Transforming Travel In The City Centre

[pfifes]

3 hours ago, Irene Swaine said:

The "pedestrianisation" of Pinstone Street has killed off most of the northern end of the city centre and made it ruddy hard for people who use certain bus routes to access places such as Fargate and High Street.

 

The Cycle Lanes that have sprung up on our pavements make walking around the city centre a nightmare. Streets like Charter Row now have the majority of the pavement dedicated to cyclists. Why can't they keep the cycle lanes on the roads and enforce them better? Instead we lose our pedestrian space to it. If you want to create a space that people want to spend time in, don't make it so that people are constantly looking over their shoulders for bicyclists coming up behind them.

 

 

 

 

Fargate is horrendous for pedestrians now with people being funnelled into narrow pathways between plastic barriers.  I just hope the end result is worth because it has looked a total mess for ages now.  And it wouldn’t surprise me if the whole lot is dug up again in 10 years time for the next ‘transformation’!!  I wonder how much money they spent on getting the Italian craftsmen to put the cobbles on Fargate in the 90’s?  All dug up now.

[SheffieldForum]

5 hours ago, Irene Swaine said:

The "pedestrianisation" of Pinstone Street has killed off most of the northern end of the city centre and made it ruddy hard for people who use certain bus routes to access places such as Fargate and High Street.

 

The Cycle Lanes that have sprung up on our pavements make walking around the city centre a nightmare. Streets like Charter Row now have the majority of the pavement dedicated to cyclists. Why can't they keep the cycle lanes on the roads and enforce them better? Instead we lose our pedestrian space to it. If you want to create a space that people want to spend time in, don't make it so that people are constantly looking over their shoulders for bicyclists coming up behind them.

 

 

 

 

Use the connect bus to get around the centre?

 

The general thinking is to segregate cycle lanes from roads now. 
 

I walked down Charter Row just yesterday and didn’t see a problem with the cycle lanes v pedestrian footpath? I actually thought to myself how well designed it was with plenty of room for both and clearly designated!

[RollingJ]

2 minutes ago, SheffieldForum said:

Use the connect bus to get around the centre?

 

The general thinking is to segregate cycle lanes from roads now. 
 

I walked down Charter Row just yesterday and didn’t see a problem with the cycle lanes v pedestrian footpath? I actually thought to myself how well designed it was with plenty of room for both and clearly designated!

Have you seen the route of the 'Sheffield Connect' service?

[RollingJ]

ADDED for clarity: And the limited stops?

[Planner1]

3 hours ago, pfifes said:

Fargate is horrendous for pedestrians now with people being funnelled into narrow pathways between plastic barriers.  I just hope the end result is worth because it has looked a total mess for ages now.  And it wouldn’t surprise me if the whole lot is dug up again in 10 years time for the next ‘transformation’!!  I wonder how much money they spent on getting the Italian craftsmen to put the cobbles on Fargate in the 90’s?  All dug up now.

Moan. Moan. Moan.

 

Never heard the one about omelettes and eggs? Go try to build something in the middle of a main city centre route while maintaining access at all times and you might understand why it looks like it does and it takes along time.

 

If you remember, people moaned about the cobbles when they were put in. Didn’t like the uneven surface. Didn’t like that they had to bring in foreign workers to do it.

 

The 90’s were well over 30 years ago, so it was probably overdue for a refurbishment anyway.

 

Whatever they do, people will moan.

[SheffieldForum]

More information, courtesy of the Council:

 

The project's progress

We consulted on our initial proposals in 2021, and received more than 1,200 comments.

 

There was positive support for the proposals, with 63% of comments supporting creating new green spaces and building on opportunities for people to walk, cycle and travel by bus across the city centre. People expressed the most positive sentiment for the environmental benefits the scheme would bring – a better and more attractive environment, making it safer to walk and cycle in the city centre.

 

During the pandemic, we implemented some of the proposals as Experimental Traffic Orders (ETOs) to comply with social distancing requirements.

 

This allowed us to trial elements of the scheme which gave us opportunities to create more space for people in the city centre. This included closing Pinstone Street to vehicle traffic and rerouting some buses.

 

In summer 2022 we launched, with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, the Sheffield Connect bus service. This serves key destinations via 12 city centre bus stops. The Sheffield Connect bus runs a regular service seven days a week and provides free travel for people with a valid bus, tram or train ticket, or you can travel for a low flat fare without an existing ticket.

 

We’re also working with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to upgrade the service to an electric bus fleet later this year, which will provide zero emission transport for the heart of the city centre.

