This is a briefing from me as the Campaigns person on Sheffield CTC’s committee. I haven’t been doing this very long so these observations are largely impressionistic. I do have many years as a consumer of Sheffield’s provision for cyclist.

If I were OFSTED I would say that Sheffield is somewhere between inadequate and requires improvement. Some improvements are in the process of being planned, the most important example being the work being done between Amey, the Council and cyclists on how tram track safety can be improved. A survey was commissioned, priority crossings identified and Amey did an excellent piece of research on possible solutions. Trial solutions are now being planned. There are other, more modest improvements, for example the cycle lanes around Sheffield Hallam University in the centre of the city. However there is a long list of very poor cycle lanes and routes, dangerous crossings (Rutland Road/Penistone Road being my own favourite) as the road lobby and keeping up traffic speeds has substantial power. There is a SCC action plan and councillor commitment to Get Britain Cycling, the action plan has fallen behind, and Get Britain Cycling has weak targets. There is a lot spoken, good intentions, but conspicuously weak commitment to action and abysmal resources.

Sheffield spends just under £2 per head of population on cycling. Other authorities spend £10 and because Sheffield did not bid for central government funding two years ago, it didn’t have suitable plans, it has lost out on a second tranche of government funding which was announced recently. In its major schemes, for example the Penistone Road pinch point scheme, £3m of central government money, cycling seems to have been an afterthought. A recent major junction redesign at Broomhill the chief planner said that SCC only designed for experienced cyclists. Given that Sheffield is not attracting the major scheme monies and cycling seems to get what’s left, it will experience a 25% cut in the budget next year, much less reduced than in other areas, but still a significant reduction from a very low base allocation.

Sheffield Councillors have also failed to sign up to the Space for Cycling principles, only 9 (possibly more) have, and the lowest number within the comparable local authority councillor groups. Signing up to this scheme was said by the lead councillor for cycling to be “simplistic” the only real champion of cycling I have identified is Sarah Jane Smalley, the Green Councillor whose recently very critical council motion on cycling was amended and nullified by the Labour Group. This was not surprising as the councillors are unlikely to vote to criticise themselves. However it did raise the issue and many others are doing the same.
Cycle Sheffield and its extremely knowledgeable chair Mick Nott provide the driving force from the grass roots to improve cycling in Sheffield and their efforts do produce results, for example SY Police allowing away football team supporter buses to park on bike lanes, this practice has been discontinued and other places found for the coaches. I could list other successes.
Sheffield Councillors will sign up to Space for Cycling and I copy the response that I received from my own Councillor, George Lindars-Hammond. This seems to be the “official” Labour Party position on cycling; it’s a start and does indicate a willingness to move forwards, albeit at a very slow space. In the meantime there are other forces at work, mainly financial, the cumulative effects of continuing budget cuts, performance pressures to increase average traffic speeds and accident statistics.

Here is George Lindars- Hammond’s response:-

You will be aware of recent publicity that Sheffield Councillors did not support the Space for Cycling campaign in as large numbers as other big cities. This was unfortunate because I believe it completely misrepresented the position in Sheffield with regard to cycling. Sheffield actually demonstrated its commitment to improving cycling by launching its own Cycling Inquiry to build on the national Get Britain Cycling report. The Cycling Inquiry was an all-party committee that included a representative from Cycle Sheffield. Nineteen recommendations were put forward and agreed by the Labour Administration and we are due to bring forward a precise timetable for full implementation next summer. It was because Sheffield had launched its own comprehensive initiative that the numbers of Councillors in Sheffield who signed the Space for Cycling campaign was lower than elsewhere but crucially only Sheffield responded to the challenges set by the Get Britain Cycling report in this tangible manner.

We are currently working on implementing the Cycling Inquiry recommendations and establishing, wherever possible, the necessary funding that is required. We also support the Space for Cycling campaign asks, if implemented where appropriate, where funding is available, and not on a blanket basis. For example, we believe issues such as removing through traffic from residential areas should be done on a case by case basis. On this basis I am happy to sign up to the Space for Cycling campaign and thank you for your email.

I think this begs a lot of questions, and needs to be set against the experience of cycling in Sheffield and the litany of substandard schemes that have been introduced.

I reproduce a recent text from Barry Raynor, Secretary Sheffield District CTC, on the subject of cycling to the north of the city.

Living on the south tip of the city I took a ride on the other side up to Grenoside today and OMG! I endured one of the worst cycling experiences of my life. I used to live at Wadsley Bridge nineteen years ago and it wasn’t good then, now it’s worse. Cyclists living in the north of Sheffield must have nerves of steel and don’t deserve what they have to put up with.

These quotes I think demonstrate the nature of the gap between the political and the experiential.

We can change the priority level within Sheffield by working with Cycle Sheffield and putting pressure on local Councillors to sign up for the Space for Cycling agenda. To this end I would like all CTC members to use the link to email their local councillor and all members should be familiar with Space4Cyling campaign.

Please use this link to email your local councillor.

Paul