prioritised by the SY/SCR partnership, and further reports will be brought back to the Committee as appropriate\u0026rdquo;\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/funding-for-cycling-in-sheffield-facing-25-cuts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLast week the draft Local Transport Plan spending plans for 2015/16 were \u003ca href=\"http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=368\u0026amp;MId=5583\u0026amp;Ver=4\"\u003epresented to the Highway Cabinet Member Decision Session\u003c/a\u003e. The headline is that the transport funding allocation is being slashed by 40% and cycle funding is dropping by 25%.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCurrent Year LTP allocation - £4.523m (cycling = £600,000) (20mph £413,000)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNext Year LTP allocation - £2.540m (cycling = £450,000) (20mph £400,000)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLTP funding has been diverted away to the Growth Plan Fund by central government. This fund builds large infrastructure projects designed to deliver economic growth (with no other considerations like health or environmental benefits).\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Funding for cycling in Sheffield facing 25% cuts"},{"content":" There are some nice public comments in the latest council report about new 20mph areas in Sheffield.\nFully support the proposal. My husband has a wheelchair and has difficulty crossing because of speeding traffic.\nI support the proposal to place a 20mph speed limit around our neighbourhood. Children play out in the streets, and there are also lots of cyclists and to my mind it’s important to prioritise safety over speed.\nThe proposal should see more people walking, cycling and using active transport as a way of getting around the neighbourhood. It could also lead to more people, taking more responsibility for the general appearance of their neighbourhood and being more neighbourly in general.\nIt’s about time people remembered their responsibilities instead of grizzling about their rights and recognise what a privilege it is to not only travel faster than your feet can carry you; but to be able to do it sitting down. 20mph is plenty fast enough in a heavily built up, double parked area such as this.\n20mph areas are part of the solution to reducing the barriers to cycling and it\u0026rsquo;s included as one of the Space for Cycling policies.\nBut it\u0026rsquo;s important to remember that residential streets need 20mph limits AND removal of through traffic. Until high volume traffic is removed from residential streets (including those where 20mph speed limits are applied) people will still be at risk and too afraid to cycle in them.\nI live on a 20mph street which is used by over 10,000 vehicles per day and is definitely not a place where people feel safe enough riding bikes.\nIf we replace speed with \u0026lsquo;speed and volume\u0026rsquo; in the council\u0026rsquo;s approach, then we get a much more robust and effective policy.\nReducing the speed [and volume] of traffic in residential areas will, in the long term, reduce the number and severity of accidents, reduce the fear of accidents, encourage sustainable modes of travel and contribute towards the creation of a more pleasant, cohesive environment.\nI think that this point has been missed and forgotten, and that while our residential streets carry significant volume of traffic we won\u0026rsquo;t see the full benefits of these 20mph areas.\nThe council report includes a paragraph on relying on the residents of areas to make these schemes a success. This is true if the vast majority of people who drive too and from these areas are residents or visitors, but while people use these areas as major transport corridors, the needs of high volume motor traffic will continue to dominate the environment.\nThe key to realising substantially lower speeds on our residential roads lies in affecting a fundamental shift in attitude. The aim therefore is to build a widespread and longstanding community acceptance that 20mph is the appropriate maximum speed to travel in residential areas. Ultimately, the success or otherwise of these schemes lies primarily in the hands of the residents of this area.\nYes to 20mph speed limits, but we need to remove through traffic too.\nFor more information on reducing through traffic, David Hembrow has lots of information on how segregation can be achieved without building cycle-paths, and how unravelling of modes makes conditions better for cycling.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/yes-to-20mph-speed-limits-but-we-need-to-remove-through-traffic-too/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/3_20mph_Speed_Limits.png\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"20mph Space for cycling\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/3_20mph_Speed_Limits.png\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e There are some nice public comments in the \u003ca href=\"http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s15032/20mph%20Strategy.pdf\"\u003elatest council report\u003c/a\u003e about new 20mph areas in Sheffield.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFully support the proposal. My husband has a wheelchair and has difficulty crossing because of speeding traffic.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI support the proposal to place a 20mph speed limit around our neighbourhood. Children play out in the streets, and there are also lots of cyclists and to my mind it’s important to prioritise safety over speed.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yes to 20mph speed limits, but we need to remove through traffic too"},{"content":"Sheffield City Council\u0026rsquo;s response to the DfT consultation goes against officially stated council policy of supporting lower speed limits on the M1. Their opposition to lower speed limits cited concerns about the economic impact, public reaction, enforcement and investor perception of Sheffield. We have air quality problems in Sheffield. We have an air quality action plan that calls out the M1 double decker viaduct as a problem. The area around the M1 is called Tinsley and the air quality is notoriously bad and breaches EU limits for NO2 for most of the year.\nThe DfT decided that they\u0026rsquo;d like to add an extra lane to the motorway and a consultation was launched to find out if people think reducing the speed limit to 60mph is something we should do to offset the damage. Sheffield Council submitted a response that was summed up as.\nUnitary, county and district authorities\u0026hellip; responded with detailed comments on the proposal, but all except Nottinghamshire County Council were ultimately opposed to the proposal.\nJack Scott, cabinet member for the environment disagreed that this was the response, he said that SCC wanted lower speed limits, will continue to lobby DfT for lower speed limits and planned to write to the DfT because they had misrepresented SCCs response. These tweets have now been deleted from Jack Scott\u0026rsquo;s Twitter feed. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t agree more with his views and the council\u0026rsquo;s policy on this, they\u0026rsquo;ve got it right.\nThe Sheffield Star newspaper has covered reactions to the decision. Jack Scott is quoted as “We have been let down massively – lives are being put at risk” and Sheffield MP Clive Betts said “The Government is showing complete disregard for the health and welfare of my constituents in Tinsley.\u0026quot;\nThe Sheffield Air Quality Action Plan includes policy to support lower speed limits.\nSheffield Air Quality Action Plan on M1 Policy\nHowever Sheffield City Council\u0026rsquo;s consultation response objected to lowering speed limits.\nI think it\u0026rsquo;s disgraceful that there are still people in Sheffield City Council who trade off the lives of people against the perception of Sheffield to investors.\nThe City Council is concerned about the economic impact on the Sheffield City Region of the reduced speed limit on the 32 mile stretch of the M1 for an indeterminable time period. The Highways Agency has not modelled or made clear what the full impact of the proposed speed limit on the [sic] will have on the surrounding road network, the local economy and the development aspirations of South Yorkshire and the Sheffield City Region.\nSheffield City Region, along with the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority (who have responded separately to this Consultation) would therefore, like the Highways Agency to further clarify and provide appropriate evidence on the potential economic impact of the Smart Motorway proposal operating at a maximum 60mph speed limit.\nIt is unclear how the speed limit will be enforced (and how the public will react) to ensure the claimed effect of mitigating the impact, particularly on air quality. \u0026hellip; There is also an unresolved issue of \u0026lsquo;perception\u0026rsquo; which is likely to affect the attractiveness and competitiveness of the Sheffield City Region in our desire to seek much needed inward investment. Such investment may be deterred if it is perceived that the sub-region required such onerous measures to deal with existing or likely future problems whereas others do not (in part at least through previous investment in national infrastructure).\nIt\u0026rsquo;s very clear that there is strong support for lower speed limits from the top of Sheffield City Council, it\u0026rsquo;s supported by cabinet members and council policy, however we need to find out why the official council response opposed lower speed limits.\nSheffield City Council\u0026rsquo;s official response to this consultation can be found here. The Sheffield City Council Air Quality Action Plan can be found here.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-city-council-object-to-60mph-on-m1-in-opposition-to-official-policy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSheffield City Council\u0026rsquo;s response to the DfT consultation goes against officially stated council policy of supporting lower speed limits on the M1. Their opposition to lower speed limits cited concerns about the economic impact, public reaction, enforcement and investor perception of Sheffield.\u003c/strong\u003e  \u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/M1MM.png\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"M1MM\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/M1MM.png\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e We have air quality problems in Sheffield. We have an \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/environment/air-quality/action-plan.html\"\u003eair quality action plan\u003c/a\u003e that calls out the M1 double decker viaduct as a problem. The area around the M1 is called Tinsley and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffieldeastend.org.uk/2014Tinsley.pdf\"\u003eair\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffieldeastend.org.uk/2014TinsleySCC.pdf\"\u003equality\u003c/a\u003e is notoriously bad and breaches EU limits for NO2 for most of the year.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield City Council object to 60mph on M1 in opposition to official policy"},{"content":"\nThe DfT have released the winning bids for the latest round of LSTF to cover 2015/16. This grant only covers revenue (ongoing costs), capital expenditure has been wrapped up in the Local Growth Fund. In South Yorkshire the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (ITA) submitted the bid along with the Passenger Transport Executive, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.\nTotal project cost of £6.325 million, with £1.479 million from local contribution and £4.811 million from the LSTF grant.\nThe cycling element makes up 35% of the total scheme and consists of supporting 2-3 cycle hubs in each district (presumably Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley) which will have a shop, parking, bike hire, cafe, showers, training, repairs etc. The Cycle Boost scheme looks to continue, and I think a Sheffield Sky Ride event will come from this budget.\nThe benefit cost ratio is calculated as 3.9 but I think most of this comes from the mass participation Sky Ride event, the stated benefits of which seem to be a little dubious!\nIn addition, to capitalise on the Tour de France, a mass participation event is planned for Sheffield attracting 10,000 cyclists leading to almost 500,000 car kms saved in the first year.\n_Part__LSTF Contribution__Local Contribution__Total_Total LSTF Scheme£4,811,000£1,479,000£6,325,000Cycling Element: Cycle Boost Hubs£1,593,597£568,148£2,196,205 (35%) LSTF Cycling part\nLSTF Evidence 2\rLSTF Evidence\rBenefitsLSTF\rA note on the costs of LSTF. The local and LSTF contributions to the Cycle Boost Hubs don\u0026rsquo;t add up to the total cost, £34,000 is missing! The total LSTF project cost when adding up the schemes come to £442k less than the stated full scheme cost, where is this almost half a million pounds going?\nLSTF Project Costs not adding up?\nOn another note, transparency surrounding this application has been very poor. I had to submit an FOI request to a local authority to get a copy. It has been published on the internet, but at an unpublished url of http://www.inmotion.co.uk/lstfbid which isn\u0026rsquo;t included in the sites sitemap or linked to any news article or press release!\nOn yet another note, the DfT originally stated that they would provide £78.5m to LSTF projects, but only £64m has been allocated! Where is this missing £14.5m?\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/south-yorkshire-local-sustainable-transport-fund-201516-inmotion-altogether-better-travel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/CycleBoost-Deatil.png\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"LSTF Cycling part\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/CycleBoost-Deatil.png\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe DfT have released the \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/news/440-million-to-be-spent-on-green-transport\"\u003ewinning bids\u003c/a\u003e for the latest round of LSTF to cover 2015/16. This grant only covers revenue (ongoing costs), capital expenditure has been wrapped up in the Local Growth Fund. In South Yorkshire the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (ITA) submitted \u003ca href=\"http://www.inmotion.co.uk/lstfbid/\"\u003ethe bid\u003c/a\u003e along with the Passenger Transport Executive, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTotal project cost of £6.325 million, with £1.479 million from local contribution and £4.811 million from the LSTF grant.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"South Yorkshire Local Sustainable Transport Fund 2015/16 - 'Inmotion! altogether better travel'"},{"content":" Today the Institution of Civil Engineers has released their State of the Nation: Infrastructure 2014 report and it calls on the UK government to embrace cycling as a mainstream travel choice. It is well worth reading the section on Local Transport Networks, it makes rather depressing reading.\nWell done ICE for highlighting and supporting these issues.\nBoth walking and cycling have an important role in shorter trips for joining up public transport journeys, alongside associated health and well-being benefits. Traditionally most of the benefits of transport infrastructure projects have been associated with reductions in travel time; however, studies suggest that active travel should be considered as a positive aspect in infrastructure appraisals. Walking is often neglected in transport debates yet still accounts for around one-quarter of trips and is the second most common mode of commuting. Environments that are attractive to pedestrians are often also attractive places to live, work, shop and socialise. ICE would like to see walking promoted through better streetscape management, including wider, better-lit and better-maintained pavements and public realm. There should also be a reduction in unnecessary street furniture, traffic-calming and other measures to make existing environments more pedestrian-friendly.\nThe UK ranks 24th in the EU for the percentage of its population cycling daily, yet cycling could make a much greater contribution to our travel. It reduces pressure on road space and the need for parking, and improves public health; but despite a relatively high public profile and encouraging words from Government, there has been much less meaningful action. ICE recommends that transport policy should embrace cycling as a mainstream travel choice and address the barriers to achieving this by: Committing to clear national objectives and targets Increasing funding to ensure development of high quality networks in major urban areas Taking action to improve cycle safety and perceptions of safety\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/institution-of-civil-engineers-state-of-the-nation-infrastructure-2014-active-travel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.ice.org.uk/Information-resources/Document-Library/State-of-the-Nation--Infrastructure-2014\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"BnLJfhP3\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/BnLJfhP3.jpeg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e Today the Institution of Civil Engineers has released their \u003ca href=\"http://www.ice.org.uk/Information-resources/Document-Library/State-of-the-Nation--Infrastructure-2014\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eState of the Nation: Infrastructure 2014\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e report and it calls on the UK government to embrace cycling as a mainstream travel choice. It is well worth reading the section on \u003cem\u003eLocal Transport Networks\u003c/em\u003e, it makes rather depressing reading.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWell done ICE for highlighting and supporting these issues.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth walking and cycling have an important role in shorter trips for joining up public transport journeys, alongside associated health and well-being benefits. \u003cstrong\u003eTraditionally most of the benefits of transport infrastructure projects have been associated with reductions in travel time; however, studies suggest that active travel should be considered as a positive aspect in infrastructure appraisals.\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eWalking is often neglected in transport debates\u003c/strong\u003e yet still accounts for around one-quarter of trips and is the second most common mode of commuting. \u003cstrong\u003eEnvironments that are attractive to pedestrians are often also attractive places to live, work, shop and socialise.\u003c/strong\u003e ICE would like to see walking promoted through \u003cstrong\u003ebetter streetscape management, including wider, better-lit and better-maintained pavements and public realm.\u003c/strong\u003e There should also be a \u003cstrong\u003ereduction in unnecessary street furniture, traffic-calming and other measures to make existing environments more pedestrian-friendly.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Institution of Civil Engineers - State of the Nation: Infrastructure 2014 - Active Travel"},{"content":" Use of closed circuit television spy cars on their own to enforce on-street parking made illegal. In a victory for drivers and shoppers, the government will make it illegal to use closed circuit television (CCTV) ‘spy cars’ alone to enforce on-street parking ending the plague of parking tickets by post, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced today (21 June 2014).\ngov.uk press release\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve been campaigning for tougher enforcement of parking offenses for a long time. Banning the use of CCTV, discounts for appeals and freezing penalty notice fees reduces our ability to protect infrastructure designed to enable people to use a bike.\nIllegal parking on Asline Road cycle track\nCoaches blocking Asline Road cycle track in Sheffield\nIllegal parking on Clarkhouse Road cycle lane\nIllegal parking on Castle Street cycle lane.\nBlocked - The taxi drivers use the cycle lane as an extension of the taxi rank\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/government-bans-use-of-cctv-spy-cars-for-on-street-parking/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUse of closed circuit television spy cars on their own to enforce on-street parking made illegal.\nIn a victory for drivers and shoppers, the government will make it illegal to use closed circuit television (CCTV) ‘spy cars’ alone to enforce on-street parking ending the plague of parking tickets by post, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced today (21 June 2014).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-bans-use-of-cctv-spy-cars-for-on-street-parking\"\u003egov.uk press release\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;ve been campaigning for tougher enforcement of parking offenses for a long time. Banning the use of CCTV, discounts for appeals and freezing penalty notice fees reduces our ability to protect infrastructure designed to enable people to use a bike.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Government bans use of CCTV 'spy cars' for on-street parking"},{"content":" This will be the first in a series of posts about the Sheffield Cycling Inquiry held in 2013/14.\nIn 2013 CycleSheffield asked Sheffield City Council to hold a Cycling Inquiry which mirrored the process from the national All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group\u0026rsquo;s Get Britain Cycling Inquiry. The aim was to\nreview what we are doing in Sheffield and what we can do better, in order to improve the opportunities for cycling\nThe final report is available here however I\u0026rsquo;ve started with a review of the process about how we\u0026rsquo;ve got here.\nThe Economic and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee started the inquiry based on some terms of reference.\nKEY DOCUMENT - Cycling Inquiry Terms of Reference (MS Word/ PDF)\nIn September 2013 the inquiry received reports about cycling from various parts of the council.\nJohn Bann, Head of Transport, Traffic and Parking Services Dawn Lockley, Health Improvement Principal, Place Public Health Team Maria Duffy, Interim Head of Planning A summary of the discussions is available on the web here.\nKEY DOCUMENT - Cycling Inquiry Council Reports (PDF)\nThe inquiry asked for views from the public via a call for evidence via a webform or by writing in.\nKEY DOCUMENT - Cycling Inquiry Call For Evidence (MS Word/ PDF)\n260 responses were received, they have been summarised and will be released in full in the future.\nKEY DOCUMENT - Cycling Inquiry Written Evidence Summary (MS Word/ PDF)\nThe council produced a document called \u0026ldquo;Cycling in Sheffield 2008 - 2013\u0026rdquo; which outlines the various projects that have/haven\u0026rsquo;t been done for cycling in Sheffield since 2008.\nKEY DOCUMENT - Cycling in Sheffield 2008 - 2013 (PDF)\nThe inquiry asked for oral evidence from a group of people including Sustrans, IAM, CycleSheffield, Stagecoach and Supertram.\nThey discussed these three questions:\n‘How do we make people feel safer cycling on roads?’ ‘Do we need to integrate cycling with public transport?’ ‘How do we get more people to cycle in Sheffield?’ And the discussions are documented on the web here.\nKEY DOCUMENT - Cycling Inquiry Oral Evidence Report (PDF)\nIn February draft recommendations were presented to the committee, who then presented them to Sheffield City Council Cabinet who have asked Leigh Bramall (Cabinet Member for Business, Skills \u0026amp; Development - Including transport) to provide a response in July 2014.\nKEY DOCUMENT - Cycling Inquiry Final Report(PDF)\nThe recommendations were adopted in full by Leigh Bramall at a Cabinet Meeting in July 2014.\nKEY DOCUMENT - Adoption of Cycling Inquiry Recommendations (PDF, web decision)\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/the-sheffield-cycling-inquiry/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/P1050814.resized.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"P1050814.resized\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/P1050814.resized.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e This will be the first in a series of posts about the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/council-meetings/scrutiny-committees/cycling-inquiry.html\"\u003eSheffield Cycling Inquiry\u003c/a\u003e held in 2013/14.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2013 \u003ca href=\"http://www.cyclesheffield.org.uk/\"\u003eCycleSheffield\u003c/a\u003e asked Sheffield City Council to hold a Cycling Inquiry which mirrored the process from the national \u003ca href=\"http://allpartycycling.org/inquiry/\"\u003eAll Party Parliamentary Cycling Group\u0026rsquo;s Get Britain Cycling Inquiry\u003c/a\u003e. The \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/council-meetings/scrutiny-committees/cycling-inquiry.html\"\u003eaim\u003c/a\u003e was to\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ereview what we are doing in Sheffield and what we can do better, in order to improve the opportunities for cycling\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe final report is available \u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Sheffield-Cycling-Inquiry-Report.pdf\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e however I\u0026rsquo;ve started with a review of the process about how we\u0026rsquo;ve got here.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Sheffield Cycling Inquiry"},{"content":"\rCycleSheffield #space4cycling ride - Photo credit: @geckobike\nHundreds of people turned out for The Sheffield Space for Cycling Big Ride on Saturday. Over 240 people, young and old alike joined in to call for Space for Cycling.\nHundreds of people came to the #space4cycling ride\nPeople decorated their bikes, towed trailers, played music and came with their children.\n#space4cycling - Freedom for families in Sheffield\nMatt\u0026rsquo;s #space4cycling bike trailer with in built sound system\nEmma Metcalfe from CycleSheffield said “The weather was glorious, and the atmosphere relaxed and happy, with smiling faces as people rode to a soundtrack of music and the ringing of bicycle bells. I think everyone really enjoyed the opportunity to cycle safely with their families“\nEmma Metcalfe in her #space4cycling head-dress. Celebrating after the ride with a pint of Coke. Credit - Paul Truin\nRiders were answering Cycle Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s rallying call to demonstrate their hunger to see Sheffield become a cycling city, where riding a bike is safe and accessible for everyone, and for Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s councillors to commit to making space for cycling. The day was full of personal stories. One lady said that she didn\u0026rsquo;t own a bike because she was too scared to ride on the road on her own, but had heard about the campaign and borrowed a bike especially to join in! One of the smallest riders wore a poignant placard saying \u0026lsquo;I want to cycle safely in Sheffield\u0026rsquo;.\n\u0026lsquo;I want to cycle safely in Sheffield\u0026rsquo; - Photo credit Lucy Harper\nThe Space for Cycling campaign calls for protected space for cyclists on main roads and through junctions, improved conditions on residential roads through reducing through motor traffic \u0026amp; \u0026lsquo;rat running\u0026rsquo;, safe segregated routes in the city centre \u0026amp; beyond, and for all Sheffield children to be able to cycle to school along safe routes.\n#space4cycling so that everyone has the freedom to ride a bike in Sheffield\nMick Nott, Chair of Cycle Sheffield says “Our Big Ride may well be the biggest bike ride in Sheffield this year and it will certainly be the happiest! For 240 people to turn up and have a joyful time riding through our city together sends a message to councillors that cycling is something that many more people would do if they felt the roads were designed and built better and space and transport planning put the needs of vulnerable road users first.”\n“We received so much support from people on the streets and in cars and buses that it shows that cycling in Sheffield will be popular. This is our mandate to say that Sheffielders want Sheffield to be a cycling city NOW; so, Sheffield City Council just do it! The campaign goes on, so join us!\u0026quot;\n#space4cycling Sheffield , Sharrow Vale Road\nStay in touch via Twitter or Facebook Tweets by @S4CSheffield\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/hundreds-get-on-their-bikes-to-demand-space4cycling-in-sheffield/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHundreds of people turned out for The Sheffield Space for Cycling Big Ride on Saturday. Over 240 people, young and old alike joined in to call for Space for Cycling.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeople decorated their bikes, towed trailers, played music and came with their children.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmma Metcalfe from CycleSheffield said “The weather was glorious, and the atmosphere relaxed and happy, with smiling faces as people rode to a soundtrack of music and the ringing of bicycle bells. I think everyone really enjoyed the opportunity to cycle safely with their families“\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRiders were answering Cycle Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s rallying call to demonstrate their hunger to see Sheffield become a cycling city, where riding a bike is safe and accessible for everyone, and for Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s councillors to commit to making space for cycling. The day was full of personal stories. One lady said that she didn\u0026rsquo;t own a bike because she was too scared to ride on the road on her own, but had heard about the campaign and borrowed a bike especially to join in! One of the smallest riders wore a poignant placard saying \u0026lsquo;I want to cycle safely in Sheffield\u0026rsquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Space for Cycling campaign calls for protected space for cyclists on main roads and through junctions, improved conditions on residential roads through reducing through motor traffic \u0026amp; \u0026lsquo;rat running\u0026rsquo;, safe segregated routes in the city centre \u0026amp; beyond, and for all Sheffield children to be able to cycle to school along safe routes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMick Nott, Chair of Cycle Sheffield says “Our Big Ride may well be the biggest bike ride in Sheffield this year and it will certainly be the happiest! For 240 people to turn up and have a joyful time riding through our city together sends a message to councillors that cycling is something that many more people would do if they felt the roads were designed and built better and space and transport planning put the needs of vulnerable road users first.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“We received so much support from people on the streets and in cars and buses that it shows that cycling in Sheffield will be popular. This is our mandate to say that Sheffielders want Sheffield to be a cycling city NOW; so, Sheffield City Council just do it! The campaign goes on, so join us!\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e\n","title":"Hundreds Get On Their Bikes to Demand #Space4Cycling in Sheffield"},{"content":"\nGoing to the shops, taking the kids to school, visiting friends. These are things we all do regularly, but how about on a bike?\nThere’s just no way I’d cycle in the city centre, and there’s no way I’d let my kids cycle there either. It’s Too dangerous. (Sandra, Leeds, Understanding walking and cycling)\nOur streets are dominated by cars and people are too afraid to travel by bike. People love riding bikes with their friends and family (just look at the success of Centre Parks), however most people are not happy mixing with motor traffic on our roads and fear for their safety.\nI just wish I had the courage to use my bike again, but sadly in this wacky town of crazy infrastructure that is in bad condition, and the crazy riders/motorists arguing and bickering about who cut who up I will keep the bike, regretfully in the shed. (aubreyboyce, Sheffield Forum)\nWe need to change how we think about our roads and transform them into inviting places where people feel safe cycling. By creating space for cycling we can improve our towns and cities, making the places we live less reliant on motor traffic and creating more space for people to enjoy.\nI got my cycle out this summer to cycle to the Gym \u0026amp; back after 3 trips I found it too terrifying. Cycle paths start \u0026amp; finish anywhere. I cant understand the cycle path on Saxon road the back of Virgin Gym. (Woodyspatch, Sheffield Forum)\nTo do this the 6 core demands of Space for Cycling need to be delivered.\nSlowing traffic through the introduction of 20mph limits Removing through motor traffic from streets Protected space on main roads to keep people away from fast and heavy traffic Cycle routes in green spaces to give people shorter/quieter/alternative routes Space for children to cycle to school without their parents or teachers fearing for their safety Cycle friendly town centres, removing noisy motor traffic and creating attractive destinations To help make this a reality please come along with your friends and family to one of the rides in 2 weeks time on 17th May. Details for the Sheffield event are here. Please take part.\nYou can also send a message to your councillors asked them to support by filling in this form.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/we-need-space-for-cycling/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Space for cycling logo and 6 demands\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/s4c-combined.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGoing to the shops, taking the kids to school, visiting friends. These are things we all do regularly, but how about on a bike?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere’s just no way I’d cycle in the city centre, and there’s no way I’d let my kids cycle there either. It’s Too dangerous. (Sandra, Leeds, \u003ca href=\"http://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/understanding-walking-and-cycling%2879431237-5375-4ad4-a367-20984f3db06b%29.html\"\u003eUnderstanding walking and cycling\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur streets are dominated by cars and people are too afraid to travel by bike. People love riding bikes with their friends and family (just look at the success of Centre Parks), however most people are not happy mixing with motor traffic on our roads and fear for their safety.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"We need Space For Cycling"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m just posting this here for the record!\nIn Sheffield, including the implementation of new 20mph areas, we are spending over £1m in the coming year making improvements to our cycle infrastructure.\nWe have set out a policy that will ultimately see all suitable residential areas have a 20 mph speed limit, and the Streets Ahead programme to bring all our pavements and roads up to a good standard will make the cycle offer easier, as well as offering the opportunity for further improvements to our cycling infrastructure. In addition, we are developing plans for a network of Green Routes that will provide off road cycling routes using our green spaces and parks to provide safe cycling paths along key corridors for commuting and leisure uses.\nWe have also recently facilitated a Scrutiny Committee investigation into how cycling can be improved in the city. From this, we aim to identify a single strategic cycle network using both on-street and off-road routes that will work together to offer safe cycling conditions for all types of cyclist. Links to the report are below. The Cabinet of Sheffield City Council has received the report and will be considering the recommendations prior to commenting on the report in July this year. The Labour Council is committed to continuing to look at this and other ways of improving the city to make cycling an attractive option.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/leigh-bramalls-standard-reply-to-cycling-contacts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m just posting this here for the record!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Sheffield, including the implementation of new \u003ca href=\"/stop-directing-heavy-traffic-into-20mph-zones/\"\u003e20mph areas\u003c/a\u003e, we are \u003ca href=\"http://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14shnUc-CQ90pWKtsQURp3YzQ3AepwQ_Ce5M55HTviLo/pub?start=false\u0026amp;loop=false\u0026amp;delayms=3000\"\u003espending over £1m in the coming year\u003c/a\u003e making improvements to our cycle infrastructure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe have set out a policy that will ultimately see all suitable residential areas have a \u003ca href=\"/stop-directing-heavy-traffic-into-20mph-zones/\"\u003e20 mph speed limit\u003c/a\u003e, and the Streets Ahead programme to bring all our pavements and roads up to a good standard will make the cycle offer easier, as well as offering the opportunity for further improvements to our cycling infrastructure.  In addition, we are developing plans for a network of \u003ca href=\"/a-letter-to-my-local-councillor/\"\u003eGreen Routes\u003c/a\u003e that will provide off road cycling routes using our green spaces and parks to provide safe cycling paths along key corridors for commuting and leisure uses.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Leigh Bramall's Standard Reply to Cycling Contacts"},{"content":"\rFreedom for families - Postcard courtesy of Cycle Embassy of Great Britain\nBikeability training is due to start later this month at Dobcroft Junior School in Sheffield. A letter was sent to parents of children taking part which includes advice on allowing children to cycle to school alone.\nPlease note that the course is not aimed at encouraging children to cycle to school alone. Because of the heavy traffic conditions and parking problems surrounding our school, we expect parents to accompany their children who may wish to cycle to school in future.\nIt is the responsibility of our MPs and Local Councillors to change these conditions so that children can cycle to school alone safely. Sheffield Council’s current programs for improving conditions for cycling are woefully inadequate and this letter shows how far we still have to go. By investing in training children to how to cycle, but failing to provide the infrastructure necessary to support them we are simply wasting our time.\nWe need to transform Sheffield into a place where people of all ages are free to walk or ride a bike without being fearful. We can do this by changing the way we think about designing our roads, by prioritising the needs of people rather than allowing the car to become the only realistic choice.\nThanks to Edale Skyline on Twitter for sharing this.\nLetter to parents from Dobcroft Junior School in Sheffield, Please note that the course is not aimed at encouraging children to cycle to school alone. Because of the heavy traffic conditions and parking problems surrounding our school, we expect parents to accompany their children who may wish to cycle to school in future. Courtesy of Edale Skyline\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/the-bikeability-course-is-not-aimed-at-encouraging-children-to-cycle-to-school-alone/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/freedom-for-families-postcards.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\" Freedom for families - Postcard courtesy of [Cycle Embassy of Great Britain](http://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/news/2013/06/28/would-you-like-to-distribute-some-postcards-for-us)\" width=\"225\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eFreedom for families - Postcard courtesy of \u003ca href=\"http://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/news/2013/06/28/would-you-like-to-distribute-some-postcards-for-us\"\u003eCycle Embassy of Great Britain\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eBikeability training is due to start later this month at Dobcroft Junior School in Sheffield. A letter was sent to parents of children taking part which includes advice on allowing children to cycle to school alone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease note\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003ethat the course is not aimed at encouraging children to cycle to school alone. Because of the heavy traffic conditions and parking problems surrounding our school, we expect parents to accompany their children who may wish to cycle to school in future.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"\"The [bikeability] course is not aimed at encouraging children to cycle to school alone\""},{"content":"If you feel strongly about this, please join me in taking direct action as part of a protest on 22nd March. Facebook event here.\nWhen a football match takes place in Sheffield at Bramall Lane, coaches carrying fans need somewhere to park. This task is managed by South Yorkshire Police who direct them to park along Asline Road cycle track. This is part of the Sheaf Valley Route and is one of the few safe ways to avoid cycling along the terrifying Queens Road or London Road.\nSouth Yorkshire Police directed these coaches to park here\nChris Rust has written about the issue on his blog here as well as CycleSheffield pressuring both Sheffield City Council and South Yorkshire Police without much progress. South Yorkshire Police don\u0026rsquo;t have a very good reputation for respecting cycle infrastructure.\nSouth Yorkshire Police need to stop directing coaches to park on Asline Road cycle track.\nOfficial Twitter feeds have stated that the cycle track subject to a road closure order (it is not), and that they will try to park the coaches somewhere else (they haven\u0026rsquo;t) and that it is for public safety (presumably excluding people on bikes).\n@SB_HH_JC Thanks for yor msg. Asline Rd is coach holding area. We ensure safety always and its also part of the road closure plan.\n— SUFC_Police (@SUFC_Police) January 28, 2014\n@Mattturner86 @syptweet Hi Matt. We plan to put coaches on other roads to avoid cycle lane as much as possible.\n— SUFC_Police (@SUFC_Police) March 9, 2014\n@Mattturner86 @syptweet @cycleSheffield @SYPCC We are moving coaches. Were put there for public safety\n— SUFC_Police (@SUFC_Police) March 9, 2014\nWhoever posts on this Twitter account on behalf of South Yorkshire Police needs to stop talking rubbish and making stuff up!\n@SWFC_Police police briefing at #SWFC v #Leeds officers working ensure safety of fans at match http://t.co/EcwfnyKN9b\n— Neil Mutch (@SYPInspMutch) January 11, 2014\nThe Inspector with responsibility for the South Yorkshire Police Operational Planning Unit has written to me about this. You can write to him too, he\u0026rsquo;s on Twitter.\nthe twitter feed you refer to was an error of understanding in terms of the road closure order, this does not actually cover Alsine[sic] Road. You are quite right to point out that the parking of the coaches in that location is inappropriate.\n\u0026hellip;\nParking of coaches on Asline Road has been custom and practice for many years however I appreciate that this doesn\u0026rsquo;t make it right to block the cycle path. As a result of recent contacts I am aware that some of my team have been working with Sheffield United to resolve this issue and I have been seeking the considerations of the safety advisory group.\nI will be able to update you further in the near future but for now please be assured that we are working on this and will seek a solution that does not compromise the cycle path.