Tourist lost on South Yorkshire roads

Jean Pritchard, from Aberdeenshire, in Scotland, said she covered many ‘unnecessary’ miles on a recent trip to South Yorkshire because of Sheffield’s inadequate road signage.

Many signs, she said, were covered by overgrown foliage, while others confused motorists.

Mrs Pritchard and a friend used Sheffield as a base for five days while they explored nearby towns.

But she said she wouldn’t be coming back. She added: “I have vowed never to return to Sheffield because of the frustration of trying to navigate around the city.”

The pair stayed at the Hotel Ibis Budget Sheffield Arena and found it difficult to get to when returning at night.

“We must have approached the hotel from five different directions over the few days we were there,” she said.

Signage on the M1 was confusing for motorists looking for the Meadowhall exit.

“M’LL painted on roads doesn’t mean anything to visitors,” Mrs Pritchard said.

“It was ages before I realised that M’LL meant Meadowhall.

“On the M1 approaching Sheffield from the south, the signs suggest that the motorist use the next sign to Meadowhall, instead of giving an exact exit number.”

The number of cars on the road made things even worse.

“Sheffield as a place isn’t designed for the amount of traffic which now uses it,” Mrs Pritchard said.

Drivers ‘leaning’ on the horns were a far cry from the polite motorists in rural Scotland, she said.

Mrs Pritchard said she struggled to work out which lane she had to be in for the appropriate exit.

“It’s a wonder I didn’t have an accident, not knowing what lane I was in, while others knew what lane they were in,” she said.

She said her trip was spoiled by her experience.

She said: “Sheffield was a hell of a shock to the system.”