The removal of the current Sandygate Road white lines and the painting of a white line in the original position on the road is scheduled for Tuesday 2 February. Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 February have been allocated as additional work days in case of weather problems.
The off-centre markings on Sandygate Road will be repainted and put back to their previous location following a review by Sheffield city council’s road safety auditors.
The lines were positioned on the newly-resurfaced road with the intention of improving the safety of cyclists being overtaken going up the hill and to slow traffic coming down the hill.
Crookes Councillor Geoff Smith took this up and has now confirmed that the lines will be put back back to where they were before. He said: “The auditor has recommended that the centre white line should be put back where it was and this has been accepted by the council and Amey.
“As yet I do not know when the work will be carried out but I have urged that it should be done as soon as possible. Thank you to the residents who pursued this issue.”
The off-centre markings on Sandygate Road will be reviewed by Sheffield city council’s road safety auditors early next year.
The lines were positioned on the newly-resurfaced road with the intention of improving the safety of cyclists being overtaken going up the hill and to slow traffic coming down the hill.
Since then Crookes Councillor Geoff Smith has been following it up. He explains: “Transport Planning in the council suggested the marking change as part of Cycle PFI Opportunities and Transport Planning provided the brief for Amey designers. Amey then designed the changes and Amey Road Safety auditors audited the design changes before they were implemented.
“After the Open Meeting I raised this again with the council’s traffic engineers. They informed me that after zone works are complete a zone audit is carried out by Amey’s road safety audit team. They are qualified road safety auditors. The audits comply with national guidance and are specified in the contract between Sheffield city council and Amey.
“This particular zone may not be fully completed until May of next year. So I have requested that, given the public concern, an audit of the Sandygate Road marking change is carried out on its own as quickly as possible, and that the outcome is made public.
“In this instance, as Amey have carried out the first audit, then there is an element of them doing the same thing twice, so this audit will be carried out instead by the council’s road safety auditors who have not had any involvement in the process. This provides more independence.”
Thirty one trees along Rivelin Valley Road could be removed as part of the Streets Ahead road improvement project.
According to the Sheffield Telegraph, contractor Amey says three trees are either dead, decayed, have structural integrity problems or are causing surface damage.
Residents are campaigning against the proposals.
A Streets Ahead roadshow is due to visit Stephen Hill church on Tuesday 24 November, 4-7pm.
The 51 bus route will be changed slightly due to resurfacing works for the next three Sundays.
On Sundays 22 and 29 November and 6 December from 6am to 5pm the Crosspool-bound 51 bus will travel as normal to to Western Bank then go left down Clarkson Street, right onto Glossop Road, left to Fulwood Road then continue as normal to Lodge Moor.
Work as part of Streets Ahead to upgrade Manchester Road will start towards the end of November.
The streetlights will be replaced as part of the first phase of the project, with the installation process taking up to six weeks. The Manchester Road trees will also be assessed and possibly replaced.
You can find out more about the planned work at an upcoming roadshow which will be visiting Stephen Hill church on Tuesday 24 November, 4-7pm.
200-year-old trees on Lydgate Lane are scheduled to be cut down as part of the Streets Ahead project.
Notices have been placed by Amey/Streets Ahead on three trees stating they have developed a structural fault and are to be felled within two weeks – possibly on Wednesday 28 October – as part of the city-wide programme to improve Sheffield’s roads.Â
Campaigners have organised an emergency meeting at 5pm Sunday 25 October in The Sportsman pub on Benty Lane – anyone with an interest in the fate of these trees is invited. Dave Dillner from Sheffield Tree Action Group will be attending. A petition to save the trees is also available for signing in Enhance Hair Salon.
Anyone wanting to express their views on the proposals to representatives from Amey and local councillors will also have the opportunity to do so at the next Crosspool Forum Open Meeting/AGM on 29 October at St Columba’s Church, 7pm start.
Concerned Crosspool residents are collecting signatures for a petition regarding the position of the painted white lines on Sandygate Road.
The road markings were repainted following resurfacing work and have divided the road into a wider uphill lane and a narrower downhill lane.
Resident Marie Biggs explained: “My main concern is that vehicles are travelling far too fast up the road and hogging the white lines. This doesn’t leave any space for vehicles and cyclists travelling downhill towards Crosspool, which have to cross the white lines to pass parked vehicles.
“Amey/Streets Ahead told me that the reason the lines are as they are is to allow for the safe overtaking of cyclists coming uphill – but what ablout the cyclists travelling downhill?
“And, if there was to be a collision, would drivers travelling down the road always be deemed to be at fault, purely because they are straddling the white lines?”
The petition can be signed in GT News and the Post Office.
What do you think of the position of the Sandygate Road markings?
Update 3 August: After all the fuss, it seems the 51 is going via Manchester Road/Coldwell Lane after all.
31 July, 9am update: First Bus have announced that they will provide a free shuttle bus between Crosspool and Brook Hill. This will operate every 30 minutes between approximately 7.30am and 6.30pm. No fares will be charged – this is to feed into the main 51 bus.
The 51 bus service will not run along part of Sandygate Road next week during the day due to road improvement works for the Streets Ahead project.
From Monday 3 to Friday 7 August, from 7am-7pm each day, 51 buses will run between Broomhill and Sandygate along Fulwood Road, Gladstone Road, Ivy Park Road, Carsick Hill Road and re-join the normal route on Sandygate Road to and form Lodge Moor.
Buses on services 273, 274 and 275 are not affected and will still run along Manchester Road and along Benty Lane and Sandygate Road travelling towards the city centre through Crosspool as normal.
At the Crosspool Forum Open Meeting last night concerns were raised in particular about families not being able to easily access Ryegate Children’s Centre on Manchester Road.
Crosspool News - crosspool.info 