Next month, Sheffield’s cyclists will get their first taste of what it’s like to cycle in the Netherlands (kind of), when the city’s first-ever ‘Dutch-style’ roundabout is completed.
First introduced in the UK in Cambridge in 2020 and based on a design made popular in the Netherlands (hence the name), the new roundabout layout at West Bar in Sheffield, work on which began in April last year, offers priority to cyclists and pedestrians, with motorists asked to give way to more vulnerable road users on entering and exiting the roundabout.
Zebra crossings are installed at each arm of the roundabout, giving pedestrians priority over drivers, while a one-way protected cycle lane will move clockwise around the infrastructure, providing dedicated space for those on bikes.
These two new features, Sheffield City Council says, will also manage the speed of traffic using the roundabout, “increasing safety for everyone”.
However, judging by some of the comments made on social media and on local radio, it’ll take a while before everyone in Sheffield is convinced.
“Let’s make it safe for all road users, let’s put a system in place that nobody has used before. What could possibly go wrong?” asked Sheffield United fan Bulmer on Twitter.
“A zebra crossing on the exit of a roundabout. That’s not going to cause any accidents, is it?” echoed SJT.
“Good to see those not paying any road tax are being given priority on the road,” added Andy Cutts. Classic.
“I’m all for these roundabouts, but I’m concerned that drivers don’t know how to negotiate them,” another Twitter user said.
> More collisions at UK's first Dutch-style roundabout than old layout, figures reveal
And on BBC Radio Sheffield, some listeners claimed the roundabout would cause the same “chaos” witnessed in Cambridge since 2020.
Last year, figures provided by Cambridgeshire County Council showed that there were more reported collisions at the Dutch-style roundabout in its first three years (ten, three of which were serious) than in the years prior on the old layout (six).
However, the council was also keen to point out that the number of cyclists using the roundabout had increased by almost 50 per cent since 2017, meaning those on bicycles accounted for 11.4 per cent of all traffic users in 2022. Equally, pedestrian usage had also risen by about 30 per cent.
One Radio Sheffield listen told the programme that she lived in Cambridge for two years and described it as “chaos”.
“On average it put 45 minutes on a journey. Terrible idea, locals avoid it and call it crazy,” she said.
“This roundabout was proven to be unsafe in Cambridge,” fellow Sheffield-resident Richard added. “Someone needs to tell the council that Sheffield is built on seven very high hills and most people can't ride a cycle here.”
> Tory activist criticised for “anti-cyclist” and “jingoistic” opposition to new roundabout
However, the outlook wasn’t all doom and gloom as the West Bar roundabout nears its big unveiling.
“Yes, they’re brilliant. Well done for putting one in,” cycling campaigner Dan Brothwell said on Twitter.
“I’m looking forward to this being finished. It will make it much safer and pleasanter to cycle through that area,” another user said.
“All the comments moaning – Go to Europe and see how it’s done,” added Gary. “It’s a proven method and works perfectly fine. The only reason it doesn’t work is because the driver doesn’t understand or doesn’t want to!”
Meanwhile, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said the roundabout layout has been found to have reduced serious incidents in the Netherlands by about 46 per cent.
“Giving equal precedence to all road users such as cyclists, as well as pedestrians, creates a more inclusive environment while maintaining smooth vehicle flow,” Caitlin Taylor, road safety manager at RoSPA, said.
“However, educating drivers will be crucial to prevent confusion and incidents, and clear signage and awareness campaigns will also be essential to ensure all road users understand the new layout.”
Cycling UK, however, noted that while the plans are a positive step in the right direction, cycling can only be properly encouraged in Sheffield by a well-connected network of safe routes in the city.
“While these changes help make it safer for people cycling, unless they’re part of a comprehensive, joined-up network of safe cycle lanes, we won’t see a surge in people getting on their bikes,” Cycling UK’s Sheffield-based senior policy officer Monica Scigliano said in a statement.