\nNeil Mutch - South Yorkshire Police (my emphasis)\nThis letter was back on the 6th Feb. One month on, the police are still directing visiting coaches to park on Asline Road cycle track. This video shows that the coaches are given a police motorbike escort from the football ground to the cycle track.\nSo, my question to Neil Mutch, Operational Planning Unit Inspector, when will your operational plans comply with the law and stop endangering people who ride bikes?\nSheffield City Council have the responsibility for enforcing parking, will Sheffield City Council stand up to South Yorkshire Police and issue parking tickets to dangerously/illegally parked vehicles? Do they have the guts to ask them to stop abusing Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s cycle infrastructure? Will they ask South Yorkshire Police to behave responsibly? I doubt South Yorkshire Police will change their ways any time soon, or that Sheffield City Council will step up to the mark and prevent South Yorkshire Police from breaking the law. If the authorities won\u0026rsquo;t act then we must take a stand. This weekend - Saturday 22nd March - we will protest against the abuse of Asline Road cycle track. The cycle track will be occupied by cyclists and will not be available for parking coaches. We will ensure that it remains open for people to cycle on. It\u0026rsquo;s insane that these extreme measures are necessary to ensure that a cycle track remains unobstructed, but it seems that this is all we have left. If you wish to join me and take a stand then join the Facebook event here\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/south-yorkshire-police-repeatedly-parking-coaches-on-segregated-cycle-track-on-asline-road-in-sheffield/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf you feel strongly about this, please join me in taking direct action as part of a protest on 22nd March. \u003ca href=\"http://www.facebook.com/events/422277864575025/\"\u003eFacebook event here\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen a football match takes place in Sheffield at Bramall Lane, coaches carrying fans need somewhere to park. This task is managed by South Yorkshire Police who direct them to park along Asline Road cycle track. This is part of the Sheaf Valley Route and is one of the few safe ways to avoid cycling along the terrifying Queens Road or London Road.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"South Yorkshire Police repeatedly parking coaches on segregated cycle track on Asline Road in Sheffield"},{"content":"Photos taken at 10:00 this morning. ","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/south-yorkshire-police-endangering-vulnerable-road-users-yet-again/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ePhotos taken at 10:00 this morning.\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"gallery gallery-cols-3\"\u003e\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/20140308_004.jpg\"/\u003e \r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/20140308_001.jpg\"/\u003e \r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e","title":"South Yorkshire Police endangering vulnerable road users YET AGAIN"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s been a while since I\u0026rsquo;ve written a blog post, I survived the Guinea mountains and have now descended back to sea level and am in Sierra Leone.\nI left Labe back on 7th January and headed for a town called Pita. I really liked Labe, the place I stayed was nice and quiet, with good food, cold beers and little tweeting birds in the trees, but it was a little bit expensive, especially for Guinea. But they did have hot running water! Each room had a hot water tank fed by a home made boiler, copper piping inside an old oil drum filled with water, and heated by a big charcoal fire underneath.\nI went to the post office to post a letter to Emma (just to see what it was like and how long it would take). It was a big tumbledown colonial building with a huge counter with a lady behind. It took her about 5 minutes to look up how many stamps she needed to sell me, she kept them in her handbag! She didnt have any change for my money so had to nip to the shop over the road before she could give me my change (a very frequent occurance here).\nWhile I was writing the letter at the counter a couple of people who ran a stationary business in the corner invited me to eat lunch with them. This kept happening in Guinea! We sat around a big bowl of very nice rice and groundnut soup in the corner of the post office, eating lunch! I\u0026rsquo;ve had lunch in a post office, in a remote village, and in the back of a petrol station, all spontaneously invited!\nAfter Labe I stayed at a place in Pita called Chez Sister, a few km out of town. It was run by a Guinean lady and her Welsh husband, Captain Dave as he likes to be called! A retired Royal Navy captain with endless stories to tell about smuggling, people trafficking, drugs, weapons and even the eventual arrest of Charles Taylor! He\u0026rsquo;d been part of the British fleet patrolling the West African coast during the Sierra Leone civil war.\nIn Guinea they have good coffee everywhere. Normally made over a charcoal fire in a french stovetop coffee pot to make really strong espresso. Its kept hot in big thermos flasks and costs about 4p per cup! But as with all hot drinks in West Africa, they drink it with an unhealthy amount of sugar! I could stop at any roadside shack or cafe and find good coffee! I much prefer it to the sweetenned condensed milk variety in Guinea Bissau or the really spicy cafe touba I had in Senegal.\nFrom Pita I cycled to Dalaba. It was a tough days riding, hilly, hot, but spectacular scenery through the mountains. I felt really ill after arriving and was sick all night, I felt better the next afternoon but still not 100%. I assumed that I\u0026rsquo;d got heat exhaustion, hadnt been drinking enough, or that I\u0026rsquo;d eaten or drunk something bad. I had a stomache ache and headache but pushed onto Mamou a few days later. Again great cycling through good scenery, one huge hill to get out of town but after that it was fairly easy going, more rolling hills than big mountain passes.\nI stayed at a forestry school just outside of town. After speaking to Emma about still not feeling very well, I went into town to try and find somewhere to get tested for malaria\u0026hellip;\nI asked at a pharmacy who recomended a small clinic in town. I had a very strange consultaion where they weighed me, made me lie down on a very short bed (it was the size and height of a table!), took my blood pressure and my temperature using an armpit thermometer! They took a short history but I\u0026rsquo;m not really sure they recorded much of it.\nThey sent me over the road to a dodgy looking apartment/office block to have a blood test. No electricity here, no running water, but clean sterile needles and a microscope was on the desk. I gave some blood which was mixed with a few different chemicals. About an hour later after some microscope viewing we went back to the clinic over the road.\nThey brought out the record book for my appointment and said \u0026ldquo;these are the drugs you need to take\u0026rdquo; and pointed to a list of 4 words! Eventually it transpired that they\u0026rsquo;d diagnosed me with malaria, typhoid, lack of appetite and a headache, and had prescribed drugs for all, including a big bottle of appetite stimulant and paracetamol for the headache!\nThey\u0026rsquo;d only written down the brandnames of the drugs on the form which meant I had no idea what I was being prescribed! I asked to see the drugs and they brought out medicine that I was familiar with and could double check! A quick internet search later, I had some well recomended malaria treatment and some antibiotics for the typhoid. I don\u0026rsquo;t think they were planning on explaining how to take the treatment until I pushed them, even then they didnt really seem to know any of the details, just expecting me to read the leaflet with the drugs!\nI really would have serious concerns going to a place like this for any sort of illness that required more treatment than common off the shelf drugs. They must prescribe these drugs relatively frequently but they didnt even seem to have much knowledge of them.\nSo I bought the drugs and started taking them. The next day I felt remarkedy better, completely healed! I stayed in Mamou for a few days until I had finished the malaria treatment.\nAfter reading up about typhoid, I dont think I actually had it. The test they conducted involves checking for typhoid antibiodies in the blood, and given that I had a typhoid vaccination just a couple of months ago, I think they misdiagnosed me. They didnt ask me if I\u0026rsquo;d had a vaccination, didnt tell me they were testing me for typhoid, and I only realised afterwards that the test might have been invalid. But I\u0026rsquo;ve nearly finished the course of antibiotics, I figured that it probably wouldnt do any harm.\nAt the forestry school in Mamou I met three peace corps volunteers who\u0026rsquo;d come back from a training event in Conakary (the capital of Guinea). We went out for dinner together and to a small bar afterwards. They were all fairly new to the peace corps, only a few months in. They each lived in a different village in Guinea on their own, working with the local community in teaching, or farming, completely immersed in local life and fairly isolated. I think they said that they each have a 2 year placement, its quite a commitment! With the introduction of mobile phones here, they were able to keep in touch with each other and meet up every few weeks in one of the bigger towns.\nI left Mamou a while ago now and crossed the border into Sierra Leone, but that will have to wait for another blog post.\nI really loved Guinea, the people were very friendly, the scenery was stunning, the roads mostly good and they had some basic facilities which are rare in this part of the world, a few hours of electricity each night, running water and solar street lights. These seem to be unheard of luxuaries in Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone, the two neighboring countries I\u0026rsquo;ve seen. I\u0026rsquo;d like to go back to Guinea and explore a bit more. ","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/labe-guinea-to-mamou-guinea/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been a while since I\u0026rsquo;ve written a blog post, I survived the Guinea mountains and have now descended back to sea level and am in Sierra Leone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI left Labe back on 7th January and headed for a town called Pita. I really liked Labe, the place I stayed was nice and quiet, with good food, cold beers and little tweeting birds in the trees, but it was a little bit expensive, especially for Guinea. But they did have hot running water! Each room had a hot water tank fed by a home made boiler, copper piping inside an old oil drum filled with water, and heated by a big charcoal fire underneath.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Labe (Guinea) to Mamou (Guinea)"},{"content":"Leaving Bissau I grabbed a coffee and egg sandwich for breakfast. It was Christmas day and everything was quiet, but the street vendors were already set up for serving food.\nI was running short on local currency and had heard that there were ATMs that would accept international visa cards. The first two didnt work. One only took local cards, the other was out of service, but the third worked flawlessly. Its now easy to get cash in Bissau city (and also up country in Gabu where I got some more before crossing to Guinea).\nCycling out of Bissau was fine, but as I got into the countryside people kept asking me for money. They would shout \u0026ldquo;branco, branco, festa, festa\u0026rdquo; at me as I cycled past, making the recognisable hand guesture for money. Some people would just say hello \u0026ldquo;bon dia\u0026rdquo;, and how are you \u0026ldquo;kuma ku bu sta?\u0026rdquo;, but would then ask for a festa! An official at a checkpoint asked, children on the back of a horse carriage (actually a donkey cart!) would ask, it was everywhere and I hadnt been expecting it. I cant find any other reports of this from other travellers, and I still dont know what festa means. I\u0026rsquo;ve speculated that it has something to do with Christmas and gift giving, but I really dont know. A few days later and it never happened again.\nI stayed in a town called Sokone on Christmas Day with an economics student who studies at the university in Bissau. He and his family invited me in, showed me around, fed me and made me feel very welcome.\nThe town at night gave me the creeps. Everyone was very friendly and it was safe, but there are remenents of the military coup from a few years ago. Burnt out admininistrative buildings left to rot, decrepid childrens playgrounds filled with litter, it felt like a scene from a zombie movie or a resident evil game! They told me that when the coup hapenned, the military set fire to the town hall buildings and 10 people died. The buildings are still there, no one touches them and plants have grown around them. Very strange.\nThat evening the local discoteca (there are a lot of discotecas in Guinea Bisau) has a childrens Christmas party, followed by a youth Christmas party, followed by an adult Christmas party (until 5am in the morning). They party hard in Guinea Bissau. The club was like any other anywhere in the world, dark, noisy, hot, flashing lights and generic pop music. But being the only white man in the place I felt a little out of place! The girls would look at me and giggle, and pinch my arm! I have no idea why!\nCycling further east towards Bafata and Gabu I saw evidence that there was one more infrastructure here. Electricity pilons alongside the road (but without cables and some snapped in half), but there\u0026rsquo;s no electricity network now, street lighting columns with parts scavenged, or bent at an angle (but there are no woking street lights now), water distribution network manholes and access points, but there\u0026rsquo;s no piped water here. I have no idea when or who built these or if they ever functioned, but they are in a bad state of disrepair now. Very very strange.\nI really enjoyed the evenings in Guinea Bissau, you could wander along the street, buy sandwiches, or grilled meat from stalls, get a beer in a bar, lots of people about all milling around being sociable. There is no electric so stalls have torches, or lamps, or candles. Everthing is cooked on charoal, grilled meet, deep fried sweet potatoes or boiled eggs.\nIn Gabu I watched a man repair mobile phones on the street. He had a magnifying glass, tools, solder, tweezers and a soldering iron. But there\u0026rsquo;s no electricity, he heated the tip of the soldering iron up in a charcoal fire.\nI had dinner with the Nephew of an ex president of Guinea Bissau. Killed in a military coup I think\u0026hellip; He wasnt very keen on politics in Guinea Bissau. The elections were scheduled for the beginning of December for the transition for the temporary military rule to democracy (of a sort) but they\u0026rsquo;ve been delayed until Feb/Mar. The story is that the government cant afford to pay for the election/polling process. A country is in real trouble if it cant afford elections. But I can believe it, with the teachers being on strike for 3 months because they\u0026rsquo;ve not been paid.\nI stayed the night at the border with the Guinea Bissau national guard/millitary. They were very friendly, happy for me to pitch my tent in the yard, the tin of Nescafe and box of tea I offered went down very well and we sat drinking it all afternoon/evening.\nIn the morning they werent keen on me leaving, they made me tea, coffee, bought me a sandwich and some hot very sweet goats milk! I was worried they would ask me for money, or a gift, or a bribe, but no problem at all. The imigration people stamped me out without any question and they waved me on my way!\nThe entry into Guinea was equally easy, waved past the military post by the soldiers, into the imigration office and stamped into Guinea with a smile and just wanted to know where I was going for the ledger. I always just give the name of the next main town and dont offer a full breakdown of my trip!\nI\u0026rsquo;d not seen a tarmac road for about 50km and I had 40km more to go to the next sizable town where I was planning to stay. No tarmac until then, but a good dirt road.\nThe people in Guinea were immediately noticably more friendly. Very happy to chat, offering me food while on my bike and asking if I needed anything. Perhaps it had something to do with being back in a French speaking country and I can get by in French quite happily.\nI stopped beneath some stunning outcrops. Similar to stannage edge in Sheffield, but 5 time as high and many miles long. Absolutely stunning. I didn\u0026rsquo;t see the children, but they saw me! From about 100m away they spotted me and began running towards me! They seemed genuinly interested in what I was doing there, very happy to say bonjour, cava etc and smile for the camera. No asking for gifts or money, just coming out of curiosity and intrigue. Really lovely children and a really spectacular place.\nI stayed in a real dive of a place. I paid 30,000 guinea francs, or about £2.50. Rice bags for a roof, tarp for a floor, no elec or running water, and I think it might have been a brothel. There was a bar with a few older men, and younger women hanging about\u0026hellip; Nevermind, it was cheap and I was only staying 1 night.\nThe town had a paved road, big concrete drainage ditches, solar street lights and seemed to have had a lot of investment. This new road stretched about 80km down the road, with solar street lights for each village, and there is construction work happening to take it all the way to Labe on the other side of the mountain.\nIn one of the villages where I bought some water, one of the children looked at me, he looked petrified. He screamed in fear and ran away crying! The adults seemed to find it quite amusing!\nI spent the night in the last town before the big mountain crossing. I slept of the floor of a little cafe in my tent.\nThe next morning I chickenned out. After strugelling the previous day on 20km of mountainous dirt road at the end, I decided to take a taxi over the pass. 150 very rough, mountainous km later we arrived in Labe. ,I\u0026rsquo;m very glad to have taken a taxi, it would have taken a minimum of 5 days very hard and remote cycling to get across, I think I would have struggled.\nThe landscape was spectacular. Big closely packed mountians, very steep, covered in dense jungle. A dirt road running along cuttings in the sides and over plateaus on the tops. River crossings on chain boats. Monkeys on the road, and lots of brightly coloured birds. Some small villages, small round mud brick houses, with thatched roofs, cows, goats, sheep, chickens wandering around. Some villages a little bigger where you can buy oranges, bananas, nuts or big fried pancake globs!\nAt the edges of the road I saw forest fires, trees and grasses burning. Huge swathes of forrest destroyed to make way for the new road. Huge quaries in hillsides where agregate for the road had been mined (especially where the road had been finished). Big earthmovers flattening the land where once there was forest.\nWe stopped in a village and I chatted to the people there. The work crews had been through to make space for the road that will be built. They had half demolished huts and houses along the edge to make space. Just single walls with a door left, or a thatch roof falling off a half demolished hut. They werent happy about the new road, I suspect the younger generation had a different view, but they just saw it as something that meant houses in their village had to be demolished.\nAll paid for by China I understand, and mainly Chinese workers I think\u0026hellip; Its an important road, the link from Guinea Bissau, Senegal and Mali. It definately needs to be improved, but it\u0026rsquo;s just quite horrifying to see this process in this environment and the huge environmental destruction.\nI\u0026rsquo;m now in Labe at a really lovely hotel. Nice restaurant where I\u0026rsquo;ve just had a goat stew and spaghetti, pizza the other night. Nice bungalo in the garden. Nice cold beers! Its expensive, but its nice to sit back for a few days.\nThere have been some other overlanders here, two Dutch couples. One headed north in a custom off road motorhome, one south towards South Africa in a Land Rover. Its been really nice to have some other travellers to chat to and I was sad to see them go.\nTomorrow I set off south, it will be mountainous (Labe is at 1000m) but I hear it is a good road and it\u0026rsquo;s less steep. I have lots of info on what\u0026rsquo;s ahead. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to it!\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/bissau-guinea-bissau-to-labe-guinea/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLeaving Bissau I grabbed a coffee and egg sandwich for breakfast. It was Christmas day and everything was quiet, but the street vendors were already set up for serving food.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was running short on local currency and had heard that there were ATMs that would accept international visa cards. The first two didnt work. One only took local cards, the other was out of service, but the third worked flawlessly. Its now easy to get cash in Bissau city (and also up country in Gabu where I got some more before crossing to Guinea).\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bissau (Guinea Bissau) to Labe (Guinea)"},{"content":"I felt really anxious about leaving Ziguinchor but I shouldn\u0026rsquo;t have been worried. Cycling south from Ziguinchor through The Cassamance region of Senegal. was great. Lovely scenery, friendly people, and lots more bikes than I\u0026rsquo;d seen in a while. I saw signs warning me of landmines, a legacy of the seperatist movement in this part of Senegal, however I\u0026rsquo;m not too sure how current these warnings are, the signs looked very old.\nIt was only about 25km to the border with Guinea Bissau. No problems at the crossing, no bag inspection and no bribes! Easy and quick.\nThe lorries coming from Senegal were seriously overloaded. They were piled so high with goods that they had men sitting behind the cab with long rods to raise electricity cables as they went under.\nA few miles on in Sao Domingo I was approached by a German man who was on a round the world tour of sorts on a 125cc motorbike. Aisa to Germany, down West Africa to Cape Town and back up East Africa to Germany! We had lunch together (I understand that it was beever of some sort\u0026hellip;) and it turned out he was staying with a German expat locally. I was invited to stay and stayed for a couple of days.\nNeals (expat) is training a couple of youth football teams, he calls the team Africa United! They\u0026rsquo;d just received a delivery from the German football association of a full set of kit for the team. The local Guinea Bissauian team in Sao Domingo now have sparkling white German football kit! The kids really seem to love playing football and they\u0026rsquo;re very good at it.\nThe public schools here have been closed for a few months because the teachers are on strike, because they haven\u0026rsquo;t been paid. The kids seem to be really bored, they were excited when we\u0026rsquo;d ask them to go to the shop for us, or get water from the well, just to give them something to do.\nI camped out in the yard, the first night I didn\u0026rsquo;t sleep very well. The combination of a Voodoo wedding ceremony with trance like druming and a family of snorting snuffling pigs outside the tent made sleeping a little difficult!\nI left Sao Domingo early in the morning, I had a long way to go to Bissau and had to get to the Guinean embasy before it closed for xmas (it was 23rd December). I cycled all morning for about 50km to a town called Ingore where I got a minibus taxi to Bissau. 80km very quickly and easily skipped, for only about £3 including putting the bike on the roof. I made it to Bissau at about 1430 and got the visa the same day. Easy!\nI liked Bissau, it had a nice relaxed feel to it. Only a little hassle from sellers, but a great place to spend a few days. Bissau has crumbling streets, no running water, no electricity, rampant poverty but it seemed very friendly.\nGuinea Bissau has no functioning electricity grid, everywhere either gets by on candles, torches and batteries, has their own generator, or buys a connection to a private generator. The same goes for water, people use wells, or pump water from a well into a home made water tower.\nI see evidence that it wasn\u0026rsquo;t always like this. There are electricity pilons, some intact with cables, but some without cables and broken in half. I see evidence of a water network via manholes and access points in the streets, but it doesnt seem to function anymore. I guess this is the legacy of colonial departure and civil war.\nI met an Italian/Danish couple at the hotel in Bissau and went to Christmas Eve mass with them at the local Catholic mission! We had a lovely dinner with two of the priests from Italy, followed by a packed church service. I imagine that this is what church was like when it was in Latin, completely incomprehensible, a mixture of Portugese and Creole! The music was amazing though, a really enthusiastic chior and lots of drumming, I really enjoyed it. A good way to end my stay in Bissau. ","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/ziguinchor-to-bissau/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI felt really anxious about leaving Ziguinchor but I shouldn\u0026rsquo;t have been worried. Cycling south from Ziguinchor through The Cassamance region of Senegal. was great. Lovely scenery, friendly people, and lots more bikes than I\u0026rsquo;d seen in a while. I saw signs warning me of landmines, a legacy of the seperatist movement in this part of Senegal, however I\u0026rsquo;m not too sure how current these warnings are, the signs looked very old.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ziguinchor to Bissau"},{"content":"The past week has been a mixture of highs and lows. I\u0026rsquo;ve made good progress, got some important visas, but Gambia was hard because I encountered so much tourist hassle.\nThe repair to my seat post survived the dirt roads south of Kaolack. The villages south of Kaolack on the way to Sokone seemed more traditional compared to those I\u0026rsquo;d passed previously. There was much less litter, more thatched huts/houses, less begging from children, although they still seemed to get very excited, shouting \u0026rsquo;toubab! toubab!\u0026rsquo; at me and waving wildly as I passed.\nI spent a great day relaxing at Toubakouta, camped and eating grilled Baracuda. I couldnt have left much sooner, I didn\u0026rsquo;t plan properly and would have arrived in Banjul at the weekend (needing to get a visa for Sierra Leone, but the embasy only opens weekdays).\nI crossed the border to The Gambia at Karang, nice and easy, no problems, but lots of hassle from money changers. I\u0026rsquo;ve not had any trouble leaving my bike. There is always a guard sat outside who I ask to keep an eye on it.\nSoon after arriving in The Gambia I met what my guidebook calls Bumsters! Young men looking for a wife from Europe, I assume for the opportunity to live in Europe and all the advantages it brings. They showed me photos of one of their friends who\u0026rsquo;d married an older woman from my home town in England! I couldnt believe it, they had a postcard from her with local sights from where I grew up. I had no idea that this sort of thing happened so close to home. Later I saw a newspaper headline that read \u0026ldquo;UK Authorities Stop \u0026lsquo;Shame Marriage\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo;. I think the message got lost in translation somewhere!\nI crossed the river to Banjul early in the morning from Barra. The ferry was very very slow and beltched out horrible fumes. I heard from someone that it is an old Dutch ferry from the 70s! The exit ramp at the Banjul end was lowered by driving a truck onto it!\nBanjul wasn\u0026rsquo;t much fun. Far far too much hassle from men on the street, children begging and \u0026lsquo;guides\u0026rsquo; in the place I stayed. I felt hounded everywhere I went. I didn\u0026rsquo;t like Banjul, but I got my Sierra Leone visa easily from the embasy.\nLeaving Banjul, I kept seeing billboards congratulating the president on his 19th year in office (after a military coup). The billboards were all from Africell, the local phone company. I saw grafiti that said \u0026ldquo;We support Jammeh, our town is 100% Jammeh, president for life\u0026rdquo;! There were cafes called \u0026ldquo;22nd July Cafe\u0026rdquo;, the date of the millitary coup in 1994. This is the first time I\u0026rsquo;ve travelled in a country with long term millitary rule, I found it a very strange experience. I\u0026rsquo;d recommend looking up recent Gambian politics, they recently withdrew from the commonwealth after criticism over human rights abuses from the UK.\nI sayed in Sanyang for a night with some people my sister knows. The sense of hassle continued, I felt hounded for money with them asking me to lend them money and that they\u0026rsquo;d pay me back the next day. I didn\u0026rsquo;t enjoy The Gambia. I hoped that Sanyang would be a place where I felt at ease, but found that I couldn\u0026rsquo;t let my guard down. I really wanted to get out of The Gambia ASAP. I have no idea how it is such a popular tourist destination.\nI crossed back into Senegal at Kartung where I crossed the border in a dugout canoe. For anyone considering doing this\u0026hellip; don\u0026rsquo;t! I got stamped out from The Gambia OK, but there was no imigration post on the other side of the river in Senegal. Just a 10km sandy track to the paved road, no imigration point in the next town, then a 15km ride to the border point I should have used originally at Seleti. They stamped me in without any questions, I\u0026rsquo;m not sure they realised I arrived from the wrong direction, I have no idea if it was ok for me to be in Senegal for half a day with no entry stamp!\nThe Cassamance region of Senegal has been really great. The people are friendly and happy to chat. The landscape is a mixture of lush forest, deltas and farmed wetland. And I can get my favourite La Gazelle Ananas drink!\nI\u0026rsquo;ve not had any trouble with animals apart from on one occasion when I saw a pack of about 20 dogs in the road\u0026hellip; but as I approached it turned out to be just some monkeys! They scattered into the trees very quickly as I got closer, no problem!\nI\u0026rsquo;ve been warned about bandits on the road at night in Casamance, but apparently the roads are safe in the day. There are military checkpoints at each town and in some villages. I understand that there was a huge problem with a separatist movement 10 years ago, it is mostly resolved now but has left a legacy of criminality. However I feel safe here, especially in the towns, but in the countryside too.\nI\u0026rsquo;m now in Ziguinchor at a hotel. There is a huge tree outside with hundreds of noisy storks in! Zig is a great town, nice and relaxed, lots of shops and restaurants, and really in the middle of a stunning region of Senegal. It\u0026rsquo;d make a great holiday destination. I\u0026rsquo;ve heard that there is an overnight ferry from Dakar, I think it would make for a good trip.\nI managed to get my Guinea Bissau visa today after spending an hour looking for the consulate. It\u0026rsquo;s moved out of town and I had to ask for directions many times to find it, people kept sending me back to the old location! Very easy application, they even filled in the form for me! Just a copy of my passport required. 20,000 CFA paid in cash. Prices posted on the door.\nTomorrow I\u0026rsquo;m heading for the border at Sao Domingos in Guinea Bissau. I\u0026rsquo;ve heard that there is a carnival/festival from 24th Dec for one week in Bissau. I should be there by then. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to it. ","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/kaolacksenegal-to-ziginchorsenegal/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe past week has been a mixture of highs and lows. I\u0026rsquo;ve made good progress, got some important visas, but Gambia was hard because I encountered so much tourist hassle.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe repair to my seat post survived the dirt roads south of Kaolack. The villages south of Kaolack on the way to Sokone seemed more traditional compared to those I\u0026rsquo;d passed previously. There was much less litter, more thatched huts/houses, less begging from children, although they still seemed to get very excited, shouting \u0026rsquo;toubab! toubab!\u0026rsquo; at me and waving wildly as I passed.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Kaolack(Senegal) to Ziginchor(Senegal)"},{"content":"Senegal seems to have changed over the past few days. The countryside has become a lot more rural, with small villages full of thatch huts. The towns have been further apart, and people much less used to seeing visitors.\nI\u0026rsquo;m becoming acustommed to hearing people calling me \u0026lsquo;white man\u0026rsquo;, children pestering me for money, and even adults asking me for gifts or money if I stop for a rest or to buy something, or even as I cycle past. Its a strange feeling, I feel harassed by it, but I never feel in danger or that I\u0026rsquo;m not safe.\nIn Diourbel I was invited in by a family for lunch when I asked if there was anywhere good to eat. I spent a very nice afternoon with them, drinking tea, chatting and being shown around the town market. The poverty in the market was overwhelming, people selling really small items, begging children, people (sellers) asking for gifts, and rubbish absolutely everywhere. The guy who showed me around seemed slightly ashamed of the constant requests, I got the impression that he was a little shocked at how people saw me, although I\u0026rsquo;m more than sure he understood why.\nCycling towards Kaolack and about 30km away, disaster struck. The bike felt like it collasped from under me. I didnt fall off, I was able to pull on the brakes and get off. The seatpost had snapped in half a couple of inches above the bolt\u0026hellip; I think in the past I might have overtightened it at this spot and then raised it a bit, creating a weak point.\nAfter getting over the initial shock I removed the snapped off part, there was enough left to lower the saddle and keep riding. I rode the 30km into Kaolack with a very low saddle, in a very low gear!\nToday I tried to find a new seat post. No luck at all, I found one but it was too small a diameter :( A student who I met cycling into town this morning showed me where to go, and helped me try to find one.\nWe ended up at a metal workshop\u0026hellip; I still have the same seat post, but it has been mended by putting a steel metal pipe through it, and it has been welded across the crack. Perfect\u0026hellip; I hope!!! I still can\u0026rsquo;t believe that it snapped!\nI stopped off on the way out of town for a kebab!\nTomorrow I head for the border, I think it should only be 1 or 2 days before I\u0026rsquo;m in The Gambia. ","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/thies-to-kaolack-bike-trouble/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSenegal seems to have changed over the past few days. The countryside has become a lot more rural, with small villages full of thatch huts. The towns have been further apart, and people much less used to seeing visitors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m becoming acustommed to hearing people calling me \u0026lsquo;white man\u0026rsquo;, children pestering me for money, and even adults asking me for gifts or money if I stop for a rest or to buy something, or even as I cycle past. Its a strange feeling, I feel harassed by it, but I never feel in danger or that I\u0026rsquo;m not safe.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thies to Kaolack - Bike trouble..."},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve had a great couple of days. Leaving Dakar was fine, apart from the motorway esque road I needed to take. There was a big shoulder though and plenty of slower vehicles (horses and carts!)\nI was invited in for tea by some agriculture company workers. They had a little bag of charcoal and a small metal tea pot. They showed me the sorts of things they grew\u0026hellip; bananas, carrots, fish.\nI had lunch at a petrol station. There were a few seats and a table at the back, where people waited for repairs, washing, a great place to have lunch, in the shade, lots of people coming and going. The security guard seemed concerned for me and gave me his name and number if I needed anything! Thanks Mamadow from Rufisque!\nI emerged from the never ending Dakar suburbs. The guide book said they were not safe, they seemed fine to me! Much more pleasant than downtown Dakar where I\u0026rsquo;d cycled the day before. In Dakar I managed to get myself mixed up in a protest. About 150 people all marching down the road towards me, banging on cars and buses, chanting, blowing horns, and followed by some very mean looking riot police! Turned out that I had nothing to worry about, just some regular protests by university students against rising tuition fees! Some things are universal!\nI realised yesterday that I needed a long sleeved shirt to cover up from in the sun. I bought a t shirt from a shop in Sebikhoutane. The owner was a bit confused when i asked him to cut it down the front like a shirt\u0026hellip; But it\u0026rsquo;s now great for wearing over other things and keeping cool on the bike.\nI spent last night with a lovely family who invited me in who lived behind the clothes shop. I had dinner with them. Learnt about drinking water from bags, eating a strange cous cous and milk concoction from a bag scooped from a freezer (very nice) and learnt to eat macaroni and beef with my hands! I think I had three dinners yesterday evening, they seemed very keen on feeding me\u0026hellip; I think perhaps that it was actually 4 now I think about it(rice and spicy sauce, macaroni and beef, chicken and chips, and cous cous and beef\u0026hellip;)\nI left this morning and cycled to Thies. Its a great town, really chilled out. I\u0026rsquo;m sat in a place called Big Faim (hungry in French) where I\u0026rsquo;ve just had a huge burger and fries!\nI\u0026rsquo;ll leave in a bit and see where I end up. Am very tempted to get a room here in town though\u0026hellip; I\u0026rsquo;ll think about it!\nSo far Senegal has been amazing, the people are so friendly, if a little confused about what I\u0026rsquo;m doing here on a bicycle. ","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/dakar-to-thies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve had a great couple of days. Leaving Dakar was fine, apart from the motorway esque road I needed to take. There was a big shoulder though and plenty of slower vehicles (horses and carts!)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was invited in for tea by some agriculture company workers. They had a little bag of charcoal and a small metal tea pot. They showed me the sorts of things they grew\u0026hellip; bananas, carrots, fish.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dakar to Thies"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m now in Dakar, the starting point of my journey. I\u0026rsquo;m sat on the roof of the hotel, nice a cool now that it\u0026rsquo;s dusk.\nI flew from Heathrow after a night spent on the terminal floor. I was able to fly with my bicycle in a big plastic bag. Air France made me sign a waiver form for it\u0026rsquo;s safety!\nThe plane was delayed for 1 hour taking off (security problems with a piece of luggage that had to be removed). When we arrived, at about 21:30, the airport seemed overwhelmed. I queued for about 2 hours to get a visa. It was taking about 10 minutes per person, with 5 people working for a full 777 jet!\nI collected my luggage, it all looked fine, but the bike bag looked a bit battered. This was a hassle, there were so many people offering assistance/help, some official for a job, some official soliciting bribes, and some unofficial. I managed to fend them all off.\nThe taxi driver was waiting outside for me, organised by the hotel. This is definitely the way to do it. I would not want to try and negotiate for a ride with all my baggage and all the hassle.\nMade it to the hotel by about midnight. Nice place but turned out I\u0026rsquo;d not been specific enough about the room and was paying more than I wanted to.\nLooked over the bike, I had to remove the front forks for the plane because it\u0026rsquo;s so tall, I\u0026rsquo;d forgotten to take out the top headset bearing cartridge, it had fallen out but very luckilly was just loose in the bag. I will pack that part better next time. The rear rack has taken some damage, the extension on the back is slightly bent along with one of the rack stays, but only slightly. It must have taken some force though to damage it like it did. Good thing it didnt buckle!\nAm staying a second night in Dakar, but in a cheaper room in the same place.\nDakar seems nice, I\u0026rsquo;ve walked around the suburb I\u0026rsquo;m staying in, got some food, petrol for the stove, cash from the ATM. I\u0026rsquo;ll go out for dinner later at a place I spotted earlier. I\u0026rsquo;m not a great fan of cities, I much prefer rural areas.\nTomorrow I leave, heading east for Thies. I think it will take a couple of days. The aim is to get well clear of the city and find somewhere to stay. I\u0026rsquo;m excited! ","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-to-dakar/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m now in Dakar, the starting point of my journey. I\u0026rsquo;m sat on the roof of the hotel, nice a cool now that it\u0026rsquo;s dusk.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI flew from Heathrow after a night spent on the terminal floor. I was able to fly with my bicycle in a big plastic bag. Air France made me sign a waiver form for it\u0026rsquo;s safety!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe plane was delayed for 1 hour taking off (security problems with a piece of luggage that had to be removed). When we arrived, at about 21:30, the airport seemed overwhelmed. I queued for about 2 hours to get a visa. It was taking about 10 minutes per person, with 5 people working for a full 777 jet!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield to Dakar"},{"content":"For the next few months I\u0026rsquo;m ditching work and will be exploring West Africa on my bike. In just over a week I\u0026rsquo;ll be flying to Dakar in Senegal and cycling south for 3 months until I reach Monrovia in Liberia.\nSource: Peter Fitzgerald, http://wikitravel.org/shared/File:West_Africa_regions_map.png\nI\u0026rsquo;ll be travelling through Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.\nI\u0026rsquo;ll try to find internet access along the way and upload a few posts about the journey.\nI\u0026rsquo;m very excited! Wish me luck!\nThis is my planned route\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/going-on-holiday-cycling-west-africa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor the next few months I\u0026rsquo;m ditching work and will be exploring West Africa on my bike. In just over a week I\u0026rsquo;ll be flying to Dakar in Senegal and cycling south for 3 months until I reach Monrovia in Liberia.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/800px-West_Africa_regions_map.png\"\r\n         alt=\" Source: Peter Fitzgerald, http://wikitravel.org/shared/File:West\\_Africa\\_regions\\_map.png\" width=\"800\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eSource: Peter Fitzgerald, \u003ca href=\"http://wikitravel.org/shared/File:West\"\u003ehttp://wikitravel.org/shared/File:West\u003c/a\u003e_Africa_regions_map.png\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ll be travelling through Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ll try to find internet access along the way and upload a few posts about the journey.