Councillor brands Broomhill traffic changes 'unimaginative' and says it will force drivers to shop elsewhere
and live on Freeview channel 276
Amey, on behalf of Sheffield Council, widened the footpath outisde Broomhill shopping precinct to enable social distancing, by temporarily removing the parking area outside Sainsbury's and Morrisons.
Liberal Democrat councillor Tim Huggan said the scheme should have been used to improve the area, and that this change could worsen parking problems and cause drivers to shop elsewhere.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHe said: “It’s unimaginative, they could have done it in so many different ways that would have improved the local shopping experience. They haven’t taken the opportunity to put in electric charging points which they could have done and they should have negotiated with the rooftop car park to make that a better experience.
“If they replaced the entirety of where the car parking was and left a couple of disabled spaces you would have been able to do things like have little market stalls but they haven’t done any of that, all they have done is remove nine parking spaces and left the roadway in where people will at weekends just park all over the precinct.
“It’s unimaginative and done without any thought to how the shopping experience could be improved for local traders and without a massive amount of consultation with people who actually use the shops.
“All they have done is provide a little wider pavement when the pavement was quite wide anyway. Just removing the car parking spaces is not a solution in itself because it just means people will carry on driving to other places.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe change is part of a series of temporary schemes around the city.
Others include pedestrianising Division Street, creating a low traffic neighbourhood in Kelham Island and closing off Pinstone Street to cars. The council said it hopes these will not only give more space for pedestrians but encourage cycling.
Coun Bob Johnson, cabinet member for transport, said he "worked closely" with local councillors on this particular scheme and added: "Broomhill is a popular shopping district and it's important that while we encourage residents to return back to some level of normality, we also ensure they can do this safely.”