Star backs calls for much-loved charities to be allowed In Sheffield bus lanes to take patients to hospital
“We are asking for something simple”
The Star is backing calls for two much-loved charities which transport cancer patients to and from hospital to be allowed to use Sheffield’s bus lanes without getting fined.
Firefly and Weston Park Cancer Charity provide free lifts for those battling cancer across South Yorkshire.
But, like many motorists in Sheffield, its drivers often find themselves stuck in traffic jams, held up in roadworks and navigating gridlocked streets in the city.
If the charities used the city’s bus lanes to avoid queues and get patients to hospital without as many delays, they would receive a fine.
More than 10,000 have benefitted from these services, yet despite going through one of the most difficult battles of their lives patients are presented with the additional stress of potentially missing appointments due to traffic.
Liberal Democrats in South Yorkshire are now calling on Sheffield City Council to change its rules for the two charities.
Councillors say they are providing “life-saving” support to those battling cancer and should be allowed to travel in Sheffield’s bus lanes without being penalised.
Dr Will Sapwell, councillor for the Stannington Ward in Sheffield, said: “As a doctor, I know how much the impact of stress and anxiety can have on people.
“This is especially true when somebody is already ill, and being delayed for an appointment due to avoidable traffic is one thing our council can help people with.
“Weston Park Cancer Charity, and Firefly, transport thousands of people from all over South Yorkshire and Chesterfield, for free, in a service that is literally life-saving.
“We are asking for something simple from Sheffield Council: work with both charities and add their vehicles to the ANPR system to allow them to use bus lanes.”
Bus lanes are designed to manage traffic throughout Sheffield, opening separate routes only accessible to public transport, taxis and cyclists.
These lanes are monitored by cameras, with those caught travelling along them without authorisation facing fines of up to £70.
However, the Lib Dems claim that a “simple” change to allow charity vehicles through would have a massive impact on those battling cancer.
“This was first brought to me by a resident in Dodworth,” Chris Wray, a member of the Barnsley Lib Dems, added.
“They were telling me how fantastic the Weston Park service is but how confusing it was that they couldn’t use bus lanes, getting stuck in traffic when time really is so important.
“I knew something so simple could be fixed, so I reached out to our excellent team in Sheffield."