Bike shop to closs due to...impact of cycle lane

Sondec Cycles owner Derek Hudson says the damage to trade caused by the £3.6 million scheme has led to his decision to shut the shop – one of the most established in Wellgate – as he can no longer make a living wage.

Mr Hudson said: “It’s ironic but there’s been a dramatic downturn in footfall since they started doing the cycle lanes, which are a pointless waste of time and taxpayers’ money. People haven’t been able to access Wellgate or park so they haven’t been bringing their bikes in for repair. They couldn’t work out how to get here with the roads closed off. It’s not been well thought out at all.

"I know the council could only use the money they got for the cycle lanes but really, it would have been better to have said no to it altogether. It’s a lot of money – it could have been used to repair the roads or given it to somewhere where this sort of thing would have worked. Imagine what the health service could have done with £3.6 million.”

Mr Hudson, who opened the shop in 1987, criticised the lack of consultation and added: "The council came to see me before the work started, brought some paperwork to show me what they were going to do and told me that it would take eight months. I told them it wouldn’t work.

"Wherever there are hills you will not get the general public riding bikes and Rotherham is hilly. They are trying to convince the public to leave their cars at home and ride into Rotherham, but this cycle lane actually stops short of Rotherham, the potholes on the roads are atrocious and people won’t ride up to the roundabout at the top of Wellgate.

"I see two blokes riding up every day between 4 and 4.30 on their way home from work and that’s about it. Even one of the people doing the work said it wasn’t needed.”

Mr Hudson said the rise of online bike-selling had resulted in a drop in trade – at its peak the business sold more than 190 bikes over one festive period – and that had brought about a change in direction of the business. “Also, people don’t buy bikes for Christmas like they used to, so we moved into repairs and parts.

"Quite often I have had 12 to 15 bikes in in one go and since the roadworks that has dropped off to three or four. Some days I have had none. Last week I had six paying customers, that’s how bad it has got. It’s not enough to make a living anymore.

"The work has been going on for too long and the trade will not come back. Other shops here are suffering too,” he added.

Derek said that he intended to finish trading at the end of January.

Other businesses have complained that the miles of roadworks have cost them money, with Rotherham Rugby Club saying they were losing around £4,000 because of the reduced access to Clifton Lane before it was re-opened.

A taxi firm said added journey times were costing drivers fares and customers were complaining of rising costs.

Funding for this scheme – which also includes work on Sheffield Road – was secured by the council through the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Active Travel Fund, Gainshare and the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement.

A spokesperson for Rotherham Council previously described the public consultation – just over 100 people responded – as being “broadly supportive” and said the aim was to “make it far easier for our communities to lead an active and healthy lifestyle”.

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*See letters page 10.