Cyclists have once again been left behind after the leader of Sheffield City Council, Tom Hunt, announced his plans to improve both bus and tram routes in the city earlier this week.
There are a variety of difficulties that cyclists in Sheffield face when travelling around the city, including navigating the poor infrastructure and a lack of joined up cycle lanes.
Local cyclist, Becky Hammond, said: “The hills are not the problem. The existing cycling infrastructure is poor. There are a lot of ‘cycle lanes’ that are actually just painted gutters.”
Sheffield’s tram tracks are a particular problem for cyclists. The Cycle Sheffield campaign has created a crash map where cyclists can add the location of accidents they have been involved in.
An overwhelming number of cyclists have been involved in collisions or falling off their bikes when cycling on the tram tracks.
Becky said: “If you cycle down the middle of the tracks, drivers behind get cross because you’re not over to the side: but you can’t move across because there isn’t room to do so safely.”
In 2017, the council approved a Tram Cycle Safety Action Plan. To this day, the only item from that plan that has been enforced is the warning signs. Simple changes, such as the implementation of SafeRail, a plastic insert into the tram tracks, would make cycling safer.
Active transport advocate, Dr James Smith, said: “Sheffield feels a bit behind everywhere else, frankly, in cycling infrastructure. I can see work is happening in some places but it feels very minimal and most of it is orientated towards the city centre.”
Becky told the Sheffield Wire that many schemes that would improve conditions for cyclists have already been funded, with little progress being made by the council to achieve their promises. She said: “Millions of pounds is sitting there, not being spent and losing value, and there’s absolutely nothing to show for it over two years after funding was approved.”
Dr Smith has been in contact with his local councillor for around seven months to get more cycle racks put on Sharrow Vale Road but has seen no tangible change.
Safer cycling routes would encourage more people to choose cycling over driving their car, which is better for both the environment and people’s health. While the council have stated their ambition is to provide residents with facilities that are welcoming and inclusive, the unsafe cycling routes mean that many parents are unwilling to allow their children to cycle.
Ben Miskell, the Chair of Transport, Regeneration and Climate for the council, recently talked about how he wants to make it easier for cyclists at the Cycle Sheffield AGM.
Mr Miskell was approached for comment.