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Going on holiday(?) - Cycling West Africa"},{"content":"\nToday I spent my afternoon at Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s newest community bike facility - Recycle Bike\u0026rsquo;s, Bike Kitchen, a community DIY bicycle workshop.\nThey won\u0026rsquo;t do the work for you, but they\u0026rsquo;ll give you a hand and point you in the right direction if you need help. There are maintenance courses on some evenings, I understand the first one was about setting up brakes - perhaps I should have gone along\u0026hellip;\nI took my bike along because I live in a flat and don\u0026rsquo;t have much room, I only had to do a few simple things to my bike. They have all the tools you need and space for you to use (no need to turn the kitchen into a bomb site!)\nEverybody gets a work stands and a basic toolbox with things like allen keys, grease and wire cutters. Specialist tools are in cupboards or on the wall, torque wrenches, vernier callipers(?), crown race removers, hacksaws etc. etc.\nP1090556\rP1090557\rP1090558\rP1090560\rP1090565\rP1090559\rI changed my chain and shortened a spare, adjusted the bottom bracket, changed the brake cables, did a hub gear oil change and removed the front fork. They had all the tools I needed (much better than mine at home) and had basic parts like cables and cable outers - and helped me out when I wasn\u0026rsquo;t sure what to do!\nAll the details are here, they\u0026rsquo;re open a few days per week and on Saturday afternoons. Plus they have tea, coffee and biscuits.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffields-new-bike-kitchen-community-bicycle-workspaces/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/P10905551.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"P1090555\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/P10905551.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I spent my afternoon at Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s newest community bike facility - \u003ca href=\"http://sheffieldcycleboost.org/bike-kitchen/\"\u003eRecycle Bike\u0026rsquo;s, Bike Kitchen\u003c/a\u003e, a community DIY bicycle workshop.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/P1090578.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"P1090578\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/P1090578.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey won\u0026rsquo;t do the work for you, but they\u0026rsquo;ll give you a hand and point you in the right direction if you need help. There are maintenance courses on some evenings, I understand the first one was about setting up brakes - perhaps I should have gone along\u0026hellip;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield's New Bike Kitchen - Community Bicycle Workspaces"},{"content":"Today my local paper have published a brief opinion piece about how our children\u0026rsquo;s freedom is compromised by lack of transport choice. I wrote it after being inspired by work from Judith and David Hembrow of The Campaign for Childhood Freedom and The Cycling Embassy of Great Britain. I hope you agree with the sentiment.\nSource: The Cycling Embasy of Great Britain\nIt’s hard to dispute that children today have less freedom than their parents did when they were young.\nSurveys show that parents now fear traffic more than “stranger danger” and say that it is the main reason they are reluctant to let their children play outside. We do have relatively low road casualty rates in Sheffield but at a great cost - our children have lost their freedom.\nChildren aren’t allowed to play or travel on their streets independently because of road danger. Respiratory illnesses like asthma are on the rise, obesity levels are increasing and children have fewer opportunities to socialise.\nChildren’s freedom and independence is restricted by their parents’ understandable fear of traffic. We can’t judge parents for trying to take the best care of their children in the environment we live in, but it doesn’t have to be like this.\nWe should look to our neighbours in The Netherlands for inspiration. They have made their towns and cities safe and welcoming for children. More than 90% of children ride a bike to secondary school and the average age for independent travel to school on foot or by bike is 8.6 years old! They have achieved this by tackling the cause of the problem rather than removing the victims.\nThis change in attitude came about 40 years ago after Dutch parents protested following a sharp rise in road deaths and injuries as car travel increased. They called for the streets to be made safe as part of the “Stop De Kindermoord” (“Stop child murder”) protests.\nThe result was incredible, many roads were closed to through traffic and an extensive network of cycle-paths were built. Bike use which had been in decline started to rise as people gained confidence in going out on their bikes with their children, and sending them out on their own. Their children now have a degree of freedom which children in Sheffield no longer experience. UNICEF consistently rates Dutch children as having the best well-being of all the world\u0026rsquo;s children.\nCan you imagine cycling to school with your children, let alone allowing them to walk or cycle unsupervised?\nOur streets can be scary places and are definitely not somewhere you’d want your child to cycle if you had a choice. For those that want to cycle but are unwilling to ride with fast or heavy traffic, normally the only alternative is a longer, much less convenient route on backstreets which often doesn’t even take you where you need to go. The only realistic choice for most parents is to take the car rather than the bike. The biggest losers from this are our children.\nWe need to transform Sheffield into a place where people of all ages are free to walk or ride a bike without being fearful, without sacrificing convenience. We need to make it the obvious choice.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/our-childrens-freedom-is-compromised-by-lack-of-transport-choice/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eToday my local paper have published a \u003ca href=\"http://www.thestar.co.uk/what-s-on/viewpoint-let-s-reclaim-children-s-freedom-1-6226741\"\u003ebrief opinion piece\u003c/a\u003e about how our children\u0026rsquo;s freedom is compromised by lack of transport choice. I wrote it after being inspired by work from Judith and David Hembrow of \u003ca href=\"http://www.childhoodfreedom.com/\"\u003eThe Campaign for Childhood Freedom\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"http://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/\"\u003eThe Cycling Embassy of Great Britain\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eI hope you agree with the sentiment.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/img_2781.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\" Source: The Cycling Embasy of Great Britain\" width=\"300\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eSource: The Cycling Embasy of Great Britain\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s hard to dispute that children today have less freedom than their parents did when they were young.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our children’s freedom is compromised by lack of transport choice"},{"content":"Sheffield is embarking on a national pilot for running light rail trams on traditional heavy rail train track. The transport authority in charge have today confirmed that tram trains will not carry bicycles at any time.\nThe knowledge that we obtain from the pilot will enable us to understand the technical and operational challenges involved in this project so that the concept can potentially be rolled out elsewhere in the UK - Norman Baker - May 2012\nBy setting the precedent that bicycles will not be carried without even attempting to do so, this trial will condemn future projects around the UK to the same fate. The precedent has been set as part of the national trial, bicycles will not be carried on tram trains. I would be very surprised if tram trains don\u0026rsquo;t start to displace normal trains on some routes.\nHere are the key recommendations of the report to be discussed at Thursday\u0026rsquo;s Integrated Transport Meeting\n2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 That the ITA supports the recommendation of Option 1 as the design to be taken forward for the manufacture of the Tram/Train vehicle. 2.2 In order to provide the optimal position for the priority seating and due to the limitations of the vehicle structural design and legal obligations Option 1 does not include facilities for the carriage of bicycles (other than folding bike). ITA are therefore also asked to endorse that bicycles shall not be carried on Tram/Train vehicles, unless of the folding type.\nSYPTE did some research which shows that of the UK/European tram networks they could get data for, 42 tram networks allow bicycles and 10 do not (of which 6 are in the UK!)\nI\u0026rsquo;ll try to summarise the reasons this decision has been made, the full document is available from here. These get more and more ridiculous as you go down the list!\nLegal requirements under the equality act Must have at least 2 wheelchair spaces under Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2010 Must be no obstruction to prevent or cause unreasonable difficulty to a wheelchair being manoeuvred in a rail vehicle to, from, into or out of any wheelchair compatible doorway or wheelchair space No fittings for the use of passengers other than disabled persons in wheelchairs are allowed in the wheelchair spaces. This prohibits the use of some form of bicycle storage or securing system It\u0026rsquo;s actually Stagecoach Supertram\u0026rsquo;s decision to make Existing tramway Bylaws and Condition of Carriage prohibit the carriage of bicycles (but they admit that these could be changed) The carriage of bicycles on the exterior of the vehicle wouldn\u0026rsquo;t be possible for a number of reasons(length, time taken to add and remove racks, need access to train track to put bike on and off, footholds for \u0026rsquo;tram surfers\u0026rsquo;, similar design to bull bars which are illegal) Allowing bicycles would increase competition for low floor space with wheelchairs, mobility scooters, luggage, prams, and standing people. People tend to sit in the fold out seat area and would be forced to go to the middle of the tram and negotiate steps which some may not want to or be able to do People like to stand in the doorway and would be inconvenienced by having to relocate to other parts of the tram Carriage of bicycles would compound issues of dissatisfaction with availability of seats at peak times Not all vehicles would be of the new tram/train type, cyclists may try to use existing vehicles which they\u0026rsquo;re not allowed to and get confused We need policies to deal with bicycles which would create conflict, and our Conductors primary role is to collect revenue and not act in any safety capacity The management of bicycles on tram stops would need to be managed to avoid accidents to waiting passengers and those boarding and alighting There are heavy rail trains running the same route that will carry bicycles that provide an alternative for those wishing to take bicycles Bicycle hire like Bike\u0026amp;Go is available at Rotherham Central Station Cycle lanes and large lengths of segregated routes are already provided between Rotherham and Sheffield The trial of bikes on DLR in London has been financially supported by TfL, this is beyond SYPTE in it\u0026rsquo;s current financial situation Trams often need to brake because they encounter pedestrians, this increases the risk of unsecured bicycles becoming projectiles Other passengers might get dirty from bicycles The tram/train vehicle might get dirty from bicycles Bicycles introduce objects that are potentially hazardous to passengers, eg sharp points such as handlebars and pedals. ","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/bicycles-not-part-of-the-sheffield-tram-train-trial-and-the-ridiculous-reasons-used-to-justify-this/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSheffield is embarking on a \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/news/revolutionary-new-tram-trains-to-be-piloted-in-south-yorkshire\"\u003enational pilot\u003c/a\u003e for running light rail trams on traditional heavy rail train track. The transport authority in charge have \u003ca href=\"http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/disappointment-as-bikes-set-for-ban-from-south-yorkshire-s-new-tram-trains-1-6203957\"\u003etoday confirmed\u003c/a\u003e that tram trains will not carry bicycles at any time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe knowledge that we obtain from the pilot will enable us to understand the technical and operational challenges involved in this project so that the concept can potentially be rolled out elsewhere in the UK - \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/final-approval-granted-for-tram-train-pilot\"\u003eNorman Baker - May 2012\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bicycles not part of the Sheffield tram train trial (and the ridiculous reasons used to justify this)"},{"content":"If Sheffield is serious in its plans to get more people cycling then National Cycle Network routes need to be protected from heavy industrial traffic. Planning applications which increase traffic levels on designated cycling routes need to be rejected if they fail to incorporate adequate protection for cyclists.\nSome time ago I wrote about a National Cycle Network route in Sheffield which was under threat from industrial development.\nToday we hear that planning permission has been granted for the doubling in size of a recycling facility which will significantly increase the level of HGV traffic through the area.\nClay Wheels Lane - This child has chosen to cycle on the footway.\nHGV traffic along the NCN route will rise from 16 articulated lorries (30 tonne) and 18 rigid lorries (24 tonne) per day to 36 articulated lorries and 41 rigid lorries per day. There is no cycle infrastructure or alternative route for people cycling.\nThere is no mention of the adjacent National Cycle Network route in the planning application even though it has been identified as one in the Sheffield Local Plan Planning Policy (below). The access road on which the cycle route runs is described in the Transport Assessment as\n3.6. Claywheels Lane is a two lane single carriageway road that serves a number of industrial premises used by goods vehicles. The junction with the A61 is currently subject to turning restrictions but the junction is being remodelled as part of an adjacent Sainsbury’s store development. 3.7. There is one other route to the site via Limestone Cottage Lane. However this road contains a low arched bridge with restricted headroom of only 10’ 6” which precludes its use by any delivery vehicles.\nThe 3 objections pointing out the impact on the cycling route seem to have been ignored. The only mention of traffic safety in the decision notice is a requirement to have car parking approved by the local authority before the expansion happens.\nSorry NCN users, you\u0026rsquo;re going to have to share the road with more HGV traffic for now.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/national-cycle-network-in-sheffield-increasing-hgv-traffic-with-no-provision-for-cycling/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf Sheffield is serious in its plans to get more people cycling then National Cycle Network routes need to be protected from heavy industrial traffic. Planning applications which increase traffic levels on designated cycling routes need to be rejected if they fail to incorporate adequate protection for cyclists.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome time ago I wrote about a \u003ca href=\"/national-cycle-network-627-under-thread-from-industrial-development/\"\u003eNational Cycle Network route in Sheffield\u003c/a\u003e which was under threat from industrial development.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday \u003ca href=\"http://publicaccess.sheffield.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary\u0026amp;keyVal=MPBGO3NYFY000\"\u003ewe hear that planning permission has been granted\u003c/a\u003e for the doubling in size of a recycling facility which will significantly increase the level of HGV traffic through the area.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"National Cycle Network in Sheffield - Increasing HGV traffic with no provision for cycling"},{"content":"About a year ago I highlighted a problem with a new cycle facility in Sheffield. A cycle lane which allows cyclists to turn right at a normally left turn only junction.\nThis video shows the problem, there just isn\u0026rsquo;t enough space for a large vehicle and a bicycle to use each lane at the same time.\nScheme Layout - Cropped and Shaded\nThis junction was subject to a safety review which found that this part of the design wasn\u0026rsquo;t safe an needed to be changed. The outcome of this was to change the layout and this finally happened in the past month.\nThe chosen solution has been to remove the cycle lane approaching the junction.\nThe junction is safer now, but the opportunity has been missed to really improve this junction. There is enough space in the road to narrow the opposing carriageway and move the cycle lane further out - this was an option presented in the road safety audit.\nIdeally move the cycle lane northwards so that it enters the island more centrally (i.e. where the current nib of the island is) so that a turning bus does not encroach into it.\nBut an alternative was offered.\nremove all of the on-carriageway parts of the cycle lane altogether but retain the cycle lane through the island\nThis is the solution that was chosen. If a cycle facility in Sheffield is dangerous, it gets removed rather than fixed.\nOf course, there are much better solutions for right turning bicycles. We could have created a segregated cycle track on the inside of the traffic, controlled it via a traffic light and routed bicycle across the junction at the same time as the pedestrian phase. This removes the need to move into the centre of the road to make the right turn. Examples from The Netherlands from Bicycle Dutch are here and here.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/removed-sheffields-most-dangerous-cycle-facility/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAbout a year ago I \u003ca href=\"/modern-sheffield-junction-design-safety-whats-that-then/\"\u003ehighlighted\u003c/a\u003e a problem with a new cycle facility in Sheffield. A cycle lane which allows cyclists to turn right at a normally left turn only junction.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden;\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\u003ciframe allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share; fullscreen\" loading=\"eager\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/CzQpMB3AtUc?autoplay=0\u0026amp;controls=1\u0026amp;end=0\u0026amp;loop=0\u0026amp;mute=0\u0026amp;start=0\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border:0;\" title=\"YouTube video\"\u003e\u003c/iframe\u003e\n\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis video shows the problem, there just isn\u0026rsquo;t enough space for a large vehicle and a bicycle to use each lane at the same time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Removed - Sheffield's most dangerous cycle facility"},{"content":"Leeds City Council have commissioned and created a DVD called the \u0026lsquo;Urban Cycling Guide\u0026rsquo;. You can watch some parts on their YouTube channel.\nUrban Cycling Guide DVD\nIt covers how to cycle in a busy urban environment, covering common scenarios like roundabouts, multi lane roads, dual carriageways, side roads, cycle lanes, advanced stop lines and gyratories.\nIt has been filmed on the roads of Leeds, York and Sheffield by two cyclists with video cameras showing multiple angles. It seems like a very good way to teach good cycling technique. I\u0026rsquo;d recommend watching it, you\u0026rsquo;ll certainly get something out of it if you cycle on roads like these.\nBut the film highlighted to me the problems with cycling on the roads of these three Northern cities.\nA frame from the Urban Cycling Guide DVD - You have to make your own space here\nRoads in our country, and especially in cities, have all too often been designed with one objective; carrying high volume, high speed motor vehicle traffic. They\u0026rsquo;ve been transformed over the past half century from places where people live, work and play to places where the motor vehicle dominates to the detriment of all other uses (walking, cycling \u0026amp; public transport; children, adults \u0026amp; elderly; playing, socialising \u0026amp; liveability).\nTo ride a bicycle safely on these roads (the roads in this DVD) you need to use vehicular cycling techniques, be constantly vigilant and take an assertive road position.\nThis mother and child would be excluded from the roads in this DVD - From http://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk\nCycling on these roads is intimidating and therefore those that brave them are predominantly young assertive fast male cyclists. Cycling on UK roads is not inclusive (families, children, elderly) and this must change if cycling is ever to be a realistic choice of transport for most people. The priorities we use when designing our roads needs to fundamentally change. The conflicts between road users need to be dealt with and resolved though better design, if we ignore these conflicts people will be pushed off of the streets through fear, forced into cars, increasing inequality, reducing health and harming the environment.\nI fully support campaigns like Love London, Go Dutch, the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain and David Hembrow\u0026rsquo;s Campaign for Childhood Freedom which push for a fundamental shift in our priorities.\nWe need to radically rethink the way we think about our streets and design our roads. Cycling will never ever be accessible to all if vehicular cycling on hostile roads is the only way to get around.\nAs CEoGB says at the top of their webpage, \u0026ldquo;Cycling for the Rest of Us\u0026rdquo;.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/urban-cycling-guide-dvd-unintentionally-highlighting-problems-with-uk-city-roads/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLeeds City Council have commissioned and created a DVD called the \u0026lsquo;Urban Cycling Guide\u0026rsquo;. You can watch some parts on their \u003ca href=\"http://www.youtube.com/user/UrbanCyclingGuide\"\u003eYouTube channel\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/P10900791.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\" Urban Cycling Guide DVD\" width=\"300\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eUrban Cycling Guide DVD\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt covers how to cycle in a busy urban environment, covering common scenarios like roundabouts, multi lane roads, dual carriageways, side roads, cycle lanes, advanced stop lines and gyratories.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt has been filmed on the roads of Leeds, York and Sheffield by two cyclists with video cameras showing multiple angles. It seems like a very good way to teach good cycling technique. I\u0026rsquo;d recommend watching it, you\u0026rsquo;ll certainly get something out of it if you cycle on roads like these.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Urban Cycling Guide DVD - Unintentionally highlighting problems with UK city roads"},{"content":"We need to protect existing cycle routes from industrial development and increasing traffic levels if they are to stay safe and be successful. Problems with planning on the Sheaf Valley route have recently come to light, NCN627 could be the next cycle route under threat from conflicting planning policies. Big investment in Peak District National Parks cycling funding could be wasted if we get this wrong.\nClay Wheels Lane and Beeley Wood Lane form part of the National Cycle Network route 627.\nView Larger Map\nThe Clay Wheels Lane section is a key link in a longer route included in the recent Peak District National Park cycle funding bid, the \u0026ldquo;Little Don Link\u0026rdquo;\nThe section through Clay Wheels Lane is earmarked for industrial development. There is already a new Sainbury\u0026rsquo;s Supermarket which provides sub-standard cycle facilities and there is an application to double the size of a local recycling depot (13/02199/FUL) which will double of the number of HGVs to the site which use the National Cycle Network road.\nThe local plan proposals map show this whole area is a priority industrial development site, the lilac colour indicates a \u0026ldquo;Business Industrial Area\u0026rdquo;.\nSites P00258, P00241 and P00259 are priority sites identified for development of \u0026ldquo;research and development, light industry and general industry\u0026rdquo; businesses. Link to online map. These sites are right next to the National Cycle Network.\nThe map does show that Beeley Wood Road/Clay Wheels Lane cycling route needs improvement however we need to significantly improve upon the standards demonstrated in recent local developments to offset the harm from increased industrial development.\nThe Sheffield Planning Core Strategy includes a policy actively promoting this area for industrial and business uses as well as increasing volumes of traffic by building a new bridge across the river Don from Middlewood Road.\nPolicy CS10 - Business and Industry in the Upper Don Valley Employment uses will be maintained and promoted in the Wadsley Bridge areas, including improvements to access and the local environment. Industrial and business uses will be promoted in the Upper Don Valley with significant access improvements including bridging the River Don from Middlewood Road.\nA bridge over the River Don from Middlewood Road would greatly improve the presently poor access, open up jobs to people living in Stocksbridge and also help to relieve congestion in other parts of the Valley. Sheffield Planning Core Strategy\nWe should push for improvements to this section of the route before more development to keep cycling safe and safeguard this National Cycle Network route.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/national-cycle-network-627-under-thread-from-industrial-development/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWe need to protect existing cycle routes from industrial development and increasing traffic levels if they are to stay safe and be successful. Problems with planning on the Sheaf Valley route have \u003ca href=\"http://www.cyclesheffield.org.uk/2013/09/09/save-the-sheaf-valley-route/\"\u003erecently come to light\u003c/a\u003e, NCN627 could be the next cycle route under threat from conflicting planning policies. Big investment in Peak District National Parks cycling funding could be wasted if we get this wrong.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClay Wheels Lane and Beeley Wood Lane form part of the National Cycle Network route 627.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"National Cycle Network 627 under threat from industrial development"},{"content":"I doubt it Early in August I wrote to my local MP David Blunkett asking him to attend today\u0026rsquo;s debate on cycling in the House of Commons,\nI never received a reply. [update - a reply was sent by letter but I\u0026rsquo;ve been advised that it must have been lost, David is not able to attend]\nThe least we should expect from our MPs is representation in the House of Commons.\nI signed the petition calling for this debate and I expect my representative in Parliament to attend.\nWhich Sheffield MPs will be attending today\u0026rsquo;s debate?\nDavid Blunkett: Not attending\nPaul Blomfield: Confirmed, yes\nNick Clegg: Unknown\nMeg Nunn: Perhaps - if she has time!\nClive Betts: Unknown\nAngela Smith: Unknown\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/will-my-mp-david-blunkett-attend-todays-cycling-debate/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI doubt it\u003c/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/David_Blunkett_-8April2010.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"David_Blunkett_-8April2010\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/David_Blunkett_-8April2010.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEarly in August I wrote to my local MP David Blunkett asking him to attend today\u0026rsquo;s debate on cycling in the House of Commons,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI never received a reply. \u003cem\u003e[update - a reply was sent by letter but I\u0026rsquo;ve been advised that it must have been lost, David is not able to attend]\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe least we should expect from our MPs is representation in the House of Commons.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Will my MP [David Blunkett] attend today's cycling debate?"},{"content":"Today the Department of Transport have re-announced £42 million of cycling investment previously announced in January, and lay claim to a further £54 million of local council contribution. Be honest with funding and stop re announcing investment.\nToday the Government have been making announcements about funding for cycling.\nThe Prime Minister announces the biggest ever single injection of cash for the country alongside plans to make roads safer for those on two wheels.\n£77 million will be divided between Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford and Norwich, while the New Forest, Peak District, South Downs and Dartmoor will each share a slice of £17 million funding for national parks. With local contributions, the total new funding for cycling is £148 million between now and 2015.\nhttp://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-shifts-cycling-up-a-gear\nSo, we\u0026rsquo;ve got £77m, £17m and £148m. What are these figures and is it new money?\nThe £77m is for the Cycle City Ambition Grant, £30m of this was announced back in January 2013. So an increase of £47m.\nThe £17m is for National Parks Cycling, £12m of this was also announced back in January 2013. So an increase of £5m.\nHow about the £148m? This includes all previously announced DfT money, all new DfT money and all local contributions from local authorities (£54m)\nToday\u0026rsquo;s announcement should really focus on the £52m which is new funding.\nThe Government have done this before, in January 2013\nMinister announces record £62 million investment in cycling\nhttp://www.gov.uk/government/news/minister-announces-record-62-million-investment-in-cycling\nThe real amount of new money made available was £42m, the remaining £20m for The Community Linking Places Fund Tranche 2 and the Dangerous Junctions outside London Fund had already been announced on 28th November 2012.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;d like to track these announcements going forwards then keep a tab on my page here: /investment-in-cycling/\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/recycling-money-how-the-department-for-transport-reannounces-funding-for-cycling-yet-again/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eToday the Department of Transport have re-announced £42 million of cycling investment previously announced in January, and lay claim to a further £54 million of local council contribution. Be honest with funding and stop re announcing investment.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday the Government have been making announcements about funding for cycling.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Prime Minister announces the biggest ever single injection of cash for the country alongside plans to make roads safer for those on two wheels.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Recycling Money - How the Department for Transport reannounces funding for cycling yet again"},{"content":"12/08/2013 - There is an update to this post with more information here.\nTomorrow we\u0026rsquo;ll see the winning bids for the Cycle City Ambition Grants and Cycling in National Parks grants announced. From the press stories it\u0026rsquo;s not clear that £42m of this was already announced back in January 2013.\n\u0026ldquo;PM to pump record £80m into cycling The prime minister will reveal plans to turn three big urban areas into cycling cities as well as investing in a network of bike lanes in two rural areas\u0026rdquo; The Times on Sunday, 11/08/2013\nThe story in The Times describes the Cycle City Ambition and National Parks Cycling grants which were announced in the last \u0026ldquo;record investment in cycling\u0026rdquo; in January 2013.\nThe Times reports that we\u0026rsquo;ll see investment of £80m, however these two funds only represent £42m of government funding. What is the remaining £38m?\nIs it local contribution? For__instance when Norman Baker has included local contribution when discussing the Dangerous Junction Fund figures. An expansion to these two funds? Like we\u0026rsquo;ve seen with the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, the Community Linking Placed Fund and the Dangerous Junctions Fund in the past. Or perhaps the announcement of new funds to bid for? The last announcement of £62 m was a combination of already announced funds being awarded to winning schemes and the announcement of new funds. Kaya Burgess points to one of the latter options with a cryptic tweet pointing out that The Times on Sunday story isn\u0026rsquo;t the full picture.\nhttp://twitter.com/kayaburgess/status/366514885347119104\nWhatever happens, I\u0026rsquo;ll update my page where I track all central government cycle funding announcements.\nOn a local level, tomorrow won\u0026rsquo;t be very exciting. Sheffield has partnered with the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire in applying for funding for a new link to get people to the Peak District Park.\nSheffield was one of the few cities to not submit a bid for the Cycle City Ambition Grant which I have criticised in the past. This firmly shows that Sheffield has no ambition when it comes to creating better conditions for cycling.\nIf there are new funds announced tomorrow then Sheffield has made it very clear that it won\u0026rsquo;t be bidding. They have stated that we have no schemes on the cards and that we\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait a couple of years before any new schemes ready for bidding.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/cycling-funding-announcements-cycle-city-ambition-grant-and-cycling-in-national-parks-grants/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e12/08/2013 - There is an update to this post with \u003ca href=\"/recycling-money-how-the-department-for-transport-reannounces-funding-for-cycling-yet-again/\"\u003emore information here.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTomorrow we\u0026rsquo;ll see the winning bids for the \u003ca href=\"/investment-in-cycling/\"\u003eCycle City Ambition Grants and Cycling in National Parks grants\u003c/a\u003e announced. From the press stories it\u0026rsquo;s not clear that \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/news/minister-announces-record-62-million-investment-in-cycling\"\u003e£42m of this was already announced\u003c/a\u003e back in January 2013.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BRYGMsrCQAAq77-.jpg:large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BRYGMsrCQAAq77-.jpg:large\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;PM to pump record £80m into cycling\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe prime minister will reveal plans to turn three big urban areas into cycling cities as well as investing in a network of bike lanes in two rural areas\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Times on Sunday, 11/08/2013\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cycling Funding Announcements - Cycle City Ambition Grant and Cycling in National Parks Grants"},{"content":"\nA few weeks ago I wrote a post about the dangers posed to cycling from tram tracks. I quoted from a Sheffield Council investigation into the safety of cycling around tram tracks. The report mentions the need for good quality road surfaces around tram lines.\nIn most documents regarding on-street cycle lanes it is specifically recommended that maintenance of the surface should be of primary importance, as cyclists are particularly sensitive to the quality of a road surface. Whilst in practice this is rarely implemented due to financial constraints, throughout the tram route the road has been remade and the surface re-laid and so is generally in good condition and can be expected to remain so for a number of years to come.\nThe rails have recently been being replaced in on street sections, this is what the on road tram tracks look like today on West Street in Sheffield City Centre.\nThe tram tracks should look like this. It is now extremely dangerous to cycle around these tram tracks. There are now huge grooves running in the direction of travel parallel to the tram tracks. When cyclists comes across these they will be in serious danger.\nWho is responsible? All of the companies charged with maintaining our roads. Stagecoach Supertram, South Yorkshirie Passenger Transport Executive, South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and Sheffield City Council. All the responsible authorities should be ashamed of themselves for taking this insane risk with the safety of anyone who cycles along this road.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/irresponsible-and-dangerous-workmanship-on-sheffield-tram-track-replacement/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"railreplaceweblarge\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/railreplaceweblarge.gif\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few weeks ago I wrote a \u003ca href=\"/cycling-and-the-sheffield-tram-network-a-match-made-in-hell/\"\u003epost about the dangers posed to cycling from tram tracks\u003c/a\u003e. I quoted from a \u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/CyclistSupertramSafetyStudy.pdf\"\u003eSheffield Council investigation\u003c/a\u003e into the safety of cycling around tram tracks. The report mentions the need for good quality road surfaces around tram lines.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn most documents regarding on-street cycle lanes it is \u003cstrong\u003especifically recommended that maintenance\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eof the surface should be of primary importance\u003c/strong\u003e, as cyclists are particularly sensitive to the quality of\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003ea road surface. Whilst in practice this is rarely implemented due to financial constraints, throughout\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003ethe tram route the road has been remade and the surface re-laid and so is generally in good condition and can be expected to remain so for a number of years to come.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Irresponsible and dangerous workmanship on Sheffield tram track replacement"},{"content":"A few weeks ago I joined the London Cycling Campaign protest ride in London to call for dedicated space for cycling. The ride happened because a lady was killed while cycling along Whitechapel High Street.\nLondon Cycling Campaign Space For Cycling Protest Ride\nOn my way to the ride I encountered Aldgate gyratory for the very first time (I\u0026rsquo;d read about this junction and plans to improve it but had never paid much attentio n). My initial reaction to encountering the junction was to get off my bike and push around.\nI don\u0026rsquo;t know if I\u0026rsquo;ve ever encountered a more hostile looking piece of road.\nAldgate gyratory\nI found it quite difficult even to walk around because the obvious crossing points were blocked by fencing.\nPushing not allowed?\nOthers had mastered the art of fence jumping and traffic dodging. I encountered a segregated cycle track on one of the exits (Dukes Place).\nCycle track on Dukes Place\nI couldn\u0026rsquo;t believe what I saw though, the track ended just before a bus stop which lead to significant conflict when people rejoined the normal road from the bike track.\nIs this a prime candidate for a bus stop bypass? Are there plans to improve the design of this track?\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/aldgate-gyratory-and-a-separated-cycle-track-gone-wrong/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA few weeks ago I joined the \u003ca href=\"http://lcc.org.uk/articles/1500-protestors-tell-mayor-boris-johnson-that-cycling-needs-dedicated-space-to-make-londoners-safe\"\u003eLondon Cycling Campaign protest ride\u003c/a\u003e in London to call for dedicated space for cycling. The ride happened because a \u003ca href=\"http://lcc.org.uk/articles/hire-bike-cyclist-killed-in-crash-with-lorry-at-aldgate-east\"\u003elady was killed while cycling along Whitechapel High Street\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/P1080358.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\" London Cycling Campaign Space For Cycling Protest Ride\" width=\"625\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eLondon Cycling Campaign Space For Cycling Protest Ride\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn my way to the ride I encountered Aldgate gyratory for the very first time (\u003ca href=\"http://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/stop-thinking-about-cyclists-start-thinking-about-people-on-bikes/\"\u003eI\u0026rsquo;d read about this junction and plans to improve it but had never paid much attentio\u003c/a\u003e n). My initial reaction to encountering the junction was to get off my bike and push around.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Aldgate gyratory and a separated cycle track gone wrong"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve written about Castle Street cycle lane repeatedly over the past year. It\u0026rsquo;s frequently used by taxi\u0026rsquo;s and the police as a place to park causing an obstruction to all vehicles on the road and especially anyone trying to use the contraflow bicycle lane.\nBlocked - The taxi drivers use the cycle lane as an extension of the taxi rank\nA story has appeared in today\u0026rsquo;s local paper the Sheffield Star on page 4 about the next Taxi Licensing Enforcement review which features Castle Street.\nThey reveal that 201 warning letters have been issued to drivers since September 2012 and that \u0026ldquo;Most warnings related to drivers waiting to pick up passengers on Castle Street, where 118 warning letters were sent out for ‘causing a hazard or obstruction’ to pedestrians, cyclists and buses.\u0026rdquo;\nThe council report states:\nThis area continues to be of concern for cyclists and a number of warning letters and formal warnings have been issued to drivers who have repeatedly transgressed in this particular area.\n118 warning letters and 2 Defect notices have been issued to drivers in this period of enforcement activity, for causing a hazard or obstruction on this particular road.\n5 Formal warnings have been issued, these are issued to drivers who have transgressed in this particular area before and are warned that further problems may lead to a Licensing Sub Committee referral for persistent contraventions.\nhttp://meetings.sheffield.gov.uk/council-meetings/licensing-committee/agendas-2013/agenda-25th-july-2013\nI\u0026rsquo;ll plan to go to the meeting on Thursday (where this will be discussed) and ask them to step up proactive monitoring of this site so that I don\u0026rsquo;t need to report so many incidents. I plan to invite the department to join me for 30 minutes one day to observe the behavior of drivers on Castle Street.