The quality of Sheffield roads

Pistol Pete · 14-02-2003, 16:25

I don't know about anyone else, but over the last two or three years i've noticed that the quality of Sheffield roads has gradually deteriorated. They're covered in potholes, road markings are badly faded and patches make the ride quality worse. Its bad enough in the car, but i've had a few too many close calls whilst i've been on my bike. Some roads are getting re-surfaced - like Manchester Road just after Broomhill, but sign posting during the work was appaulling. The absence of a 'RAMP' sign lead to me hitting a near invisible rut (at night). Surely experiencing such poor road surfaces every day can't be doing our cars any good.

Has anyone else experienced any other really poor quality roads?

Cheers.

P.S. I've included a poll too.

halevan · 15-02-2003, 15:29

Where have you been all this time? sheffields roads have been in a shocking state for a lot longer than the last three years, I have been bumping , banging, jerking, jolting, over potholes in sheffields roads for longer Than I care to remember, it was the tory's cut's that started it all, no money for this and that, council spending restriction's, cut back's for fourteen long year's under thatcher, consequently, the state of our roads was put back fifty year's and they have been there ever since. Sheffield now has such a large budget, that I cannot see there being much improvement in the forseeable future, the council have to prioratise, the cost of the winter gardens, new peace gardens, massive building programme etc.

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Kittenkel · 22-08-2005, 16:09

ha ha things just don't change!!

blademan · 22-08-2005, 16:34

I seem to be the only one but on the whole I don't have any problems with many of the roads in Sheffield, and my main mode of transport is a bike. I was actually suprised recently when I saw Sheldon Rd (just off Abbeydale Rd nr Sharrow) being resurfaced all the way to the top. Another example would be Brocco Bank, although that MUST be the world's longest detour?!?!?!?!? I concede that there are some bad roads, and they are usually really bad, but they, like me, are in the minority.

march · 22-08-2005, 16:38

The roads are the worst I have seen in any major city. Full of patched over potholes and new ones regulary appear and take ages to get filled in. I have lost count of the number of times I have been thrown off course due to huge potholes in the road. This is in a car and driving sensibly.

Babooshka · 22-08-2005, 17:08

Coming in to Sheffield from Chesterfield is a nightmare. After waiting in almost stationary traffic for half an hour on the A61 you are greeted on Greenhill Rd or Bocking Lane or whatever it is called by temporary traffic lights which means it takes an age to get down the hill, then at the bottom of Abbey Lane there are more road works, then on that steep, windy Hanging Water Road there are more road works (dangerous road without the darn road works)...not to mention all the gazillion traffic lights in between that ALWAYS turn red just as you approach them...then you have to contend with trying to turn in to your own darn drive due to inconsiderate parkers who a) just can not be bothered to use their own drive b) who visit pals but park right across your drive on the other side of the street c) actually park right across your drive!

muddycoffee · 22-08-2005, 17:08

Ask any motorcyclist. You just have to go over the border into derbyshire, the roads there are much much better than sheffield.

A good example at the moment is woodseats road, there are patches on patches on patches, It's like Bon Scotts jeans. And in between loads of seams have opened up it's horrible looking and dangerous. And what are Streetforce doing about it? they are a mile up the road narrowing the bottom of meadowhead so that traffic has half the lanes it used to on one of the most congested shopping roads in the city

The pavement outside Woodseats library is now wider than the road, and the bus pull in has been removed, you could build a house on it it is so large.

I was on the New penistone road yesterday afternoon and there are large sections where the top of the surface of this relatively new road has worn off completely. The 70mph section of the parkway is bouncier than a mattress, and could easily cause someone to have a nasty accident. The tarmac on commercial street heading toward park square has a huge divot where the constant bus wheels have kneaded the hot tar away, it's like a bmx stunt jump!

spyro2000 · 22-08-2005, 17:10

Not being from Sheffers myselfm the state of the roads was the very 1st thing I noticed when I came up here. Absolutely disgusting. Apart from that Sheffield in general is pretty nice.

Classic Rock · 22-08-2005, 17:19

At the Rock Bar, we had a band from Guernsey who drove all the way up through the country. As soon as they hit the Parkway they were jolted so hard their passenger windown broke and fell down into the door. Only in Sheffield....!

