Sheffield announces 1,000km of walking and cycling routes

The Sheffield City Region has published an ambitious plan to create a network of more than 620 miles of accessible walking and cycling routes across South Yorkshire to enable people to leave their cars at home.

Mayor Dan Jarvis and Active Travel Commissioner Dame Sarah Storey’s Active Travel Implementation Plan sets out how, by 2040, South Yorkshire will have a fully connected network of walking and cycling routes. The network will feature 800 safe crossings for people travelling on foot or by bike, and nearly 200 square miles of low traffic neighbourhoods, which see streets transformed into places where you can relax and play safely, with very little through traffic.

£166 million has already been secured from the Transforming Cities Fund, with half allocated for active travel, but more investment is required from the government to make the plans a reality.

In South Yorkshire around 40 per cent of journeys to work that are 1km or less are currently driven in a car, with this figure rising to 64 per cent when the distance at 5km. When it comes to commuting, just two per cent of journeys to work are taken by bike and 10 per cent on foot. By enabling active travel, it is forecasted that walking and cycling could be increased by 21 per cent and 350 per cent respectively, by 2040.

Jarvis said: “Active travel has always been at the heart of my transport vision for South Yorkshire. The benefits walking and cycling bring to all aspects of our lives are great and I am proud of how quickly we have developed this plan alongside our local authorities. Active travel is good for our health, good for the planet and good for the economy. We are in the midst of one the largest public health crisis in a generation and as we recover from coronavirus, we have an opportunity to change.

“No one wants to return to gridlocked roads and polluted town centres, and this landmark strategy sets out how we can build back better. The aim should not be to go back to the status quo, it should be to make this a moment of fundamental change for our region and our country. Active travel should be part of an even wider strategy – a green new deal to transform our economy, create millions of new jobs, and counter the economic damage the pandemic has caused.

“I am pleased that the government is allocating emergency funds to enable us to make space for pedestrians and cyclists in the age of social distancing, but this money must be released promptly. In the short term, we need to take the pressure off a stretched public transport system which is running at a fraction of its normal capacity, and prevent the gridlock which will be caused by people turning to their car. In the long term, we need sustained funding for active travel to enable us to deliver a green new deal for South Yorkshire.”