'It's time to pause Sheffield's new traffic schemes and evaluate what works' - Reform group leader
Sheffield’s Reform councillors’ group leader John Hesketh has called on the council to pause new traffic schemes...
No driver navigating their way around Sheffield can have failed to notice the growth in restrictive traffic schemes – bus and tram gates, road closures, dedicated cycle lanes, one-way systems, 20mph zones and so on.
Restrictions facing drivers of vans, cars and lorries have grown exponentially in recent years. Two years ago, data from respected satnav company TomTom revealed that Sheffield ranks sixth slowest for traffic movement in Britain.
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Furthermore, the journey-planning company’s ‘slowcoach’ index indicated Sheffield falling behind year-on-year.
Last month, Sheffield City Council gave the thumbs up to a further 20mph zone and the Sheffield Telegraph told readers that the council “has opened the door to becoming a 20mph city”.
In addition, extra restrictions are currently being worked up to increase the times of the Hillsborough bus/tram gate and a completely new bus gate is scheduled for Langsett Road.
The list of road restrictions seems to grow by the week and it’s now nigh on impossible to move around the city in an efficient manner. Businesses and private individuals are affected.
As the leader of Reform’s councillors’ group at the town hall, I am regularly asked what my party aims to do about the near impossibility of moving goods and people around our city.
The council is controlled by a combination of the Labour and Green Party and I have called for the two leaders to pause all new traffic restrictions whilst we undertake a genuine evaluation of the scores of current traffic schemes across the city.
Reform’s position is simple - let’s look at what traffic restrictions have worked thus far in Sheffield before we embark on any additional schemes. Some will have been helpful, whilst others will not have met their objectives. A sensible approach is to pause any new schemes and review what has worked or hasn’t.
Surely it’s time to park virtue signalling and employ more common sense.