“If we truly want to encourage more people to make their everyday local journeys by bike, it’s crucial that well-designed cycle lanes connect to other local networks beyond the city centre.”
However, the local council is adamant the new Dutch-style roundabout forms part of broader plans to do exactly that.
“Sheffield is changing, and the way people get around is also transforming, we’re making it safer, easier and greener for you to enjoy everything the city has to offer,” the local authority’s transport chair Ben Miskell said.
“The introduction of the new Dutch-style roundabout will continue that, linking in perfectly with award-winning Grey to Green offering along with our other regeneration projects at Castlegate, Attercliffe, West Bar and Heart of the City among many others.”
I’m sure you’ll not be surprised to learn that a few of our readers aren’t convinced by some of the arguments emanating from Sheffield that the city’s maiden Dutch-style roundabout will cause an uncontrollable outbreak of confusion and chaos.
In fact, as Tom noted in the comments section and as evidenced by the below photo, the roundabout in question already has a dreaded pedestrian crossing on one exit.
“It’s not that unusual,” Tom said. “Also, Highway Code Rule 187 in regards to roundabouts says: In all cases watch out for and give plenty of room to pedestrians who may be crossing the approach and exit roads.”
Meanwhile, Smoggysteve, who lived for a while in Germany on the Dutch border, assessed in-depth (how long do you get for your lunch Steve?) the reasons why some people are aghast at what, after a go or two, is perfectly straightforward infrastructure to navigate:
These roundabouts work quite well in the Netherlands. They are everywhere and considering the entire system of roads is very cycling focused it helps that this means there are far fewer cars on the roads to begin with. You get much less inner-city traffic and it’s mostly concentrated to the motorway. So expecting them to just slot into a much busier ecosystem is a little naive.
But I look at various other UK road anomalies/novelties such as the magic roundabout in Swindon. To look at it from the air it looks madness. When you actually drive it a few times it makes a lot more sense.
Why? Because people adapt. How do people navigate roads they are unfamiliar with? How do I know, when I get off the ferry in Calais that I don’t drive on the left? A bit of research? Maybe a road sign as a reminder? How do I know not to drive over that bump back bridge at 30mph? Oh yeah, another sign. That prepares me for what is ahead.
Most of the arguments (whinges) by people who haven’t even experienced it yet is just plain laziness or refusal to accept change. Nothing more. What would these people ever do if they drive abroad where you may encounter this type of roundabout, but with the added obstacle of it flowing the other direction?
Clem Fandango also wasn’t having the arguments against Cambridge’s own Dutch roundabout, especially the claim that it adds 45 minutes onto drivers’ journeys (while they simultaneously avoid using it).
“I’ve told you a million times, do not exaggerate!! Even if it does, maybe, I don’t know... walk or cycle instead if you can. It’s obviously quicker,” they said.
“I love the ‘Sheffield is hilly’ argument,” added Jh2727. “Surely all the more reason that Sheffield should be building stuff like this – they can’t do a lot about the hills, but anyone who takes on the hills of Sheffield surely deserves the best possible cycling infrastructure.”
And Tony concluded: “If drivers adhered to speed limits and the Highway Code, we wouldn’t need this sort of infrastructure.”
Amen.
As live blog regulars will know all too well, Belfast’s drivers have a certain flair for blocking cycle lanes and pavements.
In fact, if you took a quick spin around the city right now, you’d find a litany of examples of bike routes and footpaths littered with abandoned vehicles.
Like this one, from Monday’s blog…
Or this one:
And this sideways, ‘fill the cycle lane at all costs’ classic:
Oh, and this regular cycle lane blocking sight outside a popular food van:
Years and years and no resolution even after a cyclist was hospitalised on this cycle lane #BigFishParkingLane#RO63XGTpic.twitter.com/gScOVnTXKi
— Brian Shannon (@BrianShannon123) August 27, 2024
Faced with a bad parking epidemic, Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure launched a consultation on the matter, which saw the majority of respondents call for a general pavement parking ban in the city, to clamp down on these selfish motorists.
