Letter: 'I challenge all Sheffield councillors to tell us how they get to the town hall'

After reading the two stories on page six of last week's Telegraph, I was ready to turn into Victor Meldrew.

Let's take the second one first: councillors and employees have free parking facilities, even as they urge the rest of us to walk and cycle, and won't even let our buses into the town centre.

"There go the servants of the people!" shouted a citizen from a Moscow street when ministerial limos swept past, in the latter days of the Soviet Union.

I challenge all councillors to tell us how they get to the Town Hall, and why they choose the mode of transport that they do.

In the meantime, I (nearly 74), my husband (77, and with mobility difficulties), and my daughter (with two small children, and orthopaedic problems) have to get off the bus in Carver Street, and walk.

Looking now at the first story on the page, it's about how measures taken in the Broomhill shopping centre, which limited parking, and which were put in place for one reason (social distancing) might be retained for another - car control.

I don't run a car myself, but I still think that this is a disgrace. Green Party Coun Angela Argenzio has found research that indicates that people who drive to shops don't contribute much to the local shops. Well, Martin Greaves of Williamson's, our local hardware shop, says otherwise.

He's there nearly every day of the year, but Coun Argenzio of course says that he's wrong. However, as far as I'm concerned, if Mr Greaves says that takings are down, then they're down.

Maybe drivers who live out west now drive further in quest of their purchases - using more fuel.

I reserve special ire for our Green councillors, who are frankly fanatical on the subject of transport. Coun Douglas Johnson thinks people should forego their cars in favour of walking, cycling, and, oh yes, public transport.

This is while sending public transport circumnavigating the city centre on a sort of wonky outer circle. But according to him, some people with mobility difficulties think that Carver Street is heaven, or some such.