What do we want to see in LTP3?

The Council along with the rest of South Yorkshire is drawing up its plan for transport for the next 5 years. What would we like to see in it? Ideas are being collected at ltp3 One thing's for sure - there won't be any money for large capital projects and small-scale cycling projects represent excellent value for money. 

Not On Network

Sheffield City Council has placed this Motor Traffic Information Sign in the middle of the cycle track on Eyre St. (& widened the cycle track slightly so that when you run into it and are lying on the ground bleeding, you are still on the footway and not inconveniencing any motorists.)  As Sustrans frequently gets the blame for this sort of stupidity I felt it necessary to add a "Not on Network" sticker to it - to it make it plain that it is nothing to do with Sustrans, but also to warn cyclists of the hazard.  Our suggestion was that as the sign is for the benefit of motorists it should have been put in the middle of the carriageway instead.  

Had a quick ridearound with Andy from SCC which was very useful.

The following things might happen:-

Travelodge :-

Take one K-frame out & move to tunnel under Railway. (Ecclesfield)

Other K-frame will have spacers removed, making it easier to get a bike through.

Bridge @ Ecclesfield - remove barrier which has been subject to a botched repair.

(pics below)

Newhall Rd - slant barriers so cyclists are able to pass through slowly.

Chapeltown Greenway - although there has been a funding gap some work will soon commence on the extension to Chapeltown & Tankersley. There may be scope for Sustrans rangers to help with any preparatory work - clearing vegetation etc - as per Beeley Woods.

Ramp from bridge up to green space adjacent to Ecclesfield Rd (which is heavily used for motorcycling) is in very poor condition.

Noted that Sheffield Wildlife Trust are clearing vegetation between Weedon St & Carbrook St, & the retaining wall is being rebuilt along Effingham St which is causing some disruption. Tyres have been dumped at north end of Cobweb Bridge, at Sussex St. Section between Wicker Arches & Blonk St is closed for Environmental Agency work on the river (Diversions have NOT been posted!)

Guerilla Rangering

Me and Richard A. went out to fix an irritating problem this morning:-

This is where the Five Weirs Walk crosses Newhall Rd. It involves a couple of tight u-turns and then someone who clearly isn't a cyclist put in a barrier which necessitates another tight turn. As a result people cut the corner, which has resulted in the earth getting worn down and creating a hazard.

We went out to fix this a few weeks back with some paving stones but the ground was frozen, so we hid them in the bushes and returned this a.m.. A spot of nifty spadework soon had the ground prepared and we put the paving stones in place.

This is what it looks like now :-

Here's Richard trying it out:-

We hope this makes your journey along the Five Weirs Walk a little easier.

Further downstream we found a spawning Spacehopper:-

On the way back we stopped at La Perle Bistro & Patisserie on the Wicker (honest!)

which we can thoroughly recommend.

Beeely Wood update

Rob Stanley from the council sent me this:-

The Beeley Wood route is a project in progress at the present time. The path will be finished off with road planings in the near future, together with top soiling of the verge, and that will wrap up phase 1.

Phase 1 is in effect a footpath improvement, - improving drainage, getting rid of the swampy patches and improving the surface for people
who are frail or use wheelchairs. The route is not yet a cycle route or Bridleway so cannot be signed as such. We anticipate that the route can
be upgraded to a Bridleway (and allow cycle usage and signage) as part of phase 2 around April time 2010. This will hopefully be done with a final surfacing of the main track, which is to be agreed, and a
Bridleway agreement with landowners. Access treatments will also be looked at.

The final surfacing, as part of Phase 2, is subject to consultation with a range of stakeholders, including the Community Assembly, Ramblers Association, Sustrans and landowners. I will be looking to start the ball rolling on this later in November.

Agreements with landowners to upgrade to a Bridleway should be fairly straight forward, provided we have their agreement on surfacing and access management. However, there are four landowners along the course
of the route, one of which we have yet to identify and make contact with (despite trying all obvious means). If we can't identify this particular landowner, we may have to look at doing an Order to legally
achieve the Bridleway, which would take longer and be more costly. We are currently exploring options on this.

I will update you when we have either indentified the remaining
landowner or decided on a course of action to convert the footpath to a Bridleway by legal Order. I will also involve Sustrans' reps in the consultation on the final surfacing later this month.

The crossing of the railway line north of Oughtibridge is the subject of ongoing discussion between Network Rail and the City Council, following
Network Rail's opposition to this. Its not an easy one.

Looking ahead to 2010

What will Sustrans in Sheffield be doing in 2010?

My own thoughts so far go as follows:-

Celebrating the opening of the Beeley Woods shared use path and hopefully the complete route between the NCN at Oughtibridge and Sheffield City Centre.

2010 will mark the 21st Anniversary of the TPT - that is 21 years since the inaugural ride and walk that launched the idea of the Trail to the public. Obviously there are going to be celebrations, including a ‘batten’ relay across the whole of the Trail. This is likely to take place in June.

We have been asked to organise at least one walking, cycling or horse riding event in out area at some point during 2010 as part of the ‘TPT 21st Anniversary Celebrations’ and I'm sure we can manage that.

This year we did the 'Fresh Air Miles' sponsored ride at Rother Valley and although there wasn't a big take-up for the ride itself the stand at Rother Valley generated a lot of interest so I'm sure we could do that again, perhaps with some guided rides to take people along the TPT.

A sponsored ride to raise money for Sustrans should be on the cards as well.

We do of course want to have a cycling and walking network that is attractive, free of litter and other hassles and well-signed, so we'll need some workdays to achieve that and we should continue to harrass Streetforce and Sheffiield City Council if they fail in
their statutory duties. This is particularly important when budgets are being cut and managers are looking to cut corners.

I have a plan for a Sheffield to Manchester route taking in the Porter Valley, the Hope Valley, Mam Tor, Rushup Edge and over to Chinley so hope to make some progress with that.

Any other ideas? By all means leave a Comment if so.

2 New planning apps

The council has submitted 2 new planning apps which will add vital links

to the NCN and take us a step closer to a completed network for the area.

One is for an extension to the Chapeltown Greenway - this will take it as far as the Yalta

industrial Estate which IS in Chapeltown: A future extension will link
it to the TPT at NCN/TPT at Cart Road early next year, subject to a
funding bid recently submitted. The route will be bituminized as well.
This is great news for Chapeltown residents who will have a route free
of motor traffic all the way to Meadowhall. In particular it will
avoid the nasty hill between Chapeltown and Ecclesfield.

The other one is for an "iconic" bridge over the Parkway near Tinsley
Golf Course. This will remedy the shameful current situation where
pedestrians, cyclists and horse-riders are supposed to cross the 70
mph Sheffield Parkway at surface level.

I will be writing to support both these applications - should you wish
to comment you can do so
at SCC's planning portal,
http://planning.sheffield.gov.uk/publicaccess/DC/dc_home.aspx
by searching for following refs:


Chapeltown Ref: 09/02522/FUL
Parkway Ref: 09/02783/FUL

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