Crookes and Walkley Active Neighbourhood: October 2022 - April 2023

UPDATE 07 MARCH 2023

Following the permanent removal of the diagonal closures on Springvale Road, we have been reviewing the measures which had been implemented to work in conjunction with the diagonal closures. These measures are:

• A one-way restriction between Mona Road and Melbourn Road
• The extension of double yellow lines around side roads at the junctions of Springvale Road/ Western Road and Springvale Road/Cobden View Road. 

Traffic monitoring data we have collected so far has shown a large reduction in traffic using Springvale Road as a result of the one-way restriction. However, there are also around 100 vehicles per day which are abusing the one-way restriction which creates a safety risk. In addition, observation and feedback from local residents indicates that there has been a significant increase in traffic on Melbourn Road as a result of the one-way restriction on Springvale Road. 

 As a result of the review, we have concluded that the extended double yellow lines and one-way restriction should be removed from the scheme. 

 We will be conducting more traffic monitoring later in March which will allow us to assess the effects of removing the one-way restriction on the road on local traffic flows. This information will allow us to make an informed recommendation on these measures as part of our report to the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Change Committee to inform the decision-making process. A decision on the Crookes and Walkley Active Neighbourhood is expected to be made in summer 2023 by that committee.

The extended double yellow lines will be returned to the extents described in the original permanent Traffic Regulation Order which will return spaces for on-street parking and provide adequate road space for large vehicles navigating around the junctions.

A couple of the double yellow lines were not marked to the correct extent outlined in the permanent Traffic Regulation Order before we introduced the scheme and were a few metres short. The image below shows the extents of the double yellow lines outlined in the permanent Traffic Regulation Order. These are the lengths they will be returned to. This should not significantly affect the amount of on-street parking provision.

We have also reviewed the double yellow lines which were implemented around the junction of Sackville Road/Romsdal Road following the removal of the planters on Sackville Road. 

Following this review, we have concluded that some of the double yellow lines around this junction should remain during the decision-making process as they aid access and visibility in this area, particularly for larger vehicles like bin lorries. However, the double yellow lines on the eastern side opposite the junction on Romsdal Road/Sackville Road can be removed which will return spaces for on-street parking but still provide adequate road space for those larger vehicles.  A long term decision on all of the double yellow lines around this junction will be made by the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Change Committee alongside the other measures which form part of the Crookes and Walkley Active Neighbourhood.

We will remove the double yellow lines on Springvale Road/Western Road/Codben View Road, the double yellow lines opposite the junction of Romsdal Road/Sackville Road and the one-way restriction in the coming weeks along with the associated signage. Once we have a removal date confirmed, we will post a further update on this website.

UPDATE 06 MARCH 2023

Thank you for all your questions, comments and feedback over the course of the Crookes and Walkley Active Neighbourhood trial. The period for accepting feedback has now ended.

Now that the trial period is complete, there will be a formal review of the trial by the Council’s Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee as to which elements of the scheme should stay in place and which should be removed or changed. This decision is expected to be made in summer 2023.

UPDATE 23 FEBRUARY 2023

Further to the update below, we would like to clarify that the diagonal closures on Springvale Road have been removed and will not be put back in place as part of the Crookes and Walkley Active Neighbourhood trial.

UPDATE 20 FEBRUARY 2023

On 8 February 2023, we put in place diagonal closures on Springvale Road using small spaced islands. These measures were planned as part of the Active Neighbourhood trial. They were designed to restrict the amount of through traffic on Springvale Road to create a nicer environment for residents and to make it more attractive for walking and cycling. 

Council Officers and local Ward Councillors were on site when the closures were put in place and they then stayed on site for a period of approximately two hours between 2pm and 4pm, which included school pick up time, to observe how these closures were received and how well they worked and to speak to local residents. 

During this observation period some situations arose where vehicles couldn’t easily pass each other at the junction and were unable to turn around or easily find a place to pull into. This was due to a number of factors including the existing junction layout, vehicles being parked on double yellow lines and both sides of the road being full of parked cars with very limited opportunities for vehicles to pass each other. The issue was compounded by some drivers not observing signage, but led to some vehicles mounting the pavement to pass each other. This is not something that was wanted. Although this issue could have been mitigated in part by extra lengths of double yellow lines, the scheme design had always tried to minimise the loss of parking in an area with high parking demand.     

The junction had to be re-opened a couple of times to allow vehicles who were struggling to pass each other to pass through and a decision was made by Council Officers in discussion with the Ward Councillors who were on site. As the situation had occurred a number of times during a short period of observation, it was felt that the closure could not be left in place without the risk of vehicles mounting the footway. 

