New road restrictions in Sheffield: How many bus gates does it take to kill a city centre?
What could be worse for Sheffield city centre than new restrictions and more fines ... get set for the council’s latest masterstroke
How many bus gates does it take to kill a city centre?
As council bosses rub their hands in glee at yet another unfair source of income, the rest of us rue yet another nail in the coffin of the heart of our beloved Sheffield.
We want it to be better, not worse. We want to be given reasons to come into town, not scared away.
We love this place with every breath we take but, boy oh boy, don't they make it hard for us.
A new bus gate is on its way for Furnival Gate and one which had been suspended is due to brought back into action.
Don't turn right or you'll be fined. Don't go straight ahead or you'll have to pay out. Most sensible option? Give up and keep your hard earned money in your pocket.
It should not feel like Challenge Anneka trying to reach the wonderful independent shops and stalls in town.
The fines will kick in on September 19, perfect timing for tens of thousands of university students arriving ahead of freshers week and the new term.
The impact on roads which are always chaotic as newcomers try to find their way around? Costly.
The money made from unsuspecting families on their first visit? Priceless.
Welcome to Sheffield.
When we asked for a council comment on the eye-watering amounts raked in by the local authority through parking restrictions on Ecclesall Road recently, they focused on how they were tackling the 'illegal' actions of motorists.
Well, yes, it is breaking the rules but the focus should really be on whether the rules were actually right in the first place.
If everyone from businesses to shoppers, pensioners to commuters, think something is not correct, you might think the body which represents them would reconsider. Au contraire.
Before the roar of discontent fades over the Arundel Gate restrictions, behold the latest council money making scheme.
Bring an old bus gate back into action and add a completely new one on top for good measure ... kerching.
The press release from the council points out that there are 9,000 parking spaces in town. Good luck trying to access any of them!
You may wonder why Sheffield Council chose to sneak out the announcement about yet another restriction on city centre roads at the exact moment when headlines were full of Prime Minister Andy Burnham's visit.
I thought it was a ridiculous misstep by the two large media teams who are paid to represent the council and the South Yorkshire Mayor's office.
Others are more cynical and believe it was a very deliberate attempt to put out bad news at a time when it was most likely to sneak under the radar.
Neither is a good look on people whose salary comes from the public purse.
One thing I would bet on more than the cost of a monthly bus pass is that everyone involved in making this decision and announcing it publicly knew how angry it would make the city.
They are deliberately putting drivers off coming into town. In doing so they are knowingly making it harder for businesses to survive.
Nobody is against beautiful pedestrianised areas - but this won’t help them if it makes them emptier.
We would all like buses to be able to freely flow - but this will make no discernible difference.
There has been a lot of snobbery in the national media about the impact of the Prime Minister's pledges to cut the cost of bus tickets. It is wrong.
Buses are a vital part of work, life and play for millions of families - many struggling to make ends meet. It is right for government - local and national - to take action and make it affordable. I genuinely can not wait until children travel for free.
I won't even bother to mention how important good public transport is for getting people out of cars amid killer heatwaves and a climate catastrophe.
If the people who are given such high salaries to make these decisions genuinely want to make the city less dependent on cars, then they absolutely must provide good alternatives. We can not put the cart before the horse.
Simply stopping motorists from coming into town - without any wider plan to ease access - is pathetic.
I look forward to The Star's front page story in a year's time declaring how many millions the town hall has greedily grabbed via these two bus gates. At least we know it will come on a day when there is positive news elsewhere for the city.
Hiding from its own people? Surely, none of us believe Sheffield City Council would do such a thing?