Piling on problems for motorists will hit the city centre

When was the last time you went shopping in Sheffield?

For many people, it is something that has been confined to history.

Personally, I try to shop in the city centre as much as I can. The 1980s when I could get pretty much anything I wanted here are long gone. Atkinsons is now our last department store, and shops like that deserve all the support we as residents can give them.

Meadowhall is easier to get to than Sheffield city centre. Photo: David Kessen, National World

placeholder image — Meadowhall is easier to get to than Sheffield city centre. Photo: David Kessen, National World

We have long known of the free parking on offer at Meadowhall, which has been a popular destination for years now.

But anyone who has been into the city centre recently will be aware of how our prime retail streets are looking. Fargate, once the jewel in the city’s retail crown still boasts a Marks and Spencer store which we should all support. But it is also now home to shops including vape stores bargain basement stores.

But it is any surprise? In a difficult time for shops, the pressures is being piled on.

Sheffield Council has quietly increased its parking parking charges, albeit for the first time since 2024. Those increases are already in place. The council’s car parks are cheaper than the privately run ones, but the authority has confirmed it has reduced the number of spaces it operates, and that they will fall further.

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But it is not just the parking costs. The journey into town is getting more difficult. Look at the number of roadworks we are seeing in the city. And on top of that, there is disruption to tram access at the moment.

Meanwhile, there is the proliferation of bus gates across the city. People, especially visitors to the city, are in fear of coming into Sheffield by car in case they land themselves a £70 fine for entering one of them.

The alternative is to get a bus. But pensioners say they don’t go into the city centre any more because the buses no longer go close enough to the shops. Routes that once went along Pinstone Street are now perceived as skirting around the outer edges of the city centre.

And they are not seen as a cheap option.

Those in charge need to have a long, hard think.