Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road

The consultation on Connecting Sheffield: Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road closed on Friday 21 January 2022.

You can now view the consultation report for this scheme here . You can also view an Executive Summary of the report here .

Introduction

Connecting Sheffield: Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road is a project being brought forward to give greater priority to buses on the southwest side of Sheffield. This would help reduce delays for people travelling on public transport to and from the area.

If we’re going to tackle climate change and reduce emissions, we need to provide more sustainable options for travel in our city. By making changes to support more reliable public transport services, we can help encourage people to choose this way of getting about instead of using private vehicles.

Greater priority for buses would help to reduce congestion, and in turn air pollution. It would also improve access to leisure and work opportunities around Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road, as well as in the city centre and beyond. This scheme ties in with other work we are doing to help improve public transport such as the South Yorkshire Bus Service Improvement Plan .

Click here to see a map showing the full extent covered by the project. More detailed maps of key areas where changes are proposed are provided further down this page.

What we’re proposing

We’d like to gather your views on a set of proposals to give buses more priority along Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road. Bus priority systems would be installed at every set of traffic lights along the two bus routes. Buses would be detected on their approach and given a green light so that they can continue through all junctions and crossings. This would help to provide more consistent journey times for people catching the bus. Click here to see a map of the proposed bus priority systems.

Alongside bus priority systems, we are also proposing additional improvements to some junctions and roundabouts along Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road to help traffic flow more freely. Details of these changes can be found in the sections further below.

We’d also like your views on some initial ideas to make changes to bus lane hours of operation, and bus stops, as well as to the way in which parking, waiting, and loading restrictions are enforced. More detailed information is provided on this further down the page.

How we’re going to engage with local people

For this project, we’re undertaking two phases of engagement to look at where we can make improvements to our proposals. We are currently asking for feedback on proposals and initial ideas to check we’ve considered everything necessary before we undertake a more formal consultation.

Below is a timeline which sets out the two phases of consultation, their timescales and what we will be asking for feedback on.

You can view a pdf of the above timeline and zoom in by clicking here .

Proposals for Abbeydale Road junctions

To provide more consistent bus journey times along Abbeydale Road, we’re proposing improvements to some key junctions. Details of these proposed improvements are provided below.

Abbey Lane Junction

To improve traffic flow and reduce congestion, a short section of the inbound bus lane running between Sherwood Glen and Abbey Lane would be removed and replaced with two general traffic lanes. Fewer cars would need to swap lanes when turning left at this junction, which would make it easier for buses travelling straight ahead. Double yellow lines would also be added inbound between Sherwood Glen and Abbey Lane to ensure the junction operates smoothly.

The map below illustrates the measures that would be implemented at this junction.

You can view a pdf of the above map and zoom in by clicking   here .

Springfield Road Junction

To help detect buses on the approach to this junction, and give them a green light, we’re proposing some changes to the traffic lanes and bus stops located between Knaresborough Road and the Millhouses Pub, in both directions. The inbound bus lane running between Knaresborough Road and Springfield Road would be removed and replaced with two general traffic lanes. This would reduce the need for cars to swap lanes when turning left at this junction, improving traffic flow.

So that buses are properly detected and prioritised when passing through the traffic lights, the inbound bus stop and outbound bus stop located closest to the junction would be relocated.

The inbound bus stop just before the Springfield Road junction would be relocated to the other side, just in front of Roses The Bakers. The outbound bus stop situated close to Millhouses Post Office would be relocated to just in front of The Millhouses Pub.

The centre line of the road would also be adjusted to provide enough room for vehicles to pass any buses that are waiting at the bus stops – helping to maintain the flow of general traffic.

Finally, to further reduce hold ups for buses, double yellow lines would be added in places along both sides of the road between the Knaresborough Road junction and the Hutchinson Road junction. These are either at side road junctions or where the bus stop clearway is being removed (because the bus stop is moving). Loading restrictions would remain as they are currently (between 7.30am and 9.30am, and between 4pm and 6.30pm).

The map below illustrates the measures that would be implemented at this junction.

You can view a pdf of the above map and zoom in by clicking here .

Tesco Junction 

So that bus journeys are not affected by traffic entering or leaving Tesco, a segregated bus lane would be added to bypass the traffic lights. The bus lane would run from just after the junction with Hastings Road down to the junction with Bannerdale Road.

To enable the new layout at this junction, the pedestrian crossing located just before the access road to Tesco would also be relocated to just before the junction with Holt House Grove.

The map below illustrates the measures that would be implemented at this junction.

You can view a pdf of the above map and zoom in by clicking here .

Bannerdale Road Junction

To make it safer for people trying to cross the road at this junction, the traffic lights located at all four approaches to the junction would be upgraded to become controlled pedestrian crossings. This means that people would be able to press a button to cross the road.

A new controlled exit for traffic leaving St Peter and St Oswald's church would also be put in place, with new traffic lights added.

The two inbound lanes running between Archer Road and Troutbeck Road would be widened so that there is more space for buses and cars. To accommodate this change, new parking restrictions are proposed outbound along a section of this stretch of road. Parking and waiting would be restricted at all times, while current loading restrictions 07.30 - 09.30 / 16.00 - 18.30 would remain in place.