So, what did the department do? It sent out a social media post asking drivers to #thinkbeforeyoupark, and to “please park with consideration for everyone including those who walk, wheel, or cycle”.
🚘🚗🅿️ We’re calling on drivers to show consideration for others in our society when parking.
This includes not:
❌ Blocking access to properties with your vehicle
❌ Parking partially or wholly on a pavements unless signs permit it
❌ Parking on cycle lanes during times of… pic.twitter.com/HWB5bJnzdn
— Department for Infrastructure (@deptinfra) September 24, 2024
“We’re calling on drivers to show consideration for others in our society when parking,” the DfI said in the post.
“This includes not: Blocking access to properties with your vehicle; Parking partially or wholly on a pavements unless signs permit it; Parking on cycle lanes during times of operation; Parking in spaces for designated users e.g. disabled parking bays.
“Please take a moment and think before you park.”
This thoughts and prayers approach to illegal parking was, unsurprisingly, condemned by active travel charity Sustrans’ Northern Ireland branch.
“Calling on drivers to ‘show consideration’ is not enough,” the charity wrote.
“You carried out a consultation, with the majority of respondents calling for a general pavement parking ban. What was the point of it?”
Well, considering the Northern Ireland government’s longstanding and much-maligned approach to active travel – just today, plans to pedestrianise a small, narrow street in Belfast’s buzzing Cathedral Quarter have been put on hold due to “underfunding” – the question may rightly be asked: What’s the point of the Department for Infrastructure?
Well, it’s fair to say this afternoon’s mixed relay team time trial at the world championships in Zurich certainly lived up to the lofty billing I bestowed upon it earlier today.
On one of the most relentlessly tough TTT courses you’re ever likely to see, which saw riders getting dropped like flies on the circuit’s steep climbs, Grace Brown’s fairytale farewell to cycling continued, as the Olympic and world time trial champion propelled Australia to another world title, pipping an impressive Germany by just 0.85 seconds at the line.
In what was inarguably the most exciting and finely poised TTT since the event was introduced at the worlds in 2019, just a handful of seconds separated Australia, Germany, and Italy in the closing stages of the 53.7km race.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
While lacking the star power of some of the other nations, a perfectly balanced German team headed by Liane Lippert and Max Schachmann looked on course for their first world title in the discipline, averaging over 44kph on the difficult, technical route.
But after an astutely judged ride by the men’s team of Michael Matthews, Jay Vine, and Ben O’Connor – Vine and O’Connor setting a strong and steady pace on the climbs so they could utilise Matthews on the lightning fast run-in – Brown, aided by Ruby Roseman-Gannon (who was dropped on the climb) and Brodie Chapman, capitalised again on her stunning form to launch a storming, last-ditch effort in the final kilometres, overhauling the Germans by less than a second in a pulsating finale.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
A Ganna and Longo-Borghini fronted Italy, however, faded in the closing kilometres, but still lost by just eight seconds, and finishing 16 seconds ahead of France and almost two minutes ahead of Denmark in the process.
“I think I’m feeling a little bit greedy – I need a few more rainbow jerseys in my closet!” Brown, who has added a whole other dimension to the concept of ‘going out at the top’, said at the finish.
“But this one’s really nice, it’s a great vibe to do it with the whole Aussie crew. Yeah, really exciting.”
“It was a hard one,” Matthews added. “I think Jay put me to the sword straight away on that first climb, I think we averaged 650 watts from bottom to top. There wasn’t much recovery, we just had to stick together as a team as much as possible and keep the speed up.
“We came in with the fastest time, and we knew we had a really strong women’s team to finish it off.”
(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Of course, while the racing was thrilling, the TTT wasn’t without its organisational hiccups. During the first wave of teams earlier in the afternoon, confusion reigned as the UCI commissaires mistakenly waved off the UCI World Cycling Centre’s women’s team… after Algeria’s men had crossed the line, leaving the Algerian women left perplexed and confused on the start ramp.
