Apology is in order

Ms Connelly does NOT decide which roads are gritted ,she is given a list of roads from the Sheffield Council telling her which roads are to be gritted. So I think an apology is in order, don’t you?

Mrs J Sterland

by email

Well said

Well said Mr Vintin, people who do not have their roads gritted and walkways and have to buy rock salt and grit sand to get off and on their road for work.

Just an idea, like me save all receipts and deduct out of your council tax payment.

That’s what I am doing. Don’t forget Streets Ahead and the council have a duty of care – for example safe roads and footpaths.

R Morris

by email

Buses and parking chaos

The headline in The Star is about chaos on our bus routes. An unnamed bus driver cited problem parking as being particularly around schools, and highlighted Shiregreen as one of the worst areas. Well blow me down, there’s a surprise.

Firth Park School has a parking problem around its main gate on Bellhouse Road, but I find that it’s usually possible to get through because the width of the road just about allows it.

Beck Road School isn’t on the bus route, so that shouldn’t be much of a problem as Beck Road, and a couple of other streets close by, are the usual parking choices.

Then there is Hartley Brook School! How many letters, from residents living around this school, have appeared in The Star about the illegal parking on single and double yellow lines outside the school? How many times have these letters mentioned the bus chaos when buses, going in opposite directions, get stuck on Gregg House Road because of illegal parking?

How many times as it been highlighted about buses that can’t even turn up Gregg House Road because of vehicles illegally parked on double yellow lines on the corner of the road which make it difficult for the buses to get around them?

How many times have the parking problems around this school been reported to the police, local councillors, local MP, the council’s parking services department? All, to no avail? I know that one of my neighbours went to see the school headmaster about this just before Christmas. The outcome so far? Nothing? Four times since mid December we have seen a pair of PCSOs walk up Gregg House Road during the restricted parking times while up to 14 vehicles have been illegally parked on yellow lines, and they have just ignored them.

It’s amazing that we can get 500 police officers for a football match where there “might” be a bit of bother, but we can’t get anyone to address illegal parking problems that “are” there daily.

It’s down to the authorities to sort out the parking problems, particularly where parking restrictions are in place and the law is being broken, but no one is interested.

The bus service on Shiregreen is appalling at times, which is hardly surprising since the renumbering of the route and a change in the route. You have the school problems in the mornings and afternoons.

There is the chaos at Firth Park shopping centre throughout the day where once again the parking restrictions are ignored, and the standard of some parking is beyond belief. You get a tailback of buses caused by cars parked in the bus stop boxes, while the car occupants nip into the betting shops across from the bus stops, or pop into the nearby sandwich shops.

Then you get Spital Hill, which is blighted by vehicles parked on both sides of the road, making it difficult for buses to pass each other.

I am sure there are other bus users who have problems affecting their services caused by bad parking on their routes, but unless someone is going to get off their backside, enforce the law and sort it out, nothing will change.

by email

Woodhead nature park?

At present we are a few quid short of the deal of a lifetime.

Seriously if we can find anyone daft enough to lend us the money we could get to sunny Manchester in half the time.

Forget all those times you have visited the area hoping for the sun to shine only to be met by a canoeist paddling back over the Pennines.

It would be better to spend money turning the Woodhead Tunnel into an enclosed nature park.

Sheffield

It’s only just begun

Here I am trying to start the New(ish) Year for once in an unlike Clayton spirit of optimism and positivity.

Taking a leaf from the Telegraph I have an outburst of ‘flaneurism’ and go on a perambulation round the city centre.

Queen Street is a flurry of apartment construction. The former tourism office looks forlorn and the Brown Bear, a flagged-floored haven with real fires, seems sadly to be wearing out again. I’ve only popped in because my bladder is more active than myself in these dark mornings and nights.

Thank the Lord Harry I don’t live in Archangel. A dead rabbit on the corner of Leopold Street saddens me but I cheer up thinking how wonderful our bobbies are.

Apparently they are expected to retrieve our high vis Chinese bikes from the forks of trees (and separate Councillor Peter Price and Susan Richardson while they are up there) and retrieve their horses’ dung from London Road as the residents have no rose gardens to spread it on. What next? Oh yes the CTS and Sheffield Heritage.

Ron Clayton

The Temple of Doom, S6

Offences

The only offences I would say, EB Warris, are fly tipping, dog poo and loud music. Hanging washing out sounds crazy, the bins should be back on your property the same day, haven’t heard of it being an offence. I shall carry on feeding the birds.

I get comfort from these due to having a husband who had a bleed on his brain and has now got dementia and can’t communicate. I am not saying you are wrong, EB, as I am not that kind of person. I just wondered where it has all come from. I’ve never heard of these things, even though I do a lot of reading.

Brenda Wilkinson

Lodge Moor, S10