A Sheffield road will be made one-way as part of the approved Crookes Valley safety scheme.
Sheffield City Council’s transport, regeneration and climate policy committee gave the green light, as expected, to the proposed safety scheme in a meeting on 30 April.
The safety scheme has two main features.
A one-way system on Oxford Street which is intended to address issues related to narrow road widths and conflicting traffic movements which has contributed to the seven accidents, five of which were serious, since 2019.
And an existing zebra crossing on Crookes Valley Road is slated for replacement with a signal-controlled crossing, aiming to enhance pedestrian safety.
The most recent accident on Oxford Street was in November 2023 and involved a van crashing into a pedestrian who fortunately suffered no serious injuries.
The decision to make new zebra crossings were made for several reasons – high traffic volumes, community feedback and accessibility considerations.
The council has conducted consultations with local residents, businesses, and stakeholders to gather feedback on the proposed changes. This process included public exhibitions and the display of detailed plans to ensure there was community involvement in the decision.
The chair of the Sheffield transport, regeneration and climate policy committee Coun Ben Miskell said: “Safer roads are a human right and we want Sheffield to be a place where everyone is free to move in a safe and healthy way, every day.
“We, as a community, have the power to change this and as a council we must show leadership.”
Ruth Mersereau, one of the three Green councillors in Sheffield City Wards, previously said: “We must do more to reduce road danger. We must do better. We urgently need to work across the Council’s committees and with the South Yorkshire Police and SYMCA.
Coun Mersereau’s demands are on course to be met as the council will now make a final decision on how to implement the scheme in the coming weeks and the changes are expected to be enacted later this year.
