Cyclists are taking part in the Big Ride to demonstrate to Sheffield Council the demand for safe cycle infrastructure and bike routes across South Yorkshire.
The Big Ride 2024 takes place tomorrow and cyclists are gearing up to ride at 10:30 am in Devonshire Green, Sheffield.
Organisers are expecting hundreds of cyclists to attend the event tomorrow calling for “safe routes to town, safe routes to schools, safe high streets for all!”
The ride, organised by Cycle Sheffield, consists of a slow loop around Sheffield City Centre and is family-friendly.
Rebecca Hammond, Bike Ability Instructor said: “The vast majority people are on ordinary bikes, wearing ordinary clothes, possibly with their kids, who just want to get around the city safely by bike.”
The Big Ride coincides with the run-up to local elections to reiterate Sheffield needs ‘Safe Space for Cycling’.
In November 2020 Sheffield Council secured £50m from the Active Travel Grant to spend on active travel and public transport, however, cyclists are concerned that the money hasn’t been used to improve cycling safety.
Ms Hammond said: “It isn’t the hills in Sheffield that are the barriers it’s the lack of safe cycling infrastructure.”
Cycling safety improvements are underway in areas Neepsend, Crookes and Nether Edge.
They have almost completed a safer cycle route linking the Sheffield suburb Norton Hammer to the city centre spending £60,000 on work.
Ms Hammond said: “If the council can get the infrastructure right the roads become safer for pedestrians and feasible for people using mobility scooters to get around.”
As a Bike Ability Instructor, Ms Hammond teaches children in schools skills to cycle safely on the road but also said she is ‘hugely aware that some drivers do not respect cyclists’.
Data obtained by The Star shows there were more than 450 crashes involving cyclists in Sheffield from 2020 to June 2023.
Cycle Sheffield wants cycling to be ‘inclusive and easy, not limited to the quick and brave’.
They are pledging for protected cycleways, low-traffic residential neighbourhoods and for cycling to be integrated with public transport.
Sheffield City Council have been contacted for a comment.