Dore to Door internet edition

News & Comment - Autumn 2005

Recycling madness - Doremouse - Safety improvements to Hathersage Road - New Tesco Express - Letters - Under 8's Football

Recycling madness

Everyone was surprised by the appearance of strange metal contraptions on the tarmac in front of the newsagents shop on Causeway Head Road. These turned out to be supports from which recycling bins will be suspended.

In this day and age it beggars belief, or does it, that Onyx can install recycling bins on our pavements without any consultation with, or even advance notification to, adjacent businesses or residents. Neither local councillors or the Dore Village Society were informed.

In does not take a genius to see that the bins will act as a magnet for litter and vandalism. They create a hazard for the poorly sighted, will block the delivery of papers to the newsagents forcing delivery vehicles to park in the road at a dangerous point, while car drivers using the bins will be tempted to park on the adjacent private drive.

The Society and local councillors are trying to establish how this all happened and get the bins resited. All we know at the time of going to press is that the workmen involved have said Sheffield Highways Department gave Onyx carte blanche, declaring the contraptions to be street furniture, and so not requiring planning permission!

We are all in favour of recycling, but when will the powers that be realise that to succeed they need to work with communities, not against them.

John Baker, Chairman, Dore Village Society

Did you know

Now that there is a 7.5 tonne weight restriction through Holmesfield, the signed HGV route within the Sheffield boundary becomes the A621 through Totley, Abbeydale Road South and then up Abbey Lane to Norton. Local residents may have noticed extra heavy traffic, but then the sheer volume on Abbeydale Road South increases year on year. No doubt some of this is people driving to the nearest petrol station, now at Tesco's supermarket.

Getting out of side roads, such as at the bottom of Dore Road, gets increasingly difficult. But for pedestrians trying to cross to and from the Dore & Totley station it can prove suicidal. Amazingly there are no pedestrian islands between the bottom of Devonshire Road and the Abbey Lane traffic lights. This is despite the presence of the station and the fact that the Sheffield Round Walk crosses the road nearby. For a council that prides itself as road safety conscious, it is noticeable that they can spend money on reducing car driver deaths on Hathersage Road, but not on protecting pedestrians on Abbeydale Road South!

Doremouse

We would like to thank everyone for signing the petition about safety on the Hathersage Road. We are delighted to report the current position which is set out below.

Detailed investigations have been carried out into the painting of double white lines on a section of Hathersage Road between Sheephill Road and Limb Lane. The investigations have shown that the lines can be implemented at certain locations within this section.

The speed limit has been reviewed in line with the Sheffield Speed Management Plan Guidelines and the Department for Transport Guidelines, which indicated that the speed limit from Limb Lane to Brickhouse Lane should be set at 50 mph. At the West Planning and Highways Area Board meeting Members chose to advertise the intention to extend this speed limit up to the Sheephill Road junction. A speed limit of 40mph to be extended from Limb Lane up to Brickhouse Lane would not be appropriate for this section of Hathersage Road under the Sheffield Speed Management Plan or the Department for Transport Guidlines.

There are strict guidlines for fixed safety cameras to be installed. The criteria requires there to be at least 4 fatal or serious accidents per kilometre per 3 years. Hathersage Road meets this criteria, but only in the section between the junction of Limb Lane and the junction of Long Line. Therefore the current speed camera is to be moved from its present position to a point between Limb Lane and Long Line. Many drivers have and always will, ignore speed limits, drive under the influence of drink and use mobile phones whilst driving and accidents do occur throughout the City because of this.

The Council has records of all reported injury accidents and applies criteria to all roads in Sheffield to make sure that road safety funds are used where most benefit is likely to accrue.

There have been 5 fatal accidents, which resulted in 7 fatalities since 1998, along Hathersage Road from Sheephill Road to just before the junction of Limb Lane. Five of the fatalities occurred between Limb Lane and Brickhouse Lane but none of the fatalities have occurred at the junction of Limb Lane. Accident investigations take into account accidents over a 5 year period. Over the last 5 years there have been a total of 48 accidents on the Hathersage Road between Limb Lane and the Fox House junction. Records for 2002 show there were 10 injury accidents, 9 of these occurred between Limb Lane and Brickhouse Lane, the other accident occurring at the junction of Houndkirk Road.

