Sheffield Labour councillors have confirmed a series of new road safety interventions – including a commitment to providing a pedestrian crossing on Abbey Lane, pending successful feasibility work.

Local residents have been calling for a crossing for some time and the news has been well received.

Welcoming the news Geoff Cox, Labour’s candidate for Beauchief and Greenhill, stated:

“I’m delighted that Labour councillors have listened to the local community and have agreed that further action is needed to protect pedestrians on Abbey Lane.

“A decade of sustained government cuts to council finances means they’re not able to make as many safety interventions as previously, and so it’s fantastic this crossing has been prioritised. Hopefully we can see the road designs soon and I will work with the community to ensure that they meet local demands”

The council used to have a lot more funding to enact road safety measures, but since the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition government formed in 2010, Sheffield City Council has seen its overall budget slashed by £475 million – this is a huge 50% of its budget. This means that services have been badly affected, including much less funding for road safety interventions, but last year Labour councillors created a new fund to help make the city’s roads safer.

Councillor Julie Grocutt, Cabinet Member for Transport, explains further:

“In response to the backlog of requests for safety measures, we draw-up a plan to invest £4 million extra into road safety. As part of this new fund suitable schemes have been identified and feasibility studies are being undertaken, and I can confirm that Abbey Lane has been prioritised.

“This is very much in response to the concerns of the local community and MP Louise Haigh, and I hope that working together we can get this done right for local residents”.