Hunters Bar Roundabout

We are calling on the council to humanise the area around Hunter’s Bar roundabout to provide pedestrian and cyclist journeys that are safe, easy and pleasant, while maintaining flow for all road users. 

Hunter's Bar Roundabout has been mentioned to us as a major problem when walking around the local area. This is backed up by the many comments on Connecting Sheffield's Interactive Map calling for improvements to active travel infrastructure at this location. 

It presents a dangerous obstacle at a key intersection point for many pedestrians, cyclists and bus users. There have been 18 cyclist and pedestrian injuries reported to police since 2013 [Source: THINK!Map].

Changes should include widening pavements to prevent people spilling onto the road or blocking pedestrian flow, single-stage crossings with sufficient green time and low wait times, dedicated cycleways across the junction and sufficient space at bus stops. 

We’d like the many pedestrians who visit Endcliffe Park daily to have easy and safe access to the local shops along Ecclesall Road and Sharrow Vale Road, bringing increased footfall and business to these areas. We note that investment in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure is a cost-effective way of significantly increasing retail sales [1].

[1] Research shows that walking and other non-motorised transport projects typically increase retail sales by 30%. There is strong evidence that pedestrians and cyclists spend more than people arriving by motorised transport, despite traders considerably over-estimating spending by shoppers travelling by car, and significantly undervaluing the spend of bus passengers and pedestrians. Sources: The Pedestrian Pound: The Business Case For Better Streets and Places by Eilís Lawlor and Moira Taske (2018 edition) and TFL Walking and Cycling: The Economic Benefits and references therein. 

In detail, we would like to see:

• Widening of pavements around the junction and on roads leading up to it so that all pedestrians, including wheelchair users and double-pushchair users, can be safely accommodated on the pavements, at any time of day, without having to step onto the road or cause a blockage. Particular emphasis should be placed on areas around bus stops, shops and the local schools. Widening may reduce traffic speed at the junction which would have the added benefit that collisions on the junction will cause fewer injuries for all road users.  

• Lower wait times for pedestrians at crossings to avoid pedestrians crossing unsafely during the ‘red man’ phase.

• Single Phase crossings with sufficient green time so that pedestrians, particularly children, are not trapped breathing toxic fumes on the refuges in the middle of the carriageway between moving vehicles. This will also increase the sense of safety as phased crossings can be confusing for children and as such pose a danger.

• Infrastructure (e.g. bollards) to deter pavement parking where it occurs near the roundabout and on the surrounding street corners.

• Dedicated cycleways across the junction so that pedestrians and cyclists, including child cyclists, have enough space to navigate the junction safely without blocking the busy pedestrian crossings or endangering other pavement users.