There are many factors which have contributed to the accidents on Hathersage Road. The road surface between Limb Lane and Brickhouse Lane has been tested for skid resistance and is approaching the intervention level. So Highways are proposing to improve the skid resistance by replacing the road surface with a high polished stone value aggregate surface.

The Council have a standby team, which if notified of an accident, will attend the incident and immediately carry out any necessary safety measures. This would include clearing the footway and carriageway of any debris as a result of an accident. If the accident was not reported then the area supervisor on his inspections would report and arrange for works to clear any debris. As part of the carriageway maintenance scheme repairs will be carried out to the boundary walls on Hathersage Road.

The blocked gullies were cleared on the 25th May 2005. The drainage gullies on Hathersage Road are cleaned as part of a routine citywide programme. Currently the gullies are cleaned annually, but it is now proposed to increase the frequency to 6 months on the section of Hathersage Road, between Limb Lane and the City boundary. There are no surface water systems in that area and the gullies are connected to soakaways. As it has been decided to re-surface the section between Limb Lane and Brickhouse Lane, Highways have also taken the decision to re-design the carriageway to include super-elevated bends for improved ride quality and improved drainage. It is likely that the works will be carried out this September.

Signage and road markings on Limb Lane have been reviewed by the maintenance section and are to be renewed as part of the road safety scheme. Warning signs stating the number of fatalities have already been erected.

Councillors Anne Smith and Michael Waters

Work has started on building the new Tesco Express store at the bottom of Devonshire Road. Local concerns were expressed at the planning stage over possible traffic and parking difficulties, increased noise from customers and delivery lorries, and the threat to the viability of other local shops. It is difficult to say what benefit the new shop will bring given the major Tesco store just down the road. What is already apparent is the extra mileage incurred by some local residents in finding petrol for their cars, since the original petrol station closed.

School run a killer

As concerns about the health, safety and environmental impact of the ‘school run’ grow, a Motoring Risk Report from insurer MORE TH>N shows that a 10 per cent reduction in school commuting by car could prevent 190 deaths and injuries a year – that’s one for every school day.

The report also suggests that the Government’s plans to review current school transport including extending the traditional ‘school run’ period of 8am to 9am to between 7am and 10am, could reduce congestion by two thirds, resulting in 304 fewer casualties a year.

The increasing number of children being driven to school means that roads are becoming more clogged up for everyone during peak morning hours (between 8am and 9am), and in addition almost 7,000 people (including 200 children) are killed or injured each year in car accidents during the ‘school run’. The study shows that in 2003, 12 per cent of cars travelling during these peak times were taking children to school.

The report found that more parents are driving their children to their place of education than ever before, with a 20% increase in the last decade. Nationally around 40 per cent of primary school children and 20 per cent of secondary school age are now driven to school every day. This is even greater in areas like ours.

It’s easy to understand why more children are being driven to school: today’s parents are busier than ever, and concerned about the safety of their children yet the resulting increase in traffic may actually be making the situation more dangerous. The key is to encourage travelling to schools by bus or on foot rather than relying on the car.

Letters

Dear Sir,

Sheffield First recently invited us all to contribute to a consultative exercise on the City's future.

We were invited to say what is unique about Sheffield? To my mind, it is the inability to make the most of its history, natural setting and any imaginative opportunities that come its way. We have a great city held back by small minded and unimaginative local government!

The second question asked what do we want it to be famous for in ten years time? How about having rejected grandiose projects, in favour of development on a human scale in partnership with the different communities that make up the city as a whole. The Council should be there to reflect the needs and wishes of the City's citizens, not the egos of some of its elected representatives!

Name & address provided

Dear Sir,

Who's up for Petanque??

I am saddened to find here in Sheffield no facility exists to enable one to play the above. During the B.B.C. coverage of the World Snooker Championships it was stated that, as far as sport was concerned, Sheffield had something for everyone. "I don't think so!!"

Petanque is no longer the exclusive domain of patis-drinking, beret clad men from Provence with a low centre of gravity.

I along with a few others feel that a Terrain should be made available to the public in general in the area, as it has an appeal across the age groups, with a limited facility for vandalism.

Obviously before any progress toward gaining the interest of the Council/ Park, Woodland and Countryside to make a case for a terrain on public land, say Graves/Millhouses Park, then we have to generate an adequate response ensuring the viability of the project.

I would therefore be pleased to hear from anyone interested in playing the game or supporting a campaign for a local Terrain.

