Story by Graham Jones
As part of the North Sheffield Better Bus Scheme the council have made proposals for new traffic layouts around the junctions of Barnsley Road/Orphanage Road and Barnsley Road/Scott Road.
The details can be found at:
https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/roads/works/schemes/north-sheffield.html
The final date for submission of comments to the Council was 13th May 2016. In brief the proposals for the scheme at this site include:
Creating a lay-by for buses coming from the city at the bus stop at Orphanage Road.
Double yellow lines on Firshill Avenue on its approach to Barnsley Road.
Reconfiguration of the junction at Scott Road/Barnsley Road. This would include a wider “entrance” and a central pedestrian reservation and a right turn lane on to Scott Road.
Moving the 97/98 (from city) bus stop on Scott Road away from its present site, near the junction of Barnsley Road, to a site between Passhouses Road and Abbeyfield Road.
These proposals are an attempt to speed up traffic, including buses, through this section of Barnsley Road. However, concerns have been expressed by local residents that the changes will not increase road safety nor diminish pollution in this neighbourhood, which is already among the worst in Sheffield on both counts. A major concern is the high number of schoolchildren walking through this area and the need to provide safe pedestrian routes.
The suggestion for the installation of the traffic lights at the Scott Road/Barnsley Road junction was again dismissed by the council despite the number of accidents at this junction over the years.
Do you have an opinion on this matter? Send us your comments.