This Sheffield bike lane billboard was redecorated...

Someone, who is clearly fed up with a billboard that has been blocking a Sheffield bike lane since March, has decided to decorate it – with Space for Cycling stickers.

The billboard, on Hanover Way, has been there since March, despite the company responsible, Clear Channel, claiming its removal is being treated as a matter of urgency, following concerns raised by cyclists and Sheffield City Council over the placement of the sign, which is next to the city’s ring road.

Last week a Clear Channel branded van was photographed further blocking the lane, but the company did not respond to requests by road.cc to confirm why this occurred. Local cycle campaigner, Matt Turner, says similar signs have appeared all over the city, at times narrowing busy pavements.

Billboard appears ... in middle of bike lane

Sara Hinch posted the photo of the Clear Channel van on Cycle Sheffield’s Facebook page. She said: “How ironic. Don't know if they've come to start work in removing it, but they're parked slap bang in the middle of the cycle path/pavement. Driver and passenger fast asleep when I went by at 850am. 

"There's a free parking space on the road to their left about 10 feet away.”

Turner said to road.cc: "It beggars belief to be honest. They've placed these advertising boards all over the city. Even in the centre of narrow city centre shopping street pavements. It's almost as if our most fundamental public space, our pavements, are up for sale to the highest bidder.”

Clear Channel were contacted by road.cc to confirm a date for the removal of the sign in the bike lane, which they said was being treated as “urgent”. They have not yet confirmed a date, or why the van was parked in the bike lane. Sheffield City Council has not been able to confirm a date for its removal, either.

In recent days, someone covered the advertising with Space for Cycling stickers.

Turner is currently travelling in Europe because he is “fed up” with what he feels is a loss of public space in the UK.

He said: "It's really refreshing being in Europe, I'm in Spain at the moment. You really notice how much public space there is, how many playgrounds there are. Both are simply ubiquitous, it really makes me realise just how much we've lost in the UK.

Sheffield's Steel Route "a high quality, pedestrian friendly route". New advertising board narrowing a busy pavement pic.twitter.com/h6F5B1o387

— Matt Turner (@MattTurnerSheff) March 4, 2016

“We stayed with someone in Arasatte, a town in the Basque Country, we commented on it, on how his apartment block had a huge square and a playground underneath, and even more just around the corner, and we said that it was very rare to see this level of provision in the UK. He asked where all the children played, we told him inside."

Local cycling campaign, Cycle Sheffield, is organising a Space for Cycling “Big Ride” on June 11 at 11am calling for good quality dedicated cycle infrastructure in the city.

The Sheffield Big Ride is a 6km “safe and fun” ride, starting and finishing on Devonshire Green 11am-1pm, cycling along Eccleshall Road and riding past the Town Hall. Event details are on Cycle Sheffield’s Facebook page.

Update : Sheffield City Council tells road.cc Clear Channel will reposition the billboard to a wider patch of pavement, licence pending, by the end of next week. The company is also looking at other billboards placed in close proximity to bike infrastructure elsewhere in Sheffield.