Rotherham Council agrees review of cycle lanes and road safety after thousands sign petition

Rotherham Council has unanimously agreed to review cycle-lane schemes and give greater consideration to road-safety measures after more than 3,600 people backed a petition.

The petition calls for all existing and proposed schemes funded through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement to be reviewed, with crossings, traffic calming, wider pavements and safer routes to schools prioritised over dedicated cycle and bus lanes.

All councillors accepted the petition during a full council meeting on Wednesday, September 9.

It was organised by Conservative Councillor Paul Thorp, who told the meeting: “I started this petition to try and get RMBC to rethink its policy for the funding it pursued over active travel.

“Even though the funding allows walking, wheeling, cycling, and public transport, all the emphasis has been on cycling and bus lanes.

“All the current build schemes have proven the point: the lanes are not used, and the data has not been positive for any of them. The petition is asking for RMBC to rethink its policy on active travel, take the blinkers off, and look at what people want and need.”

The debate took place weeks after Labour council leader Chris Read confirmed that the proposed £10.7m Broom Road and Wickersley Road extension scheme would not go ahead.

That package included cycle routes and controlled crossings around Stag Roundabout, alongside options for new cycle and bus lanes. It was abandoned after consultation found the proposals lacked public support.

Although that scheme has been cancelled, the petition seeks a wider change in how the council plans and spends money on active travel across the borough.

Ahead of the meeting, Coun Thorp told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that residents opposed the cycle-lane proposals but supported some of the associated safety measures.

“Residents are very pleased the scheme was cancelled, although they wanted the safety part,” he said.

“Road safety should be the first thing we’re looking at.”

The petition received cross-party support during the debate.

Green councillor Mick Bower said the council had “totally ignored what the people want” and made residents “doubt local democracy”.

He said around £250,000 had been spent planning the abandoned scheme, money he argued could have funded measures residents wanted.

Councillor John Williams, cabinet member for transport, jobs and the local economy, said “this administration has engaged with our communities, we’ve listened, and we’re acting on their feedback”.

He said the council had reviewed the consultation responses before reaching what it considered the appropriate decisions on the schemes.

Coun Williams added that the funding had been allocated under the previous Conservative government with a clear requirement to deliver active-travel measures, and the council had developed its plans in line with that mandate.

Attention will now turn to the separate £16.5m Eastwood and Fitzwilliam Road scheme.

Consultation found greater support for crossings, parking measures and other pedestrian improvements than for the proposed cycle lanes. Council officers have been asked to revise the scheme, retaining the measures residents supported while considering whether its cycle lanes should be removed.

The petition also asks the authority to publish a revised borough-wide active-travel strategy within six months and involve residents and ward councillors before further schemes progress.