Dore to Door internet edition

News & Comment - Summer 2005

Village Design Statement - Hathersage Road safety - Doremouse - Looking after Ecclesall Woods - School run a killer - Heritage on-line

Village Design Statement

A copy of the Dore Village Design statement has been delivered to every household in Dore. The aim is to set out guidance for any new development in the village, and to get these criteria added to the forthcoming Sheffield City’s Local Development Framework. Copies are available from David Crosby, 72 Furniss Avenue, Sheffield, S17 3QP.

Hathersage Road safety

At long last Sheffield Transport and Highways Division have produced a report into accidents on Hathersage Road between Limb Lane and Fox House, with recommendations for possible improvements. This has been submitted to the West Planning and Highways Area Board and commented on by the South West Area Panel. There does not appear to be any proposal for public consultation on the recommendations, with not even the Dore Village Society being consulted, despite pressure for action over the years.

The recommendations include:

Resurfacing along Hathersage Road should be considered for inclusion in this years maintenance programme.

There should be detailed double white line surveys and if criteria are met works should be coordinated with a possible resurfacing scheme.

The speed limit from Limb Lane to Brickhouse Lane should be reduced to 50 mph.

Additional warning and information signs should be considered.

Feasibility studies should be carried out into options to reduce the cluster of accidents at the Cross Lane/Long Line junction.

Subsequently officers have been required to submit a further report following surveys, feasibility studies and comments received from the Area Panel.

Once again action is taking far too long due to the slow pace of local government. Warning signs about the number of accidents could be put up quickly and there are other possible ideas such as removing a bus stop on a bend, moving the 40mph limit further from Limb Lane, re-siting the speed camera etc.

Traffic, traffic, traffic, we just cannot get enough of it! Still the parking at the bottom of Dore Road is causing problems on weekdays. I cannot understand why such an obvious problem is not tackled by our council, despite numerous requests. All it needs is a few more yellow lines, just to stop people parking on both sides of the road near the junction. But then it probably needs someone to get killed, as on Hathersage Road, before anything will be done.

Not that there is a shortage of yellow paint. The yellow lines in the centre of the village have recently been repainted. What a waste of time and money when nobody enforces them and some drivers treat them as reserved (for them) parking bays.

And now we have confirmation of what every driver or visitor knows - Sheffield has some of the worst roads in the country. Just where has the money gone for the last two decades. On traffic calming humps and fancy road narrowing schemes?

Nearer to my own interest is a concern over the state of Ecclesall Woods. Wet winter weather and increased human use is in danger of turning areas of wildflowers into mud patches. When the ground is wet why must people wander everywhere rather than keeping to the surfaced paths?

More mysterious is the need to cut corners. Surely, if you are walking in the woods for pleasure

a few extra metres to go around corners isn’t a problem. And one final puzzle. The council rangers, and friends of Ecclesall Woods, expend time and effort closing off short cuts to protect wild flowers and the overall appearance of the woods. Yet some mystery person(s) go out of their way to remove these barriers. I guess they must have a motivation, but it would save a lot of time and frustration if they would have the decency to ring the woodland manager and tell him why.

Doremouse

Ed. Back from hibernation? The Woodland manager is Nick Sellwood on 0114 2736387

Ecclesall Woods, between Dore and Millhouses, is the "jewel in the crown" of Sheffield’s many "ancient" woodlands.

Ancient woodlands are those that have been present for at least 400 years (before woodland-planting become widespread), and are the richest in wildlife and wild plants. Some may date back to the end of the last Ice Age 13,000 years ago. They are an irreplaceable resource.

Ecclesall Woods has a recorded history going back 700 years, and is the largest ancient woodland in South Yorkshire. It is very important for its archaeology, including hundreds of charcoal pits (which provided fuel for the early iron industry in Sheffield), and "Q-pits" – the big circular depressions, which produced fuel for lead smelting. Some of the archaeology is very old, including field systems dating back to Roman times or earlier. Overall, the woodland is of regional importance for this heritage.

Because it has been woodland for so long, it supports wonderful displays of spring flowers like Bluebell and Wood Anemone, which in turn support insects and birds. These are not found in other newer woodlands, and once lost are virtually impossible to recreate.

This heritage is very much loved – over 300,000 visits are made to the woodland each year – but is easily lost. There is a good network of signposted, generally surfaced paths and bridleways across the site – although we recognise some can get muddy in winter. However, indiscriminate use by some visitors of other informal routes – sometimes simply short-cuts – is causing locally serious damage – stripping areas of wildflowers away and eroding the archaeology. In places, horse-riders are creating jumps over logs near to the bridleways, again causing damage. This is especially the case in the woodland block between Dore and Abbey Lane.

If you are in the habit of straying from the formal path/bridleway network, please help to look after your woodland by keeping to the rights of way wherever possible. If certain sections of the rights of way are becoming a problem to use, let Parks Woodlands and Countryside know and we will try to improve them as appropriate. Help us to conserve and maintain the woods now and for the future.

For more information, please contact me on 0114 2736387 at Parks Woodlands and Countryside Service, SCC.

Nick Sellwood, Woodlands Manager

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.

Heritage on-line

The launch of a new website www.derwentvalleymills.org means people from across the globe now have a chance to visit the historic Derwent Valley Mills, Derbyshire's only World Heritage Site. Stretching 15 miles from Matlock Bath to Derby, this is recognised as the place where, in the 18th century, water power was successfully tamed for textile production. The valley encompasses a fascinating series of historic mill complexes, including some of the world's first 'modern' factories.

The new website outlines the history of the site and includes latest news and events in the area There is also a games section to encourage younger visitors to take an interest.