A CycleSheffield member recently noticed that coaches were parked on the Asline Rd cycle track and asked South Yorks to ticket them. She got this response:
We were flabbergasted at this. So ensuring safety involved forcing cyclists either onto the pavement or into the pah of vehicles on the adjacent one-way road? CycleSheffield Chair Mick Nott burst into action and wrote to David Caulfield Head of Planning and Regeneration at SCC and also the SCC Cycle Champion, copying in South Yorks Police and Sheffield United as well as the council’s cycling officer, making the following points:
- This cycle path is an essential link on the Sheaf Valley Cycle Route
- This cycle path is also used as a coach park by SUFC.
- Whilst its a coach park for all SUFC home fixtures there are no signed alternatives for cyclists and the SYP do not provide any.
We had already been engaged with this problem. Astonishingly, the cycle track appears to have been designed with a view to allowing coaches to park on it, with tapered kerbs and there is a cycle route sign which has been designed to withstand occasional collisions with a coach.
There appears to be no Traffic Regulation Order allowing the parking of coaches on this cycle track and no signs are posted advising cyclists that vehicles may be parked on it.
So we will be expecting firm action from the Council and the Police to stop this abuse of the facility.
Elsewhere on the Sheaf Valley route there is better news. Kerbs have been dropped at Sheaf Valley Gardens to remove an awkward dogleg on the route. Costa have put in an application to build a cycle track outside their outlet at Heeley Retail Park, and the rear gates at Virgin Active have been kept locked except on one occasion when there was severe congestion on Broadfield Road – the manager felt obliged to notify tthe council that he had done this, so our campaign clearly struck a nerve with him.
We will continue to monitor this route, as with all the bike routes and roads in Sheffield and take action where necessary.
