The South Yorkshire Supertram network was opened in 1994 at a cost of £230m. It was opened on time and on budget; however, this was achieved by cutting back severely on the environmental measures that were originally planned to accompany the system. One of the casualties of this was cycle safety measures.
Some of the most glaring examples of this, such as the arbitrarily severed cycle crossing at Upper Hanover Way, have since been rectified, but the system remains very dangerous for cyclists at the points where they interact with the tram tracks. Cyclists have been pushing for remedial measures ever since the system was built, but the only significant intervention that the council has made has been to put warning signs up at some of the most dangerous spots.
CycleSheffield has been collecting statistics on tram crashes since December 2016. Crashes can be reported at www.tramcrash.co.uk. So far 845 have been reported and have been logged here. 557 crash victims report ‘slight’ injuries such as cuts and bruises. 253 report ‘severe’ injuries such as broken bones, concussion and other serious head injuries requiring hospital treatment.
The costs of a crash to the NHS can be calculated using this table (source gov.uk)
Wrist injuries are common, since the instinct when you are falling off your bike is to put your hands out to break your fall.
Some of the most dangerous spots where crashes are common are as follows:-
Upper Hanover Way/Glossop Road.
Here people cycling towards the city centre have to cross double tracks at a curve. To achieve this safely you have to be at the outside of the traffic lane as you approach and then cross the tracks at a minimum 45 degree angle, ending up close to the kerb on the city side of the junction, whilst traffic including buses is following close behind you. Unsurprisingly, many cyclists fail to achieve this. Although there are alternative cycle routes on either side of this road, cyclists who are coming downhill at some speed, including people coming in from the Peak District on the A57, may well not be aware of this before they hit this junction.
White Lane.
(Gleadless End)
(Birley End)
Although there is a service road adjacent to White Lane there is no route you can follow to access this at either end. A study of this was commissioned some years ago but no action was taken. A route could be established to link the Norfolk Park - Gleadless Town End cycle route (itself somewhat neglected) to the eastern end of White Lane - a popular route out to NE Derbyshire from this area of the city.
Further dangers exist if you follow Donetsk Way down towards Crystal Peaks. Although the Mosbrough townships have a good network of walking routes only a few of these have been designed for cycling as well. A historical hostility to cycling has exacerbated the problems of obesity and heart disease that are particularly acute in the eastern side of the city.
Infirmary Road.
A sub-standard cycle route can be used to get as far as Whitehouse Lane. At this point the route invites you to make a particularly dangerous manoeuvre to get onto the road - most cyclists sensibly ignore this. A safer route follows Penistone Road, this is by no means perfect either and can be hard to access.
Primrose View tram stop.
Almost all tram stops have clusters of crashes around them as the platforms jut into the road further reducing the space left for cycling. However, Primrose View tram stop seems a particularly bad example with 57 reports at this one location. There is ample space here on either side of the road to provide tram stop bypasses for people cycling and this route needs to be upgraded and extended to Hillsborough. The Primrose View tram stop forces you to make a shallow crossing of the tracks - again with the likelihood of impatient traffic following close behind.
The track work at Hillsborough is extremely challenging.
City Road/Park Grange Road.
This area came to the fore recently when Sheffield Tribune editor Dan Hayes required a replacement hip when he came off while researching why bike hire schemes in Sheffield are not successful. He pulled over to avoid a car emerging from a side road - a right of way violation - and his front wheel caught in the track.
Like Glossop Road, you have to cross double tracks on a curve at the junction. There are hazardous conditions from Manor Top continuing all the way down Park Grange Road.
Despite their lack of action Sheffield Council are well aware of the hazards posed by the tram tracks and the failure to provide separate cycle infrastructure alongside the tram network. They have produced the following reports into the issue: "Investigation into cyclist safety on the Supertram network in Sheffield", 1998, 'Cycle Audit of Risks and Safety Issues on Tram Routes at White Lane and Hillsborough' 2008, 'Tram/ Cycle infrastructure Review Study', June 2016, 'Tram Cycle Safety Action Plan', December 2016. These documents are available on the Cyclesheffield website.
Tramways and cyclists can exist safely in the same space and there are examples of this across the world. In summary, what is needed is safe crossings of the tracks at junctions, more warnings of the dangers (including warning drivers to stay back when cyclists are manoeuvring across the tracks) and complete parallel cycle routes alongside the tracks, e.g, Langsett Road, White Lane, many others. Allowing cycles on board the trams also helps people avoid the worst sections.Taking motor vehicles out of the equation is key to enabling cyclists to cross the tracks safely.
Although Green Party policy advocates an expansion of the Supertram system, it also prioritises walking and cycling, so it must be established as a principle that any expansion of light rail must be made safe for Active Travel Modes.
All pics source: Google Street View.
A couple of Dutch engineering students invented a device that can be slotted along tram tracks. The gadget will be compressed under the weight of a tram, but not the weight of a bike. I don’t know whether this invention has been implemented anywhere, but it looks very cheap to produce and could be installed (and highlighed) at all the danger spots in the tram network. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXzYQ7uF3BA is a video from 2017, but a quick search of the web hasn’t produced any further information….
Great piece Simon. I seem to remember there has been at least one fatality following a cyclist slipping or falling at a tram line, near Gleadless I think.