Content

8.1

The City Council is developing a long-term
Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Investment Plan for the city. This
report updates on the development of the Plan and includes
recommendations to agree the scope and objectives, as well as the
approach to identifying city-wide networks for walking, wheeling
and cycling and the approach to prioritising areas for medium-term
investment planning. The timeline is to complete this work by April
2025.
 
This report also feeds back on the Community
Evidence Base, developed using the approach approved by this
Committee on 13 March 2024, and how that will be built on as work
on the Plan progresses.

 

 

8.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the
Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee:-
 

1.    
notes the development of a Sheffield Walking, Wheeling and Cycling
Investment Plan, and the South Yorkshire context;
 

2.    
welcomes the feedback on the engagement activity undertaken, and
the development of the Community Evidence Base, as approved by the
Committee on 13th March 2024;
 

3.    
agrees the scope of the Plan;
 

4.    
agrees the objectives of the Plan; and
 

5.    
agrees the approach to identifying areas for medium-term investment
planning and city-wide network planning.

 

 

8.3

Reasons for
Decision

 

 

8.3.1

The Transport, Regeneration and Climate
Committee is recommended to agree the recommendations as set out in
the report. This will enable work on the Plan to progress, in
conjunction with the South Yorkshire family of Plans, and in
conjunction and collaboration with a South Yorkshire Active Travel
Strategy being developed by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined
Authority (SYMCA).

 

 

8.3.2

This will enable the Plan to influence
investment planning across South
Yorkshire, including having material weight in
the development of the programme for the main transport funding
stream expected to be available in the mid-term (CRSTS2 for
2027-2032).

 

 

8.4

Alternatives
Considered and Rejected

 

 

8.4.1

Alternative Option 1: do-nothing. It would be
an option not to develop a Sheffield Walking, Wheeling and Cycling
Investment Plan at all. However, that would mean that we would not
have a plan with evidenced priorities for any future investment and
would not be able to take advantage of any funding that becomes
available.

 

 

8.4.2

Alternative Option 2: do-less. It would be an
option not to develop a city-wide Sheffield Walking, Wheeling and
Cycling Investment Plan. This is what happened with the first South
Yorkshire LCWIP, where Government asked for the identification of a
limited number of strategic cycling and walking routes as part of
the then Industrial Strategy. This is what was done – and
those routes are being rolled out through the current programme
(with the Transforming Cities Fund and Active Travel Fund monies).
It has meant that when additional funding opportunities become
available, there is no prioritised programme for taking forward
into bidding for that. This would not be in line with SYMCA plans
for across South Yorkshire.