Well, it wouldn’t be a worlds TTT without a bit of chaos, would it?
You know that long, interminable portion of Milan-Sanremo when nothing really happens (basically the first 240km)?
Well, we’re on the cusp of finally being given a reason to avert our gaze from the gently rolling peloton, as reports from Belgium suggest that race organisers RCS are set to confirm that a women’s version of La Primavera will return to the calendar for the first time in two decades in 2025, and take place on the same day as the men’s monument.
Jasper Philipsen wins this year’s men’s Milan-Sanremo ahead of Michael Matthews and Tadej Pogačar (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
A women’s Sanremo, called the Primavera Rosa, was briefly held from 1999 to 2005, and featured the final 118km of the traditional route, culminating in the iconic Cipressa and Poggio finale.
But with other major classics such as Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège capitalising on the growth of women’s cycling over the past decade, there have been steady murmurings in recent years that Sanremo was set to make a return to the women’s scene, especially in the wake of organisers RCS taking over the Giro d’Italia Women.
One fly in the ointment, however, was the calendar clash between Sanremo and the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, the longstanding and highly prestigious women’s classic, established in 1974 and won in recent years by Italian stars Elisa Balsamo and Elisa Longo Borghini, which takes place the day after Sanremo.
(Zac Williams/SWpix)
With the hilly classic located in Cittiglio, 350km north of the Ligurian coastal city, holding both Sanremo and Binda on the same weekend would have ushered in a physical and logistical nightmare for the riders and teams.
However, according to Wielerflits, an agreement has been reached between the race organisers, with Binda reportedly set to move its position in the calendar to a week earlier to accommodate the relaunched women’s Sanremo, meaning that Strade Bianche, Alfredo Binda, and Milan-Sanremo could form a tasty consecutive three weekends of women’s classics racing in March.
(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Wielerflits has also reported (as per the UCI's archaic rules) that the 300km length of the men’s race will not be replicated for the women, with a start in Genoa and a route confined to the Italian Riviera – and its tension-packed finale – earmarked for next year, but not yet confirmed.
If a women’s Sanremo does go ahead in 2025, it will leave Il Lombardia as the only men’s monument without a women’s equivalent. But with RCS ramping up its involvement in the women’s side of the sport in recent years, you’d assume it’s only a matter of time before the Race of the Falling Leaves joins in the fun.
Slovenia’s bid to propel Tadej Pogačar to a Triple Crown-completing world road race title this weekend hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing so far.
Earlier this week, Luka Mezgec found his front wheel wedged under a motorist’s Audi in a near miss that left the Jayco-AlUla feeling like he’d “burned” one his cat’s lives.
[A.S.O./Pauline Ballet]
And now, former Milan-Sanremo winner Matej Mohorič, expected to be a key lieutenant for Pogačar in the early part of the hilly road race in Zurich, has been ruled out of Sunday’s rainbow jersey contest after failing to fully recover from a palm injury sustained in a training crash ahead of last weekend’s Sea Otter Europe gravel race in Girona.
Slovenian national coach Uroš Murn has said that Mohorič needed stitches following his crash and that a check-up on Wednesday deemed him not fit enough to race on Sunday. The Bahrain-Victorious rider will be replaced Matic Žumer, who rides for the Sava Kranj Cycling Continental team, but is still expected to defend his gravel world title in Leuven on 6 October.
Believe it or not, in a classic case of cycling weirdness, the Four Days of Dunkirk stage race hasn’t lasted for four days for over 60 years.
But things are about to get even weirder for 2025.
In a bid to attract team with the prospect of more juicy UCI points, the six-day flat stage race, won last year by Sam Bennett, is set to be split into two separate events next May: a one-day race, followed by a slightly shortened five-day stage race.
But both races will still be called the Four Days of Dunkirk… Got it?
