Residents' concerns as bikes allowed on Fargate, Sheffield

The Star, Sheffield

Residents' safety concerns as bikes allowed on previously pedestrianised Fargate, Sheffield, for first time in 50 years

Transcript

00:00Sheffield Council is letting cyclists use Fargate for the first time in 50 years.

00:06Councillor Ben Miskell, Transport Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee Chairman, says

00:10they're permitted now because there are more people living, working and spending time in

00:14the city centre and demand for safe, well-designed cycling infrastructure is growing so a dedicated

00:20cycle lane has been included as part of the redevelopment of Fargate.

00:25We asked residents if they think it's safe.

00:27Do you think it's safe for cyclists to use Fargate or should it still be pedestrianised?

00:32It should still be pedestrianised because it's not safe because, you know, certainly in

00:36my case, we're handicapped if we get slightly hit, I'm flat on my face, so I don't like it's

00:43like on footpaths, you get a lot of them on footpaths which, again, is, you know, very

00:49dangerous and you can't do anything about it, the police won't touch up it or anything.

00:54But it's allowed now on Fargate that they can't.

00:59Yeah.

01:00Well, I think it's wrong that.

01:01I don't think they ought to, if they're going to do it, they should have a specific thing

01:06in the middle of the Fargate to say that cyclists can go up and down it rather than let them

01:11wander everywhere around.

01:13I think it should still be pedestrianised because they haven't made it really safe for cyclists

01:22to, there's not really a cycle lane as such to cycle down, which is a shame, really, they

01:28should have put a bit of a cycling lane in this area so the public don't get mown down

01:35because you have to dodge all these electric bikes and non-electric bikes, so, I mean,

01:40I don't dislike bikes, I mean, because I've got one myself, but I think they should have

01:46thought it out that they should have put a little cycle lane in this bit as well.

01:50I think we've got to try and include cyclists, haven't we, really, so I think maybe, yeah,

01:59there should be a way of including them both on here.

02:02Maybe some segregation would be a good idea, though, because I do see some of them do come

02:06flying down the street and they're not pedestrians over.

02:11I think it should have remained completely pedestrianised, certainly a danger, especially

02:17with the bike going up and down delivering food, which are a really, really bad risk.

02:26I think with Fargate as it is now, it should have stayed pedestrianised.

02:31We have food delivery people that have these electric bicycles that have no bells, no warning

02:40that they're coming.

02:42Anybody walk out of a shop can get hit, I've actually seen it on here.

02:47And they don't think they're in the wrong, these cyclists.

02:50I appreciate cyclists have to go somewhere, and in Sheffield City Centre it's not easy,

02:56but just corn the part off for cyclists only, so they don't have to hit people on a pedestrianised

03:03precinct.

03:05Cyclists, if these people that they hit with a bike have to go to hospital, what happens?

03:13You know, if they get seriously hurt, they can't blame anybody, they can't claim from anybody,

03:18because probably these people aren't even insured.

03:21So I think, no, Fargate should be pedestrianised, or a little bit of it cordoned off, that pedestrians

03:29can't walk in, cyclists can't come out of that area.

03:33Now…

03:34That's…

03:35…we have to have to be prepared if they're allowed for a break or not to do anything in

03:37order for a break.

03:38So we…

03:39…we have to be prepared for a break, that it's considered quite boring.

03:41So we have to get to be prepared, and we have to be prepared for a break, that the

03:42can be prepared for a break.

03:43We have to be prepared for a break.

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