 

We have now progressed the scheme’s design based on feedback from the consultation exercise. You can find the key changes to our proposals in the attached plan, and they include:

• Proposed landscaping on Pinstone Street which we’ve designed to maximise the opportunity to use the space for events.
• Pedestrianising Charles Street between Pinstone Street and Union Street to allow the opportunity for more outdoor seating space for businesses. A two-way cycle route will also run along the entire length of Charles Street to connect routes on Pinstone Street and Arundel Gate.
• A right-turn facility for cyclists from Arundel Gate onto Charles Street
• Two-way cycle routes connecting Surrey Street to Pinstone Street, Leopold Street and Fargate.
• Pedestrianising Surrey Street to give businesses the opportunity for more outdoor space, and providing a cycle route by removing 14 pay and display parking spaces and five disabled parking spaces. We will provide additional blue badge parking on Leopold Street and on Union Street to prioritise on-street parking close to the shops and services in these areas for people who have the greatest mobility needs.

You can view full details of the updated proposal and more detailed plans on the Connecting Sheffield website.

What's next?

We're now talking to businesses on Surrey Street and Charles Street to understand how we can support them with access for deliveries or servicing.

 

Later this year, we'll need to advertise the Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) we need for the project. A TRO is a legal order which allows councils to change the way roads are used, such as regulating the speed limits, removal of parking bays, banning or enabling turns, making a road one-way or changing loading and waiting restrictions – often indicated by parking bays or yellow lines.

 

Once we have advertised the order, there is a 28-day formal objection period. We must consider and respond to all objections before we make a decision on whether we implement the TRO or not.

 

We'll also be doing some work around the city centre to identify the locations of cables and pipes under the ground in preparation for the project's construction. We'll do some of this work at night, and some during the day, depending on location. There may be some noise and disruption, but this should only be for one day, and we'll inform residents and businesses in advance of any work taking place. 

 

We will be in touch again soon with more updates as the project progresses, and to let you know when the TROs are advertised - along with how you can provide formal feedback.

 

Don't forget there's more information, and a list of frequently asked questions, on the Connecting Sheffield website.

 

These proposals represent our final plans for the Connecting Sheffield: City Centre project. While we’re working with businesses to make sure we can accommodate their needs for delivery and loading access, we have limited scope for making changes to the design at this stage. We still welcome your comments and feedback – we’ll consider any we receive and respond to you, whether we’re able to make changes or not. If you'd like to get in touch about the project, you can email info@connecting-sheffield.co.uk

[Andy C]

The council closed Pinstone Street / Leopold Street and the flagship bus stop facilities in 2020. There have been public consultations that said they would remodel Rockingham Street (as part of the same project as Pounds Park) and Arundel Gate (with bus gate) to create new replacement facilities with appropriate two way road capacity and proper, fully equipped bus stops.

 

4 years late neither has happened. Buses continue to stop at temporary stops with no facilities in unpleasant locations using unsuitable roads.

Edited March 8 by Andy C

[RollingJ]

2 minutes ago, Andy C said:

The council closed Pinstone Street / Leopold Street and the flagship bus stop facilities in 2020. There have been public consultations that said they would remodel Rockingham Street (as part of the same project as Pounds Park) and Arundel Gate (with bus gate) to create new replacement facilities with appropriate two way road capacity and proper, fully equipped bus stops.

 

4 years late neither has happened. Buses continue to stop at temporary stops with no facilities in unpleasant locations using unsuitable roads.

Exactly the point I and others (including you) have been making for a long time - but has anything changed? Do the council actually work for/listen to their citizens?

[SheffieldForum]

Must admit, I have no idea what happened to the bus hub at Rockingham Street idea! I'll try to find out...

 

 

[SheffieldForum]

Here we go:

 

"The proposed works on Rockingham Street have not changed but construction was brought forward building on the success of Pound’s Park and tie in with Kangaroo Works both completed in December 2023. Works on Rockingham Street are due to be completed in the summer which will include the installation of new bus shelters with real-time information creating a ‘mini bus hub’ on the street.

 

"The current routes for buses into and across the city centre will remain in place. We only propose minor changes for buses accessing the city centre via West Street.

 

"Instead of using Carver Street – Division Street – Rockingham Street, we will change the junction of West Street and Rockingham Street to allow buses to turn into Rockingham Street to provide a quicker, more direct route. Rockingham Street, which is currently one-way when travelling from Division Street towards West Street, will be made two-way and a bus gate will be introduced between Devonshire Lane and Wellington Street, to allow access for buses travelling towards Charter Row only. We will retain access to all premises on Rockingham Street. These changes are planned for implementation in the summer."