We recognise that the observation period was short and that a longer period of time is always needed to allow drivers to get used to changes to road layouts and for travel habits to change, however, removing the closure immediately was the responsible thing to do to ensure safety. 

Since the first measures were put in place to create the Active Neighbourhood, we have been listening to feedback, making some changes and considering other changes to the scheme to improve its effectiveness for those living and working in the area. We will continue to do this. This will include reviewing the ongoing need for the ‘one way’ section on Springvale Road and the lengths of double yellow lines around the Springvale Road/Western Road and Cobden View Road junctions. 

Everything that we are learning during this process will be fed into the formal review of the scheme by the Council’s Transport, Regeneration and Climate Change Committee which will make a decision as to which elements of the trial should stay in place and which should be removed or changed. This decision is expected to be made in summer 2023.

UPDATE 31 JANUARY 2023

As we let you know in December, we will be putting the diagonal closures on Springvale Road back in place using small spaced islands across the junctions. The image below provides an indication of what these will look like.

The diagonal closures are scheduled to be put in place on Wednesday 8^th February and will be monitored closely. 

UPDATE 20 DECEMBER 2022

Following the removal of the temporary diagonal closures on Springvale Road due to incidents of vehicles driving on pavements to get around them, we have been looking at solutions to reinstate the closures in a more robust way, so that the trial period can be completed and that roads and pavements are safer for all.

Next Steps

We will be putting the diagonal closures back in place using small islands spaced across the junction. The image below provides an indication of what this will look like, though the gaps between the islands will be smaller than those shown. We have used similar materials around the city before. Due to supply chain delays, these measures will not be put in place until January 2023.

Bollards will also be added to the pavements alongside the diagonal closures. The pavements will still be wide enough for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users, but vehicles will not be able to mount the pavement to get around the measures.

A concrete barrier will be placed behind the planters on Matlock Road to reinforce this closure following further incidents of vandalism. Again, this reinforcement will ensure that there is enough space for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users but that cars cannot mount the pavement around the planters.

Benefits

The combination of new islands and bollards will ensure that access can be retained for larger vehicles when they are turning at the junctions, that the measures cannot be moved or removed, and that using the pavement is not an option for drivers trying to avoid the measures.

The measures which are being implemented on Springvale Road aim to restrict the amount of through traffic in Crookes, making the area safer and more attractive for walking and cycling and more pleasant for residents. To view a summary of all of the measures which form the Crookes and Walkley Active Neighbourhood and the rationale for each measure, please click here.

Communication

In addition to these more robust measures, we will also be putting in advance warning signage to highlight to motorists any changes to road layouts. Black and yellow signage will be in place directly around the measures and along routes where motorists will meet measures such as planters and bollards which will change the route they need to take, such as at the bottom of Western Road and Cobden View Road and at both ends of Springvale Road. This additional signage will help to prevent confusion around the measures regarding the flow of traffic and priorities at junctions.

Timescales

We will continue to accept comments on the scheme until 3^rd March 2023. A permanent decision on the scheme will be made by the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Change Committee in summer 2023 and the measures will remain in place until that decision is taken.

UPDATE 10TH NOVEMBER 2022

Thank you for all of your comments and feedback which we have received over the last couple of weeks since we announced the amendments to the scheme and extension of the trial period.

Unfortunately, since the latest measures were put in place, we have been alerted to some serious incidents on Springvale Road and Matlock Road where cars have been driven over the pavement in order to get around the measures rather than follow the new road layouts which the measures are creating. This behaviour is illegal and it is putting local residents in danger.

The measures which were put in place have been designed by experienced transport planners to create a neighbourhood which is quieter, safer and more pleasant to live in. The emergency services and refuse collection services have been consulted to ensure that access can be retained.

Cars mounting pavements is creating a risk to safety. As a result of this behaviour we are pausing the scheme on Springvale Road for one week and will then replace the current measures with more robust measures which will ensure that cars will no longer be able to bypass them and put people at risk. 

We will be reinforcing the measures on Matlock Road this week so that closure to through traffic will remain in place.

If you would like to share any feedback on the scheme, please complete the feedback form at the bottom of this page.

We will continue to update this page with further information as it becomes available.

All of us want to live on streets that are safe for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists. We want streets where children are safe to play out and that aren’t busy cut-throughs. That’s why the Active Neighbourhood trial was established, to try out ideas for how to make streets more liveable.

In 2021 we asked what you thought an Active Neighbourhood in Crookes and Walkley could look like. You told us that you wanted to see changes made in your area such as less traffic, safer streets for walking, and a nicer place to spend time outside. The link to the consultation and final report can be found here.

