Red lines: Sheffield businesses fight on over road changes they fear will return

A meeting of the council’s transport, regeneration and climate policy committee will tomorrow (July 19) discuss changes to the roads to create two bus corridors to cut delays to services.

The plans caused an outcry as one proposal was to introduce 12-hour bus lanes with red routes – marked by red lines – policed by traffic cameras that would have banned parking, loading or vehicles stopping to pick people up or drop them off.

A report going before the committee for decision proposes altering six junctions on the roads, giving buses priority at traffic signals and crossings and using enforcement cameras to tackle illegal parking during current bus lane operating hours.

The report proposes no red routes now but says they may be considered again once the effect of all the changes is assessed.

Campaign group Save Our Streets – renamed from Say No to Red Lines – met yesterday (July 17) at Marmaduke’s cafe in Ecclesall Road, Banner Cross to discuss their next steps.

Mental health

Campaigners say that they welcome most of the improvements but not at the cost of parking restrictions that they fear will close many businesses. A property landlord also told the meeting he worries at the effect it would have on his tenants and his ability to get repairs done.

Andy Grice, co-owner of Banner Cross bar The Dark Horse, said “people could be forgiven for thinking it’s gone away but it’s come back round”.

He said campaigners had been appealing to the ‘hearts and minds’ of councillors and having more technical discussions with council officers.

He said that allowing customer parking on the roads brings in an estimated £20 million a year in trade. “We’re not talking about a micro-economy, it’s one of the city’s premier retail quarters split over both areas. There’s so little comparable in other areas.”

Mr Grice said that his business has suffered badly because of the pandemic and the worry over red lines has affected his mental health.

Fellow bar owner Charlie Chester of Abbeydale Road Traders’ Association said he has met new committee chair Coun Ben Miskell and new council leader Coun Tom Hunt, who he described as being in “listening mode”. He is also meeting South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard, who is pushing for bus service improvements.

He said: “Red routes are being kicked down the road. They need to be taken off the table.”

Political reputations

Tim Nye of Marmaduke’s said: “Bus companies are saying we’re not going to invest in our buses because the playing field is not good. The buses aren’t good and we want them to be improved but we don’t want to be chucked under the bus.”

Ecclesall LibDem ward councillor Barbara Masters said one problem is that both Oliver Coppard and Tom Hunt have staked their political reputations on improving bus services.

Jill Giannotta, who owns Banner Cross women’s clothes shop More Posh Than Dosh, said that her survey of customers shows that they come from all over the city and they say they are far less likely to travel there by bus.

Banner Cross postmaster Nas Raoof said he had asked for certainty when he presented a 14,000-name petition to the council two years ago and that’s what he still wants.

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