Sheffield station: Cabbies at breaking point over 'gridlock' which is 'worst in the country'

Black cab and private hire drivers say they are spending hours sitting in traffic at peak times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings - and it is costing them business, causing passengers to miss trains and creating air pollution.

Currently all vehicles, including private cars, must merge on Cross Turner Street. It has three junctions with yellow hatched lines, including a crossroads and turns into and out of a pick-up area. Cars regularly halt on the hatchings adding to the “confusion and chaos.”

The Star visited for two hours on Friday night and no one was directing or policing traffic.

Private hire driver Tariq Nazir said the situation had reached a critical point.

He said: “It becomes gridlocked, drivers becoming agitated, blasting their horns, trying to cut each other up, it’s just getting ridiculous! Visitors say it’s the worst railway sation they have seen and experienced.”

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One cabbie said they had to pay East Midlands Railway £1,000-a-year to park at the station but private hire cars did not. And they had to wait hours for a job while they picked up fares.

He told The Star: “We are absolutely at rock bottom. I’ve been waiting in this traffic to pick up my job for 15 minutes. When I do pick up my customer before I even get out of the station I’m on £6. That’s not fair on customers.”

Mr Nazir posted his concerns on Clean Air For Sheffield, a Facebook forum.

Emma Batey responded: “I wholeheartedly agree with your statement Tariq Nazir. Sheffield is the worst station I have ever visited in terms of congestion, air pollution and parking.

“As a driver, I regularly use the station to drop off/pick up my student children with their luggage when they come home for holidays and weekends. It sometimes takes me longer to negotiate the ridiculous station bottleneck than drive from Abbeydale Road. If I’m getting the train myself, I’ll use the bus. It’s quicker! It’s just so badly designed.”

An East Midlands Railway spokesperson said they had a “number of projects” to improve access and cut emissions.

They said: “We are in regular dialogue with the drivers who use the taxi rank and we are aware of the congestion issues which can happen at peak times.

 “We have a number of projects ongoing to improve access for disabled customers to the pick up/drop off area at this part of the station and also a project to reduce emissions collecting under the station canopy from idling taxis.

“We aim to reduce the existing congestion and enhance access for station users and are continuing to work with our local partners to explore options for achieving this long-term objective.”

Councillor Ben Miskell, chair of the transport, regeneration and climate policy committee at Sheffield City Council, said they had “ambitious plans” for the station area.

He added: “I can completely sympathise with the taxi drivers who use the station on a regular basis, and I have been in contact with some of them about their concerns. This has highlighted that there is something that needs to be done in that area and our plans will bring about significant benefits to the station and surrounding area.

“The taxi drivers will form an important part of our discussions regarding any proposed changes to the area and we will continue to engage with them throughout the process.”