In April 2022, changes were introduced in Crookes and Walkley to create an Active Neighbourhood. The changes were advertised through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) and an update was added to Commonplace to share details of the changes that would be made to the local area. You can visit the Crookes and Walkley Active Neighbourhood April 2022 update page here.

Introducing road closures, crossings, and one-way systems to create the Active Neighbourhood through an ETRO has allowed us to put changes in place on a trial basis while giving local people the opportunity to comment and provide feedback throughout a six-month period of consultation.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to provide their feedback to us via email, phone or in person at one of the drop-in events we held.

Since the first measures were put in place, we have been reviewing feedback on an on-going basis, making some changes and considering other changes to the scheme to improve its effectiveness for those living and working in the area. We are now in a position to provide a detailed update on the next steps for the Crookes and Walkley Active Neighbourhood.

We recognise that not having all of the Active Neighbourhood measures in place and not being able to let people know when changes would be happening has created more uncertainty for local people over the past few months. 

We are planning to put in place all remaining measures by the end of November 2022 and we are extending the period for accepting comments on the Active Neighbourhood scheme until 3rd March 2023. 

Fully implementing the Active Neighbourhood measures will allow residents and businesses to properly experience how the Active Neighbourhood works in its entirety and will also allow the trial to be monitored during the winter months, something which has been requested through feedback we have received from a number of respondents. 

The maps below show which measures will be going in as part of the extended trial period.

To view this map as a pdf, click here.

To view this map as a pdf click here.

We have created a document that provides an explanation about each of the measures which make up the Crookes and Walkley Active Neighbourhood. This includes some measures which are no longer part of the scheme following feedback on how the Active Neighbourhood works.

To view the document in full as a PDF, please click here. 

As part of the Active Neighbourhood, a ‘School Street’ has been trialled over the past few months. The school street trial will continue with some adjustments which are being made in response to feedback from Westways Primary School as well as from local residents. 

On 20th October a new, standalone Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) was published to enable changes to be made on Mona Road to help the existing School Street at Westways Primary School to work more safely. The six-month period to comment on this new ETRO will end in April 2023. You can view the ETRO on Sheffield City Council’s website here. 

Mona Avenue has already become a one-way street through the installation of planters, road traffic signs and road markings. There will now also be a short section of one way introduced on Mona Road, between Mona Avenue and Springvale Road.

As School Street closures rely on staffing of movable barriers by the school, introducing the one-way street on Mona Road means that there will only be one location where the barrier needs to be operated, rather than two.

Details of these measures can also be viewed here.

The table below outlines the planned programme of works to complete the Active Neighbourhood:

Keeping to the above programme relies on our ability to implement double yellow lines along the corners of roads where planters would go to ensure there is enough space for vehicles to turn around and to ensure vehicles don’t block the space between planters for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users to get through. It has taken much longer than planned to get yellow lines painted in some places, and has still not been possible in a few locations, due to parked vehicles.

In advance of the remaining double yellow lines being painted on roads, ‘no loading and no waiting’ temporary signs will be used in a small number of locations to provide residents with advance notice of this work.  A new Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) is now in place that provides us with enforcement powers to ticket and, as a last resort, tow away parked vehicles that obstruct this work. We are asking local residents to observe the 'no loading and no waiting' temporary signs that will be used in a small number of locations across the scheme.

Responding to ongoing concerns about road safety and access, on 20th October 2022 a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) was published proposing permanent double yellow lines along one side of the uppermost part of School Road. A link to this three week statutory consultation can be found here.

We still want to hear your feedback during the trial so that we can understand how it is working. We have added a feedback form to the bottom of this page to make it easier for you to share your views. Please provide your feedback via this form to allow us to continue to monitor how the scheme is working.

You can also provide formal feedback on the scheme by emailing connectingsheffield@sheffield.gov.uk

Prior to the implementation of the scheme, we monitored traffic numbers in and around Crookes and Walkley. This has given us a data baseline from which we can monitor the effects of the scheme on traffic numbers. We will repeat this monitoring process over the remainder of the trial period to give us an idea of how the measures have affected traffic in the area. 

Once the extended trial period is complete in March 2023, there will then be a formal review of the scheme by the Council’s Transport, Regeneration and Climate Change Committee as to which elements of the trial should stay in place and which should be removed or changed. This is likely to be in summer 2023 and will include consideration of public feedback received, traffic monitoring data and independent randomised polling. During this decision-making period the scheme will remain in place. Final decisions will be communicated to local residents via a direct letter and via the Connecting Sheffield website.

------------------------------------------------------

To help us to monitor the success of this project we may need to occasionally 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.