A6101
| A6101 | ||||
| Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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| Rivelin Valley Road | ||||
| From: | Rivelin (SK289871) | |||
| To: | Owlerton (SK335898) | |||
| Distance: | 3.7 miles (6 km) | |||
| Meets: | A57, B6076, B6077, A61 | |||
| Former Number(s): | B6075 | |||
| Old route now: | B6076 | |||
| Highway Authorities | ||||
| Traditional Counties | ||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||
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Route
The A6101 runs along the Rivelin Valley to the west of Sheffield, connecting the west and northwest of the city with the A57 towards the Peak District.
Section 1: Rivelin to Malin Bridge
The road starts on the outskirts of Sheffield where it forks left off the A57 which continues right into the city. We begin by heading through the valley, and from here until Malin Bridge it is 40mph. Despite this not being a residential area, there are ferocious speed rules on this section with speed cameras and solid white lines aplenty. This is because the road is very twisty and there were a number of fatal accidents when the road was NSL. Ironically, the road is perfect for cyclists because they have a designated track for the next 3 miles or so.
We go round a couple of tight bends before a straightish section, and surprisingly there are no cameras on this stretch. Drivers who know the road well tend to speed on this section. At the end of the straight there is a very tight chicane as the road passes over the river Rivelin; this was notorious for head-on collisions as drivers cut the corner. Then the next bit has a speed camera before we drop down into a needless 30mph limit, although most drivers have to slow down as the road can be blocked by the horrible crossing coming up. There should be traffic lights here and I have been involved in an accident whilst crossing over twice. The ridiculous limit continues round two bends through the woods before we reach Malin Bridge. This is where the road becomes busy, and you may encounter a queue here for the one-way system.
Section 2: Malin Bridge to Owlerton
Most traffic turns off the A6101 here. Even though two B-roads join, this is a notoriously busy section at most times of the day. Traffic can queue right round the system at rush hour, blocking it up and then you are going nowhere fast. We pass through a set of lights before the tram joins us. You nearly always crawl along Holme Lane at less than 20mph and if you're unlucky, the tram makes the problem worse. We then get to Hillsborough corner, which is the cause of the queues. Hillsborough is a very busy shopping area and the roads through are extremely under-capacity with buses, trams, cars and pedestrians making it a nightmare to get through. Traffic queues frequently in all directions and is not helped by the bus gate, which has had its restrictions changed many times so that now nobody really knows when cars are permitted to use it or not. Once we have cleared that fiasco, the road splits at a roundabout. We then have two options, left to join the A61 North towards Barnsley, or do what most traffic does and turn right on the A61 towards the City Centre.
History
The A6101 was originally numbered B6075 and gained its current number in the mid-1920s. At this time the road followed a slightly different route. West of Malin Bridge, for example, the road followed Stannington Road and Rivelin Park Road before crossing the river. Hagg Lane was also part of the road.
Original Author(s): Andyman
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