Local residents have been in contact with local councillors and council candidates, as well as raising the issue at Crosspool Forum, to express their views that the stretch of Manchester Road through Crosspool should have a speed limit of 30mph rather than the current 40mph.
Two of our councillors believe it would be safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers/passengers in a residential area and that it would have no discernible impact on the overall time of car journeys through Crosspool and into the city.
They recognise that the council has many requests for traffic measures, and that funding cuts mean that it can only undertake a limited number each year. However, they accept in principle that there should be a reduction in the speed limit and ensure that it is considered seriously for early implementation.
If you’re in support of the idea then you can contact Councillor Anne Murphy or Councillor Geoff Smith to say:
We the undersigned support the proposal for a 30mph speed limit on Manchester Road in Crosspool and urge the Council to make implementation a priority.
Councillor Anne Murphy, email: anne.murphy@sheffield.gov.uk, telephone: 07788 917981
Councillor Geoff Smith, email: geoff.smith2@sheffield.gov.uk, telephone: 07581 214783
Crosspool News - crosspool.info 
I fully support this petition – well done our local Labour Councillors
I’m not seeing this as a big issue. The accidents and near misses tend to be at the Stephen Hill/Benty Lane/Manchester Road junction and that is in the 30mph zone. Something to improve that junction feels like the real way Crosspool could be made safer.
You are factually correct about the location of the reduction in speed to 30, however, as drivers coming from the west are approaching this point at 40, it’s frequently the case that they are still exceeding 30 when they reach the junction. They will also be travelling legally at 40 when approaching Coldwell Lane junction, in either direction. The reduction to 30 could be introduced at very little cost – ‘something to improve’ the Benty Lane junction isn’t going to be cheap, even if there was agreement about what it might be.
Below is the Amey response to all the transport service requests sent in by residents prompted by Crookes & Crosspool Green Party letters delivered to about 1200 Crosspool households last August. The reply suggests there is no chance that this can happen before 2018 – the Core Investment Programme is due to end in 2017. I really hope the Labour councillors have spoken to the Labour cabinet member or Amey about this and the situation has changed. Otherwise any petition will presumably be knocked back.
“Thank you for your email dated * September, requesting that we consider lowering the speed limit on Manchester Road. In response to a Department for Transport directive aimed at creating speed limit consistency on roads across the whole country, the Council completed in 2010 a comprehensive review of existing speed limits on all classified ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads across Sheffield.
Our investigations at that time into the speed limit on the A57 Manchester Road along this section in Crosspool, indicated that the existing 40mph speed limit is the appropriate speed for the road. I understand that this outcome may be somewhat disappointing, but the speed limits review has been undertaken in accordance with national guidelines. You should be assured that we continually monitor the numbers and severities of collisions across our network, notably to inform us of areas where we need to prioritise our road safety funding.
As you will probably be aware the Council is facing difficult financial times at present and the budget for highway works is extremely limited. The Council’s ‘Streets Ahead’ programme of road maintenance will, however, see the vast majority of roads (including footpaths and grass verges) in Sheffield brought up to an improved standard during Amey’s core investment programme over the next four years. The project divides the city into 108 zones and our efforts are focused on co-ordinating new highway works with these zones. All highway scheme requests will be assessed and prioritised to align with Amey’s programme unless unusual or urgent circumstances indicate the need for immediate action. All requests remain on the list unless they have been built or otherwise actioned.
I have checked our records and we already have a request for a reduction in the speed limit to 30mph on this section of Manchester Road, on our highway scheme request database.
Manchester Road is currently programmed for Streets Ahead road maintenance works in 2016. However, we have by now already assessed and prioritised those requests we are able to build next year, this did not include this request, so regrettably we will not be able to make your requested changes at this time. Our normal course of action is then to defer such requests until the end of the core investment programme when the process for prioritising requests will be considered again.
Thank you for contacting us on this occasion.
Michelle Moffat
Transport Planning”
For me is the ppl who park on double yellow lines, Darwin Lane, parents picking kids up from school, driving like maniacs.
But a 30mph speed limit is good.
We have to cross manchester road every morning, between the 40 and 30 mph zone, otherwise we have to walk to crosspool shops and walk up to Hallam school. Drivers DO NOT drive at 40 mph or 30 mph but more like 50 mph. When we try and cross, drivers are so cross. I would love to sit and put a speedometer up, but just like with everything else, it would probably be more who would be towed away by the police. Something does need to be done. Why is it so hard to change a sign? I understand that there is so much red tape involved, with changing a sign. I would suggest that the above lady (Michelle Moffat) comes and witnesses your life in their hands every morning!