Green Man the priority

We should change all pedestrian crossings within the city centre and other local centres so the priority is the Green Man NOT cars. Crossings should always be prioritised for pedestrians crossing the road, (don’t pedestrians have the right of way except on clearways?), and lights would change when a car comes along (via a sensor). Obviously during busy times, (i.e. most of the time), there would be little change when compared to now. However, during less busy times this change would slow cars down, a good thing!

It could also be argued that this would increase congestion and increase pollution etc., but these negative effects would only be during quiet times in the city (early or late), and would result in city centres being less attractive to drive through. This would in turn make walking, cycling and buses more attractive (and safer?).

We all want car free cities and this would be a relatively simple change to put the priority in favour of the people of Sheffield generally rather than people who own cars?

John Grant

Handsworth Grange Close, Sheffield, S13

Nature doing its own thing

Lee Rivers, please stop fretting about the grass verges, “calm down dear”.

As mentioned before any verges compromising visibility need reporting.

But otherwise leave them to run wild, better for biodiversity and wildlife and, if we save a few quid, well that’s just a bonus.

Personally, I find them not an eyesore, just nature doing its thing.

Using Lee’s logic, Amey should get into Ecclesall Woods to tidy up the long grass!

The grass length really does not matter, there are FAR more important things to worry about.

This Council are so good at wasting our money, please leave them alone if they can save a few quid.

Gary Speck

Dobcroft Avenu, Milllhouses

The windows of heaven

Sitting on platform 2a at Sheffield Station today on the hottest day of the year so far, I noticed a few pigeons walking towards me, pecking a few crumbs up off the floor. “Where do they get water?” I wondered. They must need it in this weather.

It must be from the stream that flows under the station, I thought. It’s the nearest source, and available all year round. Going home, I paid a quick visit to this stream. Three ducks were in residence at the time. No doubt much of the local wildlife finds a life-saving drink here. Even a bite to eat, and a bed for the night. And the stream is still running fairly well, despite several months of very little rain.

The same is true at Endcliffe Park, although it has slowed significantly since the spring. Where does all the water come from? Not from the sky, in recent times! An underground source, no doubt.

It brought to mind a Bible verse, which I had to look up when I got home since I couldn’t remember it all: “Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)

John C Fowler

Leverton Gardens, S11

They don’t judge you

I am writing this as a member of the local public, as someone that joined De Hood in April and has found this facility an amazing eye opening place to go to, I’m a full time working mum who works shifts within the NHS and find it difficult to accommodate any exercise in my weekly routine. But then I found De Hood. Not only is this an affordable facility, they open the doors and don’t judge you.

I’ve met some amazing people I wouldn’t have necessarily have met in my day to day life with disabilities and needs. It’s not like a normal gym where you are left on your own to learn a routine and feel like a individual, whereas in De Hood you’re one of them and they welcome you as a family would.They help you to make the right decisions and cheer you on when you think you can’t take any more of the session.Friends I’ve made through De Hood know when you’re not there and they ask about you and are caring. The children in the area need somewhere to go. Youth clubs when I was younger helped me have somewhere to go. De Hood are wanting to help with this and I think the children need some discipline and someone to teach them a good way of life: people who may have made some wrong choices and learned through experience and can use the skills to make local estates a better place to live. With knife crime and gun crime on the up this facility shouldn’t be taken away for shopping centres. We have these and if the council want to update the area then use the original facilities across Manor Top to do this. Don’t take away this facility. Members travel far and wide to get to De Hood where you’re not judged. Whatever your size there’s something you can do about it.

Please help them maintain the achievements they’ve already proved possible. I aspire to what’s been achieved and hopefully by April 2019 I might be a smaller toned member of De Hood,

Stacey Harwood

Sheffield, S9

Walled garden

I am replying to Mr Connolly’s letter in which he calls the walled garden at Hillsborough “neglected”.

I wonder if he has been there recently. It’s far from neglected, in fact it’s glorious thanks to the army of volunteers. They hold open days and have lovely plants for sale. Take a look Ron.

Shirley Dunn

Talbot St , Sheffield, S2

Flash floods

Some years ago when my wife and I were in a cottage in Swaledale on holiday, one evening there was a terrific thunderstorm and a huge cloudburst covered the valley. In one hour the River Swale rose so fast that a footbridge over the river got swept away. This had never happened before in almost 100 years!

A couple of years later, the powers-that-be erected a new bridge at this spot but made it a good few feet higher above the river level than the old one, which is much safer now!

Engineers are about to build a new bridge over the River Don just off Manchester Road, Deepcar. Now, I am not telling them their job, but wish to point out the fact that so many people can under-estimate the extreme power of flash floods and the horrendous chaos they can cause!

Mr B Wilkinson

Deepcar