\nGood progress I think.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/formal-warnings-issued-to-taxi-drivers-for-parking-on-sheffield-cycle-lane-at-castle-street/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve written about Castle Street cycle lane \u003ca href=\"https://www.mattturner.blog/category/castle-street/\"\u003erepeatedly over the past year.\u003c/a\u003e It\u0026rsquo;s frequently used by taxi\u0026rsquo;s and the police as a place to park causing an obstruction to all vehicles on the road and especially anyone trying to use the contraflow bicycle lane.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Blocked.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\" Blocked - The taxi drivers use the cycle lane as an extension of the taxi rank\" width=\"625\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eBlocked - The taxi drivers use the cycle lane as an extension of the taxi rank\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Formal warnings issued to Taxi drivers for parking on Sheffield cycle lane at Castle Street"},{"content":"_source: http://www.sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SCR-LTB-26-07-13-Full-Papers.pdf_![logo-960](/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/logo-960.png)Today the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership has announced their preferred list of major transport schemes.\nThis has come about because the Sheffield City Region has secured devolved powers to develop and fund major transport schemes in the area from the Department for Transport. We (the Local Transport Body) now gets to choose the major transport schemes in it\u0026rsquo;s area with far less control from the Department for Transport.\nThe Local Transport Body (LTB) is the body responsible for making and overseeing key infrastructure investment decisions in the Sheffield City Region.\nhttp://www.sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/projects/ltb/\nThe Local Transport Body gives a worrying vision for transport by showing an image of an M1 junction at the very top of their webpage. I hope they can see past the big trunk road schemes and put large investment into local and sustainable transport (rather than just focusing on the needs of hauliers, distributors and big business).\nThe schemes put forward today as priorities are a mixed bag for the people of Sheffield and improving transport.\nImage from the top of the Sheffield City Region LTB Webpage - http://www.sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/projects/ltb/\nOf the 19 schemes given priority, 4 are within the Sheffield Local Authority area.\n#3, Sheffield City Centre\nInfrastructure works to support delivery of New Retail Quarter, Central Business District, Riverside Business District and university development. Investment includes bringing forward a number of key city centre sites, refurbishment, development and consolidation of university campus buildings, train station access improvements, walking and cycling enhancements, public realm, housing, Hillsborough - Penistone Rd key bus route.\nIf done well, this could be a good scheme. The recent draft Sheffield City Centre Masterplan was lacking on encouraging cycling and instead focused on pedestrianisation of the City Centre (with the exclusion of cyclists), we\u0026rsquo;ll see how this evolves.\nPenistone Road\nOnto Penistone Road, National Cycle Network Route 627 runs along this road and provides a safe (even if it could do with improving) alternative to the less busy but dangerous (because of tram tracks) Langsett Road.\nSheffield City Council have been awarded £3million from the DfT Pinch Points fund to develop the Penistone Road highway but have so far been uncooperative in releasing information about exactly what this scheme involves. Just like before, we\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait and see how this pans out.\n#9 Upper Don Valley\nInfrastructure and facilities to open up for inward investment Claywheels Lane Industrial Estate and Parkwood Springs Business Park. Includes a series of junction improvements and site access roads.\n5 Signals for the bicycles and pedestrians, 1 for the cars Clay Wheels Lane Junction Redesign\nThis scheme worries me. Sheffield City Council have already shown that they have no appetite for considering walking and cycling in this area viable by approving schemes like the Clay Wheels Lane widening and junction redevelopment designed and funded by Sainsburys. Clay Wheels Lane is part of the Sheffield National Cycle Network route 627 however there are plans to develop a business/industrial park along this road. The plans for cycling on Clay Wheels Lane so far have been abysmal, I don\u0026rsquo;t hold out much hope but would be very happy to be proved wrong. This scheme links into #3 above, both Claywheels Lane and Parkwood Springs are off of Penistone Road.\n#11 Lower Don Valley (Waverly)\nHighway, community and green infrastructures and utility services to accelerate the delivery of a mixed use site. Highway investment includes Waverley Link Road, Widening of the A630 to dual 3-lane between the M1 Junction 33 and the Catcliffe Interchange, Bridge maintenance scheme at critical location on A630 Sheffield Parkway.\nThis seems like a typical road congestion alleviation scheme - I know very little about this area of Sheffield.\n#15 Lower Don Valley (Sheffield)\nEnabling works / infrastructure for two 20Ha sites. Development of over 1000 homes and retail and commercial centre, Bus Rapid Transport South.\nThis is an interesting sounding scheme that I know very little about. I believe it involves the widening and introduction of a bus lane along The Parkway in Sheffield - a road where cycling and walking is not permitted. More information is here.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-city-region-lep-announce-preliminary-list-of-major-transport-schemes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e_source: \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SCR-LTB-26-07-13-Full-Papers.pdf_!%5Blogo-960%5D(/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/logo-960.png)Today\"\u003ehttp://www.sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SCR-LTB-26-07-13-Full-Papers.pdf_![logo-960](/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/logo-960.png)Today\u003c/a\u003e the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership has \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SCR-LTB-26-07-13-Full-Papers.pdf\"\u003eannounced their preferred list of major transport schemes\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis has come about because the Sheffield City Region has secured devolved powers to develop and fund major transport schemes in the area from the Department for Transport. We (the Local Transport Body) now gets to choose the major transport schemes in it\u0026rsquo;s area with far less control from the Department for Transport.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Local Transport Body (LTB) is the body responsible for making and overseeing key infrastructure investment decisions in the Sheffield City Region.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield City Region LEP announce preliminary list of Major Transport Schemes"},{"content":" In January 2013 Norman Baker launched the Cycle City Ambition Grants, £30 million (later upped to £77 million, later upped by £114 million more) of funding for cities that showed the ambition to \u0026ldquo;make cycling easier and safer for people throughout England\u0026rdquo;\nSheffield was the only large city that failed to submit a bid.\nWhat does this mean? Are Sheffield City Council and our Regional Transport ITA just not interested in cycling? Are we not ambitious enough? Do we already have enough money? Or are we just incompetent?\nBack in April the Cycling Safety Junction Improvement funds were awarded, Sheffield did not submit a bid for this either - as noted by fellow local blogger Stan Fichele and even with Brookhill Roundabout highlighted by The Times as a dangerous junction for cycling .\nStan notes that Sheffield City Council were intending to submit a bid for the Cycle City Ambition Grant.\nHowever, you may be interested to know that it is our intention to make a bid for the Cycle City Ambitions Grant, the requirements for which are not quite so onerous. I cannot, of course, guarantee success.\nThis never happened and I\u0026rsquo;ve been trying to find out why.\nI asked at the Sheffield Cycle Forum. The council seem to put the blame squarely with the South Yorkshire ITA and washed their hands of it. I believe that if Sheffield were truly ambitious they would have submitted a bid independently of the ITA as Newcastle have done. The full statement from the Cycle Forum on 21st May can be found here. Cycle Forum Minutes 21May2013 In summary, the response said\nThe Sheffield City Region have no cycle schemes to bid for We did apply for National Parks Bid money for the same scheme All the cycle schemes have already been funded through LSTF and National Lottery/Sustrans Connect We\u0026rsquo;ll have some schemes ready for funding applications in TWO YEARS Sheffield have used up all the cycle schemes as part of LSTF back in 2010 and will have new ones ready in two years. This means that Sheffield will not have planned any significant new cycle schemes for 5 years. This situation is ludicrous! The statement describes these schemes as very recent, but we\u0026rsquo;re already three years on from the LSTF bids.\nSheffield City Council will have a hard fight on their hands if they think they can get away with failing to bid for funding opportunities for cycling (as with Ambition Grants and Safer Junctions) for the next 2 years. We must not let them be idle. Sheffield have proven that they can apply for funding when they\u0026rsquo;re really keen, as is the case with the Pinch Points fund where £3m was awarded in May for a scheme to increase capacity on Penistone Road. A very similar bidding process was used.\nThe council try to say that all is OK because funding has been sought from the National Parks Bid. This is irrelevant, no application was made for the Cycle City Ambition Grant. It speaks volumes that the schemes could be so easily transferred to the National Parks bid - a funding source with tourism and recreation at it\u0026rsquo;s heart instead of door to door transport.\nI visited the South Yorkshire ITA to ask a similar question. Nothing about the South Yorkshire ITAs decision not to bid had been discussed in a public meeting, I thought it was important to get it on the agenda - you can watch a recording of this meeting here. It is well worth a watch and there is a very interesting discussion about applying for this sort of funding as viewed by Local Authorities.\nKey points from their response\nTom Finnegan-Smith - Local officer\nIt was a difficult to reach a decision to not submit a bid Schemes intended for a bid didn\u0026rsquo;t meet the criteria from the DfT and no coherent package across the region Cycle in the National Park bid was submitted Submitting a weak bid would harm relationship with DfT Don\u0026rsquo;t have all the funding to deliver all of the South Yorkshire Cycle Action Plan from 2011 There will be a review of coordination between authorities in the City Region Leigh Bramall\nDisappointing to not put in a bid You\u0026rsquo;ve already asked these questions - (I think hinting that I was wasting their time) Local Authorities facing financial cuts and capacity is stretched. Difficult to come up with complex bids in such short timescales Need a higher permanent level of funding No previous short term funding so we\u0026rsquo;ve not planned to have bids like this ready Ian Auckland\nNothing new about short term funding Issue was about no schemes that fitted the bill ready, not the lack of time preventing a bid Alan Jones\nOfficers must have had some preemptive warning of this grant (other said that this is how it happened!) Graham Kyte\nDoing well in Barnsley - good relationship with cycling organisations Thanks to Matt for coming along and taking advantage of the democratic process! More people should come along( I completely agree! Thanks for having me!) Ben Still\nDifficult to preempt the nuances of funding before officially announced Need to look at problem of no bid submitted when looking at next round of budget cuts (perhaps hinting that we need people to develop these schemes) So, I think I\u0026rsquo;ve come to the end of this story. I\u0026rsquo;ll keep monitoring for National Funding on my page here and will do my best to support and urge Sheffield in applying for these opportunities in the future.\nI think that some of the responsibility must fall on local people/organisations to come up with good cycling schemes and to push the council to fund and implement them. Local campaigners need to step up to the mark and start being bolder and ask for more.\nSome notes:\nList of applications:\nLarge cities - Wave 1 City Deal Cities Birmingham - http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/bcr Bristol - http://www.travelwest.info/node/703 Leeds - http://road.cc/content/news/81876-leeds-and-manchester-each-seeking-%C2%A320m-dfts-%C2%A330m-cycle-city-ambition-fund Liverpool - http://liverpool.gov.uk/media/476954/cycle-city-ambition-application-liverpool-approved.pdf Manchester - http://cycling.tfgm.com/velocity/ Newcastle - http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-transport/cycling/cycle-city-ambition Nottingham - http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Bid-pound-6m-funding-create-cycling-city/story-18686041-detail/story.html#axzz2ScX5gv1E Sheffield - NONE Statement from Sheffield City Council: _It was explained that the Sheffield City Region (SCR) had not made a bid for any funding as there were no schemes ready that met the necessary bidding criteria for the City Regions. However, running in parallel with the City Regions grants there were also National Park grants with different criteria. Exactly the same Sheffield and Barnsley elements (of the not progressed SCR bid) were included in the Peak Park grant submission.__The press had reported words to the effect that Sheffield had ‘yet again failed to bid for funding’. Clearly, the local press had got the situation wrong or were being economical with the truth. All the Council had done was to ‘change horse’ when it became clear that the SCR would not bid. A situation which the various authorities involved in the Peak Park bid had prepared for.__Further, many Sheffield Council cycle schemes, that had been ‘ready to go’ and would have met the necessary bidding criteria for the City Region grants, had already been funded through the successful Local Sustainable Transport bids (e.g. Beeley Woods, Hanover Way, Five Weirs Walk between Sheffield and Rotherham, FWW link to Exchange Place, etc) and the successful Halfway to Killamarsh Connect 2 bid and scheme. These very recent schemes add up to many millions of pounds of successful bids, matched by LTP funding._For the future, Sheffield is in the process of preparing further cycle infrastructure schemes. These should be far enough advanced in another two years to be able to bid for similar City Region grant funding and will amount to around £10 – 20m worth of cycling infrastructure. Currently the council would be expected to find around 30 – 50% of this sum in match funding – not easy given the considerable recent cut-backs suffered by most councils (with more to come).\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-fails-to-bid-for-cycle-city-ambition-grant-money/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/P1050814.resized.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"P1050814.resized\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/P1050814.resized.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e In January 2013 \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-city-ambition-grants\"\u003eNorman Baker launched the Cycle City Ambition Grants\u003c/a\u003e, £30 million (\u003ca href=\"/recycling-money-how-the-department-for-transport-reannounces-funding-for-cycling-yet-again/\"\u003elater upped to £77 million\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/news/deputy-pm-announces-214-million-investment-in-cycling\"\u003elater upped by £114 million more\u003c/a\u003e) of funding for cities that showed the ambition to \u0026ldquo;make cycling easier and safer for people throughout England\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSheffield was the only large city that failed to submit a bid.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat does this mean? Are Sheffield City Council and our Regional Transport ITA just not interested in cycling? Are we not ambitious enough? Do we already have enough money? Or are we just incompetent?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield fails to bid for Cycle City Ambition Grant money"},{"content":"Update: Have you crashed on the tram lines? You can now report it online, here, at tramcrash.co.uk\nTramCrash.co.uk Report your bicycle crashes on tram lines here\nWe have a tram network in Sheffield known as the Supertram, it opened in 1994 and has 35km of track with about 50% of this on normal streets shared with normal vehicles.\nIf there\u0026rsquo;s one thing to know about riding a bike on tram lines, it\u0026rsquo;s that you must NEVER get your wheel stuck in the tram line, you are very very likely to be thrown off.\nIt has been estimated that there are a minimum of 33 accidents per annum where cyclists have difficulties with tram tracks, and over 50% are serious in nature ( An Investigation Into Cyclist Safety on the Supertram Network In Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Sheffield City Council, December 1998). These figures were calculated using data from 1994 to 1998, the numbers of people cycling has more than doubled since then so the number of accidents may have increased.\nThe tram network is about 50% on road in Sheffield\nThe on street sections are difficult for use by cyclists, a typical tram track on a street has a 1.1m gap between the kerb and the left most rail. A Sheffield City Council report from 1998 states that\nA width of 1.1m is within DETR guidelines for advisory cycle lanes and similar widths have been used successfully in the past. It is acceptable then as a reasonable width for cyclists to have to use.\nIt goes on to say that\nIt is well known that this area on a carriageway nearest to the kerb,is less than ideal as the preferred position for riding a bicycle. Cyclists are required to navigate through litter, everyday road detritus, uneven surfaces due to badly levelled or positioned gullies, badly applied zig-zag and yellow lines and potholes, whilst also avoiding the hazards of left turning and parking vehicles and car doors opening from vehicles already parked.\nAn Investigation Into Cyclist Safety on the Supertram Network In Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Sheffield City Council, December 1998\nWhat wasn\u0026rsquo;t stated though is it\u0026rsquo;s important for cyclists to be able to take a primary position where the road narrows or there isn\u0026rsquo;t space to do this. To do this you must cross the tram line at a narrow angle, and this can be very dangerous.\nNot much space for bicycles\nTram stops are a nasty periodic danger, they are built out into the road so there is no gap when people board a tram. This buildout narrows the available space to the left of the track to about 35cm.\nA typical section of on carriageway with a footway and platform\nOn a bike you need to either move out into the middle of the tracks or risk crashing into them by going up the inside, like the guy in this photo does.\nThis is an often quoted problem that cyclists face on the tram network, that at regular intervals along a route they are forced to move out in front of other traffic whilst negotiating crossing the tram tracks.\nAn Investigation Into Cyclist Safety on the Supertram Network In Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Sheffield City Council, December 1998\nA braver man than me!\nTrams cannot pass people on bicycles, there is not enough room as the trams and tracks are designed to sweep within 38cm of the kerbline, known at gutter running.\nThe tram is unable to move out and the cyclist is unable to move in. Advice from Stagecoach who run the trams to cyclists is \u0026ldquo;get off the road\u0026rdquo;.\nSupertram publicity leaflets suggest in their advice to cyclists, \u0026ldquo;when a tram is approaching move clear of the tramway\u0026rdquo;, and Supertram spokesmen have publicly supported this opinion.\nAn Investigation Into Cyclist Safety on the Supertram Network In Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Sheffield City Council, December 1998\nNo space for a bicycle\nThis has lead to problems with bullying when trams come up behind cyclists.\nSome cyclists however, have experienced problems when they have found themselves ahead of a tram. Reports suggest that some cyclists have been bullied by Supertram drivers who have expected the cyclist to pull over, stop and allow the tram to pass.\nSupertram drivers have been accused of intimidating cyclists in this manner by sounding the warning bell, driving very close behind and attempting to pass without sufficient room. These actions have forced\u0026quot;cyclists to stop for fear of serious injury.\nAn Investigation Into Cyclist Safety on the Supertram Network In Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Sheffield City Council, December 1998\nThe report makes it clear that trams have no priority over bicycles as we would expect.\nIt should be reiterated that the tram has no right to this supposed priority and that, assuming no vehicles are prohibited by Traffic Regulation Order, all vehicles have an equal right to use the carriageway.\nAn Investigation Into Cyclist Safety on the Supertram Network In Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Sheffield City Council, December 1998\nThe tram lines have been in place for almost 20 years and no good solutions have been found. There is a cycle track along about 150m of tramway, but this is the only example. There are plans afoot to extend then tram network further into the City Centre along designated bicycle routes. There are also plans to replace the rails which those of a different design - this impact on cyclists is not clear.\nSo, when in Sheffield on a bike and you come across a tram line, find an alternative route.\nCyclists need access to high amenity areas in a similar way that pedestrians do. The Supertram route often passes along the main road through these areas and thus alternative, useful routes are difficult to locate. Encouraging cyclists to use alternative routes is likely to take them away from the areas they wish to access and may therefore be of limited safety benefit.\nAn Investigation Into Cyclist Safety on the Supertram Network In Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Sheffield City Council, December 1998\nThe report I\u0026rsquo;ve been quoting from is available here.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/cycling-and-the-sheffield-tram-network-a-match-made-in-hell/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUpdate: Have you crashed on the tram lines? You can now report it \u003ca href=\"http://www.tramcrash.co.uk\" title=\"Report your bicycle tram crash here\"\u003eonline, here, at tramcrash.co.uk\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Tram-Crash.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\"TramCrash.co.uk Report your bicycle crashes on tram lines here\" width=\"894\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eTramCrash.co.uk Report your bicycle crashes on tram lines here\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe have a tram network in Sheffield known as the Supertram, it opened in 1994 and has 35km of track with about 50% of this on normal streets shared with normal vehicles.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cycling and the Sheffield Tram Network - A match made in hell!"},{"content":"Just a quick post, Rotherham Council has just been awarded £3.4million from the Pinch Points Fund to convert Pool Green Roundabout into a signalised crossing.\nThe road is a standard crossroads, it has 6 lanes in the north south direction and 3 lanes in the east west direction. Cycle facilities consist of in carriageway lanes and advance stop lines.\nIs this really the best we can do for cycling?\n(I\u0026rsquo;ve highlighted the on carriageway lanes in red below, the original is here)\nThe cycle lane design reminds me of another road in Sheffield, the new Inner Ring Road which seems to encourage drivers to cut up people in the cycle path to access the slip road.\nSurely within carriageway cycle lanes like these can\u0026rsquo;t be recommended in high traffic urban dual carriageways? Can they?\nI much prefer this design from The Netherlands (borrowed from A View From The Cycle Path) which provides separation (I have flipped the photograph).\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/rotherham-pool-green-roundabout-redesign-cycle-lanes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eJust a quick post, Rotherham Council has just been \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/204265/tranche-2-successful-schemes.pdf\"\u003eawarded £3.4million\u003c/a\u003e from the \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/news/165-million-boost-to-tackle-bottlenecks\"\u003ePinch Points Fund\u003c/a\u003e to convert Pool Green Roundabout into a signalised crossing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe road is a standard crossroads, it has 6 lanes in the north south direction and 3 lanes in the east west direction. Cycle facilities consist of in carriageway lanes and advance stop lines.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIs this really the best we can do for cycling?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(I\u0026rsquo;ve highlighted the on carriageway lanes in red below, the original is \u003ca href=\"http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/download/8176/pool_green_roundabout_pinch_point_bid-appendix_a\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rotherham Pool Green Roundabout Redesign – Cycle lanes"},{"content":"An open letter from my girlfriend.\nTo the two fully grown men who thought it was OK to shout abuse at a young woman\u0026hellip;.\nI am so sorry to have delayed your obviously urgent journey by 30 precious seconds by choosing to ride into town on my bike on a brilliantly sunny bank holiday. You don’t want me to be on the road? That’s fine, well neither do I. The reason I was waiting at the lights with you is that is the only way to get onto the cycle path, where I would much rather be! There is no other place I could have been – what did you expect me to do?!\nThat aside, I hope you feel proud of yourselves. I’m sure you wouldn\u0026rsquo;t go up to a young woman in a bar, or in a shop, or even in the street and start shouting at her. But for some reason, safe behind the wheel of your car speeding past, you suddenly feel it’s acceptable to bully someone who has no way of answering back.\nShame on you.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/abuse-on-the-road-an-open-letter-from-a-young-woman/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn open letter from my girlfriend.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo the two fully grown men who thought it was OK to shout abuse at a young woman\u0026hellip;.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am so sorry to have delayed your obviously urgent journey by 30 precious seconds by choosing to ride into town on my bike on a brilliantly sunny bank holiday. You don’t want me to be on the road? That’s fine, well neither do I. The reason I was waiting at the lights with you is that is the only way to get onto the cycle path, where I would much rather be! There is no other place I could have been – what did you expect me to do?!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Abuse on the road - an open letter from a young woman"},{"content":" There is a new sustainable travel campaign in Sheffield. #NotDriving. The aim is to raise awareness and encourage wider use of sustainable travel whether that’s public transport, walking, cycling or even smarter driving. In essence, it’s all about inspiring people to travel in Sheffield in a healthier way.\nSo, how is this accomplished? We give away prizes in return for you ditching your car on journeys to work, nights out or anywhere for that matter. Pledge the number of miles you would have driven right here on our site for a chance to be entered into the monthly prize draws.\nThis scheme is running for 3 years and has a budget of £30,000 for it\u0026rsquo;s lifetime. Would this money be better spent elsewhere? Is this the sort of project envisiged at the inception of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund?\nThe establishment of the LSTF reflects the importance the Government attach to helping build locally a strong economy and addressing at a local level the urgent challenge of climate change and the commitment made in the coalition agreement to promoting sustainable travel initiatives.\nNorman Baker, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Regional and Local Transport) - 13th December 2010\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/notdriving-sheffields-latest-promotion-for-sustainable-travel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Not-Driving_Logo_Green_500.png\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Not-Driving_Logo_Green_500\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Not-Driving_Logo_Green_500.png\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e There is a new sustainable travel campaign in Sheffield. \u003ca href=\"http://notdriving.co.uk/about/\"\u003e#NotDriving\u003c/a\u003e. The aim is \u003cem\u003eto raise awareness and encourage wider use of sustainable\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003etravel whether that’s public transport, walking, cycling or even smarter\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003edriving. In essence, it’s all about inspiring people to travel in\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eSheffield in a healthier way.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, how is this accomplished? \u003cem\u003eWe give away prizes in return for you ditching your car on journeys to\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003ework, nights out or anywhere for that matter. Pledge the number of miles\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eyou would have driven right here on our site for a chance to be entered\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003einto the monthly prize draws.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"#NotDriving - Sheffield's latest promotion for sustainable travel"},{"content":"Dear Bob Johnson,\nI\u0026rsquo;m writing to you because I\u0026rsquo;m concerned about the lack of progress I see in encouraging people to use bicycles to travel in Sheffield.\nAt yesterday\u0026rsquo;s Council Cycle Forum we heard from Dick Skelton, a highways planning officer, that all the council\u0026rsquo;s cycling schemes had been used up with the Local Sustainable Transport Bid. It was explained that the council are working on a Green Routes project and that this will provide more schemes to begin work on but these won\u0026rsquo;t be designed fully until next year (let alone built). The LSTF schemes in progress do not include any projects to improve the roads in Sheffield for cycling, they only include off road paths, river routes and railway line conversions.\nI find it staggering that there seems to be this lack of ambition to encourage people to use bicycles. We need our major roads in Sheffield to be made safer and more inviting to those who choose to cycle, and so that others are encouraged to cycle.\nMy understanding of the Green Routes project is that it aims to open up the city\u0026rsquo;s green spaces and parks for walking and cycling. I think that this is skirting around the problem, there is no problem cycling in the park, people enjoy it and it feels safe. However to get to the park, or green spaces I need to use roads, the majority of main roads in Sheffield do not have facilities for bicycle traffic. In addition, my workplace isn\u0026rsquo;t in a park, neither is my local school or the shops I visit, all the amenities of Sheffield are on roads, not in parks or green spaces!\nI\u0026rsquo;m not aware of a single scheme aiming to improve or encourage bicycle travel on the roads in Sheffield.\nI\u0026rsquo;m writing this email to you in the hope that you\u0026rsquo;ll ask Sheffield Council on my behalf what they are doing to improve conditions on our roads in Sheffield to support and encourage cycling.\nYours sincerely,\nMatt Turner\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/a-letter-to-my-local-councillor/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDear Bob Johnson,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m writing to you because I\u0026rsquo;m concerned about the lack of progress I see in encouraging people to use bicycles to travel in Sheffield.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt yesterday\u0026rsquo;s Council Cycle Forum we heard from Dick Skelton, a highways planning officer, that all the council\u0026rsquo;s cycling schemes had been used up with the Local Sustainable Transport Bid. It was explained that the council are working on a Green Routes project and that this will provide more schemes to begin work on but these won\u0026rsquo;t be designed fully until next year (let alone built). The LSTF schemes in progress do not include any projects to improve the roads in Sheffield for cycling, they only include off road paths, river routes and railway line conversions.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A letter to my local councillor"},{"content":" During the past week Sheffield City Council have approved outline designs for the Leppings Lane junction on the A61 in Hillsborough, Sheffield to reduce congestion due to extra traffic using a new Sainsburys supermarket. The design was due to be fully approved however issues raised by CycleSheffield meant that the Cabinet Member making the decision was not happy with the provision for bicycle traffic.\nhttp://meetings.sheffield.gov.uk/council-meetings/highway-cabinet-member-decision-sessions/agendas-2013/agenda-9-may-2013\nThe design was however approved \u0026ldquo;in principle\u0026rdquo; and the council have offered \u0026ldquo;a future meeting to look into the cyclists\u0026rsquo; concerns\u0026rdquo;.\nI\u0026rsquo;m pleased that our concerns resonated with the decision makers however I\u0026rsquo;m concerned with the attitude that an adequate solution can be found at the very end of the design process after the main highway design is complete and approved.\nOutline Highway Drawings\nLeigh Bramall, the cabinet member making the decision didn\u0026rsquo;t seem happy with the design for the bicycle traffic routes and took our concerns seriously. However he was persuaded by the highway engineer present that it was important to approve the scheme now and that the final details of bicycle movements could still be improved upon and that detailed designs (bicycle routes for instance) were still not finalised.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not convinced. The main highway design has been completed and approved, bicycle traffic is routed along tortuous shared pedestrian facilities with numerous multiple stage signal crossings. I think there is very little that can be improved upon unless the details up for negotiation include crossings, traffic light phasing, intermediate crossing islands, central reservations and reallocation of road space to bicycles.\nLooking at a journey from my home near Hillsborough Corner to the store, if I choose to cycle to the store using the proposed routes I will encounter 16 signalised crossings (there and back at these two junctions alone). If I were to drive I would encounter only 4 traffic lights, and half would be green for 60% to 70% of the time.\nThe traffic engineer present agreed with us that confident cyclists will still use the road because it \u0026ldquo;is more convenient\u0026rdquo; and said that \u0026ldquo;the cycle facilities have been provided for safety reasons\u0026rdquo; (loosely quoted). Perhaps a better reasons for cycle facilities would be encourage and facilitate people to use their bicycle to get to the shops?\nMy belief is that unless bicycle provision is considered and incorporated into the design from the very first stages, the solution will always be inadequate. We\u0026rsquo;ve been granted time to change the details, but it\u0026rsquo;s the bigger picture that is the problem. Bicycle traffic is considered last, because as was said at the council meeting \u0026ldquo;Not many people will cycle to the supermarket anyway\u0026rdquo;. The many thousands of people who live within 2 km of the store will never choose to cycle if you allow the highway to be designed assuming they won\u0026rsquo;t.\nThere are drawings showing the difference in convenience between the bicycle route and car/road route. Here are two out of many. Do they look like they can be improved upon by changing the details? I don\u0026rsquo;t think so.\n5 Signals for the bicycles and pedestrians, 1 for the cars Leppings Lane Roundabout Redesign\n5 Signals for the bicycles and pedestrians, 1 for the cars Clay Wheels Lane Junction Redesign\nMy full email of concerns to Leigh Bramall:\nSubject: Highway Cabinet Member Decision Session 9 May 2013 - Item 3, Wadsley Bridge Scheme From: Matt Turner To: leigh.bramall@sheffield.gov.uk\nHi Leigh,\nI\u0026rsquo;m planning to attend the Highway Decision Session on Thursday to talk about the Wadsley Bridge junction improvements for the Sainsbury\u0026rsquo;s development and wanted to let you know in advance of what I\u0026rsquo;m going to be saying (I\u0026rsquo;m hoping that this is better for you than me just turning up and putting you on the spot!)\nI\u0026rsquo;ve had a read through the report on which your basing your decision and am concerned that it doesn\u0026rsquo;t mention any of the concerns raised about the design of the scheme by CycleSheffield.\nThis scheme was brought to the Cycle Forum in 2011, however it was made clear in the meeting that the cycling provision plans presented were just a \u0026lsquo;first stab\u0026rsquo;, it was brought to the forum to seeking opinions on preliminary designs. Forward on to a couple of months ago, you and I met and spoke briefly in Hillsborough at a Fair Deal petition event, you mentioned that there was a scheme to signalise this junction. I\u0026rsquo;d not seen any designs or heard any discussion, nothing further had been brought to the Cycle Forum, so I asked the council to send me the latest designs for cycling provision in the scheme.\nI was pretty shocked at what I received and sent the drawings around to some other cyclists in Sheffield, it seems that none of us were aware of the proposed design and it came as a bit of a surprise. The report you have states that \u0026ldquo;the detailed design of the this scheme has been subject to a further public consultation exercise\u0026rdquo; however this consisted of paper questionnaires being distributed to local businesses and residents, there was no wider consultation of the detailed design and it has not been brought to any recent Cycle Forum meetings.\nOn 19th April the Chair of CycleSheffield, sent our collective comments and concerns to [the cycling officers at the council]. This list is compiled from a long discussion that took place on the design between members of CycleSheffield and represents the views of many cyclists in Sheffield.\nNone of these comments and concerns have made it into the report which you will use to make your decision, neither has a plan of the proposed routes for bicycle traffic through these junctions. I think that you need to be made aware that I (and others) view this scheme as a complete failure for both walking and cycling. Your report, paragraph 4.6 states that \u0026ldquo;No significant outstanding concerns now exist\u0026rdquo; I believe this to be an inaccurate statement.\nOne significant problem (out of the many below) is the inconvenience of the bicycle and pedestrian routes to the new store and through the two junctions. I have created some drawings to illustrate this and have attached a three of them to this email.\nThe first drawing I\u0026rsquo;ve attached shows a comparison between the road and cycle route when turning right into Clay Wheels Lane (the entrance to the new store) from Penistone Road North. It shows that there is a single traffic light to wait for on the road route, but there are 5 separate crossings for the equivalent bicycle and pedestrian route, all with lights to wait for.\nThe second and third drawings show the bicycle route when travelling from Penistone Road North through both junctions to join Penistone Road (and on into town past Hillsborough). The bicycle route has 7 separate crossings all with individual lights whereas the road route only has 2 traffic lights to pass though (which will likely be green 60-70% of the time).\nLooking at a journey from my home near Hillsborough Corner to the store, if I choose to cycle to the store using the proposed routes I will encounter 16 signalised crossings (there and back at these two junctions alone). If I were to drive I would encounter only 4 traffic lights, and half would be green for 60% to 70% of the time.\nThere are two arms of Leppings Lane junction which currently have zebra crossings, these provide priority and convenience to people who choose to walk to the store. The proposed designs converts these into toucan crossings, instead of a single crossing one will have two stages and the other will have three stages (5 in total to cross two adjacent arms of the junction). These new crossings will not respond to button presses when someone is waiting, they will be phased into the whole junction in order to keep traffic flowing. Putting safety concerns about zebra crossings aside, moving from a road crossing that prioritises pedestrians and encourages walking to one that prioritises road traffic and encourages driving is a backwards decision that needs to be reviewed.\nYour report states in para 3.4 that \u0026ldquo;The proposals are also aimed at improving road safety for those people who choose to walk or cycle to the new store\u0026rdquo; however I doubt many people will choose to walk or cycle to the new store because the details in the design make these modes of transport so inconvenient. If I had a car, I would use it to get to the store, there is very little about the design of this scheme that would persuade me to cycle or walk, it is far more convenient to drive.\nBearing this in mind, I think that the design of the junction fails to meet the needs of all road users. The needs of motorised traffic are placed well above the needs of bicycle and pedestrian traffic. I suspect the design of the routes for pedestrians and cyclists were added after the routes for motorised traffic were already in the final stages of the design. They have been placed to suit the needs of the motorised road traffic, not designed to meet the needs of cyclists and pedestrians. I don\u0026rsquo;t think this is the way we should be designing highway schemes in Sheffield, we need to do all we can to reduce the reliance on private cars so that we have a positive impact on climate change, on air quality, on congestion, on the livability of our city and for the health of us all.\nI\u0026rsquo;m sorry that this email is so long, but I think all these issues need explaining clearly and fully, I hope you\u0026rsquo;ve made it this far!