Connecting Sheffield: Nether Edge Active Neighbourhood

Following the trial of the Active Travel Neighbourhood in Nether Edge, Sheffield City Council's Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee decided in September 2023 to make two of the crossings that were part of the trial permanent.

Psalter Lane

The current temporary crossing is located immediately after the junction with Osborne Road at the Psalter Lane Nursery. It allows parents who live locally to access the nursery more easily and makes a safer walking route between the area and Ecclesall Road / Hunters Bar.

We will install a new zebra crossing with belisha beacons to increase visibility of the crossing from a distance. We will raise the new zebra crossing above the typical road surface level to the same level as the pavement. This will increase pedestrian visibility when crossing and slow traffic down ahead of the crossing point. The new crossing will include:

• Being at the same level as the pavement.
• Extending the pavement and pedestrian island at the junction of Osborne Road to narrow the entry and exit point for vehicles. This will make it easier for people to cross Osborne Road by making the crossing distance shorter as well as slowing down traffic turning into the road. This ‘buildout’ also enables the new crossing to be built in a better location for people continuing down Stretton Road.
• A resurfaced carriageway to ensure the right resistance level to help prevent cars skidding when braking in wet weather.
• Bus stop markings to serve the bus stop at the Constance Grant Dance Centre and the bus stop on the opposite side of the road, just after the junction with Osborne Road. This will ensure buses can stop right up to the kerb to make access easier for people who have mobility needs, use a wheelchair or have a pram. These markings mean no loading and waiting at any time for other vehicles, which is a change to the current restrictions on site.

We currently expect work to start on making the crossing permanent during September 2024, and that it will be complete by October 2024. We will write to local residents and businesses with more information about the works as they progress.

Osborne Road

We've installed a signal controlled crossing on Osborne Road after the junction with Union Road, so pedestrians can request to cross. We've also added bus stop markings on the road by the bus stop to make it easier for the bus to get to the stop for journeys towards Abbeydale Road

To complement the crossing, we’re talking to South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to see if it’s feasible to put a shelter at the bus stop for journeys towards Psalter Lane. This would make waiting more comfortable for passengers, but the crossing is the focus of the scheme, so whether we can provide a bus shelter will depend on costs.

We are starting traffic counts in the area as we committed to do 12 months after the active neighbourhood trial was removed.

These will start from Saturday 22 June, 7am to 7pm. We will look at how many vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists use junctions, as well as separate traffic, pedestrian and cycle counts.

We’re doing the surveys in the same locations as we surveyed in May 2022 and May 2023, and we’ll use cameras for these counts. We will only use the footage we capture to determine numbers, we won’t record any personal information like faces or number plates.

We don’t have a mandate for a new project in the area, these surveys will help us compare traffic levels, pedestrians and cyclists in the area over time so we can close out the active neighbourhood project.

September 2023

Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee decision on Nether Edge Active Neighbourhood

On Wednesday 20 September, Sheffield City Council’s Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee considered proposals to introduce the active neighbourhood in Nether Edge on a permanent basis.

Reports to the Committee outlined the scheme’s delivery, its impact and public consultation results, and the Committee decided that:

• Archer Lane will be re-opened, and
• Pedestrian crossings will be made permanent at Osbourne Road close to Union Road, and on Psalter Lane close to its junction with Stretton Road

We’ll publish more information on when Archer Lane will reopen and when the crossings will be made permanent here soon.

Traffic monitoring data document

In order to monitor and evaluate the success of the Active Neighbourhood, we’ve conducted traffic monitoring surveys at a number of junctions around the route and the surrounding areas. These surveys capture the movements of motorised vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians between each arm of the junction.

We have also worked with The Floow, specialists in black-box telematics data, to better understand traffic flows around the active neighbourhood. This data includes journey times, estimated traffic flows, traffic speeds and concentrations of through traffic.

We have also included some open crime data analysis of crimes around the route, comparing 11 months before and after the scheme was implemented.

Document 1: Nether Edge: Overview vehicle count

Document 2: Nether Edge: Overview pedestrian and cyclist count

Document 3: Nether Edge: Junction vehicle counts: Abbeydale Road, Sheldon Road and Nether Edge Road

Document 5: Nether Edge: Overview: Pedestrian crossings

Document 6: Nether Edge: Traffic movement flow data

Document 7: Nether Edge: Journey times: Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road

Document 8: Nether Edge: Journey times: Bannerdale Road, Sheldon Road and Carter Knowle Road

Document 9: Nether Edge: Journey times: Psalter Lane

Document 10: Nether Edge: Crime data

If you would like to see the raw traffic monitoring data from which we produced the Traffic Monitoring Data Documents shared on this web page, please get in touch with us by email or call us on 0808 196 5105.

Face to face perception survey report

In order to monitor and evaluate the success of the Active Neighbourhood, we’ve also conducted a perception survey of residents, active travel route users and local businesses.

View the report summarising the methodology and results of this survey.

Online perception survey report

The face to face perception survey was also adapted and put online through the Connecting Sheffield website for anyone to provide feedback.

View the report summarising the results of this survey.

The initial six month period for comments linked to the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order for this scheme has now ended and a review of the scheme is underway.

During this review period, the scheme will remain in place while decisions are taken around which elements of the trial should stay in place and which should be removed or changed.

Decisions will be based on feedback received during the trial period, data relating to traffic flow changes, and the funding available.

It is currently expected that a final decision on the scheme will be made by the relevant Council committee in Summer 2023.