B Parkes

You can contact Bryan by e-mail at BryanP@waitrose.com or via our address (see page 2).There used to be petanque pistes at the Beauchief Hotel and the Castle pub, but both have fallen into disuse.

Dear Sir,

I'm not alone in being baffled by the 30 bus route and its figure of 8 dash through town. But generally I'm happy to walk the remainder. One of the main dilemmas is the loss of the bus stop at the Midland Station, and journeys involving heavy luggage.

A 2 bus journey works, changing at Hallamshire Hospital for the No. 60 route which still comes into the Interchange at D6 - the nearest stop facing the train station. However, a long trek is still required both before and after crossing the road, and Platform1 (train) is out of action till September, causing further distances from the forecourt.

Why not consider a much easier option. The tram stop is within Midland station and all routes stop at the Cathedral. It takes 5 mins, and costs 80p or 40p concessions. It is at the back of the station, nearest to Platforms 6 and 8. On arrival at the Cathedral it's an easy cross on the flat to the bus stop. As there is a blue and purple route serving this short distance, frequency for the main part of the day is; Mon-Fri and Sundays every 10 mins, and Saturdays every 7 mins. Outside of those times the old 50 Dore bus goes from Pond Street, though not very frequently.

It's almost worth the tram fare to avoid the obstacle course that is the station forecourt. Like one of those nightmares where you think you're inside a stack of giant supermarket trolleys!

We're used to an infrequent bus service and lack of consultation on this side of town. There seems to be an assumption that everyone drives (really? even under 17s and over 70s?) Where do you park if you do drive? Or is the assumption that Dore people lightly catch taxis everywhere.

Putting that aside, did the powers- that- be consider the many bus journeys to St, Lukes Hospice from all over South Yorkshire, often at distressing times and served solely by the Dore bus route?

Gillian Farnsworth

Dear Sir,

At the end of June I was walking through Dore village at lunchtime when a youth, who appeared to be in his late teens, threw a bottle or a can across the road at a house nearby where it landed either in the hedge or garden. Having brazenly done this in my presence he then proudly boasted to his friends (about 8 of them) that it was a good shot.

I was disgusted at such loutish behaviour in my quiet village centre in front of decent members of the community. But what could I do? We have read in the papers all too frequently of members of the public who make their stand against such yobs only to suffer badly as a consequence. So I dare not take the matter up with them there and then.

If there had been a constable nearby, or anywhere in Dore, I would have gone and found him or her and taken them back to the scene and gladly made my identification of the culprit. But, of course there wasn't. And had I telephoned the police I have little doubt that I would have been given short shrift by them for what would have been regarded as such a minor matter. So, I dare not deal with the matter myself and I had no police officer to turn to. I was powerless.

What is to be done? Didn't New York get it right with their zero tolerance policy? Why should we be made to feel so helpless in our own communities against yobbos like these? How are ordinary people like me to be made to feel empowered to deal with this sort of antisocial behaviour at the time it occurs?

Or is the truth of it that our Chief Constable and local MP Mr Clegg will have to tell me and those like me (the vast majority of our society I suspect) that we will just have to grin and bear it? If that is the case surely something will have to change. I am surprised at how enraged I felt (and still feel) by this single disrespectful yobbish act. I have little doubt that all of my community feels the same way.

I would welcome any suggestions as to what I ought to do next time and I have written to our Chief Constable and local MP Mr Clegg seeking their wisdom on the matter.

Name and address provided

Local children from Dore and Bradway have teamed up to form a new under 8's football team. There will be 20 kids forming two teams with subs. The teams will be playing home matches in the Dore sports grounds as part of the Junior Sunday League starting 3 Sept.

We need to purchase new kits (home and away), weather proof jackets and many more items, and would appreciate sponsorship from local business or individuals. We will also be running raffles at all home matches to pay for fees etc, and any prize donations would be appreciated. We also need help from someone who can design our web sites.

If you can help with funding, raffle prizes or web design, then please call me, Vincent Nolan, on 0114 236 3080.

We are still looking for a few more players and desperately need another goalkeeper. If your child would be interested in participating, then please contact our Manager Eddy Kitchen on 01709 367460 for details on next training dates and times. Players must be aged 6 or over and born on or after 31st Aug 98.

Thank you for your support.

Vincent Nolan