\nI would like for you to not approve this scheme design and send it back to the drawing board for a redesign, I will be coming along on Thursday to ask you to consider doing this and will talk on the points above.\nPlease give me a call if anything isn\u0026rsquo;t clear or you\u0026rsquo;d like more information.\nKind regards,\nMatt Turner\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-a61-junction-redesign-provision-for-bicycles-to-be-considered-last/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/P1050814.resized.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"P1050814.resized\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/P1050814.resized-300x225.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e During the past week Sheffield City Council have approved outline designs for the Leppings Lane junction on the A61 in Hillsborough, Sheffield to reduce congestion due to extra traffic using a new Sainsburys supermarket. The design was due to be fully approved however issues raised by CycleSheffield meant that the Cabinet Member making the decision was not happy with the provision for bicycle traffic.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://meetings.sheffield.gov.uk/council-meetings/highway-cabinet-member-decision-sessions/agendas-2013/agenda-9-may-2013\"\u003ehttp://meetings.sheffield.gov.uk/council-meetings/highway-cabinet-member-decision-sessions/agendas-2013/agenda-9-may-2013\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe design was however approved \u0026ldquo;in principle\u0026rdquo; and the council have offered \u0026ldquo;a future meeting to look into the cyclists\u0026rsquo; concerns\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m pleased that our concerns resonated with the decision makers however I\u0026rsquo;m concerned with the attitude that an adequate solution can be found at the very end of the design process after the main highway design is complete and approved.\u003c/p\u003e\n","title":"Sheffield A61 Junction Redesign - Provision for bicycles to be considered last"},{"content":"\nIt is already on record that South Yorkshire Police do not consider road safety to be a priority. The recently elected South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright said so at one of the very first meetings he attended.\nWhilst the remit of road safety fell under the remit of the Police and Crime Commissioner, unless there was a particular road safety issue, traffic policing would not be high on the list of priorities as some other issues.\nSource: Shaun Wright, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commisioner, Police and Crime Panel Minutes 23rd November 2012\nLast week in Sheffield on my doorstep an 82 year old lady was run down by a hit and run driver in a 20mph zone which is used as a through route by design. From the description it seems clear that the driver failed to give way when turning into a side road as the lady crossed the junction.\nAn 82-year-old woman from Burncross, Sheffield, was crossing Taplin Road close to the junction of Middlewood Road. It is believed that a silver/grey car travelling along Taplin Road towards Hillsborough Place, collided with the elderly woman, and failed to stop at the scene.\nSource: South Yorkshire Police appeal\nAnd an 8 year old girl is hit by a drunk driver on a Sheffield City Centre street.\nAN eight-year-old child was rushed to hospital after being struck by a car in a Sheffield street. “The driver of the vehicle involved has been arrested on suspicion of being over the drink drive limit.”\nSource: The Star 02/05/2013\nAnd on the very same day we see local statistics released for the second UN Global Road Safety Week. As reported in The Sheffield Star newspaper:\nTwelve pedestrians are killed or injured on South Yorkshire’s roads every week, according to new police figures revealed today.\nSource: Sheffield Star 02/05/2013\nWhat do the police have to say in response to this when approached for a comment?\nPC Mick Hedges from South Yorkshire Police, said: “I have lost count of the number of incidents I have attended where pedestrians have been unnecessarily killed or injured. “It takes very little effort to follow these four simple steps – stop, look, listen and think. Parents can also play their part and teach their children by example.” .. Officers from the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership will \u0026hellip; provide training in schools and urge youngsters to wear bright, reflective clothing.\nSource: Sheffield Star 02/05/2013\nIs anyone else concerned by this attitude or is it just me? I would much rather the police in Sheffield and South Yorkshire stopped with the victim blaming and focused on the true causes of these casualties as identified by the World Health Organisation.\nEach year, more than 270 000 pedestrians lose their lives on the world’s roads. Many leave their homes as they would on any given day never to return. Globally, pedestrians constitute 22% of all road traffic fatalities.\nThe key risks to pedestrians are well documented, and they include issues related to a broad range of factors: driver behaviour particularly in terms of speeding and drinking and driving; infrastructure in terms of a lack of dedicated facilities for pedestrians such as sidewalks, raised crosswalks and medians; and vehicle design in terms of solid vehicle fronts which are not forgiving to pedestrians should they be struck.\nSource: The World Health Organisation, Pedestrian Road Safety Manual\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/south-yorkshire-police-a-new-low-in-keeping-pedestrians-safe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Hi-Vis-Hedgehog.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Hi Vis Hedgehog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Hi-Vis-Hedgehog.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is already on record that \u003cstrong\u003eSouth Yorkshire Police do not consider road safety to be a priority\u003c/strong\u003e. The recently elected South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright said so at one of the very first meetings he attended.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhilst the remit of road safety fell under the remit of the Police and Crime Commissioner, unless there was a particular road safety issue, \u003cstrong\u003etraffic policing\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ewould not be high on the list of priorities\u003c/strong\u003e as some other issues.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"South Yorkshire Police - A new low in keeping pedestrians safe"},{"content":"Are these cycle lanes?\nPerhaps the cycle route signs give an obvious answer?\nIf you think they are cycle lanes then you\u0026rsquo;d be wrong. These are not cycle lanes.. These \u0026rsquo;lanes\u0026rsquo; actually indicate areas of danger according to information presented to the Sheffield City Council Cycle Forum.\nAs part of the Supertram project, red surfacing and white lines were introduced to indicate to drivers how to avoid the tram tracks and to guide them onto a conventional surface.\nThis has created a problem for cyclists, given a perception that cycle lanes are often coloured red, and therefore with many believing that the nearside red surfacing adjacent to the tram tracks is a cycle lane. Cyclists are then presented with tram stops where the platforms extend into the ‘road’ and the ‘cycle lane’ disappears. Cyclists then find themselves crossing the tram tracks at a narrow angle and slipping into the rails, or find themselves ‘forced out’ often into faster moving traffic. There have been a number of injuries, some serious, as a result.\nSheffield Cycle Forum notes - 19th March 2013\nUse these \u0026lsquo;cycle lanes\u0026rsquo; at your own risk. They will end suddenly and force you to cross tram lines at a dangerous angle.\nThese road marking will soon be replaced by hatched markings. Hopefully less misleading for anyone who use these routes.\nReplace the red surfacing and white line (the ‘cycle lane’) at the nearside with a solid white line and hatching for 5m to 10m. The hatching then ceases and the white line continues, solid or broken as appropriate. At side roads the process is repeated.\nIf there is insufficient width to provide hatching a solid white ‘nose’ can be provided, followed bythe white line.\nSheffield Cycle Forum notes - 19th March 2013 But\u0026hellip; good luck sharing the road with trams, you\u0026rsquo;ll need to get out of the way if one comes up behind you. They can\u0026rsquo;t overtake and there\u0026rsquo;s not enough room to move over to let one past. ","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/when-is-a-cycle-lane-not-a-cycle-lane/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAre these cycle lanes?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Lane-1.resized.jpg.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Lane 1.resized.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Lane-1.resized.jpg.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Lane-2.resized.jpg.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Lane 2.resized.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Lane-2.resized.jpg.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Lane-3.resized.jpg.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Lane 3.resized.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Lane-3.resized.jpg.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePerhaps the cycle route signs give an obvious answer?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Off-road-to-on-road.resized.jpg.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Off road to on road.resized.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Off-road-to-on-road.resized.jpg.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Off-road-to-on-road-2.resized.jpg.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Off road to on road 2.resized.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Off-road-to-on-road-2.resized.jpg.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you think they are cycle lanes then you\u0026rsquo;d be wrong. \u003cstrong\u003eThese are not cycle lanes.\u003c/strong\u003e. These \u0026rsquo;lanes\u0026rsquo; actually indicate areas of danger according to information presented to the Sheffield City Council Cycle Forum.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs part of the Supertram project, red surfacing and white lines were introduced to indicate to drivers how to avoid the tram tracks and to guide them onto a conventional surface.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"When is a cycle lane not a cycle lane?"},{"content":"Yesterday at Prime Ministers Questions, Julian Huppert, MP for Cambridge asked a question about the Get Britain Cycling report which was released yesterday.\nJulian Huppert Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge\nDr Julian Huppert (Cambridge) (LD): Today sees the publication of the all-party cycling group’s report “Get Britain Cycling”, which calls for leadership from the very top on this issue. Will the Prime Minister look at the report, make sure that he produces a cross-departmental action plan and give his personal commitment and leadership to get Britain cycling? [ Interruption. ] Mr Speaker: Order. Members on both sides are very discourteous to the good doctor. I cannot for the life of me fathom why there are groans whenever I call the good doctor, but it is very unsatisfactory.\nDavid Cameron Conservative MP for Witney\nThe Prime Minister: I do not always agree with what the hon. Gentleman says, but on this occasion he is absolutely right and the House should heed what he says: we should be doing much more to encourage cycling. The report has many good points. I commend what the Mayor of London has done in London to promote cycling, and I hope local authorities can follow his lead in making sure that we do more.\nSource: TheyWorkForYou\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/prime-minister-we-should-be-doing-much-more-to-encourage-cycling/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday at Prime Ministers Questions, Julian Huppert, MP for Cambridge asked a question about the \u003ca href=\"http://allpartycycling.org/2013/04/24/one-in-ten-of-all-journeys-should-be-by-bike-press-release-and-links-to-the-reports/\"\u003eGet Britain Cycling\u003c/a\u003e report which was released yesterday.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/24892.jpeg\"\r\n         alt=\" Julian Huppert   Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge\" width=\"91\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eJulian Huppert   Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDr Julian Huppert (Cambridge) (LD):\u003c/strong\u003e Today sees the publication of the all-party cycling group’s report “Get Britain Cycling”, which calls for leadership from the very top on this issue. Will the Prime Minister look at the report, make sure that he produces a cross-departmental action plan and give his personal commitment and leadership to get Britain cycling? \u003cem\u003e[\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eInterruption.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003e]\u003c/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eMr Speaker:\u003c/strong\u003e Order. Members on both sides are very discourteous to the good doctor. I cannot for the life of me fathom why there are groans whenever I call the good doctor, but it is very unsatisfactory.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Prime Minister: \"We should be doing much more to encourage cycling\""},{"content":"\rTaplin Road 20mph Zone - A designated through route for \u0026lsquo;other traffic\u0026rsquo;\nIn Hillsborough, a suburb of Sheffield, a significant volume of motorised traffic uses a 20mph residential as a through route by design so that delays to motorised traffic is kept to a minimum.\nThere are already some 20mph zones in Sheffield such as Taplin Road in Hillsborough.The local council is in the process of installing more of them around Sheffield.\nWe want to reduce the speed limit to 20mph from 30mph in some residential areas in Sheffield. This will help us to reduce the number of accidents on our roads. Lower speeds will help make neighbourhoods a safer, more pleasant place for local people to live, particularly for our children and elderly.\nHowever, in reality the Taplin Road 20mph zone is used as a dumping ground for excess through traffic re-routed from Hillsborough Corner crossroads in order to keep traffic flowing smoothly.\nA lot of vehicle traffic heading out of Hillsborough will use the A61 Penistone Road. Most of this would ideally travel south along Middlewood Road towards Hillsborough Corner and then left onto Bradfield Road (as in the map below - the red area shows the 20mph speed limit zone).\nThe actual route is shown in green, the prohibited route is shown in dashed red.\nHowever, the left turn onto Bradfield Road is not permitted because the phasing of the lights at Hillsborough Corner conflicts with a pedestrian crossing phase.\nAs a result drivers are directed into the residential area of Taplin Road and Hillsborough Place and then onto Holme Lane to approach Hillsborough Corner junction from a different direction. This diversion is through a 20mph zone in a residential area.\nTaplin Road\nHillsborough Place\nTaplin Road and Hillsborough Place are both residential roads with on street parking, houses close to the road, narrow footpaths, children and plenty of families. Not the sort of place significant volumes of traffic should be directed!\nAs a token gesture some traffic calming measures have been introduced. Can you spot them in the pictures? Some red surface and a brick moulded tar covering. Does this do anything to remind vehicles that pedestrians have priority when crossing? No.\nTraffic calming measures\nPerhaps a \u0026lsquo;speed table\u0026rsquo; at junctions? It\u0026rsquo;s quite hard to see, because it\u0026rsquo;s such a half arsed measure.\nA Speed Table - Can you see it!?\nThe Dutch approach for a junction from a major road to a residential road would have significant traffic calming measures. It would be clear that you\u0026rsquo;re entering a residential area where pedestrians have priority.\nSource - Paul James, http://pedestrianiselondon.tumblr.comThis could all have been prevented if the Hillsborough Corner traffic light phase had been separated so the pedestrians could cross either before or after the green vehicle phase.\nSo, why wasn\u0026rsquo;t this done? I suspect because it would introduce delay to vehicles at Hillsborough corner - Sheffield City Council never seem very keen on doing this!\nI believe this shows road design at its worst. To go to these lengths to remove any inconvenience/delay to vehicle traffic shows a significant disregard for the safety and well-being of the residents of Hillsborough. Traffic that adds no value to the local area is put ahead of the place in which we live. And that has to change. 20mph Zones are not the solution to through routes in residential areas. Removing the traffic is.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/stop-directing-heavy-traffic-into-20mph-zones/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20-Zone.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\" Taplin Road 20mph Zone - A designated through route for \u0026#39;other traffic\u0026#39;\" width=\"1000\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eTaplin Road 20mph Zone - A designated through route for \u0026lsquo;other traffic\u0026rsquo;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.20splentyforus.org.uk\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"20sPlentyLogo\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/20sPlentyLogo.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e In Hillsborough, a suburb of Sheffield, a significant volume of motorised traffic uses a 20mph residential as a through route by design so that delays to motorised traffic is kept to a minimum.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are already some 20mph zones in Sheffield such as Taplin Road in Hillsborough.The local council is in the process of installing more of them \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/SCC-Home/roads/works/schemes/new-20-mph-speed-limits\"\u003earound Sheffield\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Stop Directing Heavy Traffic into 20mph Zones"},{"content":" Today I was speaking to someone about a proposed highways scheme in Sheffield. I said that the bicycle route was inconvenient because to turn right into a side road from a main road there were five toucan crossings on the bicycle route whereas the road has a slip lane with one traffic light.\nThe response was:\nConfident cyclists can always use the road\nInstalling a cycle route that is less convenient than the road will not be used by existing cyclists who are used to convenient routes and dealing with hostile traffic.\nInstalling a bicycle route that is less convenient than the road will not encourage drivers to go by bike as it is more convenient to drive.\nMaking convenient routes that are only accessible to \u0026lsquo;confident cyclists\u0026rsquo; excludes new cyclists, the young, the old, normal people nipping to the shops. It perpetuates the current approach which puts the convenience of the private motorcar before bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Roads that create convenient routes for private motorised transport at the expense of bicycle and pedestrian traffic have been designed upside down from the start.\nCycling routes need to be convenient and feel safe, one without the other will never encourage people to go by bike.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/confident-cyclists-can-just-use-the-road/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/P1050779.resized.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"P1050779.resized\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/P1050779.resized.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e Today I was speaking to someone about a proposed highways scheme in Sheffield. I said that the bicycle route was inconvenient because to turn right into a side road from a main road there were \u003cstrong\u003efive toucan crossings\u003c/strong\u003e on the bicycle route whereas the road has a \u003cstrong\u003eslip lane with one traffic light\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe response was:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConfident cyclists can always use the road\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInstalling a cycle route that is less convenient than the road will not be used by existing cyclists who are used to convenient routes and dealing with hostile traffic.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"\"Confident cyclists can just use the road\""},{"content":" This was the title of a piece in The Sheffield Star newspaper this morning reporting on a petition to Sheffield Council discussed at last weeks general council meeting.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve written about cycle audits in the past and Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s failed commitment to conduct them. Recently CycleSheffield members were encouraged to write to their councillors and ask for cycle audits to begin ASAP. Many many people did this and I\u0026rsquo;ve heard that the council was inundated with questions from Councillors trying to get information.\nThis campaign had the desired effect and Sheffield Council have announced that they will introduce cycle audits and will be creating a new staff position in the council to conduct them.\nThe cycle audits will review schemes from the very inception to the finished product (pre-planning permission, planning permission review, detailed design and construction). We should begin to see bicycle traffic considered at the inception of highways schemes in Sheffield rather than just added on as an afterthought.\n\u0026ldquo;We have made a commitment that in the next financial year we are putting someone in post to conduct cycle audits\u0026hellip; in any schemes coming forward they will be conducted\u0026rdquo; Councillor Leigh Bramall - Chair of Sheffield Cabinet Highways Committee\nThis is a huge success and wouldn\u0026rsquo;t have been achieved without the efforts of CycleSheffield members.\nWell done.\nFull words of the representation I made at Sheffield Full Council meeting last week.\nIn 2007 this council passed a motion from Councillor Peter Price and gave a commitment to consider bicycle traffic during the design of highways schemes in Sheffield. In the 6 years since this motion passed, Sheffield still does not consider bicycle traffic as a matter of course when designing highways schemes. This petition and related representations to councilors over the past few months has the aim of highlighting this problem and to ask Sheffield Council to follow through with this commitment by adding cycle audits to all highway design projects.\u0026quot;\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-gets-cycle-friendly/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Star.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Star\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Star.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e This was the title of a piece in The Sheffield Star newspaper this morning reporting on a petition to Sheffield Council discussed at last weeks general council meeting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve written about cycle audits in \u003ca href=\"/a-commitment-to-cycle-audits-in-sheffield/\"\u003ethe past\u003c/a\u003e and Sheffield\u0026rsquo;s failed commitment to conduct them. Recently CycleSheffield members were encouraged to \u003ca href=\"http://www.cyclesheffield.org.uk/cycle-audits/\"\u003ewrite to their councillors\u003c/a\u003e and ask for cycle audits to begin ASAP. Many many people did this and I\u0026rsquo;ve heard that the council was inundated with questions from Councillors trying to get information.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"'Sheffield gets cycle-friendly'"},{"content":"\rBlocking a contraflow cycle lane - 30th March 2013\nSheffield Police seem to be under the impression that they can leave their vehicles in mandatory cycle contraflow lanes even though they have a car park across the road.\nThe people on the front line (receptionists, policemen) seem to think that I\u0026rsquo;m wasting their time complaining. I was made to feel like an idiot and that I was in the wrong for asking the vehicles to be moved to their car park.\nWell, they\u0026rsquo;re mistaken, we\u0026rsquo;re not playing games anymore, parking in this cycle lane opposite their own car park is no longer acceptable and has been condemned by SYP management with assurances given that it is not acceptable.\nAfter I made my complaint I assume someone with some knowledge of the history got wind and asked for the vehicles to be moved immediately. 5 Minutes after being told that there was no where for the vehicles to park and it was necessary to block the cycle lane, the vans were moved into the police car park. A minor victory. All photo\u0026rsquo;s on this post taken approximately 10:05 on 30th March 2013.\nBlocking a contraflow cycle lane - 30th March 2013\nBlocking a contraflow cycle lane - 30th March 2013\nBlocking a contraflow cycle lane - 30th March 2013\nBlocking a contraflow cycle lane - 30th March 2013\nBlocking a contraflow cycle lane - 30th March 2013 Not even anyone waiting in the vehicle\nBlocking a contraflow cycle lane - 30th March 2013 Moved into the police carpark after a complaint made at the station\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-police-yes-theyre-still-at-it/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/P1060696-Small.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\" Blocking a contraflow cycle lane - 30th March 2013\" width=\"300\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eBlocking a contraflow cycle lane - 30th March 2013\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eSheffield Police seem to be under the impression that they can leave their vehicles in mandatory cycle contraflow lanes even though they have a car park across the road.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe people on the front line (receptionists, policemen) seem to think that I\u0026rsquo;m wasting their time complaining. I was made to feel like an idiot and that I was in the wrong for asking the vehicles to be moved to their car park.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield Police - Yes, they're still at it!"},{"content":" My name is Matt Turner, I live in Hillsborough in Sheffield.\nMy Twitter account is here.\nI contribute to OpenStreetMap under the username Matt T and I mainly contribute cycling information which is used on OpenCycleMap and the CycleStreets journey planner.\nI have a YouTube channel full of examples of bad experiences (driving) on my bike in Sheffield and further abroad. This was one of my first contributions to cycling activism and how I got involved.\nMore recently I\u0026rsquo;ve been involved with CycleSheffield trying to make a difference as part of larger group.\nThis blog started because I wanted a place to organise and publish my thoughts on cycling in Sheffield. Apart from the CycleSheffield blog, there doesn\u0026rsquo;t seem to be much of a cycle activism blogging scene in Sheffield so I\u0026rsquo;m trying to do my bit to contribute.\nThe name Great Gas Beetle originated from mishearing The Great Gatsby being read on the radio!\nYou can email me on matt@mattturner.blog\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/about-me/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Forum-Photo.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Forum Photo\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Forum-Photo.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e My name is Matt Turner, I live in Hillsborough in Sheffield.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy Twitter account \u003ca href=\"http://www.twitter.com/mattturner86\"\u003eis here\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI contribute to \u003ca href=\"http://www.openstreetmap.org\"\u003eOpenStreetMap\u003c/a\u003e under the username \u003ca href=\"http://www.openstreetmap.org/user/Matt%20T\"\u003eMatt T\u003c/a\u003e and I mainly contribute cycling information which is used on \u003ca href=\"http://www.opencyclemap.org\"\u003eOpenCycleMap\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cyclestreets.net/\"\u003eCycleStreets journey planner\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have a \u003ca href=\"http://www.youtube.com/SheffieldCyclist\"\u003eYouTube channel\u003c/a\u003e full of examples of bad experiences (driving) on my bike in Sheffield and further abroad. This was one of my first contributions to cycling activism and how I got involved.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"About Me"},{"content":"On my commute to work I very rarely stop for traffic lights, even when they are red I normally just cycle straight on past the queues of cars waiting at the stop line. I do this all perfectly legally and safely without breaking any rules.\nHow can I do this? Because I cycle on an off road cycle path where these traffic lights do not apply.\nThis cyclist doesn\u0026rsquo;t need to worry about sitting in the queue of cars at the red light, he\u0026rsquo;s using the shared use path at the side of the road\nThe traffic lights on Penistone Road in Sheffield do not apply to cyclists using the off road cycle path. There are 18 sets of traffic lights that I miss by choosing to cycle along this 1.5km stretch of Penistone road. Even if the lights are red I can pass them safely and am simply permitted to bypass them on the cycle path because the lights that apply to the adjacent road do not apply to the cycle path.\nThis is a big big advantage that cyclists have over other vehicles, my journey is quicker, I don\u0026rsquo;t need to start and stop which makes cycling less strenuous, and I make excellent progress along this road.\nDon\u0026rsquo;t want to wait at the lights like the cars? Just use the two way cycle track and sail past.\nLots has been said about cyclists being allowed to turn left on red lights, I do not support this because I think it will encourage cyclists to move up the inside of left turning traffic. However if cyclists are provided with dedicated off road facilities (as I use every day) then left turns and some straights simply do not need to be controlled by lights, cyclists are simply given a path through the junction without ever encountering a stop line.\nThere are (almost) 5 sets of traffic lights controlling the road in this photo. A person using the cycle track checks that it\u0026rsquo;s safe to cross the side road and just goes. This convenience could be improved by providing cyclists with priority over other traffic when crossing the side road.\nThe concept of bypassing taffic lights is discussed as applied in The Netherlands by Mark Wagenbuur in this blog post\nI\u0026rsquo;m glad that Sheffield City Council decided to ignore their policy of designing roads for confident cyclists only for Penistone Road because I use this cycle path every day, it feels safe and there are only two points where I sometimes need to wait.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/bypassing-traffic-lights-using-off-road-cycle-tracks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOn my commute to work I very rarely stop for traffic lights, even when they are red I normally just cycle straight on past the queues of cars waiting at the stop line. I do this all perfectly legally and safely without breaking any rules.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow can I do this? Because I cycle on an off road cycle path where these traffic lights do not apply.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/P1060636-Large.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\" This cyclist doesn\u0026#39;t need to worry about sitting in the queue of cars at the red light, he\u0026#39;s using the shared use path at the side of the road\" width=\"1440\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eThis cyclist doesn\u0026rsquo;t need to worry about sitting in the queue of cars at the red light, he\u0026rsquo;s using the shared use path at the side of the road\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bypassing traffic lights using off road cycle tracks"},{"content":" I attended the Sheffield City Council Highways Cabinet Committee meeting earlier in the week and asked a question about a new preliminary junction design in Broomhill. A pedestrian crossing with a mid island is being introduced along with a new slip road to allow left turns.\nBroomhill preliminary junction design - approved without any consideration being given to people on bicycles\n\u0026ldquo;How have the needs of people riding bicycles been taken into consideration when evaluating the preliminary design options? I can find no discussion on this in the report\u0026rdquo;\nThe answer was very long winded and didn\u0026rsquo;t answer my question directly, so I replied\n\u0026ldquo;So you haven\u0026rsquo;t given any consideration to cyclists at this stage?\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;No\u0026rdquo; was the answer.\nA local councillor suggested that the council should place signs advising of alternative routes on quieter roads. Dick Proctor, Transport Planning Manager at Sheffield Council agreed and added that,\n\u0026ldquo;We (Sheffield City Council) design main roads for confident cyclists only\u0026rdquo;\nOthers have long argued that this strategy will not encourage people to use bikes and I strongly agree. David Arditti wrote about this in his blog Vole O\u0026rsquo;Speed recently in relation to the London Cycling Network, I shall quote him.\nBut there were no answers to the simple observation that the minor roads are minor because, in general, they are not the most useful through-routes to anywhere that people need to go. Cycle route planning does need to start from the recognition that cyclists, or, should I say, people on bikes, are normal human beings who need to do the same things that everybody else needs to do: go to the same shops, schools, offices, stations, that are all linked, most usably and efficiently, by the main roads. Forcing an invariable, inevitable compromise between directness (and priority) and safety was never going to be a route to success. As I have said before, fundamentally, cyclists no more belong on the minor roads than do motor vehicles or pedestrains, and successful route planning in both the Netherlands and Denmark, to my knowledge, has been based on the procedure of looking first at where cyclists go already, and then providing safe infrastructure for them in those places: quite the reverse of the LCN approach.\nIt doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like this junction will be made safe for cyclists any time soon, Dick Proctor thinks there is no need because only confident cyclists will use it. This is the reason 1.9% of people\u0026rsquo;s journeys to work are by bicycle in Sheffield :-(\nThe preliminary design was approved at the meeting.\nNo need for cycle infrastructure - it\u0026rsquo;s a main road only confident cyclists will use it (this is not the junction in Broomhill but another one in the centre of Sheffield)\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/main-roads-in-sheffield-for-confident-cyclists-only/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/P1050814.resized.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"P1050814.resized\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/P1050814.resized.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e I attended the \u003ca href=\"http://meetings.sheffield.gov.uk/council-meetings/cabinet-highways-committee/agendas-2013/agenda-14th-march-2013\"\u003eSheffield City Council Highways Cabinet Committee meeting\u003c/a\u003e earlier in the week and asked a question about a new preliminary junction design in Broomhill. A pedestrian crossing with a mid island is being introduced along with a new slip road to allow left turns.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Broomhill-Junction.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\" Broomhill preliminary junction design - approved without any consideration being given to people on bicycles\" width=\"859\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eBroomhill preliminary junction design - approved without any consideration being given to people on bicycles\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Main roads in Sheffield - for confident cyclists only"},{"content":" The Westway, the ultimate symbol of how the urban motorway tore up our cities, will become the ultimate symbol of how we are claiming central London for the bike.\nBoris Johnson - The Mayor\u0026rsquo;s Vision For Cycling In London\nSheffield\u0026rsquo;s Brook Hill Roundabout - The ultimate symbol of the urban motorway.\nDescribed by The Times in 2012 as \u0026ldquo;a nightmarish experience for all but the most advanced cyclists\u0026hellip;There are no concession to cyclists here – no cycle lanes or markings — and cyclists have to race to match the speed of oncoming traffic.\u0026rdquo;\nWe desperately need some of this vision in Sheffield.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/brook-hill-roundabout-sheffields-urban-motorway/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Westway, the ultimate symbol of how the urban motorway tore up our cities, will become the ultimate symbol of how we are claiming central London for the bike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBoris Johnson - \u003ca href=\"http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/15459.aspx\"\u003eThe Mayor\u0026rsquo;s Vision For Cycling In London\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/P1060273.resized.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Book Hill Roundabout\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/P1060273.resized.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSheffield\u0026rsquo;s Brook Hill Roundabout - The ultimate symbol of the urban motorway.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescribed by \u003ca href=\"http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3392986.ece\"\u003eThe Times in 2012\u003c/a\u003e as \u0026ldquo;a nightmarish experience for all but the most advanced cyclists\u0026hellip;There are no concession to cyclists here – no cycle lanes or markings — and cyclists have to race to match the speed of oncoming traffic.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Brook Hill Roundabout - Sheffield's Urban Motorway"},{"content":"\nLord Stoddart of Swindon (Independent Labour)\nTo ask Her Majesty\u0026rsquo;s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 13 February (WA 169), whether cyclists are subject to 20 miles per hour speed limits; and, if so, what penalties are available for cyclists who break the limit.\nEarl Attlee (Whip, House of Lords; Conservative)\nCyclists are not subject to the general prohibition on exceeding the maximum speed limit on the road.\nSource Citation: HL Deb, 7 March 2013, c413W\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/cyclists-are-not-subject-to-speed-limits-parliamentary-question/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Stodart.jpeg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Stodart\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Stodart.jpeg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLord Stoddart of Swindon (Independent Labour)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo ask Her Majesty\u0026rsquo;s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 13 February (WA 169), whether cyclists are subject to 20 miles per hour speed limits; and, if so, what penalties are available for cyclists who break the limit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Attlee.jpeg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Attlee\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Attlee.jpeg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e Earl Attlee (Whip, House of Lords; Conservative)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCyclists are not subject to the general prohibition on exceeding the maximum speed limit on the road.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cyclists are not subject to speed limits - Parliamentary question"},{"content":"A while ago I took a look at Google and Bing\u0026rsquo;s Street View services to see if they\u0026rsquo;d caught any vehicles parked illegally on Castle Street contraflow lane - they had!\nWell\u0026hellip; Google Street-view has been updated and the situation is no better! No taxi this time but a UK Mail delivery van!\nGoogle Street View - Castle Street - July 2012\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffields-castle-street-cycle-lane-google-street-view-updates/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA while ago I took a look at Google and Bing\u0026rsquo;s Street View services to see if they\u0026rsquo;d caught any vehicles parked illegally on \u003ca href=\"/category/castle-street/\"\u003eCastle Street\u003c/a\u003e contraflow lane - \u003ca href=\"/castle-street-sheffield-cycle-lane-parking/\"\u003ethey had!\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWell\u0026hellip; Google Street-view \u003ca href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21689940\"\u003ehas been updated\u003c/a\u003e and the situation is no better! No taxi this time but a \u003ca href=\"http://www.ukmail.com/\"\u003eUK Mail\u003c/a\u003e delivery van!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Streetview-Castle-Street-July-2012.png\"\r\n         alt=\" Google Street View - Castle Street - July 2012\" width=\"625\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eGoogle Street View - Castle Street - July 2012\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e","title":"Sheffield's Castle Street Cycle Lane - Google Street View Updates"},{"content":"\rSource: Scott Ehardt\nStatistics for cyclists injured by \u0026lsquo;car door incidents\u0026rsquo; have just been released for the last few years. I\u0026rsquo;m fairly sure that this information has been available previously but this is a nice summary in response to a Parliamentary Question.\nBetween 2009 and 2011 1587 incidents have been recorded resulting in injury, 2 resulted in death.\nMr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on (a) the number of pedal cyclist casualties attributable to the opening of a vehicle door in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2011 and (b) the severity of the injuries received in each case. [145360]\nStephen Hammond: The numbers of pedal cyclists injured, by severity, in reported personal injury road accidents in Great Britain, as a result of hitting an open door of a vehicle, or as a result of a vehicle door being opened or closed negligently (e.g. injured due to evasive action), for the last three years are: Casualties Severity 2009 2010 2011 Killed 0 1 1 Serious 55 77 92 Slight 413 449 501\nSo\u0026hellip; don\u0026rsquo;t ride in the door zone! Heed the advice from Silly Cyclists and watch the video below.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/cycling-in-the-door-zone-injury-statistics/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/401px-Door_zone_open.jpg\"\r\n         alt=\" Source: Scott Ehardt\" width=\"200\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eSource: Scott Ehardt\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eStatistics for cyclists injured by \u0026lsquo;car door incidents\u0026rsquo; have \u003ca href=\"http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2013-03-06a.145360.h\"\u003ejust been released\u003c/a\u003e for the last few years. I\u0026rsquo;m fairly sure that this information has been available previously but this is a nice summary in response to a Parliamentary Question.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBetween 2009 and 2011 1587 incidents have been recorded resulting in injury, 2 resulted in death.