Barnsley road to close to cars to improve active travel

Barnsley Council has made an order to stop motor vehicles driving along a section of Fitzwilliam Road in a bid to improve active travel routes.

Cars, vans and lorries will be prevented from driving down the road as part of a plan to support cyclists and people walking in the town.

The council's A635 ‘Active Travel Scheme’ was signed off by the council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority in September 2022.

The scheme includes measures which seek to promote walking and cycling on the A635 between Stairfoot Roundabout and Hollygrove Roundabout in Goldthorpe.

Coun James Higginbottom, cabinet spokesperson for environment and highways, told Barnsley Chronicle: “As part of the Department for Transport’s transforming cities fund, local authorities were asked to submit proposals to approve walking and cycling routes in South Yorkshire.

“The A635 active travel route scheme, which is a package of measures seeking to promote walking and cycling, was one of the schemes that met the criteria submitted to the transforming cities fund.

“The scheme involved the widening of the footway along the A635 Doncaster Road between Stairfoot Roundabout and Hollygrove Roundabout in Goldthorpe to create a shared use walking and cycling way.”

It is anticipated that the scheme will cost £66,000 and is fully funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Authority (SYMCA) Transforming Cities Fund.