The outbound bus stop currently located just after the Bannerdale Road junction would also be relocated to just before the access road to Tesco. This has to be done to enable the new layout at Bannerdale Road and the Tesco junction.

The map below illustrates the measures that would be implemented at this junction.

You can view a pdf of the above map and zoom in by clicking here .

St Mary’s Gate

We’re also proposing to change the crossing close to Boston Street on London Road so that pedestrians can cross the road in one go without needing to wait in the middle.

Proposals for Ecclesall Road roundabouts

To provide more consistent journey times along Ecclesall Road, we’re proposing to make improvements at two key roundabouts: Moore Street and Hunters Bar. Details of these proposed improvements are provided below.

Hunters Bar Roundabout

To allow a smoother flow of traffic between Hunters Bar roundabout and Rustlings Road, we’re proposing some changes to the bus lanes and bus stops along this stretch.

The outbound bus lane would be removed and replaced with two general traffic lanes to reduce the need for cars switching lanes immediately when coming off the roundabout onto Ecclesall Road. This would help to reduce congestion and queueing back on to the roundabout.

The outbound bus stop located just after the roundabout would be removed to further assist the smooth flow of traffic progressing from the roundabout. Alternative bus stops are available nearby. All the buses which currently use this bus stop also stop in front of Trinity United Reformed Church opposite Rustlings Road (130m away). They also already stop either on Ecclesall Road at Neill Road (150m away) or at the bottom of Brocco Bank (130m away).

The inbound bus stop located here, in front of the Hallamshire Tennis and Squash Club, would be relocated a little further back along the road, so that it sits closer to the entrance to Endcliffe Park. We would create a layby for buses stopping to pick up and set down passengers, so that they don’t hold up general traffic. The relocated bus stop would continue to serve all the bus services that use the existing stop.

A pedestrian crossing (dropped kerbs and tactile paving) would be provided across the top of Rustlings Road. This would allow pedestrians to cross this wide junction more easily, providing safer access to Endcliffe Park, the relocated bus stop and for walking along Ecclesall Road.

The proposals are shown on the map below.

You can view a pdf of the above map and zoom in by clicking here .

Moore Street Roundabout

A pre-signal priority system would be installed just before the roundabout to allow buses to approach it ahead of the general traffic.

As part of the Connecting Sheffield: Nether Edge – City Centre project, changes are proposed to the central reserve at the crossing in front of the LIV student accommodation. If these changes go ahead, the inbound bus stop and existing cycle exit would be relocated to allow for this.

The map below illustrates the measures that would be implemented at this roundabout.

You can view a pdf of the above map and zoom in by clicking   here .

Initial ideas for further changes to Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road 

As well as the proposals we’ve outlined above, we’ve also got some initial ideas around changes to bus stops, bus lane hours of operation and the enforcement of parking, waiting and loading restrictions.

We are seeking your views now to inform a formal consultation in 2022.

Changes to bus lane hours of operation 

We’re also looking into various options to provide more consistent bus journey times outside of the traditional peak hours, as delays at other times can have a severe impact on bus travel. We’re considering extending the current bus lane operating hours along Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road and we’d like to find out what people think of 12-hour bus lanes, operating from 7am to 7pm. We’d also like to know your views on bus lanes operating on Saturdays and Sundays to help address congestion issues at the weekend.

We will use the outcome of this initial stage of consultation, along with other research, to bring forward options to extend bus lane hours for consultation at a later date, in 2022.

Any changes to the bus lane operating hours would impact on parking – we are currently undertaking surveys to help us determine what that impact would be.

Upgrades to bus stops

We’re also considering upgrading bus stops along Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road to provide a more pleasant environment for people waiting to catch the bus.

These improvements could mean the removal of a handful of parking spaces in some locations. Some of the plans for bus stop improvements are dependent on bus lane operating hours and would be consulted on alongside that at a later date, in 2022.

The proposed upgrades under consideration could include:

• making the area where buses pull in at bus stops larger so that they have more space to stop
• adding some shelters to improve the experience for bus users
• providing clearer and more visible boarding points for people waiting to get on a bus

Please do let us know where you think bus stops could be improved and how.

Changes to the enforcement of parking, waiting and loading restrictions

The third change that we are considering is replacing yellow lines with red lines along sections of Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road. These are called red routes. You may well have seen them elsewhere but, at the moment, they are not much used in Sheffield.

The difference between red lines and the traditional yellow lines is that they enable more effective enforcement of parking restrictions through the use of cameras.

The details of possible locations for red lines would be considered following this engagement period and would be consulted on formally through a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) at a later date, in 2022.

Share your views

Please share your feedback on these proposals and initial ideas by completing the survey below. You can use the freeform box at the end of the survey to provide additional comments on any of the questions.

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To help us to monitor the success of this project we plan to survey traffic in the area using cameras mounted on lamp posts. We need to do this so that we can understand how traffic has been affected by the scheme. For example, on certain roads we may wish to understand whether traffic has reduced or increased as a result of the scheme. 

If you have any queries, concerns or complaints about the way Sheffield City Council processes your personal data, including the way we handle information requests, you can contact our Customer Services or the Data Protection Officer.

If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are not processing your personal data in accordance with the law you have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office.