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMr Sheerman:\u003c/strong\u003e To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on (a) the number of pedal cyclist casualties attributable to the opening of a vehicle door in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2011 and (b) the severity of the injuries received in each case. [145360]\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cycling in the door zone - Injury statistics"},{"content":" Earlier in 2013 Norman Baker, the Transport Minister, announced the £30 million Cycle City Ambition Grant. On the 15th February guidance on applications was published for the 28 cities eligible to apply.\nThe guidance document is an amazing publication and I believe it should be a model for how transport funding is allocated. In the introduction along the report states that across OECD members there are \u0026ldquo;ambitions for cycling are growing to move cycling to the mainstream offering it as a realistic choice for quick, reliable and convenient short journeys within cities\u0026rdquo;. It supports the idea that we are \u0026ldquo;facing declining levels of physical activity together with a range of public health impacts\u0026rdquo; and that these are \u0026ldquo;influenced in part by car dependency and sedentary lifestyles\u0026rdquo; and that there is \u0026ldquo;a significant opportunity to improve integration of transport and health\u0026rdquo;.\nIt identifies that \u0026ldquo;mainstreaming cycling and walking offers a cost effective way to relieve congestion and improve the quality of life within the city\u0026rdquo;.\nThese are big statements and idea\u0026rsquo;s that I fully support however they are not backed up by the levels of investment required. There are 28 cities eligible for funding however there will be a maximum of 3 Cycle City Ambition Grants awarded, the DfT expect to \u0026ldquo;provide funding to successful applicants of the equivalent of around £10 per head of population over 2 years\u0026rdquo;, they also \u0026ldquo;expect a commitment to longer-term support from the cities themselves\u0026rdquo;. The Netherlands is recognised as one of the world leaders in cycling, the Dutch are estimated to spend £30-£40 per head on an ongoing annual basis. The Cycle City Ambition Grants will provide £10 per head for 3 cities for 2 years, the Dutch spend £30 per head in all places every year and has done for a long time.\nThe list of benefits of cycling given in the document is impressive, it outlines the case for investing in cycling really well.\nThe Government sees more and safer cycling strategies as important tools for cities to unlock a range of cross cutting economic and social benefits that enable growth. These include: a.Unlocking capacity on road and public transport networks through large scale shifts to more active commuting patterns. b.Better linked communities enabling more choice for getting around within and between neighbourhoods. c.Higher productivity through improved fitness and consequently reduced absenteeism and better workforce performance d.Improved public realm capable of attracting high value business e.Direct savings to NHS through better health f.Better access to jobs for disadvantaged groups g.Revitalising streets through encouraging more spending on high value services and retail through improved access by foot or bike h.Magnifying within city agglomeration benefits i.Creation of new social enterprises and businesses to create new services in support for more cycling\nIt is very clear from the guidance that any new cycle infrastructure must be \u0026ldquo;fit for purpose and designed to a high standard as set out in the Cycle Infrastructure Design Guidance\u0026rdquo; and a link is given to [LTN2-08](http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3 808/ltn-2-08.pdf). This is excellent, all too frequently local authorities install sub standard cycle infrastructure pointing out that LTN2-08 is just guidance (even though LTN2-08 really is the bare minimum we should be aiming for). This clear advise that this investment in cycle infrastructure needs to adhere to best practice.\nThe guidance points to the Manual for Streets publications and draws particular attention to the hierarchy of users. I like this!\nHierarchy of users - Manual for Streets\nSo, will my home city of Sheffield be applying for this funding? I\u0026rsquo;m not so sure. At a recent Fair Deal For Sheffield event I spoke to Leigh Bramall who is Chair of the Highways Commitee at Sheffield City Council. We spoke about the various grants available to local authorities for cycling, he put forward the idea that Sheffield City Council were cutting jobs in the Highways department and that they wouldn\u0026rsquo;t be able to provide project support for large cycling infrastructure projects with current/future levels of staffing. In response I\u0026rsquo;d like to suggest that they allocate resources in line with the Hierarchy of Users diagram in the manual for streets with pedestrian and cyclist projects taking priority over all others.\nI look forward to reading the proposals from the cities for this funding.\nFor further discussion, Cambridge Cycling Campaign have discussed this in detail here http://www.camcycle.org.uk/blog/2013/02/23/city-deals-cycle-city-ambition-grants/\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/cycle-city-ambition-grants/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dft-logo-portrait.png\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"dft-logo-portrait\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dft-logo-portrait.png\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e Earlier in 2013 \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/people/norman-baker\"\u003eNorman Baker\u003c/a\u003e, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport\"\u003eTransport Minister\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/news/minister-announces-record-62-million-investment-in-cycling\"\u003eannounced\u003c/a\u003e the £30 million Cycle City Ambition Grant. On the 15th February guidance on applications was \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-city-ambition-grants\"\u003epublished\u003c/a\u003e for the 28 cities eligible to apply.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe guidance document is an amazing publication and I believe it should be a model for how transport funding is allocated. In the introduction along the report states that across OECD members there are \u0026ldquo;ambitions for cycling are growing to move cycling to the mainstream offering it as a realistic choice for quick, reliable and convenient short journeys within cities\u0026rdquo;. It supports the idea that we are \u0026ldquo;facing declining levels of physical activity together with a range of public health impacts\u0026rdquo; and that these are \u0026ldquo;influenced in part by car dependency and sedentary lifestyles\u0026rdquo; and that  there is \u0026ldquo;a significant opportunity to improve integration of transport and health\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cycle City Ambition Grants"},{"content":"The A57 between Sheffield and Worksop is one of those roads you dread to come across as a cyclist. It is a very busy single carriageway road with very little room for vehicles to overtake.\nThere is a scheme currently being constructed to make this road a dual carriageway, a couple of the ojectives in the planning statement are:\nPromote and improve safety for all road users Improved facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians I\u0026rsquo;m interested in this as a cyclist, so what are the improved facilities for cyclists and how will safety be improved?\nView Larger Map\nThe scheme layout shows that there will be a 3m wide footway on both sides of the dual carriageway and it will be separated from the road by a verge/hard shoulder. This footway will be shared use so cyclists will be able to use it. Footways are shown in blue in the image below, the central blue strip is a central reservation.\nThe footway continues behind bus stops so there is no conflict between bikes and busses.\nThere are often problems with off road cycle paths at side roads as priority is often given to vehicles on the road and sight lines are often poor. There are only 3 side roads along this scheme, lets see how they are dealt with.\nA57 Side Road 1\rA57 Side Road 2\rA57 Side Road 3\rNot very well\u0026hellip; as usual no priority, poor lines of sight as cycles are taken around the corner to a narrower part of the road. Hopefully these won\u0026rsquo;t be too much of an issue as only low levels of traffic should ever use these side roads.\nThere are some toucan crossings to allow people to cross by foot/cycle/horse.\nThe first will be a staggered two stage crossing, priority with lights.\nThe second will be another staggered 2 part crossing with priority given by lights. There is a bridleway that crosses this road, I doubt many horses will like to be sat in the central reservation waiting for the second light. How comes horses don\u0026rsquo;t have a zig zag crossing like pedestrians and cyclists? Perhaps they are smarter and don\u0026rsquo;t need to be caged in to prevent them crossing in one go\u0026hellip;?\nThe biggest junction on the scheme is a replacement of the current crossroads with a roundabout.\nCyclists seem to have been added as an afterthought. We have bad lines of sight, no priority when crossing, no signals to give priority, and staggered crossings.\nTo go straight on from East to West cyclists need to make 3 crossings, the oposite direction only two crossings are needed.\nIt seems to me that the designers of this roundabout don\u0026rsquo;t know how to design for cyclists at roundabouts, they take the easiest solution and take cyclists half way down the side road and give them an uncontrolled crossing point. Drivers using the roundabout don\u0026rsquo;t see them, cyclists crossing don\u0026rsquo;t see the drivers. Sounds like a great idea.\nAll in all, this should make this road much much safer for cyclists but I think we\u0026rsquo;ve got quite a way to go before cycling is factored into these types of schemes from the outset and designed well.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/new-a57-dual-carriageway-cyclist-facilities-and-provision/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe A57 between Sheffield and Worksop is one of those roads you dread to come across as a cyclist. It is a very busy single carriageway road with very little room for vehicles to overtake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a \u003ca href=\"http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/info/200175/a57_improvement_scheme\"\u003escheme\u003c/a\u003e currently being constructed to make this road a dual carriageway, a couple of the ojectives in the \u003ca href=\"http://roam.rotherham.gov.uk/PlanNet/documentstore/5661786-27-1_01_1.PDF\"\u003eplanning statement\u003c/a\u003e are:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePromote and improve safety for all road users\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eImproved facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m interested in this as a cyclist, so what are the improved facilities for cyclists and how will safety be improved?\u003c/p\u003e\n","title":"New A57 Dual Carriageway - Cyclist facilities and provision"},{"content":"On this page I\u0026rsquo;ll track the commitments to investing in cycling by Central Government. Hopefully I\u0026rsquo;ll be able to track these all the way from announcement to delivery.\nHave I missed anything?\nCycling England 2005 - £5,000,000 - Source Cycling England 2006 - £10,000,000 - Source Cycling England 2007 - £10,000,000 - Source Cycling England 2008/2009 - £20,000,000 - Source Cycling England 2009/10 - £60,000,000 - Source Cycling England 2010/11 - £60,000,000 - Source Local Sustainable Transport Fund - £530,000,000 - 13th December 2010 - to be spent 2011 to 2015, not all of this is for cycling!\n2011/12 - No split available 2012-13 - £25.6m out of £92.1m spent on cycling (28%) Community Linking Places Fund Tranche 1 - £15,000,000 - 7th February 2012 - List of projects supported is here, 8million to Sustrans, 7million to Cycle Rail Working Group (CRWG)\nDanger hotspots within London - £15,000,000 - 21st March 2012 - I\u0026rsquo;m not really sure where this has been spent or where it was officially announced\nDangerous Junctions outside London - £15,000,000 - 26th June 2012 - more details to be given in Autumn 2012. 4th April 2013 - List of schemes announced (press release says £40m but £20m is the amount funded by by the DfT. Extra £5m came from the topup announced 28th November below)\nLocal Sustainable Transport Fund topup- £40,000,000 - 27th June 2012 - to be spent 2011 to 2015 as well. Not all of this is for cycling, indicative split provided above.\nDangerous Junctions outside London topup - £5,000,000 - 28th November 2012 and clarified 30th January 2013 - Added to the fund above. Awarded on 4th April 2013.\nCommunity Linking Places Fund Tranche 2 - £15,000,000 - 28th November 2012 and clarified on 30th January 2013 - This is for cycle-rail integration and enhancing community cycling, list of projects is here, 7.5million to Sustrans, 7.5million to Cycle Rail Working Group (CRWG)\nCycle City Ambition Grants - £30,000,000 - 30th January 2013 - This is up for grabs by 2/3 cities in wave 1 or 2 of the City Deals projects - Deadline for applications 30th April 2013 - Awarded to winning cities on 12th August 2013 along with extra funding (see below).\nCycling in National Parks Grants - £12,000,000 - 30th January 2013 - This is up for grabs by National Parks - Deadline for applications 30th April 2013. Application form here.\nLocal Growth Fund (LSTF Provision) - £100,000,000 - announced 2nd July 2013 as part of Local Growth Fund\nCycle City Ambition Grants Topup - £47,235,000 - 12th August 2013 - This money was added to the Cycle City Ambition Grants projects above, taking the total to about £77m. Awarded to winning cities on 12th August 2013.\nCycling in National Parks Grants Topup - £4,800,000 - 12th August 2013 - This money was added to the Cycling in National Parks Grants at the same time the winning bids were announced on 12th August 2013.\nTrunk Road Cycle Proofing - £20,000,000 - 12th August 2013 - £5m in 2013/14 and £15m in 2015/16. Announced at the same time as other funding. I need a link to the list of schemes. Local Sustainable Transport Fund 2015 to 2016 - £78,500,000 - 23rd December 2013 - £5m in 2015/16, revenue only. Press release here. 11th July 2014 - £64,000,000 awarded, list of schemes is here Local Sustainable Transport Fund Topup - £2,000,000 - 17th April 2014 - £2m in 9 transport bodies\nCycle City Ambition Grants Extension - £114,000,000 - 27th November 2014 - Funding at approx £10 per head for a three year period starting 2015/16.\n5th June 2015 - Now cut by £23,000,000 bringing total down to £91,000,000\nStrategic Road Network Cycle Proofing - £100,000,000 - 27th November 2014 - To be spent over 3 years from 2015/16.\nInvestment for cycling and tourism in Yorkshire - £500,000 - 17th February 2015 - £500,000 to be spent over 2 years, (2015/16 and 2016/17) on constructing a number of cycle circuits across the county.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/investment-in-cycling/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOn this page I\u0026rsquo;ll track the commitments to investing in cycling by Central Government. Hopefully I\u0026rsquo;ll be able to track these all the way from announcement to delivery.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHave I missed anything?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCycling England 2005\u003c/strong\u003e - £5,000,000 - \u003ca href=\"/investment-in-cycling/cycling_england_mid_term_review_2008_09_to_2010_11/\"\u003eSource\u003c/a\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eCycling England 2006\u003c/strong\u003e - £10,000,000 - \u003ca href=\"/investment-in-cycling/cycling_england_mid_term_review_2008_09_to_2010_11/\"\u003eSource\u003c/a\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eCycling England 2007\u003c/strong\u003e - £10,000,000 - \u003ca href=\"/investment-in-cycling/cycling_england_mid_term_review_2008_09_to_2010_11/\"\u003eSource\u003c/a\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eCycling England 2008/2009\u003c/strong\u003e - £20,000,000 - \u003ca href=\"/investment-in-cycling/cycling_england_mid_term_review_2008_09_to_2010_11/\"\u003eSource\u003c/a\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eCycling England 2009/10\u003c/strong\u003e - £60,000,000 - \u003ca href=\"/investment-in-cycling/cycling_england_mid_term_review_2008_09_to_2010_11/\"\u003eSource\u003c/a\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eCycling England 2010/11\u003c/strong\u003e - £60,000,000 - \u003ca href=\"/investment-in-cycling/cycling_england_mid_term_review_2008_09_to_2010_11/\"\u003eSource\u003c/a\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eLocal Sustainable Transport Fund\u003c/strong\u003e - £530,000,000 - \u003ca href=\"http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wms/?id=2010-12-13a.82WS.0\"\u003e13th December 2010\u003c/a\u003e - to be spent 2011 to 2015, not all of this is for cycling!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Investment in cycling"},{"content":"Today in the Get Britain Cycling inquiry on Safety, the MET police said\nMetropolitan Police CI Ian Vincent tells inquiry that road safety is a high priority for the Commissioner and the police #getbritaincycling\n— APPCG (@allpartycycling) January 30, 2013\nSouth Yorkshire Police\nHow about locally in South Yorkshire? Well recently at the Police and Crime Panel Shaun Wright, the new Police and Crime Commissioner said\nWhilst the remit of road safety fell under the remit of the Police and Crime Commissioner, unless there was a particular road safety issue, traffic policing would not be high on the list of priorities as some other issues.\nSource: Police and Crime Panel Minutes 23rd November 2012\nI\u0026rsquo;m not surprised based on my experience of the behavior of the local police.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/road-safety-not-a-priority-in-south-yorkshire-getbritaincycling/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday in the \u003ca href=\"http://allpartycycling.org/inquiry/\"\u003eGet Britain Cycling inquiry\u003c/a\u003e on Safety, the MET police said\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMetropolitan Police CI Ian Vincent tells inquiry that road safety is a high priority for the Commissioner and the police \u003ca href=\"http://twitter.com/search/%23getbritaincycling\"\u003e#getbritaincycling\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— APPCG (@allpartycycling) \u003ca href=\"http://twitter.com/allpartycycling/status/296573470161137664\"\u003eJanuary 30, 2013\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/southyorkshire-police-crest.gif\"\r\n         alt=\" South Yorkshire Police\" width=\"139\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eSouth Yorkshire Police\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eHow about locally in South Yorkshire? Well recently at the Police and Crime Panel \u003ca href=\"http://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/candidates/shaun-wright/\"\u003eShaun Wright\u003c/a\u003e, the new \u003ca href=\"http://www.southyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk/Home.aspx\"\u003ePolice and Crime Commissioner\u003c/a\u003e said\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhilst the remit of road safety fell under the remit of the Police and Crime Commissioner, unless there was a particular road safety issue, \u003cstrong\u003etraffic policing\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ewould not be high on the list of priorities\u003c/strong\u003e as some other issues.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road Safety - Not a priority in South Yorkshire #GetBritainCycling"},{"content":"\nFor the past week I\u0026rsquo;ve not been cycling to work, I\u0026rsquo;ve been using the tram. I cycled in on Monday but the cycle path alongside the dual carriageway was icy so I used the road. It wasn\u0026rsquo;t much fun. Many cycle paths in Sheffield are still not cleared/gritted, even the ones adjacent to trunk roads. The cycle path is still covered in ice.\nHow about the rest of the country? Here are some perspectives from Twitter.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re at the Sheffield on the Move forum - having a go at poor snow clearance on footpaths \u0026amp; cycleways. #sotm\n— cycleSheffield (@cycleSheffield) January 24, 2013\nArgh! Icy cycle paths, hasn\u0026rsquo;t snowed in Sheffield for ages! Look at the alternative, This is why I\u0026rsquo;ve not been cycling twitter.com/Mattturner86/s…\n— Matt Turner (@Mattturner86) January 25, 2013\nThe scene on Upper Hanover Way, Sheffield tonight. Roadway nice \u0026amp; clear:peds \u0026amp; cyclists sliding about. twitter.com/cycleSheffield…\n— cycleSheffield (@cycleSheffield) January 22, 2013\n#Cambridge - cycle paths left unusable - ungritted in spite of the snow \u0026amp; ice.What\u0026rsquo;s it like where you are?\u0026hellip; fb.me/1qA5toQaQ\n— CambridgeRaincoatCo (@Cantala59) January 22, 2013\nHey @ mayoroflondon, how bout you grit this city\u0026rsquo;s ice-encased cycle paths like they do in The Netherlands: bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/das…\n— @carrozo (@carrozo) January 22, 2013\nDecided at last minute not to cycle to work due to the snow/ice. Got to desk at roughly usual time which I wasn\u0026rsquo;t expecting\u0026hellip;\n— Kay McMahon (@kaybar007) January 21, 2013\nUtrecht; streets (red) and (streets with) separated cycle tracks (green) which are cleared of snow\u0026amp;ice. Via @ fietsria twitter.com/FietsRia/statu…\n— Mark Wagenbuur (@BicycleDutch) January 21, 2013\nThe Antwerp cycle tracks are also clear of snow and ice. Looks just like a Dutch one, only this one is bi-directional. twitter.com/BicycleDutch/s…\n— Mark Wagenbuur (@BicycleDutch) January 18, 2013\n@ leedscyclists @ leedscc @ tomriordan The cycle lane behind the bus stop on Roundhay Road is under 4\u0026quot; of snow/ice, 4 days after it last snowed\n— Stuart Clarke (@stuartclarkeuk) January 24, 2013\n@ mayoroflondon why is Bow roundabout cycle lane still got snow and ice on it ? heading towards stratford from bow stratford side. sort it!\n— Drysuitdiversteve (@Drysuitdiver) January 24, 2013\nIt would be nice if the few cycle paths we have were cleared of snow/ice like the roads have been. #getbritaincycling\n— Gore (@sas_90) January 23, 2013\n#Cycle 2work - don\u0026rsquo;t understand why all the out of town cycle paths haven\u0026rsquo;t been gritted! Most of the snow left is compact ice segments!\n— Joe Burton (@joe__burton) January 23, 2013\n@ brightonhovecc any hope of getting the snow/ice cleared from the cycle lanes in moulsecomb/campus? Forcing cyclists to go near/into traffic\n— Ross Cloney (@rosscloney) January 23, 2013\nBit tricky cycling in the snow this morning cycle paths were like an ice rink. Take care people\n— Coach Gordon (@GordonGManning) January 23, 2013\n@ asecretcyclist Agreed, I\u0026rsquo;ve not cycled in this morning, cant be bothere with the Dual Carriageway, adjacent cycle path covered in snow/ice.\n— Matt Turner (@Mattturner86) January 22, 2013\nCommon theme throughout the country is that whilst roads are gritted, cycle paths are not. Councils everywhere showing their true colours.\n— Secret Cyclist (@ASecretCyclist) January 22, 2013\n@ burycouncil please grit the cycle paths.the one on pilsworth is unridable,i have to get to work.\n— paul rowan (@paulr1970) January 24, 2013\n#Cycle 2work - considering taking some grit salt with me on the commute and melting the compact ice sections! Grit spreader bike!\n— Joe Burton (@joe__burton) January 24, 2013\nCambridge and York grit cycle paths, why not Oxford? 2/2 Anyone know? @ paradiseoxford ?\n— Howard Stanbury (@Howard_S) January 23, 2013\nI\u0026rsquo;d be #cycling home but for the icy #cycle paths. Please grit \u0026rsquo;em #York and #getbritaincycling!\n— Rob Walker (@rjcwalker) January 23, 2013\n@ georgemonbiot On the +ve: this year, Edinburgh Council been getting lot of praise for its gritting of cycle paths. bit.ly/10RkFcV\n— Graeme Harkness (@graeme_harkness) January 23, 2013\n@ pauline_goodlad They haven\u0026rsquo;t even bothered to grit the pavement/cycle paths on major routes, so it\u0026rsquo;ll be a while yet @ wrexhamcbc @ wrexham\n— Dr C. (@ChesterCycling) January 23, 2013\n@ chestercycling it was done this afternoon so perhaps they listened to the moaning!\n— Pauline Goodlad (@pauline_goodlad) January 23, 2013\n@ perfect_iwish Hi We grit over 50km of pavements/cycle paths You can see the roads pavements \u0026amp; cycle paths we grit at buzz.mw/-CU0_y\n— ManCityCouncil (@ManCityCouncil) January 23, 2013\nCambridge, your cycle paths are great, but when you don\u0026rsquo;t grit them and the bikes take to the roads instead, the system falls to shit.\n— Pete the driver. (@McLaren_Fan) January 22, 2013\nEdinburgh Council praised for gritting and clearing cycle paths@ spokeslothian @ edinburgh_cc spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2013…\n— tomallan (@tomallan) January 22, 2013\n@ georgefergusonx if all the cycling and walking commuters drove Bristol would be gridlocked.Please grit cycle paths and footpaths too.\n— Steph Charnaud (@climbingsteph) January 22, 2013\n@ saffers_65000 No-one lives on the cycle path from Trumpington to Cambridge.Local gvt should grit paths like these. twitter.com/Cantala59/stat…\n— CambridgeRaincoatCo (@Cantala59) January 22, 2013\nCan the lovely people at @ wodcnews please grit the mud lane cycle path in Cogges? Thanks :) twitter.com/daddyofbob/sta…\n— Richard MacKenzie (@daddyofbob) January 22, 2013\n@ lutoncouncil Would you mind doing the cycle paths near the airport? I\u0026rsquo;ve nearly come off my bike there and gone under speeding cars!\n— Jon House (@J_S_House) January 22, 2013\n@ j_s_house Hi, unfortunately we don\u0026rsquo;t currently grit cycle paths. We have had other complaints about this so will bear in mind in future.\n— Luton Council (@lutoncouncil) January 22, 2013\n.@ lb_southwark any chance you could grit the cycle paths ever? surrey canal path:- frozen, Union st:- ice rink, southwark bridge the same\n— Gary Carter (@Messenger_face) January 22, 2013\n@ cardiffcouncil you are way behind other councils who grit cycle routes please update your policy manchester.gov.uk/directory/63/g…\n— Jon Fox (@SuiGeneris68) January 21, 2013\n@ sinopticstudios RT @ bendy14: @ bournemouthbc Please could you grit the pavements and cycle lanes too? #treacherous\n— jas0nbeats/JND (@jas0nbeats) January 21, 2013\n.@ cardiffcouncil The cycle paths around the Magic Roundabout in Splott were lethal this morning. Grit would be lovely.@ suigeneris68\n— Gareth Price (@garprice) January 21, 2013\n@ camdencyclists could you ask Camden to grit their segregated cycle lanes? People obviously want to use them twitter.com/jkblacker/stat…\n— Josh Blacker (@jkblacker) January 21, 2013\nStupid driver who beeped and shouted at me on North Rd\u0026hellip; @ cardiffcouncil don\u0026rsquo;t grit cycle paths, so I had no choice than to use YOUR road!\n— allie brock (@brocknroller) January 21, 2013\n\u0026ldquo;Coventry does not grit any of the dedicated cycle paths nor does it grit shared footway/cycleways either\u0026rdquo;#cyclesafe bit.ly/WxAazK\n— WhatDoTheyKnow (@WhatDoTheyKnow) January 21, 2013\nGunna be so late for work. Seriously, why havent the council put grit on the cycle track? Im going to die.\n— la (@leelaglade) January 21, 2013\n@ bristolcouncil Any plans to grit the cycle path anytime soon? No? That\u0026rsquo;s okay, I\u0026rsquo;ll just teleport to work!\n— Duncan Beedie (@DuncanDraws) January 20, 2013\n@ plymouthcc doesn\u0026rsquo;t grit cycle paths, forcing more people to drive just when it\u0026rsquo;d be good to get more people cycling. Go figure. #Plymouth\n— William (@WilliamNB) January 19, 2013\n@ aseasyasriding ride in was fine, not sure I\u0026rsquo;m going to cycle home though as was already v slippy \u0026amp; of course no grit on most cycle lanes!\n— manytypesoftea (@manytypesoftea) January 18, 2013\n@ beckix1991 Was the cycle lane covered in snow and ice? Round this way none were gritted. Many unfit for use even in summer.\n— Secret Cyclist (@ASecretCyclist) January 25, 2013\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/grittingclearing-of-icy-cycle-paths-the-twitter-persepective/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/rsz_p1050953.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"rsz_p1050953\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/rsz_p1050953-300x225.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the past week I\u0026rsquo;ve not been cycling to work, I\u0026rsquo;ve been using the tram. I cycled in on Monday but the cycle path alongside the dual carriageway was icy so I used the road. It wasn\u0026rsquo;t much fun. Many cycle paths in Sheffield are still not cleared/gritted, even the ones adjacent to trunk roads. The cycle path is still covered in ice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow about the rest of the country? Here are some perspectives from Twitter.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re at the Sheffield on the Move forum - having a go at poor snow clearance on footpaths \u0026amp; cycleways. \u003ca href=\"http://twitter.com/search/%23sotm\"\u003e#sotm\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— cycleSheffield (@cycleSheffield) \u003ca href=\"http://twitter.com/cycleSheffield/status/294503129171501056\"\u003eJanuary 24, 2013\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArgh! Icy cycle paths, hasn\u0026rsquo;t snowed in Sheffield for ages! Look at the alternative, This is why I\u0026rsquo;ve not been cycling \u003ca href=\"http://t.co/vnNkb80r\" title=\"http://twitter.com/Mattturner86/status/294790267586891777/photo/1\"\u003etwitter.com/Mattturner86/s…\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Matt Turner (@Mattturner86) \u003ca href=\"http://twitter.com/Mattturner86/status/294790267586891777\"\u003eJanuary 25, 2013\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe scene on Upper Hanover Way, Sheffield tonight. Roadway nice \u0026amp; clear:peds \u0026amp; cyclists sliding about. \u003ca href=\"http://t.co/19LWseXj\" title=\"http://twitter.com/cycleSheffield/status/293808649678233601/photo/1\"\u003etwitter.com/cycleSheffield…\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— cycleSheffield (@cycleSheffield) \u003ca href=\"http://twitter.com/cycleSheffield/status/293808649678233601\"\u003eJanuary 22, 2013\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n","title":"Gritting/clearing of icy cycle paths - The twitter perspective"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve just had a talking to by a police officer for taking photo\u0026rsquo;s of a police van parked in the contraflow cycle lane on Castle Street.\nHe wasn\u0026rsquo;t too keen on me doing this, he said that I was very conspicuous and perhaps putting myself in danger, he understood that I was there because of the taxis. I was stood outside the police station, scoping out current behavior, not taking photos, there are still plenty of taxis parking illegally, I saw 4 in a 15 minute window, I started taking photos when the police van turned up. He said that the police have to park in this location to drop officers off at the station, I asked about their car park, he said that the vehicles could not fit because of low clearance.\nI said that cyclists had been given assurances at Council Meetings by police representatives that they understood it was dangerous and a hazard for cyclists if vehicles were parked in the contraflow lane.\nHe said that the city centre was busy and if they had to park in normal spaces they\u0026rsquo;d never be able to get anything done.\nThis police officer was trying to justify the parking in this location\u0026hellip; We have a long way to go in making Sheffield a good place to cycle if this is the attitude shown by South Yorkshire Police :-(\nPictures/conversation at 12:28 today.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/the-police-try-to-justify-parking-on-mandatory-contraflow-lanes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve just had a talking to by a police officer for taking photo\u0026rsquo;s of a police van parked in the contraflow cycle lane \u003ca href=\"/the-ongoing-saga-of-sheffields-castle-street-cycle-lane/\"\u003eon\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"/castle-street-sheffield-cycle-lane-parking/\"\u003eCastle\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"/why-did-the-policeman-cross-the-road-because-he-parked-his-van-in-the-cycle-lane-opposite-the-station/\"\u003eStreet\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe wasn\u0026rsquo;t too keen on me doing this, he said that I was very conspicuous and perhaps putting myself in danger, he understood that I was there because of the taxis. \u003cem\u003eI was stood outside the police station, scoping out current behavior, not taking photos, there are still plenty of taxis parking illegally, I saw 4 in a 15 minute window, I started taking photos when the police van turned up.\u003c/em\u003e He said that the police have to park in this location to drop officers off at the station, I asked about their car park, he said that the vehicles could not fit because of low clearance.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The police try to justify parking on mandatory contraflow lanes"},{"content":"The following is taken from a parliamentary question on 17th Jan 2013. My take on this is that there is huge investment in reducing bottlenecks on the road network, however none of this money is targeted towards behavior change to reduce the level of traffic.\nThe LSTF is often hailed as the solution and the biggest investment for years in cycling, this may be true but is only part of the truth, many LSTF schemes only have a small cycling strand with many very loosely related local pet projects included (especially in South Yorkshire\u0026hellip; watch this space!)\nThanks Ian Austin for raising cycling in this debate! Skip to 09:50:40 in the video below to see the discussion.\nSource Hansard and TheyWorkForYou\n6. Nicola Blackwood (Oxford West and Abingdon) (Con): What progress he has made on reducing bottlenecks in the road network. [137497] The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Stephen Hammond): In the 2010 spending review, the Government committed £168 million for small schemes on the strategic road network. In the 2011 autumn statement, we introduced a new pinch point fund of £217 million to address the hot spots on the network. We have committed £188 million of that to deliver 65 schemes so far. In the 2012 autumn statement, that was increased to £317 million for the strategic road network, and a new £170 million pinch point fund was established for local authorities.\nNicola Blackwood: I thank the Minister for his answer, but the A34 in my constituency is still plagued by congestion and accidents. That causes daily misery for commuters on a personal level, and it also has a debilitating effect on the local economy. If the work force are stuck in gridlocked traffic, they are simply not being productive. Will the Minister come to Oxford West and Abingdon to meet local community and business leaders to hear their concerns at first hand?\nStephen Hammond: Like my hon. Friend, I recognise that the A34 is an important, busy and strategic route. We are developing route-based strategies as a key mechanism to inform what is needed on such routes. As she says, the ability to work with the local economic partnership and to look at the benefits to the local economy are key assessment criteria. I look forward to visiting her constituency.\nIan Austin (Dudley North) (Lab): The House, and the whole country, will agree that one of the ways of reducing bottlenecks on the roads is to get more people on to bikes. When Ministers in the Department for Transport and the Department for Communities and Local Government consider new road schemes and other major urban developments, why cannot they agree to British Cycling’s request that the impact on cyclists should be considered at the outset of all such schemes, rather than being treated as an add-on later? If that were to happen, we could avoid problems such as those at Bow roundabout and Vauxhall Cross, which have had to be put right later at enormous cost.\nStephen Hammond: I am aware that the hon. Gentleman is a keen cyclist and vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on cycling—\nIan Austin: Co-chair.\nStephen Hammond: I am sorry—co-chairman of the group. I look forward to seeing its report, which I am sure will cover a number of those issues. He will be aware that we have committed a local sustainable transport fund of £650 million, and a number of the schemes being developed under that have exactly the cycling element that he is asking for.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/road-bottlenecks-parliament-discussion-cycling-as-a-solution/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe following is taken from a parliamentary question on 17th Jan 2013. My take on this is that there is huge investment in reducing bottlenecks on the road network, however none of this money is targeted towards behavior change to reduce the level of traffic.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/uk-investment-in-local-sustainable-transport-the-vision-or-lack-of/\"\u003eThe LSTF\u003c/a\u003e is often hailed as the solution and the biggest investment for years in cycling, this may be true but is only part of the truth, many LSTF schemes only have a small cycling strand with many very loosely related local pet projects included (especially in South Yorkshire\u0026hellip; watch this space!)\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road Bottlenecks Parliament Discussion - Cycling as a solution?"},{"content":" The following is taken from a written answer on 15th January 2013 in the House of Commons, source is here Stephen Hammond is a Conservative MP for Wimbledon and is Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government\nRushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce the number of cyclists seriously injured on roads. [136631]\n15 Jan 2013 : Column 641W Stephen Hammond: The Government takes the safety of cyclists very seriously. In 2012 the Government announced a £15 million fund to improve safety for cyclists outside London, by tackling dangerous junctions. This was in addition to the £15 million fund awarded to Transport for London in March for the same purpose. Furthermore, part of the recently announced £20 million in cycle funding will go towards tackling dangerous junctions.\nWe have provided £600 million through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund to support local authorities in their use of transport to lever growth and cut carbon at the local level. The majority of the 96 projects have a cycling element. This year, we have committed £11 million for Bikeability training to help a new generation of cyclists gain the skills and knowledge they need to cycle safely and competently on today\u0026rsquo;s roads. This funding will help more than 275,000 school children to access training.\nWe have also made it easier for councils to put in place 20 mph zones and limits, and to install Trixi mirrors to improve the visibility of cyclists at junctions. Last September I launched the ‘THINK CYCLIST!\u0026rsquo; campaign, which offers advice to drivers and cyclists on how to stay safe on the road.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/what-is-being-done-to-reduce-the-number-of-cyclist-injuries-on-the-roads/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/rsz_p1050782.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"rsz_p1050782\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/rsz_p1050782.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e The following is taken from a written answer on 15th January 2013 in the House of Commons, source is \u003ca href=\"http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130115/text/130115w0001.htm#13011564000128\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/stephen_hammond/wimbledon\"\u003eStephen Hammond\u003c/a\u003e is a Conservative MP for Wimbledon and is Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRushanara Ali:\u003c/strong\u003e To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce the number of cyclists seriously injured on roads. [136631]\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e15 Jan 2013 : Column 641W\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eStephen Hammond:\u003c/strong\u003e The Government takes the safety of cyclists very seriously. In 2012 the Government announced a \u003cstrong\u003e£15 million fund\u003c/strong\u003e to improve safety for cyclists outside London, by tackling dangerous junctions. This was in addition to the \u003cstrong\u003e£15 million fund awarded to Transport for London\u003c/strong\u003e in March for the same purpose. Furthermore, \u003cstrong\u003epart of the recently announced £20 million in cycle funding\u003c/strong\u003e will go towards tackling dangerous junctions.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"What is being done to reduce the number of cyclist injuries on the roads?"},{"content":"In Sheffield we\u0026rsquo;ve seen a number of transport schemes that have not adequately taken cyclists requirements into account. The council conduct Road Safety Audits on most highway schemes but these do not have a specific section where cyclists needs are considered.\nSheffield Council have committed in many places over the years to conducting cycle audits for highways projects however this has never been implemented and none have ever been done.\nThe DFT have published guidance on how to integrate cycle audits into the normal RSA process (already in use in Sheffield), and I beleive Sheffield council should use this guidance.\nSo, my question to the council. When will you implement cycle audits for all highways improvement schemes as promised? Council 4th April 2007, the following motion passed:\n(ix) requiring all transport schemes over £50,000 in value to undergo a Cycle Audit to ensure the needs of cycle users are considered;\nSheffield Cycling Action Plan July 2006:\nAction Point 10: All transport schemes over £50,000 in value will undergo a Cycle Audit to ensure that the needs of cycle users are considered.\nSouth Yorkshire Cycle Action Plan April 2011:\n6.22 \u0026hellip; In addition, we will undertake a cycle audit of all highways improvement schemes to ensure they improve the safety and convenience of cycling.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/a-commitment-to-cycle-audits-in-sheffield/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn Sheffield we\u0026rsquo;ve seen a number of transport schemes that have not adequately taken cyclists requirements into account. The council conduct \u003ca href=\"/modern-sheffield-junction-design-safety-whats-that-then/\"\u003eRoad Safety Audits\u003c/a\u003e on most highway schemes but these do not have a specific section where cyclists needs are considered.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSheffield Council have committed in many places over the years to conducting cycle audits for highways projects however this has never been implemented and none have ever been done.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe DFT have \u003ca href=\"http://docs.google.com/open?id=0B84mpgL4eqfucmxwd2ZnUy1ZQzg\"\u003epublished guidance\u003c/a\u003e on how to integrate cycle audits into the normal RSA process (already in use in Sheffield), and I beleive Sheffield council should use this guidance.