And the UCI wonders why football fans struggle to get into cycling…
Absolutely love this. Local primary school have come out to watch the cyclists. Not every day world class sporting events come to your village. #Zurich2024pic.twitter.com/uph1G5NSG2
— Alex Stone (@AlexStone7) September 25, 2024
Cyclists have accused walking and wheeling charity Living Streets of pandering to the “culture war” over electric bikes, after a councillor shared an email from the charity asking its members to reach out if they had a “negative” experience with e-bikes or e-scooters, ahead of a Sky News segment on the issue.
However, Living Streets has explained to road.cc that their stance is based on “illegally modified e-bikes and riding e-bikes dangerously on the pavement”, while reiterating that “pavements are for people” and that cycling on them is illegal.
Read more: > Cyclists accuse Living Streets of stoking “culture war” over electric bikes, but walking charity claims it is only opposed to “illegally modified e-bikes and riding e-bikes dangerously on pavements”
It’s fair to say that, since being introduced in 2019 in Yorkshire, the mixed team time trial relay hasn’t quite captured the imagination of cycling fans around the world.
In fact, my main memories of last year’s mixed relay in Glasgow consist of awkwardly hanging about the warm-up tent behind the start ramp, nearly bumping into André Greipel, and watching Stefan Bissegger knock back a couple of beers while bored out of his skull at the post-race press conference.
The race itself? Errrr, not so much (apart from Marlen Reusser’s crash, to be fair).
But all that apathy could change dramatically this morning, as the 20 nations participating in today’s mixed relay TTT are set to take on the hardest course yet – a 53.6km brute containing 894 metres of climbing and featuring a loop each for the men and women of the tough city circuit that will define the weekend’s road races.
That means an ascent each of the 1.1km-long, eight per cent Zürichbergstrasse and the longer 2.3km Witikon hill, which averages 5.7 per cent.
And which also means the potential for gaps to open as riders struggle and each nation’s pair of three-rider teams attempt to keep things tight, with the time taken on the second rider to cross the line – so there’s very little margin for error on a course so hilly.
Though reigning champions Switzerland (featuring Bissegger and Elise Chabbey) will certainly back themselves on home roads, they’re without Reusser as she recovers from a long-term illness, which leaves the race wide open.
A very strong Italy team consisting of Filippo Ganna, Edoardo Affini (second and third in the men’s individual time trial on Sunday), Mattia Cattaneo, Elisa Longo Borghini, Soraya Paladin, and Gaia Realini will surely fancy themselves for gold, as will an on-fire Australia team led by world and Olympic champ Grace Brown and backed by Michae Matthews, Ben O’Connor, Jay Vine, Brodie Chapman, and Roby Roseman-Gannon.
But don’t discount Juliette Labous and Bruno Amirail-led France, a very powerful Danish team, or the United States either.
Could we finally have the first mixed relay TTT cracker on our hands this afternoon?
And even if the racing isn’t great, as we saw at the European championships a few weeks ago or back in 2022 in Wollongong when Annemiek van Vleuten crashed right at the start, fracturing her elbow (and we all know what happened a few days later), you can always count on the mixed relay for some kind of drama, anyway.
Jokes about Gallic facial hair (and corny pun-based transfer videos) aside, this is a shrewd move by Patrick Lefevere’s squad, replacing Tudor Pro Cycling-bound Alaphilippe with flyweight climber Valentin Paret-Peintre.
The 23-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season for Decathlon-AG2R this year, finishing fourth overall at the Tour of the Alps and winning a stage of the Giro d’Italia, and will slot nicely into the increasingly grand tour-oriented Belgian outfit as both a mountain stage hunter and a key lieutenant on the climbs for Remco Evenepoel, as he plans to topple Pogačar and Vingegaard’s supremacy at three-week races.
We haven’t even handed out the final rainbow jerseys of the year yet, and 2025 is already shaping up nicely.
> What we learnt using the “world’s first real-time aerodynamic drag force measurement system for cyclists”
I wonder why Jamie never asks me to do these kinds of tests? Oh yeah, because I’m not aero or fast. That makes sense now…