Why I Started Our Roads Our Voice

I’m Abdul Ghani, and I live in Rotherham and use the roads in and around Broom Road and Wickersley Road almost every day. I set up Our Roads Our Voice after watching the redesigns completed on Westgate, Wellgate and Sheffield Road — changes that, to me, don’t follow any real rationale as to why they’ve ended up the way they have.

The redesigned roads have resulted in longer queues, slower journeys at busy times and congestion that’s worse, not better. There was real frustration — mine included — at how little visible communication came from the council throughout the early developments. Then there’s the real safety worries about junctions and layouts that feel less safe than before, not more. Bicycle lanes have been put in that sit largely unused, eating up road space that’s badly needed to compensate for the incomprehensible narrow lanes, while the congestion and safety problems keep growing.

I didn’t want the same thing to happen to Broom Road and Wickersley Road. Rotherham Council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority have a legal duty to involve us properly in changes like this, and they’ve publicly promised to design “with people, not for them.” I started this community action group to make sure that promise is kept, and that our communities get a genuine say before anything is decided, not after.

A real fear for all residents is what will happen next in our area. As a resident, I feel that the council is prioritising funding over meeting the needs of residents, and is making changes to us rather than with us — on Westgate, Wellgate and Sheffield Road, most of us didn’t even know the schemes were happening until the roadworks themselves started.

I personally don’t think that we as residents, neighbours and as a single community have had a proper opportunity to gauge what we all think and feel about what is being done to our town. This is another reason for creating this community action group — to build a forum where all residents, cyclists, motorists, pedestrians, schools and businesses can come together and share their thoughts, fears, wants and desires as a united community.

We are stronger and louder together. We will be united to improve our town.

What We Stand For

• We are not against safer streets.
• We are not against cycling.
• We are not political.
• And we are not against the council, or anyone else.

What’s happened on Westgate, Wellgate and Sheffield Road shows a real gap between what’s been promised on engagement and what’s actually happened. We want to close that gap — not by working against the council, but with them.

We encourage a strong, friendly working relationship with RMBC and SYMCA, and we’d welcome them reaching out to us to talk about how we can work more closely together, so we as residents feel truly heard, and our contributions actually make their way into the final designs and plans.

I’m no lawyer, but I believe that Rotherham Council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority have a legal duty to involve us properly, and they’ve publicly promised to design with residents, not for them. We’re simply asking them to keep that promise.

Every member of Our Roads Our Voice has an equal say. We don’t speak through one person, and we don’t pick sides. We speak as neighbours, for neighbours — and we’re not going anywhere until residents get the genuine say the law entitles us to.

Who We Are

We’re your neighbours from Broom Road, Wickersley Road and the streets around them, here in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

We’re not outside campaigners, and we’re not a single voice shouting on everyone’s behalf. We’re parents walking kids to school, people driving to work, cyclists, dog walkers, older residents who’ve lived here for decades, and newer arrivals who’ve just moved in. Whatever brought you to this street, this is your group too.

We came together because these are our roads, and we believe the people who live, work and travel on them every day should have a real say in how they’re shaped — not be an afterthought once the plans are already drawn up.

How We’re Run

I founded Our Roads Our Voice, and we’re actively growing as a group, with more residents joining all the time.

What I want this group to become is one where every member has an equal say. No one speaking for the group without the group’s backing, and decisions made together, not by any one individual. That’s the standard we’re working towards, and the bigger and stronger we get, the more real that becomes.

We are entirely independent and non-partisan. We don’t take sides politically, and we want to work with residents of every background and every point of view, united by the same goal: a real say in what happens on our streets.

Get In Touch

Want to get involved, ask a question, or just find out more? We’d love to hear from you.

United to improve our town.

We want to hear from you

Your thoughts, experiences, and ideas matter. Whether you’re a resident, a driver, a cyclist, or a parent doing the school run — your voice counts here.