Sheffield go Dutch with new road scheme

Later this month motorists, pedestrians and cyclists in Sheffield will start familiarising themselves with the city’s first Dutch-style roundabout and, needless to say, it is already facing criticism. 

The roundabout scheme is part of a much larger transformation of Sheffield’s city centre, with a  number of regeneration projects taking place and an ultimate aim of linking key areas of the city centre together and creating more space for people and events.

The design of the new roundabout will complement the regeneration projects which are transforming the area, and will further the city’s Connecting Sheffield ambitions to give people more choice in how they travel around, providing safe and attractive walking, cycling and wheeling routes.

New planting and landscaping has been installed, extending the award-winning Grey to Green project which aims to bring colour and sustainability to inner-city Sheffield.

Cllr Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: ‘For too long people wanting to cross West Bar roundabout to get around the city have had to wait for a gap in the traffic to do so in a safe manner. The changes we are delivering will make it easier for those on foot or on their bike in two fantastic new ways.

‘Sheffield is changing, and the way people get around is also transforming, we’re making it safer, easier and greener for you to enjoy everything the city has to offer. The introduction of the new Dutch-style roundabout will continue that, linking in perfectly with award-winning Grey to Green offering along with our other regeneration projects at Castlegate, Attercliffe, West Bar and Heart of the City among many others.’

While the scheme has been applauded by the cycling community, many are emphasising the necessity of creating a fully linked network.

Cycling UK said: ‘While these changes help make it safer for people cycling, unless they’re part of a comprehensive, joined-up network of safe cycle lanes, we won’t see a surge in people getting on their bikes,” Cycling UK’s Sheffield-based senior policy officer Monica Scigliano said in a statement.

‘If we truly want to encourage more people to make their everyday local journeys by bike, it’s crucial that well-designed cycle lanes connect to other local networks beyond the city centre.’

A user on Reddit’s UK Bike sub confirmed: ‘This is great and all but anyone who cycles into Sheffield city knows every route from the suburbs to here requires you to risk your life.’

Another countered: ‘I think the problem is that councils usually bid for money on a per-scheme basis, which makes it hard for them to make something joined up. Thankfully they’re reconfiguring a lot of the city centre soon to make it much better to cycle through. The council especially Ben Miskell has shown that they’re willing to ignore the haters and get buidling, so I’m confident things will improve quickly.’

Much of the criticism of the scheme focusses on it being confusing, eg: ‘ I’m concerned that drivers don’t know how to negotiate them,’ However, this writer’s experience of driving through Poynton’s shared space scheme three times a week is that drivers, uncertain of how a scheme works, slow down a great deal. More than ten years after it was put in place, traffic moves much more slowly – yet smoothly – through the village that it did before.