I am walking the brand-new active travel route built under the Connecting Sheffield: Magna to Tinsley scheme to see how this major infrastructure project looks on the ground.
Starting from the Fox and Duck in Tinsley, we check out the official council plans before tracing the path past Magna and Dead Man’s Hole Lane. This walk covers the new infrastructure layout, including the traffic light systems between Sheffield Road and Blackburn Meadows, the bus lane works, and the overall design of this multi-million-pound project.
With significant investment going into South Yorkshire’s cycling network, many locals are questioning whether roadside routes or upgrading existing paths—like the Rotherham-to-Sheffield canal route—would offer a better, more practical solution for commuters.
What are your thoughts on the new layout and the ongoing work? Let me know in the comments below!
📍 TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Introduction: Fox and Duck, Tinsley
0:16 – Looking at the official Council Plans
1:23 – Arriving at Magna, Rotherham
2:01 – Dead Man’s Hole Lane & Coopers
2:41 – Spotting a damaged cycle lane cushion
2:50 – Looking at the infrastructure usage
3:10 – Sheffield Rd to Blackburn Meadows: Traffic light systems
3:29 – Passing Blackburn Meadows
4:22 – The Biomass Plant
4:43 – Navigating the Bus Lane
5:00 – Another new bus lane under construction
5:07 – Looking down Sheffield Rd back toward Tinsley
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#ConnectingSheffield #ActiveTravel #Sheffield #Rotherham #Tinsley #CycleLane #UrbanPlanning #InfrastructureTour #SouthYorkshire
BIO
Tim Wells born and bred Sheffield. Born at Nether Edge 1964.
British Steel Rotherham 1980 to 1985 Process control
Midland Bank HSBC 1985 to 2000 Telecoms Voice and Data.
Self employed personal development 2001 to 2020
Volunteer with Dimnington regeneration trust 2000 to 2005.
Qualifications HNC industrial measurement and control.
NLP Master Practitioner.
Hobbies: Dancing, outdoors, DIY, Vlogging.
£££ You can assist me getting out and about by donating here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/timawells
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12 Comments
With a staggering £160 million being poured into active travel across South Yorkshire between 2020 and 2027, it leaves a massive question: why wasn't this money focused on making the canal route from Rotherham to Sheffield completely safe and continuous instead? The canal path is a great alternative, but it still feels incomplete from Darnall to Tinsley. Why build an expensive, disruptive roadside lane when we have an off-road route that actually needs finishing? Drop your thoughts below—roadside madness or a good investment? 👇"
Madness😮
Driving standards combined with the number of roads policing has plummeted since COVID. When was the last time anyone saw a police motorcycle?
I will cycle with anyone anytime anywhere in this city or across south Yorkshire and we will experience the sometimes terrifying obvious they haven't seen you, close passing.
And when they have nearly clipped you, I always look through the vehicle at the rear view mirror or side mirror if it's a van and they never look back.
They never look back.
I think unfortunately, as the authorities seem unable to clamp down on this, they have got cameras for everything else, the only solution is separate cycle lanes where appropriate.
Separate with a raised strip as well because red paint a broken white line is no good, they can straddle that.
Anybody is welcome to cycle with me along queen's Rd, up chesterfield Rd and through woodseats.
Will it be a bus, skip lorry, taxi, delivery van, or general SUV that nearly takes us out?
Could be the lot 👍😂
More wasted money, but that's what you get from the virtue signalling delusional imbeciles running the council
When a council constructs things that reflect its own mental outlook.
I used to help a old school mates dad Terry who did takeaway work from good fortune up at brinswroth the landlord would ring in his takeaway around midnight we come down delivering it and pop in for a pint on the way home .not a bad. Pub it's a shame it's gone .
Regards Rotherham Wellgate cycle scheme. I went to a meeting to see how these schemes are planned and put into practice. I mentioned that I have never seen a cyclist use this path into Rotherham. He immediately dug out a 'survey' which stated 72 cycles per day uses that particular cycle path!. I couldn't control my laughter!
When I did the on line survey for this scheme, it asked if I identified as 'Trans', and my sexual orientation!! WTF has that got to do with a traffic survey??
Hi Tim. The civil engineering CEO’s who have made a fortune out of this must have sore faces they’ve laughed so hard. The millions/thousands or more likely tens of cyclists that will use this is another idea from local government. What survey showed that this was so necessary? Another project that will only please a few; the designers, virtue signallers and the eventual handful of users. 😔
On Sheffield Rd at Rotherham just past Jackos corner shop there is JH Recycling.
He parks his pickup slap bang in the middle of the cycle lane all day.
All they have done is create what's perceived to be an off road parking area the length of the road!
What's the point of a cycle lane if people can park in it?
All day?
Like the one at Glossop Rd Broomhill, a cycle lane that's parked in all day every day.
If you are going to have a cycle lane and waste millions creating it, at least police the thing and make sure it's actually available to cycle in, otherwise what's the point.
I will be emailing with photographs, Rotherham council about this.
He doesn't pull his van in the yard, he just dumps it in the cycle lane, he probably doesn't realise what he's doing, but my point is, who's enforcing it.
What is the point of a cycle lane if you can park in it?
I wonder how they will link it all through the Tinsley viaduct without going through fly tipped strewn subways?
Safe protected cycling without going shoulder to shoulder with a newell and wright container HGV!
Incidentally I would put all hgv freight back on the rails.
Transporting containers up and down Sheffield Rd?
I would have built a railway instead, get em off the road onto rail 👍
I had an argument with a Newell and wright lorry driver here.
This was years ago before the cycle lanes, I'd cycled past their yard entrance heading towards the viaduct, just gone over this junction and I could hear him right on my back wheel, then he started blasting his horn.
So I stopped and looked at him in the cab and he slammed the brakes on that hard, the cab was rocking, he waved his hands in the air and his face turned from red to purple.
I laid my bike down and went up to his cab and said what's up?
He screamed at me, "see this truck, it weighs 40 tonnes and I can't build up enough speed to get past you, get on the f**king path!"
I looked at the path and it was chocka with people as we were parallel with the mosque and it was mosque day 😂
I said, "so if you can't overtake because you are not fast enough, stay where you are! Simple!"
Anyway, by this time, a queue had formed at the back of him all the way to the pub all starting to pip their horns.
Some Asian lads came over and went up to his cab and said "he's a cyclist, what the f**k are you doing?"
Anyway, I walked back to my bike, got on it and rode away, I looked back and he was still sat there!
He'd basically come up behind a cyclist who was moving too quick for him to get past and saw red, a cyclist, I must get past at any cost and that's what you get with a lot of drivers.
You might be going fast enough or faster but they want to get past you 👍
hi Tim totally wast of money I work on that road I coming out of work a cyclist still went on the pavement total joke