Mathom · 22-08-2005, 17:48

Quote:

Originally posted by muddycoffee

A good example at the moment is woodseats road, there are patches on patches on patches, It's like Bon Scotts jeans.

That was seriously funny!

It's that bit round the station that gets me. Yes it's being worked on so it will be a bit rough but does it have to be so rough for so long? I was on the outside lane going towards Park Sq the other day and I thought the road surface was going to catapult my car into the oncoming traffic.

The other terrible bit is when you come off the M1 northbound onto the parkway. It's like hitting a farm track, but at speed.

The roads off the back of Ecclesall Rd near the Pomona had been so worn down a few years ago that the old cobbles had been exposed - that used to scare the pants off unwitting cyclists.

foo_fighter · 22-08-2005, 17:52

Quote:

Originally posted by Classic Rock
At the Rock Bar, we had a band from Guernsey who drove all the way up through the country. As soon as they hit the Parkway they were jolted so hard their passenger windown broke and fell down into the door. Only in Sheffield....!

If it was "As soon as they hit the Parkway" they must have still been in Rotherham...

..."Only in Rotherham....!"

dave50 · 22-08-2005, 18:46

My ex lives in Walkley, and the roads are awful - huge potholes and with cars parked either side of the narrow roads means you can't avoid them. I have very low profile tires on my car which means every time i hit a hole in the road i wince as the wheel rim bangs into it. I've ruined 1 tyre when the edge of a pothole took a slice out of it (£128 replacement cost), and the rims of my alloys have loads of small chips and scratches.

£160 a year road tax, petrol over £4 a gallon and the roads are appalling.

Sal22 · 22-08-2005, 18:59

The mosborough road off the parkway is awful it's creating its own speedbumps. There is even a sign to warn you that it's bumpy.

Greybeard · 22-08-2005, 19:08

Sigh !.....it's all part of Sheffield City Council's campaign against the motorist.

I was watching Street Force doing some patchwork out here recently. They didn't sweep any of the dust or loose stuff out of the area to be patched. They didn't apply hot tar to the substrate and they didn't use a roller, - just patted the new tarmac flat with the back of a shovel.

Some of these patches have already disappeared, probably stuck to the rear tyre on a farmer's tractor !!

spiffymonkey · 22-08-2005, 19:23

Quote:

Originally posted by blademan
Another example would be Brocco Bank, although that MUST be the world's longest detour?!?!?!?!?

Unfortunately, Brocco Bank isn't being resurfaced; it's sewerage works. That means it's a Yorkshire Water contractor who will dig up the road, churn it about, then throw a surface down as fast as possible to cover the mess.

That's if they don't flood it first ...

And yes, it's added a whole mile to my journey to work!

medusa · 22-08-2005, 22:36

About 5 years ago the council produced a report with an estimate of the cost to renovate all of the major roads in Sheffield to an 'acceptable modern standard'. This amounted to £440million. What is wrong with this picture? The annual budget for all Sheffield new road laying and road repairs was £40million that year. So assuming that none of the roads that were actually okay deteriorated, it would still take 11 years to get round to all of the current bad spots- and the average expected road surface life is about 10 years.

I think the council have answered exactly why the roads in Sheffield are so awful.

Hels · 22-08-2005, 22:46

LOL that first stretch of the Parkway between the roundabout and the turn-off for Catcliffe is well bumpy!

nightrider · 22-08-2005, 22:47

Quote:

Originally posted by medusa666
About 5 years ago the council produced a report with an estimate of the cost to renovate all of the major roads in Sheffield to an 'acceptable modern standard'. This amounted to £440million. What is wrong with this picture? The annual budget for all Sheffield new road laying and road repairs was £40million that year. So assuming that none of the roads that were actually okay deteriorated, it would still take 11 years to get round to all of the current bad spots- and the average expected road surface life is about 10 years.

I think the council have answered exactly why the roads in Sheffield are so awful.

so how come other councils are able to pay to maintain their roads?? Surely they are in the same boat with costs. Is Sheffield very poor or something?

barclay · 23-08-2005, 12:51

Ecclesall road south needs sorting out along with South Road at walkley near the Commonside end.

Kittenkel · 23-08-2005, 13:44

Can anyone list the roads that have been recently resurfaced or are about to??