Council makes Sheffield city centre bus gates announcement
The council says bus gates make bus journeys quicker and more reliable in the city centre
A new bus gate is being introduced in Sheffield city centre and another one is being turned back on again.
The new one will be created on Furnival Gate in Sheffield as part of an effort to make bus journeys quicker, more reliable and easier for people travelling into and around the city centre, the council says.
An existing one which used to operate on the same street will come back into use again.
As part of the Connecting Sheffield programme, a new bus gate will be introduced on Furnival Gate near the top of Matilda Way, while an existing bus gate, on the opposite side of Furnival Gate, at the bottom of Pinstone Street will be brought back into operation.
Both bus gates are due to become operational on September 19, which typically coincides with large numbers of university students arriving in the ahead of freshers week and the new term.
In a statement announcing the plans, Sheffield City Council said: “The changes are designed to prioritise buses on key routes through the city centre, helping public transport move more efficiently and providing quicker, more direct access to important destinations.
“There are still over 9,000 parking spaces in the city centre. The new bus gate means that the route you use to access car parks from Park Square via Arundel Gate then Charter Row, Moore Street or Rockingham Street – including Atkinsons and Wellington Street NCP - will change. You will now need to access Charter Row from the Inner Ring Road at Moore Street roundabout.”
Before the new bus gate is introduced, construction work has started and will continue until the end of August to build a traffic island at the top of Matilda Way.
This means that during this period one of the bus stops on Moorhead is temporarily suspended, with services moving to the neighbouring stop.
The council claims the new bus gates will play a role in helping to reduce unnecessary through-traffic and support a cleaner, greener city centre.
Once operational in September, drivers entering the new bus gate (at the top of Matilda Way) will be issued with a warning for their first offence in the first six months of it becoming operational.
This rule will not apply to the existing bus gate (at the bottom of Pinstone Street) when it is turned back on.
Residents and businesses in the area will receive information about the changes ahead of the bus gates becoming operational in September, including details of alternative routes for drivers and temporary bus stop arrangements during construction.