City's Dutch-style roundabout opens after delays

The roundabout sits at the junction of West Bar and Tenter Street in Sheffield

A Dutch-style roundabout, which gives priority to cyclists and pedestrians, has opened in Sheffield.

Work on the roundabout began in April 2023 and was due to be completed in October the same year, but the project was delayed.

Finally unveiled on Monday, the £18m roundabout, at West Bar, includes a dedicated cycle lane and additional pedestrian crossings.

Ed Clancy OBE, Yorkshire's Active Travel Commissioner, said the scheme "demonstrates Sheffield Council's ambition and commitment to being at the forefront of design that gives people more freedom and choice about getting around".

"New walking, wheeling and cycling projects are happening right across South Yorkshire - creating better places and more opportunities for us all to move more and move differently," Mr Clancy added.

Yorkshire's Active Travel Commissioner, Ed Clancy OBE (left), and Councillor Ben Miskell, pictured at the opening of the new roundabout

The roundabout was part of wider plans to improve sustainable links between the city centre and Kelham Island and Neepsend, a Sheffield Council spokesperson said.

Councillor Ben Miskell, chair of the transport, regeneration and climate policy committee, explained: "For too long, people wanting to cross West Bar roundabout to get around the city have had to wait for a gap in the traffic to do so in a safe manner.

"The changes we are delivering will make it easier for those on foot or on their bike."

Electronic signs warning motorists about the changes to the roundabout have been installed at each route leading to West Bar

As the roundabout was opened on Monday, new electronic signs lined the roads leading up to it, warning motorists about the changes required ahead.

But although the one-way cycle track and zebra crossings had been marked out around the roundabout, some sections of the cycle lane coming off the exits from West Bar had yet to be completed.

A section of cycle lane 66ft (20m) from the roundabout outside the National Emergency Services Museum had also yet to be finished, while another section just off the West Bar exit had barriers across the lane where repair work was being carried out.

Charlotte Tallyfield, 31, who had cycled via West Bar roundabout, said: "Hopefully, in time they will finish all this off and join it up.

"It's a huge issue everywhere in the city: the lanes still disappear and you suddenly get abandoned on to the road."

Billie Turner is a regular commuter by bike and describes the changes to West Bar as "perfect for cyclists"

However, Billie Turner, 41, a keen cyclist who said she often used a cargo bike with her two children seated behind her, said the new roundabout was "perfect for cyclists".

"I feel very safe going round here. It's not too fast and all the cars stopped for me. I'm really pleased it's open."

Meanwhile, Peter Holt, 44, who regularly commutes to work via bike, said he hoped the development was "the start of better cycling infrastructure" in Sheffield.

"It's all part of a jigsaw. It can't just be this, we need a larger network", he said.

"It should be welcomed, though, because it shows our council and hopefully other councils this is the way to do it."

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