Better public transport would solve traffic problems, say residents across Sheffield

The council is consulting on plans for an enhanced cycle lane from the city centre to Woodseats and also wants to hear suggestions about how to improve traffic problems in Crookes, Walkley and Nether Edge.

There have been repeated calls for better buses, with several people saying it’s the best way to cut car usage.

One resident said: “I have never understood why the possibility of routing some of the 52/95 services connecting Walkley and Crookes has not been tried. It would provide an alternative way of obviating the steep gradient between the two.

“People living on Bradley Street use the Walkley Surgery at the bottom of Greenhow Street – the latter is very steep and for the aged/infirm it almost certainly requires a visit for a very short journey using a car because there is no direct bus connection between Crookes and Walkley.”

Another Crookes resident said. “These proposals don’t provide viable alternatives to car use or address why people chose to drive – namely it’s faster, cheaper, more convenient and reliable than public transport.”

And a third resident added: “If you want to encourage more people to use public transport from Crookes, the buses need to be cheaper and more reliable. Currently it is often cheaper to get a taxi as a pair and split the cost than it is to get the bus.”

Residents at the other end of the city feel the same. One said: “Once again the only suggestions are for cycling – where are the improvements to public transport as an alternative to using the car?

“The Sheaf Valley would be an ideal route for an extension to the tram network, what happened to the proposals/suggestions to re-open Heeley and other stations? These would be viable alternatives to using the car.

“It’s over 25 years since the Supertram network opened, other cities have expanded their tram network so why hasn’t Sheffield? Where are the serious plans to improve public transport?”

Another said: “Public transport in Sheffield is inadequate. Currently, buses are really expensive and often do not serve routes that people want to go, requiring a two bus journey to go into the city centre and then out to the actual destination – as opposed to having more useful routes around the city.

“Privatisation of the bus services is not working. Take the bus services back into public ownership. Make public transport cheaper, with better routes and more accessibility for all.

“If there is a better public transport system put in place as a genuinely viable alternative, then you will see people change their transport habits.”

The council has £3.4m of Government funding which can be spent on active travel – but it has no control over the bus network.

In June, an enhanced bus partnership for South Yorkshire was announced, to make operators more accountable to politicians, and public control of the network is still being considered.