What is being proposed in Rotherham
In order to comply with the Government's legal order, the Council is required to identify mitigating actions to improve air quality at locations where the legal air quality limit is exceeded, within the ‘shortest possible timescale’. The sites are:
- Rotherham section of the Sheffield Parkway (A630)
- Rawmarsh Hill (A633), Rawmarsh
- Fitzwilliam Road (A630), Eastwood
- Wortley Road and Upper Wortley Road, Kimberworth and Thorpe Hesley (A629)
The actions proposed are:
- Reduction of speed limit to 50 mph on the Rotherham section of the Parkway, associated with proposals to widen the Parkway
- Improvements to the Rotherham bus fleet
- Proposal to some buses from the A633 Rawmarsh Hill to Barbers Avenue with improvements to Dale Road and Barbers Avenue to support this measure
- Proposals to improve traffic flow on the A630 Fitzwilliam Road
- Restrictions on HGVs on the northbound carriageway of the A629 Wortley Road/Upper Wortley Road, in Kimberworth and Thorpe Hesley
In considering these different measures, the Council has sought to take into account the impact they might have on people and places, while also recognising that the worst pollution is in the urban centres and on commuter routes.
These options are proposed to be accompanied by a number of additional measures, which aim to support businesses to improve their fleet and improve air quality, such as targeted support to upgrade vehicles.
The Council will seek Government funding, through the Full Business Case, to deliver on these proposals.
If you'd like more detail about the proposals we're consulting on, including the outcomes of our modelling, you may wish to read the outline business case documents that we have submitted to the Government and the Cabinet Report presented to Members of the Council in December 2018.