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A commitment to cycle audits in Sheffield"},{"content":"\nSheffield City Council has in the past given cyclists assurances that they will design new infrastructure for cycling in line with best advice.\nAt a full council meeting on 4th April 2007 the following motion was passed.\nx) requiring the design of cycle routes and facilities to be in accordance with advice and recommendations contained within the Draft Local Transport Plan.\nIn the Sheffield Cycling Action Plan in July 2006 (part of LTP2) the following commitment was made:\nAction Point 10: The starting point for the design of cycle routes and facilities will be the advice contained in Draft Local Transport Note 1/04, in particular the hierarchy of measures.\nIn the Sheffield Cycling Action Plan in April 2011 (part of LTP3) the following commitement was made:\n6.22 Design of new cycle infrastructure will adhere to best practice design guidance including governments LTN2/08 note (particularly the Hierarchy of Solutions) and Manual for Streets.\nSo, what does LTN2/08 say about clearance required for cyclists?\nAre Sheffield Council standing by their commitment and designing new cycle infrastructure to best practice? I don\u0026rsquo;t think so. This is a newly designed/installed cycle lane across a closed road as part of a redevelopment project. A very good idea but very poorly implemented.\nLook at the photo\u0026rsquo;s below, why is the cycle path so narrow!? There is so much unused space in the flower beds, this used to be a road! There is plenty of room to give cyclists something that meets standards of good practice.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/the-standard-of-brand-new-cycling-infrastructure-in-sheffield/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2013-01-06-11.16.25.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"2013-01-06 11.16.25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2013-01-06-11.16.25-612x1024.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSheffield City Council has in the past given cyclists assurances that they will design new infrastructure for cycling in line with best advice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt a \u003ca href=\"http://docs.google.com/document/d/1NQGHD_05z-Y9vbonqznBfFBLtfKaxkYhSm5C7Gm0Hn0/edit\"\u003efull council meeting on 4th April 2007\u003c/a\u003e the following motion was passed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ex) requiring the design of cycle routes and facilities to be in accordance with advice and recommendations contained within the Draft Local Transport Plan.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n","title":"The standard of brand new cycling infrastructure in Sheffield"},{"content":"\nThere are a few useful things to know about cycling in Sheffield. Routes, training bike shops.\nFree Training\nEveryone can get free 1 to 1 training from Pedal Ready, no catch! They\u0026rsquo;ll teach you how to ride on the road, give you route advice and anything else you might need. Just give them a call/email and they\u0026rsquo;ll set a date for your training. I\u0026rsquo;d really recommend these courses - this is one of the best ways to get introduced to cycling in Sheffield.\nMaps\nYou can download the official Sheffield cycle map from the council here, or get a paper copy at the tourist information or central library. You can also get an online map from OpenCycleMap or use CycleStreets to get route directions (they have iPhone/ Android apps too).\nBike MaintenanceThe Dr Bike people will check your bike over for free and adjust the brakes and gears for free if needed. They\u0026rsquo;ll let you know if any extra work needs doing.\nThey run drop-in sessions around the city for both the public and companies.\nSheffield University has a dedicated bike hut that is open on Tuesday and Thursday somewhere on the University campus, they will do much the same work for you for free. Facebook and Twitter are probably the best places to find out where they\u0026rsquo;ll be and when.\nRecycle Bikes, Pedal Ready and Edinburgh Cycles all offer maintenance classes where you can learn how to look after your bike.\nOrganised Rides/Meet other CyclistsThere are a few regular rides in Sheffield which are aimed at new or casual cyclists. Sheffield Friday Night Ride has a different theme each month and tends to focus on the city centre and surrounding suburbs. I\u0026rsquo;d recommend all new cyclists come along to this ride, they\u0026rsquo;re great fun. If you\u0026rsquo;re into mountain biking then Ride Sheffield should be your first stop and don\u0026rsquo;t forget the new Parkwood Spings mountain bike trail just outside the city centre. If you\u0026rsquo;re brand new to cycling and a woman then there are occasional women only rides organised by Polly from Cycle Sheffield - I\u0026rsquo;m not sure how these are advertised\u0026hellip; The Sheffield CTC has regular rides for all abilities, from family friendly 5 miles to hard 60+ mile routes but I\u0026rsquo;ve never been along. Recycle Bikes run rides aimed at 6 to 13 year olds, they seem fairly infrequent but they do provide the bikes and all equipment.\nBike Shops\nThere are plenty of bike shops in Sheffield to buy bikes and accessories; I\u0026rsquo;ve put the ones I know on a map here, you\u0026rsquo;ll have no problem finding one that you like. Don\u0026rsquo;t buy a reflective jacket though, these can be had for free from Recycle Bikes or Sheffield Council (but I can\u0026rsquo;t find a link!)\nDecathlon- big and good value, sort of like Halfords JE James- a big shop with lots of bikes and accessories Tony Butterworths, Hillsborough- A great little shop with a good selection, my local bike shop. Halfords- There are a couple of Halfords in Sheffield, in my experience neither really seem to have much of an interest in bicycles Bike Rehab- A new place just off Devonshire Green, set up for repairs and parts. Has secure bike parking with changing facilities and lockers. Very friendly, highly recommended Russel\u0026rsquo;s Bicycle Shed- The bike shop at the Train Station bike parking hub Langsett Cycles- A big shop with plenty of choice. Recycle Bikes- Sell refurbished bikes which have been donated to them - a community project Sheffield Cycle Jumbles- If you\u0026rsquo;re feeling adventurous then you\u0026rsquo;ll find a crazy assortment of bicycle paraphernalia here, run twice a year. Evans Cycles - A nice big shop, airy, friendly and a good range. You can order online and pick-up too. If you buy a new bike then you should consider donating your old one (even if it\u0026rsquo;s broken!) to Recycle bikes, they do great work teaching young people how to maintain and repair bikes and they sell refurbished bikes to support the project and donate them to third world countries.\nGetting Involved in Making Sheffield More Cycle FriendlyIf you\u0026rsquo;d like to help improve facilities for cyclists in Sheffield then Cycle Sheffield are the local campaigning group. It is well worth becoming a member and they have monthly meetings anyone is welcome to attend, it\u0026rsquo;s a good way to keep track of the latest local cycling news. Speaking of which, all Sheffield cycling news stories are collated on Scoop.it by Cycle Sheffield. Sustrans are the body responsible for the National Cycle Network and they have a local branch who often need volunteers to help maintain the local network. There are regular work days advertised on their blog where you can help out by maintaining trails, digging, signing and litter picking.\nOther Bits \u0026amp; Bobs\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re planning on commuting in the city then an excellent guide is \u0026ldquo;The beginner\u0026rsquo;s guide to cycle commuting\u0026rdquo; which covers everything from choice of bike, suitable clothing, how to deal with the rain, route tips and how to remain safe. Another useful resource on how to stay safe is the Silly Cyclist series on YouTube which shows how not to do it!\nSo\u0026hellip; have fun and enjoy cycling in Sheffield.\nIf I\u0026rsquo;ve missed anything then let me know in a comment and I\u0026rsquo;ll get it added.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/cycling-in-sheffield/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"cycling-paramedics-in-She-001\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/cycling-paramedics-in-She-001.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are a few useful things to know about cycling in Sheffield. Routes, training bike shops.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFree Training\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone can get free 1 to 1 training from \u003ca href=\"http://www.pedalready.co.uk/adult-training/training/\"\u003ePedal Ready\u003c/a\u003e, no catch! They\u0026rsquo;ll teach you how to ride on the road, give you route advice and anything else you might need. Just give them a call/email and they\u0026rsquo;ll set a date for your training. I\u0026rsquo;d really recommend these courses - this is one of the best ways to get introduced to cycling in Sheffield.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cycling in Sheffield - A newcomer's guide"},{"content":"This page is for the Local Sustainable Transport Fund tracking\u0026hellip;\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/lstf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis page is for the Local Sustainable Transport Fund tracking\u0026hellip;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"LSTF"},{"content":"A few years ago the Department For Transport announced £600 million investment for the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, the LSTF.\nThe biggest funding source for local transport authorities for Sustainable Transport is the LSTF, the fund was designed to pay for projects from 2011 to 2015, there are 96 projects across England. What did the Department for Transport hope to achieve with this? They set out their vision for ideas in this helpful illustration. The suggestions for cycle infrastructure don\u0026rsquo;t give me any confidence that the LSTF will have much of an impact on cycling.\nNot so great\u0026hellip; we have:\nAdvanced stop lines for cyclists at junctions (I personally don\u0026rsquo;t think it\u0026rsquo;s a good idea to encourage cyclists to undertake a queue of traffic before a left turn but I know that they are popular) No cycle routes on main roads (why!? they ARE needed there) Cycle routes in 20mph zones (why!? they ARE NOT needed there) Bus lanes for mixing buses and cyclists (not much fun) Covered cycle parking (I like this idea) We\u0026rsquo;ve got a long way to go If this is an accurate representation of the DfTs vision for the future of sustainable travel. For the largest ever funding in sustainable transport (£1 billion including local contributions) there seems to be no vision, just more of the same old ideas.\nMaybe I\u0026rsquo;m wrong\u0026hellip; Am I? Is the LSTF funding going towards any projects that will really encourage sustainable travel in any meaningful way?\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/uk-investment-in-local-sustainable-transport-the-vision-or-lack-of/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA few years ago the Department For Transport announced £600 million investment for the \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport/series/local-sustainable-transport-fund\"\u003eLocal Sustainable Transport Fund\u003c/a\u003e, the LSTF.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe biggest funding source for local transport authorities for Sustainable Transport is the LSTF, the fund was designed to pay for projects from 2011 to 2015, there are 96 projects across England. What did the Department for Transport hope to achieve with this? They set out their vision for ideas in this \u003ca href=\"http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3779/lstf-presentation.pdf\"\u003ehelpful illustration\u003c/a\u003e. The suggestions for cycle infrastructure don\u0026rsquo;t give me any confidence that the LSTF will have much of an impact on cycling.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"LSTF Packages DFT\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/LSTF-Packages-DFT.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n","title":"UK Investment In Local Sustainable Transport - The vision (or lack of!)"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve been reviewing a few documents from the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (which cover Sheffield) and was shocked at the cost of some of their cycling initiatives. I\u0026rsquo;ve collated most of the examples I could find from the LSTF funding bid from 2011, most of these schemes will be constructed/run in the next 2/3 years.\nAll of these figures come from the LSTF Bid documents which are available here but they\u0026rsquo;re pretty tough to read! Annex 01 has maps/descriptions and Annex 02 has detailed costings.\nCycle Stands Installation and purchasing of 1000 Sheffield style cycle stands (BEST4)\nPurchase cost: £113,000 Installation cost: £100,000 Total cost per stand: £213 Public/Workplace Bike Maintenance Sessions Running of 500 Dr Bike maintenance sessions, 11 bikes safety checked per session, 5500 bikes in total checked with minor maintenance carried out (BEST4)\nTotal cost: £202,000 Cost per session: £404 Cost per bike worked on: £36.72 Cycle Training Sessions 7000 people trained to Bikeability level 2/3 (BEST4)\nTotal cost: £296,000 Cost per person: £42 Cycle routes Most of the routes below are in cities so I expect the cost of altering infrastructure is higher given the density of the urban enviornment.\n3 routes in Barnsley totalling 11.6km in lenghth, mostly segregated off road facilities (BARN2)\nFees/Site Supervision (Consultancy): £192,000 Signage: £12,480 Construction: £2,021,000 Total Cost: £2,225,480 Cost per km: £191,851 1 route from the Dearne Valley to Swinton, 1.2km in length, majority is segregated off road facilities (DEAR2)\nSignage: £14,000 Construction: £224,000 Total Cost: £238,000 Cost per km: £198,333 3 routes totalling 15.2km, mostly unsegregated on road facilities (DEAR4)\nFees/Site Supervision (Consultancy): £115,000 Traffic management (for construction?): £11,000 Signage: £35,000 Construction: £603,000 Total cost: £764,000 Cost per km: £50,263 1 route totalling 13.3km, route already in existance from Sheffield to Rotherham along the river Don, improvements to surface and junctions, completely off road route along a canal/river (DONV5)\nConstruction: £1124,000 Signage: £24,000 Fees/Site Supervision (Consultancy): £64,000 Total cost: £1,212,000 Cost per km: £91,127 1 route 3.15km in length between Rawmarsh and Rotherham. Mostly unsegregated on road facilities along a major A road. Includes an upgrade to a pedestrian bridge across a railway line, river and canal (DONV6).\nConstruction: £1,095,000 Signage: £18,000 Total cost: £1,113,000 Cost per km: £353,333 The cost for this last scheme seems to have been increased because of the need for £193,000 for bridge upgrades and £400,000 for new toucan crossings. Excluding these items gives a cost per km of £165,079 which is more inline with the other projects.\nIt seems that adding cycle infrastructure is expensive, cycle training is VERY cheap, and cycle stands are supprisingly expensive. I wonder how these costs compare to those in other areas of the country, around the world and what the incremental cost of these are if they are added to a larger road construction project. Does anyone know?\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/how-much-does-investment-in-cycling-cost/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve been reviewing a few documents from the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (which cover Sheffield) and was shocked at the cost of some of their cycling initiatives. I\u0026rsquo;ve collated most of the examples I could find from the LSTF funding bid from 2011, most of these schemes will be constructed/run in the next 2/3 years.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll of these figures come from the LSTF Bid documents which are \u003ca href=\"http://www.syltp.org.uk/lstf.aspx\"\u003eavailable here\u003c/a\u003e but they\u0026rsquo;re pretty tough to read! Annex 01 has maps/descriptions and Annex 02 has detailed costings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n","title":"How much does investment in cycling cost?"},{"content":"\rPaul Blomfield\nPaul Blomfield, a local Sheffield MP, has recently written an article for the Yorkshire Post entitled \u0026ldquo;Tour fires starting gun for a cycling revolution\u0026rdquo;, a reference to the news that the Tour De France will be vising Yorkshire in 2014 for the Grand Depart.\nThis is excellent news and seems to have been well received, I\u0026rsquo;m really hopeful that the tour coming back to England, along with all the recent positive (and negative) press cycling has been getting will help to increase the number of people using bicycles.\nPaul says that cycling has seen huge growth in Sheffield over the past decade and that a long term aim should be that cycling should be considered for all new road schemes, a view that I strongly support and have previously stated here.\nBlocked - The taxi drivers use the cycle lane as an extension of the taxi rank\nUnfortunately it seems that some new schemes in Sheffield still include dangerous cycle facilities. Sheffield City Council needs to do more to protect the existing cycle infrastructure from abuse, even from the organisations we expect to be protecting it.\nThe real crux of Paul\u0026rsquo;s article is that the government should start investing in cycle training schemes. He states that cycle training helps cyclists to be safe and confident on the roads, that cyclists don\u0026rsquo;t need to stick to the edge of the road and that using the road in a confident and assertive manner will help to keep you safe.\nPaul refers to Pedal Ready, an organisation in Sheffield who have trained thousands of people. Pedal Ready do amazing work training cyclists and running rides, they really help cyclists in Sheffield and help to glue all the different parts together (Bike Boost, Dr Bike, Bikeability, commuter training and maintenance classes). Sheffield Council support all of these initiatives and have received funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund from central government to help fund them.\nUltimately though, I believe that cycle training will only help a few nervous but keen individuals to cycle in a hostile environment, the 4/5% of people willing to get on a bike and who only need a gentle nudge in the right direction. It\u0026rsquo;s not something which scales to support the entire population in cycling for a significant proportion of all journeys. To achieve this requires cycling to be an efficient and safe means of transport. Changing the streets to increase subjective safety and give cyclists more direct routes is the way to achieve this.\nWith the legacy of badly designed roads and junctions in the UK cyclists need to know how to cycle safely to avoid incidents, this seems to be an unfortunate reality of where we are.\nTo illustrate this, we\u0026rsquo;ll look at some of the key cycle training lessons that are taught in cycle training.\nCycle facilities Cyclists are taught that cycle paths/lanes are not necessarily the safest places to cycle. It is ironic that cyclists need to be taught that infrastructure specifically designed for them can be more dangerous to use than the normal road.\nCycle infrastructure in the UK can sometimes be worse than the road alternatives. Councils like to install bollards to prevent car parking, give no priority over side roads, narrow lanes shared with pedestrians, poor maintenance and bad lines of sight.\nFor cycling to become popular, the facilities designed for cyclists need to both keep cyclists safe and meet the needs of those using them. We shouldn\u0026rsquo;t need to train cyclists to avoid badly designed infrastructure. We should design good infrastructure that needs no training to use.\nRoad position when cycling Cyclists are taught that in some situations they must take a primary position (\u0026rsquo;taking the lane\u0026rsquo; or \u0026lsquo;riding assertively\u0026rsquo;) to keep themselves safe. It means that cyclists are visible to the traffic, overtaking drivers are less likely to squeeze past and cyclists can avoid obstacles. Some examples are when passing through a narrow restriction, or when approaching a roundabout.\nAgain, this is teaching cyclists to avoid badly designed infrastructure. Teaching people to move into the centre of the lane to block traffic behind you is difficult. If cyclists need to perform this maneuver then the design of the infrastructure has failed them.\nCoping with parked cars This aligns with both position and use of cycle facilities. Often cycle paths/lanes are placed in the door zone, the area in which you will be knocked off your bicycle if a car door opens, perhaps under the wheels of oncoming traffic.\nGood Design\nIf we need to teach cyclists that parking has been placed without enough room for them to use the road normally, then the design of the parking needs to be improved. If we need to teach cyclists not to use a cycle lane because a car door opening could knock them off then that cycle lane has been badly designed. It is possible to design our roads to be safe, it just takes a little care.\nPassing side roads The take away message from this section is this. Move into primary position otherwise drivers will left hook you and you won\u0026rsquo;t be seen by emerging vehicles. There is a problem here, if the cyclist isn\u0026rsquo;t blocking the driver from doing something stupid then they are putting themselves in danger. The correct response of course is that drivers should take care around vulnerable road users, but we know that this doesn\u0026rsquo;t always happen.\nThe video below was shot on a National Cycle Network route in Sheffield.\nRoundabouts To me, teaching cyclists that to safely cycle a roundabout requires you to be in a primary vehicular position shows a failure of the design.\nThere is a newly constructed roundabout in Sheffield which has cycle lanes and advance stop lines, however unless you\u0026rsquo;re turning left these cycle lanes put you in a very dangerous position where you will be crossing all exit lanes. The designers have either assumed that cyclists don\u0026rsquo;t need to go straight on or turn right, or have given up trying to design a safe cycle provision for doing so.\n(Not in the syllabus) Bad drivers Sometimes drivers scare cyclists through no fault of their own. The driver is in a rush, they think the cyclist shouldn\u0026rsquo;t be on the road, they think they should be further to the left. These drivers are a real problem to cyclists and often a single interaction with one will put a cyclist off for good.\nThe law doesn\u0026rsquo;t seem to be on our side in these instances, bad driving is given only a very light touch by the police if there was no collision. The incident below was filmed last summer while I was on holiday camping, the police didn\u0026rsquo;t contact the driver because he\u0026rsquo;s not been reported before.\nIncidents like this (even if they are rare) need to be stopped to prevent all but the most suborn cyclists from giving up.\nIn summary, cycle training will only get people in key cycling demographics cycling. We need a more joined up approach with more respect for cyclists on the road, better provision for cyclists and a fundamental rethink in the way we design the roads and junctions in our villages, towns and cities.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/cycle-training-not-the-solution/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ePaul Blomfield, a local Sheffield MP, has recently written an \u003ca href=\"http://www.paulblomfield.co.uk/news/news-story/article/investing-in-cycle-training-could-provide-a-real-cycling-legacy-my-article-for-the-yorkshire-post.html\"\u003earticle for the Yorkshire Post\u003c/a\u003e entitled \u0026ldquo;Tour fires starting gun for a cycling revolution\u0026rdquo;, a reference to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/dec/14/yorkshire-wins-tour-de-france-grand-depart-2014\"\u003enews\u003c/a\u003e that the \u003ca href=\"http://www.letour.fr\"\u003eTour De France\u003c/a\u003e will be vising Yorkshire in 2014 for the \u003ca href=\"http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2013/us/pre-race/news/ahc/yorkshire-2014-grand-depart-london-to-host-a-stage.html#nw\"\u003eGrand Depart.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is excellent news and seems to have been well received, I\u0026rsquo;m really hopeful that the tour coming back to England, along with all the recent positive (and negative) press cycling has been getting will help to increase the number of people using bicycles.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul says that cycling has seen huge growth in Sheffield over the past decade and that a long term aim should be that cycling should be considered for all new road schemes, a view that I strongly support and have previously stated \u003ca href=\"/modern-sheffield-junction-design-safety-whats-that-then/#PB\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately it seems that \u003ca href=\"/modern-sheffield-junction-design-safety-whats-that-then/\"\u003esome new schemes\u003c/a\u003e in Sheffield still include dangerous cycle facilities. Sheffield City Council needs to do more to protect the \u003ca href=\"/the-ongoing-saga-of-sheffields-castle-street-cycle-lane/\"\u003eexisting cycle infrastructure\u003c/a\u003e from abuse, even from the \u003ca href=\"/why-did-the-policeman-cross-the-road-because-he-parked-his-van-in-the-cycle-lane-opposite-the-station/\"\u003eorganisations we expect\u003c/a\u003e to be protecting it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe real crux of Paul\u0026rsquo;s article is that the government should start investing in cycle training schemes. He states that cycle training helps cyclists to be safe and confident on the roads, that cyclists don\u0026rsquo;t need to stick to the edge of the road and that using the road in a confident and assertive manner will help to keep you safe.\u003c/p\u003e\n","title":"Cycle Training – The best solution for bad infrastructure"},{"content":"\rSouth Yorkshire Police\nI\u0026rsquo;ve blogged about Castle Street cycle lane before here: /the-ongoing-saga-of-sheffields-castle-street-cycle-lane/\nToday I headed down to try and film some taxis blocking the cycle lane, but I came across another set of vehicles using it\u0026hellip;\nThe police have given us assurances that they know it is dangerous to park in this lane, that it causes traffic problems, that they will move vehicles on when they see them there, but I don\u0026rsquo;t think they are sincere.\n“We come out of Snig Hill time and time again and they’re parked. And I can totally sympathise with you going back up towards Angel Street, we move them on for two reasons. They’re blocking the cycle path and they stick out that far into the road they stop buses as there\u0026rsquo;s a bus stop. They have a knock on effect that they hold everything else up behind them”\n“That area comes under my beat area and I’ll pay it some attention, I’ll get down there as often as I can. Unfortunately I cant be there 24/7, it’s just not possible for us we don’t have the man power at the moment to be there all the time.”\nQuote from South Yorkshire Police at a council meeting\nHere I present my evidence that they are not being sincere:\nYJ10 FZB - 15th December 2012\rYJ10 FZA - 6th October 2012\rYJ12 AZA - 15th December 2012\rYJ10 FYV - 01st December 2012\rYJ12 AYY - 15th December 2012\r","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/why-did-the-policeman-cross-the-road-because-he-parked-his-van-in-the-cycle-lane-opposite-the-station/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\r\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/southyorkshire-police-crest.gif\"\r\n         alt=\" South Yorkshire Police\" width=\"194\"/\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003e\r\n            \u003cp\u003eSouth Yorkshire Police\u003c/p\u003e\r\n        \u003c/figcaption\u003e\r\n\u003c/figure\u003e\r\n\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve blogged about Castle Street cycle lane before here: \u003ca href=\"/the-ongoing-saga-of-sheffields-castle-street-cycle-lane/\"\u003e/the-ongoing-saga-of-sheffields-castle-street-cycle-lane/\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I headed down to try and film some taxis blocking the cycle lane, but I came across another set of vehicles using it\u0026hellip;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe police have given us assurances that they know it is dangerous to park in this lane, that it causes traffic problems, that they will move vehicles on when they see them there, but I don\u0026rsquo;t think they are sincere.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Why did the policeman cross the road? Because he parked his van in the cycle lane opposite the station"},{"content":"Census figures released yesterday show that 1 in every 3 households in Sheffield do not have access to a car.\nYou\u0026rsquo;d never think that looking at the design of Sheffield, everything is catered to the car.\nLets shake things up and invest in some real cycling infrastructure for the 3rd of households in Sheffield who do not have access to a car.\nSheffield: Number of Households: 229,928 No cars or vans in household: 75,968 (33.0%)\nhttp://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-286262 http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/rft-table-ks404ew.xls\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-time-for-a-transport-revolution/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2011_Census_Logo.jpg\"\u003eCensus figures released yesterday show that 1 in every 3 households in Sheffield do not have access to a car.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou\u0026rsquo;d never think that looking at the design of Sheffield, everything is catered to the car.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLets shake things up and invest in some real cycling infrastructure for the 3rd of households in Sheffield who do not have access to a car.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/.imaging/stk/SCC-Home/standard-large/dms/scc/management/corporate-communications/images/roads-transport/cycling-walking/Cycling-directions/document/Cycling-directions.jpg\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSheffield\u003c/strong\u003e:\nNumber of Households: 229,928\nNo cars or vans in household: 75,968 (33.0%)\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheffield - Time for a transport revolution"},{"content":"Lord Taverne: My Lords, does the Minister accept that the bicycle is the most efficient machine ever invented for converting energy into motion and that the bicycle could be accurately described as a green car that can run on tap water and tea cakes and has a built-in gym? Does he therefore agree that it makes sense to base policy for private urban transport on the motto, \u0026ldquo;Two wheels good; four wheels bad\u0026rdquo;?\nhttp://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201213/ldhansrd/text/121210-0001.htm#1212107000005\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/lord-taverne-two-wheels-good-four-wheels-bad/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLord Taverne:\u003c/strong\u003e My Lords, does the Minister accept that the bicycle is the most efficient machine ever invented for converting energy into motion and that the bicycle could be accurately described as a green car that can run on tap water and tea cakes and has a built-in gym? Does he therefore agree that it makes sense to base policy for private urban transport on the motto, \u0026ldquo;Two wheels good; four wheels bad\u0026rdquo;?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lord Taverne - Two wheels good four wheels bad"},{"content":"\rThe Star - Local Sheffield Newspaper - The most dangerous cycle lane in Sheffield?\nI couple of months ago I highlighted the dangers to cyclists of a new junction in Sheffield City Centre at Furnival Gate/Pinstone Street.\nThe problem is clear for everyone to see, there isn\u0026rsquo;t enough room to use both the cycle and road lane with the result that cyclists next to vehicles are dangerously squeezed out.\nWarning! This story is long and winding and may induce a feeling of disillusionment and hopelessness. Take a deep breath and prepare yourself before reading, we\u0026rsquo;re entering the mysterious world of local council highway design!\nThe junction was designed in November 2011 by Sheffield City Council. The aim of the scheme was set out clearly in the design brief.\nThe purpose of the scheme is to improve crossing facilities for pedestrians, prevent the ‘U’ turning of vehicles at Cambridge Street and stopping the straight ahead vehicular movement on Arundel Gate across Moorhead.\nThe proposed scheme consists of the following features:- 1. Provide an enlarged traffic island to Moorhead, with the provision for cyclists maintained. 2. Footway buildouts at the bottom of Cambridge streets to improve pedestrian crossing facilities and prevent ‘U’ turning of vehicles.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Combined Stage 1\u0026amp;2 - Audit Brief - Sheffield City Council\nThe full scheme plan is available here but I\u0026rsquo;ve cropped it and highlighted it to show the part cyclists will care about.\nScheme Layout - Cropped and Shaded\nIt\u0026rsquo;s plainly obvious from this drawing what the problem is. Any cyclist coming up the cycle lane on the outside of the traffic waiting at the lights is put in danger by the narrowing of the main vehicle lane (as in my video above).\nSheffield City Council conducted a Road Safety Audit on this design at the final design stage. The safety audit found a couple of issues but most seem to have been dismissed by the designers and none of the recommendations made it into the final constructed scheme.\nProblem 1 SUMMARY: Potential for drivers to continue travelling ahead southeast bound along Furnival Gate around head of new traffic island with inherent risk of collisions with pedestrians. Although the new island will do much to discourage these dangerous manoeuvres, some drivers may still attempt the indiscriminate movements as outlined and the current problems will continue. RECOMMENDATION: The south-west bound cycle Ahead manoeuvre from Pinstone Street to The Moor through the Crossing includes a length of red cycleway in the triangular shaped traffic island. This cycleway should be raised to the same level as the island, and a short ramp installed across the running lane from the south-western limit of the Pinstone Street controlled crossing (stud line) to the island. This vertical feature would further discourage vehicles attempting to tum around the head of the island.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Combined Stage 1\u0026amp;2 - Sheffield City Council\nThe prevention of this U turn manoeuvre was one of the aims of this scheme, you\u0026rsquo;d expect the designers to consider this carefully as it could mean failing to meet the brief. The suggestion of raising the cycleway would significantly improve the safety of cyclists on this junction but the Road Safety Audit and the designers failed to recognise this.\nThe response from the design team dismisses the claim that U-Turns will remain a problem.\nDESIGN TEAM RESPONSE: It is the view of the Design Team that this extra isiand length will be more than sufficient to deter motorists carrying out such a ludicrous manoeuvre.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Combined Stage 1\u0026amp;2 - Sheffield City Council\nThe audit team disagreed with this and stated that they needed an exception report. I assume this is a formal acknowledgement of a safety improvement that was identified but not implemented but I don\u0026rsquo;t really know. The exception report was issued.\nRSA TEAM COMMENTS:\n\u0026hellip;\nTo summarise, there is obvious scope for some lengthening of the nib and in addition, the south~east side of the triangular island could be kerbed to contain the Cycle lane [With a ramp] as recommended. If the Client is not witling to accept the need for taking further steps to make the proposed layout safer for pedestrians then this stage of the audit will not be closed Without an Exception Report\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Combined Stage 1\u0026amp;2 - Sheffield City Council\nSo\u0026hellip; we\u0026rsquo;ve seen that the first problem found by the road safety audit was dismissed by the designers even though the problem identified was a key part of the brief. The road safety audit team failed to identify the increased safety to cyclists of the changes they proposed. Not going too well so far\u0026hellip;\nProblem 2 Summary: Continuation of cycle route beyond central island sheltered area has no guidance for cyclists; cyclists entering Union Street[should be Pinstone St?] observed to travel to offside of lane with inherent risk of collisions from vehicles.\nCyclists going ahead north-eastbound from The Moor into Pinstone Street do so via a out-through Cycle lane in the central triangular island. When they leave this short lane to enter Pinstone Street and pass through the Crossing, there is no guidance provided to advise them to move to the nearside of Pinstone Street. During the audit site visit, Cyclists were observed to travel straight ahead and position themselves in the centre of / to the offside of the running lane in Pinstone Street. In this situation, there is a risk of cyclists being in Conflict with motor vehicle traffic on Pinstone Street.\nRECOMMENDATION: Provide a short length of advisory red cycle lane to the nearside of Pínstone Street extending north-east away from the Crossing to guide cyclists. This would also alert drivers to their presence. This could be extended across the junction mouth of Cambridge Street to further enhance safety.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Combined Stage 1\u0026amp;2 - Sheffield City Council\nHmmm, the safety audit team seem to think that cyclists should be a maximum of 1.5 meters from the edge of the road and need a cycle lane to prompt them to be over there. They think that by putting a cycle lane at the edge of the road drivers would be alerted to their presence\u0026hellip; interesting! I believe that drivers are best prompted to a cyclists presence by an assertive position in the road and have been taught that by Sheffield Council funded Cycle Training!\nIn summary the attitude shown is: cyclists cycling in the centre of the lane, better put in a cycle lane to get them to move them over!\nAs before, the designers had a different opinion but didn\u0026rsquo;t justify it very well!\nDESIGN TEAM RESPONSE: The Client\u0026rsquo;s brief is to put back what was there before with no extra work at this location other than the island extension being carried out to meet the interim requirements.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Combined Stage 1\u0026amp;2 - Sheffield City Council\nI guess the design team thought that meeting the brief was more important than fixing a safety problem. The audit team were not happy and seem to have lost their temper a little!\nRSA TEAM COMMENTS: Again, if the Ciient is not willing to accept the need for taking further steps to make the proposed layout safer then this stage of the audit will not be closed without an Exception Report\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Combined Stage 1\u0026amp;2 - Sheffield City Council\nThe design team seemed to have changed their mind and issued a change of design, but I have never been given the drawing and the final scheme (as built) didn\u0026rsquo;t include these modifications. Keep reading as this gets interesting a little later on!\nDESIGN TEAM RESPONSE: Piease find attached drawing number TD/BN641í4.1B showing the additional Cycleway on Pinstone Street.\nRSA TEAM COMMENTS: This is acceptable\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Combined Stage 1\u0026amp;2 - Sheffield City Council\nThe safety audit is happy that the scheme is now safe with the amendments to the design of a new on road cycle lane heading up Pinstone street and across the junction of Cambridge Street.\nProblem 3 Summary: Potential difficulties for drivers of larger vehicles turning into Cambridge Street from Pinstone street.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Combined Stage 1\u0026amp;2 - Sheffield City Council\nI\u0026rsquo;m not really interested in this and the safety problem was dismissed anyway.\nDESIGN TEAM RESPONSE:The Cambridge St junction is designed for a limousine to turn right off Pinstone St and a Refuse Vehicle turning left off Pínstone St.\nRSA TEAM COMMENTS: Accepted at this stage. Any further comments will follow when vehicle movements and driver behaviour has been reviewed at the RSA 3.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Combined Stage 1\u0026amp;2 - Sheffield City Council\nThose are all of the problems identified by the road safety audit stage 1 \u0026amp; 2 (before construction).\nEnd of Problems Raised and Recommendations Offered in this Stage 1 \u0026amp; 2 Safety Audit\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Combined Stage 1\u0026amp;2 - Sheffield City Council\nSo, I think my video shows clearly what was built in the end. A junction that is a danger to cyclists with some problems identified before construction relating to failing to meet the brief to stop dangerous U turns. The council refused to acknowledge the U turn issue and the road safety audit team and design team failed to spot the key cyclist danger point.\nConstruction began and I was appalled and shocked when I saw the junction for the first time. I filmed a couple of videos, spoke to local cycling groups, raised it at the Sheffield City Council Cycle Forum meeting, started writing letters and went to the press.\nBBC Radio Sheffield ran a piece in each of their hourly news bulletins one morning.\nYour browser does not support the audio element. The council released a media statement (extracts below).\nThe Pinstone St/Moorhead junction is trying to do four things. Give some priority to cyclists, provide an emergency right turn, prevent dangerous U turns on Cambridge Street and most importantly maintain safety for pedestrians. This junction is used a lot by pedestrians. Through the week twice as many pedestrians than vehicle use this junction and on a weekend that increases to four times as many. There are less buses using this junction than there was a couple of years ago so that should help improve sharing of the carriageway. John Bann, Head of Transport and Highways, Sheffield City Council\nWhat a load of old tosh, its clear from the road safety audit that the design team dismissed problems to do with dangerous U turns and the impact that would have on pedestrian safety. There is no improved cyclists priority, where did this idea come from? How does a reduced number of buses improve sharing of the carriageway!?\nI was interviewed on BBC Radio Sheffield along with John Bahn, Head of Transport and Highways at Sheffield City Council.\nI was out there on my bicycle yesterday and I survived. But I have seen the video on YouTube and obviously I\u0026rsquo;m aware of the concerns.\nI think we recognise it is a tight location in an urban environment here and we are obviously mindful of safety for cyclists and other road users.\nJohn Bann, Radio Sheffield Interview, 3:15 in embedded audio\nSurvivable\u0026hellip; John, as the head of highways at the council I think you should be setting the bar for your department slightly higher than survivable\u0026hellip;!\nIt\u0026rsquo;s only a tight location because you\u0026rsquo;ve narrowed the road to prevent U-turns, stop making up excuses and think about your designs a little harder!\nWe do undertake road safety audits before the design is built, which we did do, and we had a couple of experienced road safety auditors look at it and they passed it.