How do Sheffield road planners get it so wrong?

[Flanker7]

Jimherb1980 - "Thing I like on penistone while ime driving on it is the cycle path that runs nearly the full length of it now,as I pass yet another cyclist driving on the road(until next set of lights stop me and they go up the inside of me)my point is if they don't use it why keep spending money on cycle paths red tarmac costs more than black how much did the road widening outside emr cost just to make a shared fway"

*my bold

 

I'm pro-cycling and couldn't agree more with the phrase in bold.

 

If cyclists don't use it . . it's not fit for purpose.

 

There are loads of useless cycle lanes all over the country because the grants are given per metre and councils slop red tarmac almost anywhere with no real planning.

I have proposed that SCC put a big lump of their 'cycling' budget into a state of the art, substantial, section of cycle way, which will be used and which we can be proud of.

[Jimherb1980]

Why is the penistone rd cycle path not fit for use?

On the inbound side it travels the full length.likewise on sheaf street.And what is the infrasture you would like to see in place?.

[Flanker7]

Why is the penistone rd cycle path not fit for use?

On the inbound side it travels the full length.likewise on sheaf street.And what is the infrasture you would like to see in place?.

 

It seems logical to me that cycle paths should be better for cyclists (than the road). If they were cyclists would use them whenever possible. I seldom use them because they badley repaired and have glass, rubbish, pavement furnishings, pedestrians and vehicles every few yards.

 

I would like to see smooth, clean and separate cycle paths with junction control.

[26b-6]

I never expected so many responses. Thanks for many interesting perspectives. But I share Cyclone's sentiments. Making parking, driving more difficult and expensive does not improve public transport or encourage cycling. The motive is revenue for parking services and their favourite bailiffs along with keeping the councils bureaucratic "must be seen to do something brigades in jobs"

 

Those Stating Sheffield is car-friendly is beyond laughable, its the equivalent of stating the EDL are an Islamic friendly organisation.

[Bargepole23]

I never expected so many responses. Thanks for many interesting perspectives. But I share Cyclone's sentiments. Making parking, driving more difficult and expensive does not improve public transport or encourage cycling. The motive is revenue for parking services and their favourite bailiffs along with keeping the councils bureaucratic "must be seen to do something brigades in jobs"

 

Those Stating Sheffield is car-friendly is beyond laughable, its the equivalent of stating the EDL are an Islamic friendly organisation.

 

No different to any other city. Too many cars to fit in the road space at certain times of the day, bus routes prioritised, people slagging off planners.

 

Who wants to live in a place full of tarmac filled with fast moving cars? Not me. We need to reduce car usage, particularly in urban areas. Most people would agree, but most would rather somebody else made the effort to leave the car at home so they can drive to where they want to get to.

 

Make the effort. Catch a bus or tram, ride a bike, take a walk. Not possible for everyone but certainly possible for many more than do it currently.

[Cyclone]

Why is the penistone rd cycle path not fit for use?

On the inbound side it travels the full length.likewise on sheaf street.And what is the infrasture you would like to see in place?.

 

It's full of debris, shares space with pedestrians, but for most cyclists the worst factor would be it cedes priority at every side road, meaning you have to check and potentially stop and at the very least you have to approach with caution and slow down. On the actual road you have priority and whilst you still have to look of course, you can just continue at speed.

 

---------- Post added 26-09-2017 at 07:41 ----------

 

No different to any other city. Too many cars to fit in the road space at certain times of the day, bus routes prioritised, people slagging off planners.

 

Who wants to live in a place full of tarmac filled with fast moving cars? Not me. We need to reduce car usage, particularly in urban areas. Most people would agree, but most would rather somebody else made the effort to leave the car at home so they can drive to where they want to get to.

 

Make the effort. Catch a bus or tram, ride a bike, take a walk. Not possible for everyone but certainly possible for many more than do it currently.

 

I'll be cycling to work in a few minutes, so I'd like to think that my comments aren't biassed by the desire that someone else make the effort.

 

What I think most people would like is a viable alternative to be provided, rather than just life to be made more difficult for the majority.

 

---------- Post added 26-09-2017 at 07:42 ----------

 

I also believe that traffic lights have a psychological effect on drivers.... you come to a junction where the lights are out and you will normally find drivers being more cautious and courteous in letting others out at the junction.

Park Square roundabout always felt like a better place to drive when the lights were out.

