438 cyclist tram track accidents have been reported to us since January 2015. If you’ve come off your bike on the tracks please report it – the data has been essential to demonstrate the scale of the problem.
Sheffield Council have now put up warning signs (pictured) across the tram network which was the first action in the Tram / Cycle Safety Action Plan we agreed with them last year.
Approval has now been given to start feasibility work on the top 5 locations for numbers of accidents:
1) Primrose View tram stop
2) White Lane tram stop
3) Glossop Road / Upper Hanover Street
4) Holme Lane / Loxley New Road
5) Hillsborough Corner
CycleSheffield will be involved in the discussions about suitable infrastructure improvements at these locations.
The council officer said:
“We’ll be looking at the potential solutions and assessing for each what it will take to deliver and also what the outcome in saved accidents might be. We’ll treat these as 5 different schemes but link them together where common principles can be applied. We’ll look at infrastructure changes and also what information/marketing might help.
Feasibility is the first stage; after which comes Detailed Design and then Construction.
Whereas the Individual Cabinet Member approval from Dec 16 was political, this ‘Outcomes Board’ approval was given by officers who come from various backgrounds, e.g. Finance. They checked whether the accident levels were high enough to prioritise these locations and also whether there are indeed solutions that could have a positive impact. We eventually gave evidence that satisfied them, including analysis from the Cycle Sheffield survey (thanks for that).”