\nJohn Bann, Radio Sheffield Interview, 3:15 in embedded audio\nCorrect, but the circumstances of the passing are intesting. You passed the design because you issued an exception report stating that you weren\u0026rsquo;t going to resolve one of the safety risks they identified and that you\u0026rsquo;d install an extra cycle lane to mitigate the other (which you forgot to construct)!\nThe problem is the drivers, there is enough room for the drivers to drive safely if they choose to do so.\nRough Quote from Dick Skelton, Senior Transport Planning Officer, Sheffield City Council at a site visit\nAs always Dick you are completely correct, but lets design roads to be safe to prompt safe driving and to prevent dangerous driving.\nSo, a couple of months later the first copy of the Road Safety Audit Part 3 was released.\nThe first thing to note is that on the final scheme drawings used, there is an ammended version dated Feb 2012 with an extra cycle lane as mentioned in the resolution to problem 2 above, this was never included in the final construction, somehow it was forgotten\u0026hellip; Also forgotten was the marked cycle lane across the island (Moor to Pinstone Street direction)\nRed: Cycle lanes not constructed (forgotten)\nProblem 1 Summary: There are currently conflicts between cyclists using the cycle lane and buses making the left turn from Pinstone Street into Furnival Gate.\nWhen making this left turn manoeuvre the rear of buses and other large vehicles encroaches into the cycle lane, putting cyclists at risk. Many buses were also observed to drive into the cycle lane before making the left turn; further putting cyclists at risk (see photographs below). Given the very high volume of buses that make this manoeuvre this is a particular cause for concern. The chances of such an incidence occurring is increased by having the start of the cycle lane before the pelican crossing, as when the traffic light is at red there is the possibility of a bus and a cyclist being adjacent to each other, then setting off at the same time and coming into conflict the other side of the crossing.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Stage 3 - Sheffield City Council\nWell done, the issue has been spotted! Not that I expected it to be missed after all my shouting. What are the recommendations?\nRECOMMENDATION:\nIdeally move the cycle lane northwards so that it enters the island more centrally (i.e. where the current nib of the island is) so that a turning bus does not encroach into it. If this is not practical (due to the narrowness of the existing island at this point and the impracticality of widening the island due to the needs of large vehicle turning movements (the Audit Team would welcome the views of the Design Team regarding this) then remove all of the on-carriageway parts of the cycle lane altogether but retain the cycle lane through the island.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Stage 3 - Sheffield City Council\nOptions, move the cycle lane into the unused part of the road, or remove the cycle lane.\nOption 1, good option, no vehicles use this part of the road, plenty of space apart from a keep left sign which I suspect may be used as an excuse for why the cycle lane cannot be moved to this location.\nOption 2, acknowledgement that this cycle lane is dangerous and confirmation that vehicular cycling is here to stay in Sheffield. Cyclists should mix with the other vehicles, there is no room for any segregation of buses and bicycles. I think this is the most likely option as it will cost the least and be the least disruptive.\nThe result will be that only cyclists who are familiar with the layout of this junction will know how to use the cycle provision, this would be a complete failure of this scheme and a retrograde step for cycling in Sheffield. A good opportunity to improve but ruined by bad design.\nProblem 2 Ahead and right turn cycle manoeuvres from The Moor and Furnival Gate into Pinstone Street SUMMARY: In the drawings provided for the stage 1/2 audit (drawing ref TD/BN641/4.1B) cyclists going ahead northeast bound from The Moor into Pinstone Street would have done so via a cut-through cycle lane in the central triangular island. A short length of advisory red cycle lane was also proposed on the nearside of Pinstone Street extending northeast away from the crossing to further guide cyclists and reduce the risk of cycle/motor vehicle conflicts. Whilst this layout was agreed at the RSA 1/2 stage no such arrangement has subsequently been provided as part of the scheme. Given that many pedestrians choose to cross at the island rather than use the light controlled crossings either side of it (see problem 4.3 below) the lack of a signed cycle track could lead to pedestrian/cyclist conflicts on the island, especially as the width of the dropped crossings on the islands, provided in order to provide an “escape route” for motor vehicles on Pinstone Street in the event of a breakdown, allows and even encourages cyclists to mount the island at speed.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Stage 3 - Sheffield City Council\nAcknowledgement that safety problems identified and resolved by changes to the design before construction never actually made it into the final scheme.\nSo, John Bahn, your safety review prior to construction, to summarise, was completely ignored. The solutions offered to the problems identified were either rejected or not implemented. Why do you conduct safety audits but reject and ignore the recommendations? Perhaps you think that a good junction should be based on survivability? Or perhaps like Dick Skelton you think that safety problems are caused by bad drivers rather than bad design?\nRECOMMENDATION: Provide the cycle facilities shown on drawing number TD/BN641/4.1B as agreed during the Stage 1/2 Audit in order to segregate cyclists and pedestrians on the island and minimise the risks for cyclists when they are leaving the island and entering Pinstone Street.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Stage 3 - Sheffield City Council\nA common sense reccomendation, try not to forget the cycle safety bits when building the scheme! (even if they are badly thought through!)\nProblem 3 SUMMARY: Pedestrians putting themselves at risk by crossing away from the existing light controlled crossing facilities. Many pedestrians have been observed crossing diagonally at the island rather than use the light controlled pedestrian facilities on each leg of the junction.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Stage 3 - Sheffield City Council\nPeople crossing the road where they\u0026rsquo;re not meant to\u0026hellip; where there isn\u0026rsquo;t a crossing? This must be stopped! * Sarcasm*(it\u0026rsquo;s getting late and I\u0026rsquo;m tired!)\nRECOMMENDATION: Provide measures on the island to make using it much less attractive to pedestrians and remove the dropped crossings except where cycle facilities are provided.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Stage 3 - Sheffield City Council\nAh, lovely, make the pedestrians who\u0026rsquo;d like to be able to walk around their city centre conform to bad crossing design. We used to do this in Sheffield in the 60s, this road used to be an urban motorway with underpasses, I see we\u0026rsquo;re not completely free of this mindset yet.\nThe recommendations given here are dangerous, putting obstacles in peoples way to trip them up (raised kerbs), or make them jump over barriers, or prompt people to walk along the cycle lane(only leave the cycle lane accessible).\nThese recommendations will not help and will introduce danger. Design the scheme to accommodate pedestrian desire lines, do not try to force the pedestrians to conform, they won\u0026rsquo;t. We\u0026rsquo;ve seen this time and time again in Sheffield where barriers have been installed leading to people jumping over them, getting to the other side of the road and having to jump over another set. The problem is with the design, not where people would like to go!\nProblem 4 A problem larger than this blog post, drivers using the city centre as a route to avoid the ring road. Part of a bigger problem.\nProblem 5\nSummary: Potential for drivers to continue travelling ahead southeast bound along Furnival Gate around head of new traffic island with inherent risk of collisions with pedestrians.\nThe Audit Team is aware of historical problems caused by drivers carrying out indiscriminate / dangerous turns in the junction mouth around the head of the island in the centre of the controlled crossing, in order to go straight ahead along Furnival Gate southeast bound and avoid the traffic restrictions. This behaviour puts pedestrians using the existing crossing and on the footway on the south-eastern side of Furnival Gate at considerable risk.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Stage 3 - Sheffield City Council\nConfirmation that the issues identified by the first road safety audit but refused to be fixed are valid. The design team ignored the advice of the road safety audit thinking they knew best, perhaps they should be a little less dismissive next time?\nAlthough the new island has tightened the layout, some drivers continue to be observed carrying out the manoeuvre described above, often performing the manoeuvre across the pelican crossing itself thereby adding to the risk. Given the comments provided by the Design Team at the RSA 1/2 stage about the current layout being as tight as it can be given the restrictions of the scheme the Audit Team can make no further suggestions to improve safety at this location. Nevertheless, given the accident risk caused by such behaviour the Audit Team wishes to bring to the attention of the Design Team and the Client the fact that such manoeuvres are still occurring. The Design Team may therefore wish to re-investigate whether any further measures to prevent this manoeuvre are feasible at this location.\nMoorhead Interim Works - Road Safety Audit Stage 3 - Sheffield City Council\nOne final plea from the road safety audit team for the design team to rethink their strategy on preventing U-turns. The perfect solution was identified in the Stage 1/2 report, raise the cycle lane to the height of the island and protect it with a kerb. This would both protect cyclists and prevent these dangerous U-turns (one of the main aims of the scheme).\nThis is an evolving story and I will be following it through to a resolution, I hope it will be a positive one. One thing seems very clear from going through all of this, Councils who ignore pre-construction road safety audits do so at their peril, they will come back to bite them and will cost more to resolve post-construction than designing them in before construction.\nI strongly feel that Sheffield needs to adopt a mandatory Cycle Safety Audit as part of it\u0026rsquo;s road safety audit process. The focus for the stage 1,2\u0026amp;3 audits seems to be on motorised vehicles and pedestrians. Some of this focus needs to be shifted in the direction of cyclists with so many more now using the roads. I\u0026rsquo;m not the only one calling for this, last week Sheffield Central Paul Bloomfield commented\nLabour wants all future road and other major transport schemes to be subject to a Cycling Safety Assessment before they are approved.\nPaul Bloomfield - Sheffield Star - Monday 3rd December 2012\nSheffield council supports the Times Cities Fit For Cycling campaign, so perhaps it\u0026rsquo;s time to implement a couple of their suggestions.\nLiverpool, Birmingham, Leicester, Bristol, Newcastle, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds, Sheffield and Belfast city councils all threw their weight behind calls to reform urban areas.\nJulie Dore, the leader of Sheffield council, said: “We fully support the Times campaign. We are keen to make Sheffield a cycle-friendly city.”\nThe Times - Feb 3rd 2012\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/modern-sheffield-junction-design-safety-whats-that-then/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI couple of months ago I highlighted the dangers to cyclists of a new junction in Sheffield City Centre at Furnival Gate/Pinstone Street.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe problem is clear for everyone to see, there isn\u0026rsquo;t enough room to use both the cycle and road lane with the result that cyclists next to vehicles are dangerously squeezed out.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzQpMB3AtUc\"\u003ehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzQpMB3AtUc\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWarning! This story is long and winding and may induce a feeling of disillusionment and hopelessness. Take a deep breath and prepare yourself before reading, we\u0026rsquo;re entering the mysterious world of local council highway design!\u003c/p\u003e\n","title":"Modern Sheffield Junction Design. Safety? What's that then?"},{"content":"Castle Street cycle lane is a contraflow cycle lane on a one way street in Sheffield. It has been here since March 1997 and allows cyclists enter the city centre from the network of cycle paths on the East, avoiding some big arterial routes with no cycling provision.\nA great cycle facility, allows cyclists to enter the city centre avoiding the big arterial routes.\nFor the past 15 years this cycle lane has been plagued by Hackney Carriage drivers parking illegally on this cycle lane, blocking cyclists access and forcing them into oncoming traffic. This has been the case for over a decade.\nThere is a taxi rank on the pavement side of the cycle lane, taxis often fill up this rank and overflow, parking in the cycle lane, blocking the way for cyclists.\nBlocked - The taxi drivers use the cycle lane as an extension of the taxi rank\nSo, for the past couple of months I have been spending my lunch hour documenting this and trying to change the conditions on the road for the better. I document between 6 and 10 offenses each day, sometimes more, sometimes less, parking in this location is rife and there are very rarely a shortage of taxis to take photo\u0026rsquo;s of.\nI have taken hundreds of photos, some discretely, some openly and some in the face of agression from angry taxi drivers. I have been threatened, the police called, called a racist, I\u0026rsquo;m just doing this for kicks, to get a buzz, invasion of privacy and have been openly intimidated by large groups of taxi drivers. I have now taken to taking photo\u0026rsquo;s very discretely, after being driven at by one of the drivers last week (the police refused to take a statement and referred me to the taxi licensing office), I avoid being seen at all costs.\nI have reported 145 instances to the local council Taxi Licensing office. They only accept reports in writing so I am unable to phone, I report all of the taxis I see parking illegally via email to taxi.licensing@sheffield.gov.uk individually. I attach a couple of photo\u0026rsquo;s and give the number plate and license number of the vehicle.\nTo: taxi.licensing@sheffield.gov.uk\nTaxi Parked on Castle Street - 27/11/2012 approximately 13:08, [SK03 BWE - 974]\nDear Taxi Licensing,\nI wish to report a hackney carriage parked on an area of road designated as a mandatory cycle lane and marked with double yellow lines.\nThe attached photo\u0026rsquo;s show vehicle SK03 BWE - 974 parked on Castle Street illegally. They were taken at approximately 13:08 on 27/11/2012.I would like this investigated and am happy to be asked to provide a statement if required.\nKind regards,\nMatt Turner\nSF51 LCC - 621 (2) - 27 Nov 2012\nOf my 145 reports I have received 4 acknowledgements, they are all the same and use the exact same wording.\nFrom: Matthew.Proctor@sheffield.gov.uk Taxi Parked on Castle Street Thank you for your e-mail regarding the above. The licensee will be contacted and appropriate disciplinary action considered. Regards The Licensing Service\nNone of the acknowledgements - if you can even call them that - actually acknowledge any of my complaints, they only give the generic message given above. i have received 4 acknowledgements to my 145 email reports.\nI report to Taxi licensing in the hope that they\u0026rsquo;ll actually discuss this with the driver and possibly remove his license if there is repeat offending. I\u0026rsquo;ve been told though that this is VERY unlikely to happen based on a parking offence alone.\nI maintain a spreadsheet of each report, it shows that I have caught the most frequent offender 8 times so far (with another report waiting to be sent from last week). The spreadsheet is available here.\nI also call the council Parking Services team about this. They accept phone reports and are very good at sending a parking warden out straight away. I will see them walking up to the taxis, waving them on, the taxis move on and then the parking warden leaves. 5 minutes later the same vehicles are back in the same spot after driving around the block. The drivers are not given tickets, not fined and the enforcement only seems to happen whenever someone phones. I have never seen a parking warden in this area without me first calling them. The department get annoyed when I phone them multiple times each day because their warden has come and gone and the taxis are back.\nThe police are interested in this matter, but not in a positive way. I have had the taxi drivers phone them on a number of occasions complaining about me taking photographs. The police seem to ignore the illegal parking with the excuse \u0026ldquo;That is the responsibility of Parking Services at the council\u0026rdquo;, they ask me to leave because I\u0026rsquo;m agitating the taxi drivers by documenting their parking. Thanks South Yorkshire Police, you\u0026rsquo;re a great help!\nSouth Yorkshire Police Blocking Castle Street - Another occasion\nThe police seem to think that it is OK to park in this lane as occasionally we get photo\u0026rsquo;s of them parking in exactly the same location. Why not use the South Yorkshire Police Headquarters car park which is opposite?\nThis issue has been frequently raised at the Sheffield Council Cycle Forum meetings, the response has always been that it is the cyclists responsibility to report these issues. This I find completely disgusting, it is the responsibility of the council to investigate issues raised to them at an official council meeting, they have repeatedly refused to do this and insisted only that we need to report individual offences.\nAt the last Cycle Forum on 20th November 2012, Castle Street cycle lane was on the agenda for the first time in quite a while, I assume fuelled by my and CycleSheffield\u0026rsquo;s attempt at some sort of campaign. Some of the statements from the council and the police were frankly unbelievable.\n\u0026ldquo;You are quite within your rights to take a photograph but dont try to take a photgraph of the person, take a photograph of the vehicle and the taxi licesnse plate.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Sorry, why can\u0026rsquo;t you take a photograph of the person?\u0026rdquo; - Me, shocked!\n\u0026ldquo;Because that is infringing their rights\u0026rdquo;\nSouth Yorkshire Police Advice at Sheffield Cycle Forum\nThis advice is incorrect, I\u0026rsquo;ve had it confirmed by South Yorkshire Police, the National Policing Website and the Information Commissioner for England.\n\u0026ldquo;We come out of Snig Hill time and time again and they\u0026rsquo;re parked. And I can totally sympathise with you going back up towards Angel Street, we move them on for two reasons. They\u0026rsquo;re blocking the cycle path and they stick out that far into the road they stop busses as there\u0026rsquo;s a bus stop. They have a knock on effect that they hold everything else up behind them\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;That area comes under my beat area and I\u0026rsquo;ll pay it some attention, I\u0026rsquo;ll get down there as often as I can. Unfortunately I cant be there 24/7, it\u0026rsquo;s just not possible for us we don\u0026rsquo;t have the man power at the moment to be there all the time.\u0026rdquo;\nSouth Yorkshire Police at Sheffield Cycle Forum\nSouth Yorkshire Police Blocking Castle Street - 1st December 2012\nSorry South Yorkshire Police, but I don\u0026rsquo;t believe you. You also park in this lane, I took a photograph of one of your vehicles here yesterday. Why not use your car park oposite? (Did I mention that Castle Street is opposite the headquarters of South Yorkshire Police?)\n\u0026ldquo;The taxi rank is not in the wrong place, it is in the right place. It is in the right place from the point of view of where people want to be, that is why it has been overranked. So its precisely in the right place, there isn\u0026rsquo;t another place to put it.\u0026rdquo;\nDick Skelton, Senior Transport Planning Officer\nNo Dick, the taxi rank is in the wrong place, its the opposite side of a contraflow lane, the drivers frequently park well beyond it.When you say it is where people wan\u0026rsquo;t to be, I\u0026rsquo;m assuming you mean it is where the taxi drivers want to be? This is not a good reason to put a taxi rank in a location! You cannot argue that it is in the right place because there is no-where else for it to go, that is a rubbish argument!\n\u0026ldquo;The taxi drivers, just like many other drivers, just like cyclists I hasten to add, if they can get away with it, they\u0026rsquo;ll get away with it. I\u0026rsquo;m not saying this to the cyclists here, I\u0026rsquo;m sure you\u0026rsquo;re all perfect just like I\u0026rsquo;m a perfect driver but if they\u0026rsquo;ll get away with it they\u0026rsquo;ll get away with it.\u0026rdquo;\nDick Skelton, Senior Transport Planning Officer\nThanks for that little dig at the cyclists. We really love it when people do that, perhaps your next point will include some more of that bad attitude?\n\u0026ldquo;You cannot legally cycle to that cycle lane, yes Mick\u0026rsquo;s right that in the longer term you\u0026rsquo;ll be able to cycle to it. But you cannot legally cycle from Exchange Place, you cannot legally get to the start of that cycle lane without starting the wrong way up a bit of one way street\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Oh course you can, you can come up Waingate and turn right\u0026rdquo; - Mick Nott, Chair of Cycle Sheffield \u0026ldquo;It kind of goes back to what I was saying where people take advantage where they can or where they think they\u0026rsquo;re doing the right thing when in fact their not. Now I did say you cannot cycle to that lane, yes you can dismount\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m sorry Dick for using that cycle lane if it\u0026rsquo;s illegal\u0026rdquo; - Me, very frustrated! \u0026ldquo;No, I\u0026rsquo;m not saying that you shouldn\u0026rsquo;t cycle up there, I\u0026rsquo;m quite happy that you do cycle up there as long as you know the risks. The point I\u0026rsquo;m trying to make is, yes there are taxi drivers breaking the law but I\u0026rsquo;m also making the point that cyclists cycling in that lane are also breaking the law.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Now it\u0026rsquo;s quite clear to me which one of is most dangerous, the taxis parking there is clearly the most dangerous because it\u0026rsquo;s forcing the cyclists into the oncoming traffic. But if a cyclist chooses to cycle those first few meters up to that cycle lane the only person who\u0026rsquo;s going to get hurt is the cyclist.\u0026rdquo;\nDick Skelton, Senior Transport Planning Officer\nAh, there is the real crux of Dick\u0026rsquo;s point, why are we talking about this when cyclists are breaking the law? Why enforce no parking in cycle lanes when cyclists break the law? I have heard this argument before when trying to report a taxi parked in the lane to the licensing office on the phone, they asked me how I\u0026rsquo;d got to the cycle lane on a bicycle because it was illegal.\nWell Dick, as part of the council who designed and installed that cycle lane, the risks that cyclists face when they cycle along this lane have been engineered by your department, not the cyclists using the cycle facility, but by poor placement of a taxi rank, bad cycle lane design and illegally parked taxi drivers.\nSo, the Transport and Highways department at the council send Dick Skelton to the Cycle Forum, he has some strange ideas about the legality of using this cycle lane and talks irrelevantly about the law breaking of cyclists when we\u0026rsquo;re supposed to be discussing how to resolve the illegal parking in cycle lanes! How helpful.\nOne good piece of news is that a parking enforcement camera car is coming to Sheffield in the new year, hopefully this means that there will be some tickets given out at this location. I\u0026rsquo;m not convinced that in the past decade many tickets have been given out at this location but have submitted a freedom of information request to find out. http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/parking_offenses_castle_street\nSo, on a more positive note, we have been lobbying councillors on this issue to try and get some political pressure on this. I\u0026rsquo;ve been copying in Cllr John Robson and Cllr Clive Skelton who are the chair and deputy chair of the licensing committee at Sheffield Council. This must have been noticed because I received this email below last week asking me to stop.\nFrom: Matthew.Proctor@sheffield.gov.uk Castle Street Cycle Lane Hello Mr Turner;\nThank you for your emails regarding the above.\nLicensees who are issued with multiple warnings for parking in restricted areas are likely to have their licence reviewed by the Licensing Sub Committee, who will examine the evidence and take any disciplinary action they deem necessary. Options available to the Sub Committee range from taking no action through to the ultimate sanction of revoking a private hire / hackney carriage drivers licence.\nI note that you are currently in contact with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Licensing Sub Committee regarding this issue. May I respectfully request that you contact your own Councillor regarding this, as any involvement that a sitting member of the Sub Committee has with an issue may render them unable to sit on the Sub Committee which hears the individual cases.\nPlease be assured that Members have been briefed regarding the situation at Castle Street, and Officers are currently preparing reports for the consideration of the Sub Committee in respect of repeat offenders.\nI trust the above answers your questions, but should you require anything further, please do not hesitate to contact me.\nWell, at least I\u0026rsquo;ve got an email from the taxi office and at least it\u0026rsquo;s been noticed. I\u0026rsquo;m slightly worried about this email because it asks me not to contact any members of the licensing committee about these issues. 13 out of 84 councillors are on the licensing committee and two councillors who have been helping me with this sit on the licensing committee. Am I now not allowed to discuss this with them? I\u0026rsquo;m confused. Why can\u0026rsquo;t I discuss licensing issues with councillors on the licensing committee?! Crazy!\nSo, where will this go? It is clear that there needs to be a solution, I don\u0026rsquo;t know what this will be. There seems to be a lot of confusion, some anti cycling sentiment, some bad advice and very little political will to resolve this.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve got a few ideas up my sleeve, we\u0026rsquo;ll see how they pan out.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/the-ongoing-saga-of-sheffields-castle-street-cycle-lane/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCastle Street cycle lane is a contraflow cycle lane on a one way street in Sheffield. It has been here since March 1997 and allows cyclists enter the city centre from the network of cycle paths on the East, avoiding some big arterial routes with no cycling provision.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the past 15 years this cycle lane has been plagued by Hackney Carriage drivers parking illegally on this cycle lane, blocking cyclists access and forcing them into oncoming traffic. This has been the case for over a decade.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a taxi rank on the pavement side of the cycle lane, taxis often fill up this rank and overflow, parking in the cycle lane, blocking the way for cyclists.\u003c/p\u003e\n","title":"The ongoing saga of Sheffield's Castle Street cycle lane"},{"content":"There is a cycle lane in Sheffield on Castle Street that provides access to the city centre for cyclists who wish to avoid the arterial routes that still dominate the area.\nThis cycle lane is a contraflow lane, it is clearly marked and has a solid white line to separate it from the oncoming carriageway.\nThere is a nearby taxi rank and for many years taxis have been using the cycle lane as an extension to the taxi rank forcing cyclists using it into the oncoming carriageway. Any cyclist who asks them to move, or takes photo\u0026rsquo;s as evidence, is met with angry taxi drivers.\nGoogle and Bing have been recording this junction for some time, lets have a look at what they\u0026rsquo;ve seen.\nA message to Sheffield Council: The Google Streetview car has been in Sheffield over the past couple of days, I wonder what the latest images will show\u0026hellip;\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/castle-street-sheffield-cycle-lane-parking/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a cycle lane in Sheffield on Castle Street that provides access to the city centre for cyclists who wish to avoid the arterial routes that still dominate the area.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis cycle lane is a contraflow lane, it is clearly marked and has a solid white line to separate it from the oncoming carriageway.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a nearby taxi rank and for many years taxis have been using the cycle lane as an extension to the taxi rank forcing cyclists using it into the oncoming carriageway. Any cyclist who asks them to move, or takes photo\u0026rsquo;s as evidence, is met with angry taxi drivers.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Castle Street Sheffield - Cycle Lane Parking - Google and Bings Perspective"},{"content":"All data and sources for the post are available here: Google Spreadsheet\nThis morning I saw an article on the Daily Mail website\nAnother story about a pedestrian being injured by a cyclist breaking the law. You hear the same story repeated over and over, cyclists are dangerous, a menace on our roads, terrorising pedestrians. A lot of people are talking about the danger posed to pedestrians by cyclists but facts and figures are often missing. I suspect that this issue is being discussed by the public and media because of the increased use of non-segregated cycle facilities that permit cyclists to use the same pavement as pedestrians. These put cyclists and pedestrians in close proximity which will lead to more conflict.\nCyclists can and do injure pedestrians, 2.5 people on average per year (1998 to 2009) have been killed by cyclists, an average of 57 per year (1998 to 2009) are seriously injured and a 262 are slightly injured on average per year(1998 to 2007). This number obviously needs to be reduced, these incidents reflect badly on cyclists and the reporting of such incidents make them seem to be much more common than in reality.\nI\u0026rsquo;m always shocked that the 725 pedestrians who are killed on average each year (1998 to 2009) by motorised vehicles doesn\u0026rsquo;t cause more outrage. I suspect that this is down to so many of us driving, people can relate to car drivers however when it comes to cycling it is an unknown, fewer people cycle, there is no familiarity and they are often demonised.\nThere is a staggering difference in serious injuries caused by different modes of transport. All the data for this chart is on a Google Spreasheet here.\nBy reviewing the data I hoped to be able to answer the question:\nAre cyclists more of a threat to pedestrians than motor vehicles?\nThe answer in absolute terms is very clearly no. The average of 2.5 pedestrian deaths from cyclists vs 725 pedestrian deaths from motor vehicles per year clearly shows that motor vehicles are a much larger threat to pedestrian safety than bicycles.\nThere are complications though and the answer is never this simple, we know that not many of our journeys are made by bicycle, we need to look at the data over distance travelled for each form of transport.\nThe data presented in this graph shocked me when I first saw it, serious injuries to pedestrians per km travelled are at a similar level for bicycles as motor vehicles and were higher in 2005 and 2009.\nThis result isn\u0026rsquo;t the final picture though, we need to consider the parts of the road network where cyclists and pedestrians are not permitted.\nThis data was reworked under the assumption that there are no pedestrian injuries/deaths on the motorways caused by motor vehicles or cyclists (which are not allowed). By including motorway driving in the annual distances travelled we artificially reduce the calculated injuries/km because there is no/very little risk to pedestrians on motorways from motorised traffic and yet a lot of motorised traffic uses them. Cyclists are not permitted on motorways so there is no reduction needed in their distance travelled. This increased the number of serious injuries per billion km for motorised vehicles but left the cycling result the same.\nI\u0026rsquo;m interested in knowing if this is a reasonable assumption to make.\nThe general trend remains the same and the number of serious injuries per billion km travelled is comparable between bicycles and motorised vehicles with an average of 13.1 serious injuries/billion kilometres for bicycles and 18.7 serious injuries/billion kilometers for motorised vehicles.\nIn conclusion, bicycles cause far fewer injuries than motor vehicles but on a per km basis, cyclists are lower but surprisingly still in the same order of magnitude as motorised vehicles.\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/cyclists-terrorising-pedestrians-a-review-of-the-data/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll data and sources for the post are available here: \u003ca href=\"http://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0As4mpgL4eqfudC1Vel90eEhrVmhRZEhwdWdmMmtZamc\" title=\"Google Spreadsheet\"\u003eGoogle Spreadsheet\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis morning I saw an article on the Daily Mail website\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2200280/Cyclists-How-thuggish-minority-Lycra-louts-terrorising-roads.html\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/DailyMailHeadline.png\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother story about a pedestrian being injured by a cyclist breaking the law. You hear the same story repeated over and over, cyclists are dangerous, a menace on our roads, terrorising pedestrians. A lot of people are talking about the danger posed to pedestrians by cyclists but facts and figures are often missing. I suspect that this issue is being discussed by the public and media because of the increased use of non-segregated cycle facilities that permit cyclists to use the same pavement as pedestrians. These put cyclists and pedestrians in close proximity which will lead to more conflict.\u003c/p\u003e\n","title":"Cyclists terrorising pedestrians - a review of the data"},{"content":" Overnatning I Det Fri is a book listing over 1000 basic camp sites in Denmark. They are set up on spare pieces of land by private owners, organisations and local authorities. They range from small patches of grass next to harbours, to clearings in the woods, to sea side lookout points to lakeside plantations. The sites are for use by walkers and cyclists, some accept dogs, horses and boats! Many are completely inaccessible by car.\nEach site cost a maximum of 25DK per person per night. In reality many sites are free, in total we spent about 250DK (£25) between 2 people for 10 nights including payments for hot showers\u0026hellip; Not too bad! We travelled during the last 2 weeks of June and only saw other people at 2 or 3 sites.\nThe sites are split into green nature sites and blue (non nature) sites. The nature sites tended to be in woodland or plantations and were more basic than the blue sites. We never paid for a nature site, some had a toilet, none had running water, some had shelters, all had benches and tables. The blue sites tended to be nearer to towns but were all still in very nice locations.\nMany of the sites had sleeping shelters. These were wooden shelters raised off the ground, with one side open. The walls and roof are waterproof and you can sleep inside without a tent (as long as there are no mosquitoes)! They will sleep 6 to 8 people at a squeeze and 2 people very easily! We found that about 75% of sites had these, they make an excellent shelter during a wet/windy night. No extra charge for these.\nMany of the nature camp-sites had composting toilets, all were extremely clean and always had toilet paper available, we were pleasantly surprised!\nMany of the sites had showers, some of these were free, but some needed a payment of up to 20DK (£2).\nMost of the sites had a \u0026lsquo;grillplads\u0026rsquo;, these were fireplaces with an iron grilling contraption above! These varied from a simple iron bar square to a fully fledged height adjustable movable grill. We ate most nights by cooking Danish sausages over twigs we collected nearby! Yum! You can see one of the better designs of a grill here, this is a green nature site at a plantation.\nThe sites can be found using the directions in the book (a bit vague and in Danish) or by using the GPS coordinates given for each site. These were always accurate to within a couple of meters.\nDownside: The book and camp-site descriptions are in Danish, I\u0026rsquo;m planning on writing quick translation guide soon, but take a phrase book and you\u0026rsquo;ll be fine.\nYou can buy the book online with delivery to the UK. The site is in Danish, but it is straightforward to order the item, delivery was within 1 week to the UK. Current cost is 264 Danish Kroner, about £30 (including delivery) Well worth the money in my opinion, especially considering the cost of accommodation in Denmark (including normal camp sites). http://shop.dcf.dk/Default.aspx?cid=165\u0026amp;ino=3907\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/overnatning-i-det-fri/","summary":"\u003ca href=\"/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/7520288408_aa99a823ff_b.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Overnatning I Det Fri Book\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/7520288408_aa99a823ff_b.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e Overnatning I Det Fri is a book listing over 1000 basic camp sites in Denmark. They are set up on spare pieces of land by private owners, organisations and local authorities. They range from small patches of grass next to harbours, to clearings in the woods, to sea side lookout points to lakeside plantations. The sites are for use by walkers and cyclists, some accept dogs, horses and boats! Many are completely inaccessible by car.","title":"Camping in Denmark - Overnatning i det fri"},{"content":" BikeBoost is a fully-supported cycle-to-work challenge working in partnership with employers and local authorities, to increase the number of journeys to work regularly made by bike.\nhttp://www.bikeboost.org/pages/about\nMy employer in Sheffield has been invited to take part in Sheffield Bike Boost 2012. It involves a partnership between Sheffield Council, Bike Boost and local employers to help increase the number of people cycling to work by giving employees the chance to try out cycling to work with no commitment.\nEach person will be given 121 cycle training, maintenance advice and will be loaned a bicycle with tools, lights and panniers for 4 weeks.There is an optional purchase of the gear at the end of the 4 weeks.\nFrom the Bike Boost website:\nThis is a great opportunity for you to give cycling a go for four weeks. Employees of Plusnet are getting the chance to borrow a bike for almost a month. This is a FREE loan of a bike and all the relevant equipment, so that you can take up the challenge of cycling to work two or three days a week, (or as many as you can manage!).\n3. How will you make this easy for me? 3.1 Provision of a bike 3.2 Provision of bike ‘accessories’ 3.3 Route planning advice 3.4 Cycling safely – advice and training 3.5 Maintenance support 3.6 Website Support\nThere are three local schemes in 2012, Dundee, Fife and Sheffield. In Sheffield the project will rotate around large employers over the summer months (Plusnet and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals have signed up so far) and will probably be available to about 50 employees of each organisation.\nCycle training and Cycle Maintenance will be provided by Pedal Ready and as an existing scheme is already available for free to anyone working/living in Sheffield. Pedal Ready do great work in Sheffield, providing advice and training to anyone who needs it in Sheffield on an individual basis, they\u0026rsquo;ve been featured in the Guardian, I\u0026rsquo;ve put the slide-show/interview below.\nWe have between 5 and 10 cyclists at Plusnet, we have about 50 participants in this scheme, I\u0026rsquo;ll be checking the number of cyclists over the summer to see how effective this project is. I\u0026rsquo;m hopeful that a good proportion of the people taking part will continue to cycle. At the very least, I\u0026rsquo;m convinced that these participants will gain a new understanding of cycling and will become more considerate road users as a result. I wonder if people will be more likely to cycle once we establish a critical mass of cyclists?\nSheffield Council estimate that about 70% of participants continue to cycle after the scheme has finished.\n6.5 Bike Boost is a project delivered by Get Cycling, a York-based Community interest Company. The scheme offers employees free use of a bike and equipment for a month along with a comprehensive support programme before during and after the loan aimed at breaking down perceived barriers to cycling and offering guidance and encouragement over 3-4 weeks. It has been shown that the rate of participants who continue to cycle to work independent after the two month period has finished of the scheme is around 70%.\nWell done Sheffield Council for funding this!\nMore information available here http://www.bikeboost.org/pages/about and here http://www.bikeboost.org/plusnet/ Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/audioslideshow/2010/jun/28/pedal-ready-sheffield\n","permalink":"https://media.mattturner.blog/sheffield-bike-boost/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.bikeboost.org/images/header-logo.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Bike Boost\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http://www.bikeboost.org/images/header-logo.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e BikeBoost is a fully-supported cycle-to-work challenge working in partnership with employers and local authorities, to increase the number of journeys to work regularly made by bike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.bikeboost.org/pages/about\"\u003ehttp://www.bikeboost.org/pages/about\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy employer in Sheffield has been invited to take part in Sheffield Bike Boost 2012. It involves a partnership between Sheffield Council, Bike Boost and local employers to help increase the number of people cycling to work by giving employees the chance to try out cycling to work with no commitment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach person will be given 121 cycle training, maintenance advice and will be loaned a bicycle with tools, lights and panniers for 4 weeks.There is an optional purchase of the gear at the end of the 4 weeks.\u003c/p\u003e\n","title":"Sheffield Bike Boost"}]