Sheffield Streets are set to become safer with 20 miles per hour (mph) speed limits rolled out to large parts of the city.
Ten further areas have been identified as part of additional funding Labour councillors are making into road safety measures.
Over recent years Sheffield City Council has been making many residential areas 20 mph zones as part of Labour councillors Road Safety strategy.
On the new 20 mph zones Councillor Julie Grocutt, Labour’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Development, stated:
“Reducing speeds in residential areas makes more pleasant places for people to live – especially for children and elderly residents – and encourages more people to cycle and walk. Labour councillors want to see 20 mile per hour zones throughout residential areas in the city as this is what residents are asking for.
“The council used to have a lot more funding to enact road safety measures, but since the Conservative-Lib Dem Coalition government formed in 2010, Sheffield’s overall budget has been slashed by £475 million – this is a huge 50% of its budget. As such 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.
“Previously the Council typically brought forward 3 schemes a year. But now – with our new Road Safety Fund – Labour councillors aim to triple that. And we will provide an additional 10 zones, right across the city including High Green, Waterthrope and Highfield.
Tony Downing, Lord Mayor and Mosborough Councillor commented on the proposals for Waterthorpe and Westfield, both in Mosborough ward:
“We recently secured an important crossing in Halfway and now we have further plans to make more areas in the ward 20 mph zones. Westfield and Waterthorpe sesidents have been asking for these changes and with my Labour colleagues we’ve worked on securing additional funds to make this possible.
“The benefits of 20 mph zones cannot be understated – quite simply, they save lives.
“Each zone will be subject to feasibility work to define the size, location and delivery timescales of the programme. All of the proposals will be consulted publicly, with feedback directly determining what is finally delivered”.
Sheffield City Council’s determination to make the city’s areas 20 mph has gained national praise, with the country-wide organisation ‘20s Plenty for Us’ supporting this work.
Anna Semlyen, National Campaign Manager for 20’s Plenty for Us:
“Sheffield is progressing its commitment to a gradual roll out of 20mph limits first promised in 2012. We welcome all 20mph wide area default limit schemes. They make these places better places to be – safer, healthier, cleaner and with half the noise. Drivers are asked to obey the limits as a 20mph impact is like a first-floor window fall, whilst 30mph is a third floor impact”.
“Anyone interested in campaigning on 20mph please see www.20splenty.org”
The 10 new areas are as follows Deerlands, Waterthorpe, Highfield, Jordanthorpe, Burncross, Norton, Carter Knowle, Westfield, Herdings, High Green, Fulwood. Exploratory work will commence in Summer 2021.
