HILLSBOROUGH'S controversial tram gates are set to have enforcement hours cut to peak times only for a trial period after a report found jams on diversion routes were costing motorists £400,000 a year.
Shopkeepers also believe the restrictions have been putting people off visiting the area, harming trade, Sheffield Council highways officers revealed.
If approved by a meeting of Sheffield Council's west and north planning and highways board tomorrow, officers believe changes would also cut traffic in side roads around Hillsborough Corner, reducing the risk of accidents.
The tram gates, which restrict traffic around Hillsborough Corner, would only operate between 7am and 11am and between 3pm and 7pm Mondays to Saturdays, compared with 7am to 7pm currently.
Gate relaxation 'not far enough'Officers say the jam-busting changes would save motorists £400,000 in lost working hours and petrol.
But the move would lengthen public transport journey times through the district - which have fallen by up to 51 per cent for trams and 22.5 per cent for buses - since the present camera enforcement scheme began. This has led to a 19 per cent increase in passengers, equivalent to 2,500 more passengers each day.
The report to the planning and highways board said: "Hillsborough Retailers' Association perceives that economic activity in the centre was better before the bus and tram gates were introduced.
"A large proportion of retailers in Hillsborough are small, independent shopkeepers whose main concern is that the tram gates restrict access for car-borne shoppers, therefore they do not shop there as often, reducing the volume of trade."
The belief the tram gates are putting off shoppers has "affected business confidence and traders' willingness to invest", the report said.
It added: "This lack of confidence is potentially damaging to the future of retail in Hillsborough centre."
According to the report, the proportion of shop units which were vacant rose from 5 per cent in 1991 to 10 per cent in 2008, but officers said other areas had suffered "much more".
The report said relaxing restrictions would increase traffic and could lead to more accidents on Langsett Road and Middlewood Road.
But officers added this would be "counterbalanced by reduced flows and accidents on surrounding roads" - including Rivelin Bank, Walkley Bank Road, Morley Street, Ripley Street and Wisewood Lane - which are narrower and were not built to take large amounts of traffic.
The report concluded: "The status quo will not satisfy local people and traders."
It is proposed that the changes would be monitored in three, six and 12 months, to assess the impact on public transport journey times, shopping trends and accident levels.
The changes would cost £9,000 - plus £5,000 -10,000 for a major campaign to advertise them - and are predicted to lose Sheffield Council £13,000 in fines.
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FeaturesMore Rotherham newsMore Doncaster newsMore Barnsley newsCheck out the very latest on South Yorkshire's roads - including live traffic cameras on Sheffield's commuter routes - with our Traffic sectionLatest sport.The full article contains 520 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
