WALKING, WHEELING AND CYCLING IN SOUTH YORKSHIRE

Our vision is a wealthier, healthier, happier and safer South Yorkshire – where everyone has the opportunity to stay near and go far.

Our mission: working with South Yorkshire’s strong communities, we’ll build safer neighbourhoods that people feel proud to call home. We’ll make it easier to get to work and learning opportunities, especially by walking to bus, tram, and train. Our priority is giving choice to the people too often left out - because they deserve better, and they’ve got the most to gain.

Mayor Oliver Coppard's Vision for Walking, Wheeling and Cycling in South Yorkshire

This strategy is built on evidence, shaped by insight, and driven by ambition. It’s about creating safer streets, stronger communities, and a healthier, happier South Yorkshire. It’s about making sure that no matter who you are, or where you live, you have the opportunity to move freely, safely and with dignity.

South Yorkshire Active Lives Commissioner - Ed Clancy OBE

We’re also putting our communities front and centre and we’re changing how we work. We’re designing our new projects with people, not for them. We’re listening to those who are the most often left out and left behind — people with disabilities, women and girls, people from ethnically diverse communities, and those living on low incomes. And we’re making decisions that reflect their needs, their voices, and their lived experiences.

A mother walking her female child to school

Future Focus

We will achieve our vision through a twin-track approach, underpinned by a much stronger focus on community engagement.

Safer Neighbourhoods

Routes to Opportunities

Community Engagement

Community engagement is central to South Yorkshire’s walking, wheeling and cycling strategy. We’re committed to working with people especially those often left out, such as disabled people, women and girls, people from diverse backgrounds, and those on low incomes. We’re changing how we engage by using face-to-face conversations, focus groups, and trusted community partners to ensure projects reflect real needs and lived experiences.

Community engagement is at the heart of our twin-track approach on making safer neighbourhoods and creating routes to opportunities. In safer neighbourhoods, we will prioritise areas with the greatest challenges and work with local residents, schools, and community groups to understand what makes people feel safe and welcome. For routes to opportunities—connections to jobs, education and services—we will engage with people living along the routes, as well as employers and colleges, to understand their needs around safety, accessibility and comfort.

Across both tracks, we will use pop-up events, workshops and targeted outreach to hear from those least often heard. By listening early and co-designing solutions, we aim to build long-term relationships and create places where everyone feels safe, included and able to travel actively.

Case study - Doncaster community panel

The council has established a consultation panel chaired by the Portfolio Holder for Equalities, Education and Skills that meets to give people who are least heard a voice to influence the design of projects. The panel includes older people and those with visual impairment, limited mobility and long-term health conditions. The panel members are able to share their experiences and barriers to moving around the region, and the type of things that impact on their independence.

Key impacts

The panel has influenced design choices, including materials used in infrastructure
Members have participated in Community Street Audits and Road Safety Audits
Stakeholders across departments are increasingly engaging with the panel
Members feel heard and valued, contributing to a sense of ownership and inclusion.

Accessibility measures

One-on-one discussions were held before the first meeting to understand individual needs
Meetings are held in person, with materials shared in advance for screen reading or assistive tech use
Travel expenses are covered to support participation.

Lessons learned

Successes: Proactive engagement and cross departmental involvement have been key
Improvements: As the panel grows, meeting formats may need to evolve to ensure everyone can participate fully.

Hear about the launch of our strategy for walking, wheeling and cycling in South Yorkshire

Our Priorities

Network Maps

We have worked collaboratively with our local authority partners across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield councils to produce an ultimate topline desired network for walking, wheeling and cycling for South Yorkshire. Each partner has developed a network map for their own investment plans, and these have been brought together into our strategy to show the shared ambition across the region.

Over the coming months we will make these available in an accessible format. We will continue to work with our local authority partners to develop these maps with an aim to produce a more detailed interactive map.

Map 1: Walking and wheeling zones to 2045

Each local authority has approached their walking network slightly differently. We have overlayed the walkability tool which shows where areas may have better access to amenities.

The walkability tool helps to better understand how accessible daily amenities are from people’s homes, with a higher score given for a higher number of amenities within reasonable walking distance. The process identifies areas where focused investment would have the greatest impact on walking trips.

Map 2: Desired cycling network to 2045

Each area has approached their cycling network slightly differently, for example, Sheffield have used a straight-line planning tool – showing places to be connected, whereas Rotherham has opted to show the strategic cycling network. For Barnsley and Doncaster, existing routes which require upgrade have been included. The National Cycle Network is shown, for context.

The desired cycling network map includes an overlay of projects delivered since 2019 to demonstrate that delivered schemes will form part of an extensive network of active travel infrastructure across the region.

Map 3: Walking, wheeling and cycling projects delivered since 2019 – funded to 2027

The map shows projects which have been delivered since the publication of our previous Active Travel Implementation Plan or are funded for delivery to 2027. It shows both pure walking, wheeling and cycling or ‘active travel’ projects, plus ‘multimodal’ schemes which include some improvements for people walking, wheeling and cycling. The map also shows projects where funding has been awarded for ‘development’ only.

‘Multimodal’ means projects which focus on other transport improvements, for example bus, but include benefits for people walking, wheeling or cycling. ‘Development only’ means projects to design a scheme but not build it. These can form part of a pipeline for future investment.