Yorkshire’s most dangerous roads: Sheffield gets funding to fix road between A625 and A61

The city is getting more than £1.4 million to improve safety along the A625 between the A61 in Sheffield and the B6375 near Whirlow.

The Department for Transport said the project was one of 27 new schemes across England to benefit from the Safer Roads Fund, including one in Rotherham.

Mark Harper, transport secretary, said: “Britain’s roads are some of the safest in the world, but we are always looking at ways to help keep motorists and all road users safer.

“That’s why this injection is the first crucial step to ensuring local councils have the support they need to keep everyone safe, while also reducing congestion and emissions.”

So far, £100 million has been provided through the programme to improve fifty of the most dangerous roads in the country, most of which are rural.

The national scheme is expected to prevent around 1,450 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years.

Dr Suzy Charman, executive director of the road safety foundation, said it was “transformational” funding.

“Systematic changes have already had a big impact on road death and serious injury, for example seatbelts and airbags protect lives when crashes happen,” she said. “In the same way, we can design roads so that when crashes happen people can walk away.”

Dr Charman said this can be achieved by clearing or protecting roadsides, putting in cross hatching to add space between vehicles, providing safer junctions like roundabouts or adding signals and turning pockets, as well as better infrastructure for walking and cycling.

Details of exactly what improvements will be made in Sheffield have not yet been revealed.