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Regional & local government / Healthy Cities

Sheffield mayor unveils plan for active travel network and low-traffic areas

By Andrew Sansom 08 Jun 2020 0

The Sheffield City Region has published a plan to create a network of more than 620 miles of accessible walking and cycling routes across South Yorkshire to enable people to leave their cars at home.

Mayor Dan Jarvis and Active Travel Commissioner Dame Sarah Storey’s Active Travel Implementation Plan sets out how, by 2040, South Yorkshire will have a fully connected network of walking and cycling routes.

The network will feature 800 safe crossings for people travelling on foot or by bike, and nearly 200 square miles of low-traffic neighbourhoods, which will see streets transformed into places where people can relax and play safely, with very little through traffic.

A sum of £166 million has already been secured from the Transforming Cities Fund, with half allocated for active travel, but more investment is required from the UK Government to make the plans a reality.

In South Yorkshire, car transport accounts for 40 per cent of work commutes that are 1km or less, with this figure rising to 64 per cent when the distance is 5km. Just 2 per cent of journeys to work are taken by bike and 10 per cent on foot. More than 70 per cent of people in South Yorkshire commute by car.

By enabling active travel, it’s forecast that walking and cycling could be increased by 21 per cent and 350 per cent respectively, by 2040. To realise these changes in travel behaviours, Mayor Jarvis and Dame Sarah have pledged to provide high-quality, safe infrastructure accessible to all users, including adapted bikes and wheelchairs, and will empower local communities to co-develop ambitious future plans for walking and cycling in their neighbourhoods.

People have already begun to contribute by sharing their experiences of walking and cycling via the Sheffield City Region’s interactive map. Launched in October last year, more than 4000 comments have been made on the map, and the new network plan is said to capture 88 per cent of them.

Plans include: improving walking routes into Barnsley town centre, including links to the hospital; providing better active travel routes to rail stations and town centres in the Dearne Valley; a high-quality segregated cycle route to connect Rotherham, Meadowhall and Sheffield; and a bridge connecting Doncaster’s iPort with Rossington.

Mayor Dan Jarvis said: “We are in the midst of one the largest public health crisis in a generation and, as we recover from coronavirus, we have an opportunity to change.

“No one wants to return to gridlocked roads and polluted town centres, and this landmark strategy sets out how we can build back better. The aim should not be to go back to the status quo; it should be to make this a moment of fundamental change for our region and our country.

“Active travel should be part of an even wider strategy – a green new deal to transform our economy, create millions of new jobs, and counter the economic damage the pandemic has caused.”

Funding and cycle infrastructure design guidance

In May, the Government announced a £2bn package of funding for cycling and walking over the next five years. Last week, in Parliament, Transport Minister Chris Heaton-Harris MP confirmed that the Government intends to publish an updated version of the Department for Transport’s cycle infrastructure design guidance in the summer. The expectation will be that the guidance will need to be followed by all cycling scheme supported by government funding.

While welcoming the Government’s allocation of emergency funds to enable towns and cities to make space for pedestrians and cyclists in the age of social distancing, Mayor Jarvis warned that the money must be released promptly.

“In the short term, we need to take the pressure off a stretched public transport system, which is running at a fraction of its normal capacity, and prevent the gridlock that will be caused by people turning to their car,” he said. “In the long term, we need sustained funding for active travel to enable us to deliver a green new deal for South Yorkshire.”

Dame Sarah Storey, active travel commissioner, said: “During the coronavirus pandemic we have seen an even greater demand for safe space for walking and cycling, as social distancing reduces public transport capacity and people look to maintain new exercise habits that were formed at the height of the lockdown.

“Creating space for active travel is creating space for everyone. It means that not having access to a car will no longer be a barrier to getting around. From safe streets for children to get to school, to pavements free from inconsiderately parked vehicles that block the way for people in wheelchairs and parents with pushchairs, walking and cycling provision ensures everyone can enjoy the place where they live, and travel safely and easily to the places they want to go.”

To find out more about the Active Travel programme, visit: www.sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/cyclewalkscr

Organisations involved