 

Quite a few studies have shown that most junctions flow better without them.

 

---------- Post added 26-09-2017 at 07:43 ----------

 

O

 

You certainly have got it wrong, about a long gone roundabout

at Leppings Lane

 

In what way is that wrong?

The congestion is regularly worse now, there are entire threads about how bad the junction is now.

 

---------- Post added 26-09-2017 at 07:44 ----------

 

Why is this stretch any different from many other stretches of the ring road that have 40mph traffic lights, filters, junctions, roundabouts etc.

 

Because (according to Annie) it has a few side roads and someone from Fulwood might want to drive to Pitsmoor.

 

---------- Post added 26-09-2017 at 07:48 ----------

 

You ask me how often I use this road.

More often than someone who says:

"There's the roundabout at Leppings Lane..." Gone in 2014.

No idea why I said that, perhaps I meant that there was a roundabout at Leppings lane before it was removed. Given that I live 1.5 miles from that roundabout and use Penistone Rd whenever I head into or past town, I'm confident that I use it regularly.

 

You say I can't explain why those journeys might take place or how common they might be.

I will repeat my explanation:

"Rutland Road also provides the best route in the direction of NGH, Don Valley, Brightside, Meadowhall Rotherham (and IKEA). Their is of course a counter flow in the other direction from East and North East Sheffield to the University(parts) schools (inc.5 secondary), 5 hospitals, offices etc in S10."

You're wrong though aren't you. DDW is the direct route to Meadowhall, rotherham and Ikea. So you don't cross PR, you join it. A point I already made once.

The NGH is across it, but doesn't attract much traffic by volume. And the counter flow is also quite small.

 

You ask "How often do you actually use this road to have an informed opinion yourself?"

Every time I go to the NGH via Herries or Rutland Road, Sheffield College, Oughtibridge, Shiregreen, Brightside, Rotherham, Meadowhall, Meadowhall Station, M1 North. At random times between 7am and 8pm.

You go to the M1 North by CROSSING, not joining PR? You're doing it wrong then.

So how often are these journeys. Not a list of them, how often do you use PR?

I use it 5 or 6 times a week, each way.

 

I travel by car, bicycle, H1,97,98 and 38 buses and on foot between Sheffield College, Hillsborough Park, Hillsborough Corner, Morrisons etc.

 

You ask why a 40 mph limit is too high.

Right hand filtering traffic slower than left hand lane.

Reduced traffic flow because of standing waves caused by rapid deceleration.

Running lights at 40 is more dangerous than at 30.

Mixed traffic behaviour encourages lane hopping and undertaking which is more dangerous at a higher speed. More?

As someone else said, how is this different to the 40 zoned sections which have very similar junctions, busier residential areas, and no practical difference to justify the different speed limit.

[ads36]

Jimherb1980

 

Why is the penistone rd cycle path not fit for use?

 

imagine a main road that gave way to every side road, and abandoned car park.

 

imagine a road with lamposts / bus stops / bins / advertising panels placed right in the middle of the lane.

 

imagine that this road is in no useful way connected to any other roads.

 

that's how bad the penistone road 'cycle path' is.

 

cycle paths are not a waste of money, *bad* cycle paths are - because they sort of look ok, but people avoid them, and this is used to justify not building better ones.

 

there are (a precious few) good cycle routes, they're popular, but motorists don't see them because they're not parallel to a busy main road.

[Annie Bynnol]

No idea why I said that, perhaps I meant that there was a roundabout at Leppings lane before it was removed.

 

 

Route familiarity.

 

A symptom of route familiarity is failing to remember the removal of a roundabout for three years.

 

Route familiarity is directly linked to a desire to increase speed, failing to observe change, slower reactions, lack of consideration for other road users and so an increase in collisions.

[Cyclone]

I go into town from Parkside Rd far more often than I go down Leppings Lane.

 

Can you explain why PR is different to Halifax Rd or Netherthorpe Road though? You've been asked quite a few times, and not just by me.

 

And do you accept that the PR traffic mostly moves at 40 mph despite the speed limit? And yet I don't think it has a higher than average accident ratio...

[Astonblade]

We need to reduce car usage, particularly in urban areas. Most people would agree

 

Not sure that is true. I dont agree.

What I would like is this council stop making driving in sheffield as difficult as possible in the forlorn hope that it will encourage people to leave their cars and catch a bus. I for one will never catch a bus.