Speed hump and 20mph zone call set to fail

A petition bearing 36 signatures was reported to Sheffield Council’s Cabinet Highways Committee in September last year, requesting road safety measures to be implemented in Firth Park Avenue.

However, since then council officials have carried out a speed study and investigated the matter further.

At a meeting of the north east community assembly on Wednesday, council officers will respond to petitioners and recommend that “light touch engineering measures” are put in place – but no speed bumps or new road signs.

So-called “light touch” measures include road narrowing by line markings or slow markings with red-coloured surfacing.

According to the speed study carried out in September last year, the average speed of drivers along Firth Park Avenue was 32 mph when heading towards Firth Park Road and 33mph when heading towards Windmill Lane, which is described as “slightly higher than you would expect on a residential road”.

However, in a report set to go before Wednesday’s meeting, officers say that road humps are not being advised as they would have “several major disadvantages for residents”.

The report says: “The introduction of road humps would not necessarily deter through traffic, and previous experience has shown that commercial vehicles do not always slow down when travelling over road humps.

“In these instances, there could be noise and vibration nuisance to local residents.”

The report goes on to say that there have been “no reported injury accidents on Firth Park Avenue itself during the last five years.

“Therefore, the introduction of substantial road safety measures would not be recommended.”