Rotherham Borough Council is proposing improvements to Broom Valley Road in efforts to deter speeding, but people who live in the area remain unhopeful.
The street would become a 20 mph (miles-per-hour) zone with additional road humps, but would be self-enforcing and operational without a reliance on police intervention. People are worried given the proximity of the Broom Valley Road Community School.
Andrew Wilson, 44, who lives on Broom Valley Road, said: “In a dream world, there’s automatic stingers that come out of the curb to calm the speeding. Unless there’s police there to enforce it, nothing will get done.”
Mr Wilson moved onto the street around 14 years ago, and said the speeding has been an issue even since then, and is an issue especially in the evenings.
Mr Wilson added: “People fly past here three times the speed limit, and it’s a 30 mph road and there’s speed bumps closer on the bit closer to town. Nothing stops them now, so what is a difference of 10 mph going to do?”
Part of the Local Neighbourhood Road Safety Scheme, the proposal is based on ‘evidence of dangerous driving’ and the council’s own traffic data.
However, the council does not have the power to install speed cameras, instead relying on the infrastructure, like the road humps, to deter the high speeds.
Beau Johnson, 33, who used to live on the road, said: “I used to see temporary speed cameras every now and then, but they were just that. Temporary.”
Broom Valley Community School is situated on the street, and there are bollards painted like school children to remind motorists to be responsible.
Mr Johnson added: “It will be a kid, one day, that gets hit. Until then, I don’t think much will really get done.”
The favoured planned approach for the road would see it cease to be a ‘through-road’ and it could effectively be pedestrianised, alongside the implementation of the 20 mph zone, if further consultations agreed to reroute buses on the road all together.
These road improvements follow the new bike lanes completed on Clifton roundabout and Broom Road last year, focusing on reducing congestion and capacity on the road.
Consultations for the road will end on 30th April 2025. Have your say here.