Re the possible (promised?) Bannerdale Crossing - which has been an ongoing issue for many years - I wouldn’t hold your breath.
The promised super-crossing on Abbey Lane between two of the three parts of Ecclesall Woods has been in a number of “design stages” for the last two years at least - leaving pedestrians, buggy-pushing parents, wheel-chair users and horse-riders to dodge speeding motorists, lorries etc. while trying to walk in their local woods. And don’t even ask about the appalling junction further up, where Abbey Lane and Whirlowdale Rd meet in a lop-sided cross-roads with no pedestrian provision at all - no islands, no traffic lights, no proper give-way lines.
A solution is promised - funded by the South Yorkshire Mayor Authority but with money which is being eroded year on year by inflation. By the time the design work, inter-agency disputes and “intractable conflicts” between pedestrian safety and (unofficial) ring-road traffic flow are sorted, all that’s likely to be left is funding for an apologetic sign saying ‘sorry we’ve run out of money/time/willpower etc.’
And the Abbey Lane Crossing Campaign also started with people holding up traffic dressed in zebra costumes!
I've been asking about Abbey Lane regularly, but no clarity still! That erosion of funds is a good one Mike, I'll chase that up. I do believe that the councils want to move quicker, but there needs to be political will. And I think that is beginning to show itself more confidently. Public outrage from lots of communities is a big part of that, of course.
Re the traffic crossing. I used to live in Crosspool where kids have to cross Manchester road to get to the schools. After a child was injured by a driver of a car there was a petition for a crossing signed by hundreds but it failed as it wasn’t deemed dangerous enough, ie no one had died.
On Lydgate lane there IS a zebra crossing because a child was killed by a driver.
I was in Berlin recently, and I visited the remains of the Flak tower in the Humboldthain Park. It is only possible to go inside this extraordinary ruin on a guided tour. The tour guide explained to us that since the building was cleared of a lot of its rubble, a herd (?) of bats had taken up residence there. Since the bats hibernate there during the colder months, tours can only take place once the bats have become active again. It’s good to know that other nations are also looking after their bats, whether or not the little creatures “do anything for us”.
Thanks for the comment Susan, and yes, I wondered about the collective term while writing this piece. Technically, you’d say a colony of bats, but that’s really a roost of some kind, and not lots of them flying together. A cauldron of bats is also used occasionally, which I quite like.
Re the possible (promised?) Bannerdale Crossing - which has been an ongoing issue for many years - I wouldn’t hold your breath.
The promised super-crossing on Abbey Lane between two of the three parts of Ecclesall Woods has been in a number of “design stages” for the last two years at least - leaving pedestrians, buggy-pushing parents, wheel-chair users and horse-riders to dodge speeding motorists, lorries etc. while trying to walk in their local woods. And don’t even ask about the appalling junction further up, where Abbey Lane and Whirlowdale Rd meet in a lop-sided cross-roads with no pedestrian provision at all - no islands, no traffic lights, no proper give-way lines.
A solution is promised - funded by the South Yorkshire Mayor Authority but with money which is being eroded year on year by inflation. By the time the design work, inter-agency disputes and “intractable conflicts” between pedestrian safety and (unofficial) ring-road traffic flow are sorted, all that’s likely to be left is funding for an apologetic sign saying ‘sorry we’ve run out of money/time/willpower etc.’
And the Abbey Lane Crossing Campaign also started with people holding up traffic dressed in zebra costumes!
I've been asking about Abbey Lane regularly, but no clarity still! That erosion of funds is a good one Mike, I'll chase that up. I do believe that the councils want to move quicker, but there needs to be political will. And I think that is beginning to show itself more confidently. Public outrage from lots of communities is a big part of that, of course.
Re the traffic crossing. I used to live in Crosspool where kids have to cross Manchester road to get to the schools. After a child was injured by a driver of a car there was a petition for a crossing signed by hundreds but it failed as it wasn’t deemed dangerous enough, ie no one had died.
On Lydgate lane there IS a zebra crossing because a child was killed by a driver.
It’s nuts.
I was in Berlin recently, and I visited the remains of the Flak tower in the Humboldthain Park. It is only possible to go inside this extraordinary ruin on a guided tour. The tour guide explained to us that since the building was cleared of a lot of its rubble, a herd (?) of bats had taken up residence there. Since the bats hibernate there during the colder months, tours can only take place once the bats have become active again. It’s good to know that other nations are also looking after their bats, whether or not the little creatures “do anything for us”.
I wonder if our ideas about bats is how they turn up in unlikely places like this.
Thanks for the comment Susan, and yes, I wondered about the collective term while writing this piece. Technically, you’d say a colony of bats, but that’s really a roost of some kind, and not lots of them flying together. A cauldron of bats is also used occasionally, which I quite like.