Sheffield cyclists protest at cycle lanes being blocked by police postponed following apology

To clarify, the police have found somewhere else to park the coaches but they need to go through some legal hoops to make that happen, so it will take a bit of time. They did also say they might be times in the future when they need to use Asline Rd for coach parking but they would use the roadway rather than the cycleway. We'll be keeping an eye on things!

In reply to the comments about SYP at football matches. Have to say I've been to hundreds of games in Sheffield with the blue half of the city and never once had a problem with the policing.

Also agree bit of a stupid place to park the coaches but to be honest I'd thought most people not going to the match (pedestrians, cyclists and cars) would avoid the area anyway.

I think, to be fair, that any city does well of its football club Fluffy. It makes sense for 'the city' to be as accommodating as possible, many stadiums were built before 'parking' was an overriding necessity (I am assuming this is the case here). I suspect that using the cycle-path is considered the 'solution of least resistance' -or was- considered the solution of least resistance!
After a bit of 'people power' the Police/council will go and pick on someone else.

I suppose its naïve of me to think the football club should provide the land for proper parking spaces for these coaches? They are the ones making money off of the fans, no? Its their commercial business, why aren't they providing the necessary facilities their business requires instead of nicking space from others?

I suppose they could argue they pay business rates and other taxes, but so do supermarkets and they provide parking for their customer base.

There is a fairly good shared cyclist/pedestrian facility that runs alongside the A2016 Western Way near HMP Belmarsh that regularly is blocked by media and police vehicles.

Also. How often do you see temporary roadwork's signs that are placed on the cycle facility? Normally with another sign saying "Cyclists Dismount".

Basically, what I'm saying is that South Yorkshire Police's attitude is not unique.

As a football fan I can say that SYP are by far the worst police in England. Bully boys who hide behind their uniform, incapable of actually policing any major event and ignore the needs of children and pensioners at football matches. And as for Sara who had to complain about a driver on the pavement? you should have taken it further and put a complaint in. He shouldn't have been on the pavement at all let alone getting away with just a warning.

It's ok...they've said sorry...bet it happens again and again.

My experience of South Yorkshire police officers in Sheffield is that generally speaking, they are afflicted by the same car centric bias as the the rest of thepopulation.

As an example, when my primary school age child was very nearly run over by a man reversing a transit van blindly along the pavement outside school at chucking out time I had a very hard time getting them to take my complaint seriously.
Eventually they spoke to the driver and advised him that in future when driving blindly along pavements he should "toot his horn".

I have had many unsatisfactory dealings with SYP when reporting Taxi's blocking contra flow cycle lanes, close passes, aggressive motorists etc, they just don't see cyclist safety as a priority and don't seem to understand the issues faced by cyclists.

Must check out Parkhead and Ibrox on match days sometime and the attempts at delivering a cycle route in the vicinity.

I also have been treated with respect by the police, as a cyclist, due to a road accident here in the west country.

Really? My personal (and admittedly limited) experience with the police here in Scotland has been nothing but positive so far.

The Police typically hate cyclists, so it is unsurprising that they would use cycling facilities as a coach park and compromise cycle safety in doing so.

If there is a formal road closure in place on match days, all road traffic - including cyclists - are prevented from using the road. Consideration needs to be given to whether or not there are alternative places for the match coaches to park, in order not to push cyclists and other road users onto hazardous routes.